Martoons

Cast of characters

Fred

Mr E

Max

*

Red Light          

“Mr E,” Fred said as lightly as he could, “I have question.”

E seemed to seize up defensively, perhaps without being aware of it, yet then waved Fred off.

“No problem – anytime. I told you before, remember?” He looked down at the floor.

Fred felt awkward. “Has Miss No mentioned anything about my situation? I have a bad feeling about it. Maybe … I won’t be allowed to stay in Korea.”

* Will that be the case for Fred? *

E responded almost reflexively. “I heard you have meeting with her tomorrow. You can find out there.”

Max butted out his cigarette in the ashtray. He glanced at E, who had his head hung and looked dumbfounded.

E was caught in a dilemma between two friends – Miss No and Fred.

“Tell him what you told me,” Max insisted. “Mr Fred is a good man. He really likes Korea. You should help him live a good life here.”

E sat stubbornly silent, took a last puff off his cigarette and extinguished it.

It was a moment of reckoning for him – as if he was looking into a mirror of his relationship with Miss No.

From his first encounter with her and her Bible in the underground Rotary market, he’d always had to lower himself to her level.

Now sitting in the restaurant on the warm floor with his legs crossed, he rose above the situation and realized how he’d annihilated himself in her presence.

He’d even altered his career dreams and aspirations to appease her.

* Will this reflection cause him to change his mind about being with her? *

He lit up another smoke, inhaling with vigour and exhaling profusely. His mind was on full throttle.

Max had just raised a valid point and Fred did have every right to know what was in store for him; not have it sprung on him and then be forced out of the country.

Korea was a rat race and even though foreigners often appeared to have an easy go of it, E knew well that they could get shafted with no recourse. Like in this case.

Finally he looked up at Max and then Fred.

“Fred, Miss No has told me that she wants to deport you from Korea immediately and then blacklist you so you can never work here again – for anyone.”

“She also told me she’s not sure if she can legally do it since Mr Go signed all your papers, but she is going to try.”

“It’s nothing personal against you. She thinks you are a very good man. However, she is scared of all the Englishy schools opening up in town and doesn’t want you working for anyone else.”

“She thinks it will destroy her business.”

“Fred, that’s what’s going on and if there’s anything I can do to help, let me know but you should know that Miss No is very forceful and I don’t think she will listen to me.”

“Fred best of luck tomorrow.”

* Will Fred’s meeting with Miss No unfold like E has said? *

Even though this was a doomsday scenario, Fred was relieved and felt like a giant black cloud hovering since the van incident was finally dissipating.

Max hailed one of the old ladies to bring a last bottle of soju. Now seeing that this could be his last night in Korea, Fred picked up a shot glass and Max filled it.

Then Max filled Mr E’s and vice-versa.

They all had a shot of soju each. The vibrancy at the table had been suddenly revived.

“So Mr E,” Fred said, “when do you start studying to be a church minister?”

“Next fall. Frankly, I’m more interested in engineering than the Bible but I must think about my future.”

He held out his glass toward Max for refilling. “And my future is the little lady. It is time for me to improve my life.” His glass was filled and he chugged it.

“Traitor!” Max chuckled and poured himself a shot. “This country needs more scientists! You sacrifice this country’s future for one woman … that woman!”

He bottomed-up his soju glass and then refilled it himself, as well as E’s.

“Life is … sacrifice,” E said, drinking again.

A few seconds passed but Max didn’t dig into E anymore about Miss No. He seemed to surrender to sympathy toward his best friend.

“Seasons change. People change. You’ve changed my friend. You are a different man.”

“I am a new man,” E said. “And you were wrong Max when you said earlier that I’m not religious. Actually I am – I worship Miss No! Ha ha!”

He called over for more soju but Max stopped him, pointing out that the old ladies had all but closed up the restaurant.

Fred actually wanted to pay the bill but there was no way Max and E would let a foreigner pay a second time in one night.

Thomas’ earlier overzealousness was insulting enough. As Fred got up from the table and stretched his stiff legs, E was already over at the front cash settling up. 

*

Tomorrow: Max insists on getting Fred a lady.