Martoons

Cast of characters

Fred

Thomas

*

“I actually came here to tell you something…” said Fred. 

There was a knock on the staff room door and a determined delivery guy brought in a silver carrying case that resembled a tall tool box.

He sat it down on the table and slid up one of its sides to reveal several shelves inside.

He removed a large bowl covered in plastic wrap, a couple of small side dishes, and a pair of wooden chopsticks.

“Enjoy.” He then closed up the silver box and as he left with it, bowed.

Fred nodded in return. Now that the food was here – and the steaming bowl of noodles looked delectable – he’d have to eat quickly in order to still have his say and then catch that bus.

He peeled back the plastic wrap, tore open the chopsticks, and dug in. Thomas was amazed at how fast he was making the noodles vanish.

“Geez, sure you’re not coming from North Korea?”

“Yeah,” Fred said, “and you watch. I’ll be hungry again in half an hour.

“I don’t know what it is about Korean food. Doesn’t matter if it’s rice, noodles or whatever. I always seem to be hungry here.”

* Why do you think that is? *

“I know the feeling,” Thomas replied.

His burger was gone and he crumpled up the wrapping and flipped it on the table top, then wiped his hands on a paper napkin.

He peered back inside the bag and reached in. “Try one of these rice kimchi burgers. They’re pretty good.”

He handed a wrapped-up burger to Fred then shuffled bags around.

“Sorry I didn’t have time to yap more at Coffee Lady’s that last time I saw you…” He laughed. “… That time you wet your pants!”

He plopped his half-demolished second burger down on the wax paper, wiped his hands again and reached for a drink.

“I guess it’s the Canadian in me but I really felt ashamed about borrowing cash from her so I had to make that trip back there and pay her back.”

“Finding her is like a needle in a haystack – or better said, a chopstick in a steaming mound of noodles. Great lady.”

“We met by chance but as I got to know her it was like unearthing a gem. Now we hardly ever see each other but it feels like she’s mine – like I have something with her.”

“Something… real. Something I can fall back on.”

* Will Thomas and Coffee Lady end up together? *

The room fell silent and he took a big slurp of pop through a straw.

“Was that flowery enough for you?” He put a clenched fist up to his mouth and suppressed a belch.

Fred: “Are you sure Coffee Lady feels that same way about you? She seemed a little standoffish that day, and you’d come all that way to see her.”

“Standoffish?” Thomas waved him off. “Actually, that was my fault. She was just playing the Coffee Lady part.

“She had customers and I dropped in without an appointment when she happened to be really busy. Yeah, that was brutal.

“But you know what? You get used to it in this place. Toughens a guy up. Korea certainly ain’t for the queasy!”

He was finished eating and crushed all his litter up into a big ball, stuffed it into his empty pop cup and then tossed that in a tiny trash bin.

Fred was done too and made use of the toothpick that came with his order.

Thomas took Fred’s bowl and chopsticks out to the front desk. “The delivery guy’ll come back and pick this up. Not everything’s disposable here – yet.”

The room was dead quiet. Fred could hear the big wall clock ticking. He looked up at it.

Now down to a few minutes.

Thomas stepped back into the staff room but didn’t close the door.

He wiped down the table where he’d eaten and then shuffled as if he was about to leave.

“Well, gotta pick up the kid,” he remarked.

“Just a moment, buddy.” Fred got up smoothly and clicked the door shut quietly.

* How will this impending conversation go? *

*

Tomorrow: Thomas experiences some panic but it’s not because of Miss No and her scheme…