Martoons

Cast of characters

Mrs Kim

Mrs Park

Miss No

Fred

*

The dancing immediately ceased.

Kim hurriedly halted drumming, jumped to her feet, and bowed to the boss. Embarrassed, she quickly replaced the drum back on the filing cabinet.

Park quickly clicked off the cassette machine, and stashed Fred’s now-empty soju bottle back in her purse (she was pretty sure Miss No hadn’t seen it).

* Had Miss No seen it? *

“Sorry, sorry,” Park was saying while bowing in deference. “This is our fault. Do not blame Mr Fred. We came here on a whim to see him.

“He did not invite us. We had no appointment. He did not know. We are very sorry.”

* Do you think Miss No believes her? *

No simply stood there, glaring, with her arms crossed.

The verbal silence was killing Park and she rushed to fill it with more apologies.

“We are so rude to have come here like this. So so so sorry…”

No was mildly amused, not having to say or even do anything while the housewives were – under their own initiative – flagellating themselves to death.

“We promise,” Park went on, “we will never set foot in this building again unless you invite us. We are guilty … right now … of …”

She realized how dumb she was starting to sound.

No had had enough of the self-deprecation too. “Okay, okay” she waved them off. “It’s alright.”

* Will Miss No not reprimand them at all? *

During the kafuffle, Fred quietly exited the office and No hadn’t seemed to notice or care.

She seemed way more concerned with the housewives.

Maybe I’ll go get that coffee now, Fred reasoned.

And as he darted down the stairs to the street-level coffee machine, his caffeine craving had conveniently returned with a fierce vengeance.

A minute later, after carefully removing his filled-to-the-brim cup from the receptacle and wondering what to do next, the housewives emerged from the building –

clearly shaken and with tails between legs.

They spotted Fred and hurriedly informed him that Her Majesty was waiting back upstairs.

“Did she say why she’s waiting for me?” Fred took a safe little sip on his coffee to make it look as if he wasn’t all that concerned.

“She didn’t say,” Kim said, “only that she wants to meet with you.”

Fred shook his head. I don’t like the looks of this. “Okay. Anyong!”

The housewives quickly bid Fred farewell with polite little waves and were on their merry way.

Kim called back, “So sorry what happened Fred teacher, good luck to you. See you again.”

“Not at all ladies. Don’t be sorry – I’m not!”

Fred felt slightly ashamed that he hadn’t stood up to Miss No and defended his housewife friends’ in the face of her tirade.

His own cowardice shocked him sometimes. Now he called out, “Mrs Park and Mrs Kim: You didn’t deserve any of that…”

They didn’t acknowledge and continued walking.

He put hands up to his mouth like a megaphone and yelled, “Anyway, thanks for visiting me – I have a very good keyboon.”

“I won’t forget this!”

But that good vibe was quickly fading as Fred dutifully (yet reluctantly) headed back up the stairs – slowly enough to keep his coffee steady in his hand.

He took a small sip or two and the caffeine reached his brain, suddenly giving him perspective on the situation: I’m walking into a trap.

* What can he do? *

So he stopped at the office door, which was now slightly cracked, with the bear hunter presumably waiting inside.

He tapped lightly.

“Director No,” he called out sycophantically, “I heard you want to meet me.”

“Before I agree to it, I demand to know what this meeting is about.”

* Will she answer? *

*

Tomorrow: Fred waits for Miss No and strengthens his resolve.