Martoons

Cast of characters

Fred

Mr E

Mrs Won

Hot Sauce

*

After dinner, No had a meeting with the church minister and others.

E offered Fred a ride home – he accepted – and told him to wait in the lobby for a few minutes.

While waiting, Hot Sauce and Mrs Won came through. As Fred anticipated, Won was staying behind for a few hours’ bible study.

Hot Sauce was going to take the bus across town to Cleaning Lady’s house (where she was still staying), but it didn’t arrive here for 45 minutes.

“My friend is going to give me a ride Mrs Won,” Fred said “I’m sure we can squeeze Hot Sauce in.”

She waved him off without a second thought.

“It is okay, Fred. My daughter is very familiar with the bus route and very comfortable riding the bus.”

Hot Sauce complained by stomping her feet lightly and putting on a sour face.

“I don’t want to wait here for the bus. So boring.”

Won digested the mild tantrum and then turned to Fred. “Who is your friend? Does he attend this church regularly?”

“He’s new here; works in a bank. He’s a really good guy.” To embellish his endorsement, Fred flashed a thumbs-up.

“Mom!” Hot Sauce said. “Car ride want to!”

E returned to the lobby and bowed deeply to Mrs Won.

He must have given a good first-impression because she caved-in and let Hot Sauce take the ride.

Fred suspected the reason Won had held back at first was she didn’t want Fred disclosing anything to Hot Sauce about her ailing father in the hospital.

That rift between the waygook and the ajumma still festered.

* Hot Sauce still doesn’t know? *

Won explained to E where Cleaning Lady’s village was. Turns out he’d been there many times and already knew people who lived there.

Won bowed and excused herself; E ordered the rest out to the car and they drove through the streets of Chinju.

He chatted-up Hot Sauce and although Fred tuned most of it out, he was impressed by the supposedly shy teenager’s gift for almost non-stop gab.

It was a side of her he hadn’t seen.

Fred meanwhile sunk into his own thoughts and realized how much Xmas meant to him at a deep level.

And this particular Xmas was in the process of completely passing him by.

Korea obviously had Xmas, but it was a much different event here. It gave him a sense of loneliness and alienation he’d rarely experienced.

* Will Fred do something else to celebrate Christmas? *

An odd yet somehow familiar sound from outside the car disturbed his reflections. He looked up but all the windows were fogged.

“Ayeesh!” E exclaimed, still racing through the streets steering with one arm and trying to wipe a patch clean with the sleeve of his other.

Fred became mildly alarmed and amused simultaneously. “Mr E, how can you see anything?”

“Darn defrost. Always malfunctions when I most need it. How you say – Murphy Law?” Yet he seemed to be accelerating.

It was freaking Fred out. “Mr E – slow down, man. This is dangerous.”

* Are they going to arrive safely? *

E didn’t seem to hear him, looking frantically out the little patch he’d wiped clean, and figuring out where they were.

It was as if they were speeding through a tunnel at top speed in the pitch black.

Fred looked back at Hot Sauce to see if she was as terrified as he was – but she’d nodded off! E now had the pedal to the metal.

Something snapped inside Fred. “Mr E – stop this car! I’ll walk if you don’t mind. I just don’t feel safe. Sorry…”

Suddenly E slammed on the brakes. “Oh my God!”

Fred was freaked out and reflexively reached for the door handle to get out.

But the latch was jammed or something and his window was still fogged up. He was trapped.

*

Tomorrow: Hot Sauce, Mr E, and Fred all go their respective ways.