Martoons

Cast of characters

Dame

A taxi driver

*

“You – Korea?” asked the taxi driver.

Dame instinctively froze-up these days whenever someone asked him that, as the line of questioning led inevitably to his original birth parents and that whole sordid story he didn’t want to tell.

* Is he going to tell it anyway though? *

He sighed.

“Me Korean? Only half! My mother – Korea. My father – Canada.

My father come here – Korean War. Me – love child, okay? Later, me adopted by different parents – also from Canada. The end.”

* How do you think the cabby will respond? *

The cabby remained silent and Dame filled the gap. “Korean War – you soldier?”

The cabby waved him off. “Too young. Me – Vietnam War.”

“Seriously? What was it like?”

Dame quickly saw he’d touched a raw nerve as the cabby vigorously waved him off while his face went all screwed up. “No good. Many bad people. Crazy.”

They’d passed the remaining blocks of Hyundai Motors and had slowed down to a civilized speed.

Cabby: “So your original father – after Korean War – where now?”

Dame shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe…” and pointed straight up.

“Ah yeah.” The cabby nodded his head. “Heaven okay! You Christian?”

“No man. You?”

The cabby flashed a thumbs-up. “Jesus – my best friend.”

“Guys like you give Christianity a good name. Anyway…” He stretched while constrained by his seat belt. He liked this cabby guy.

Dame was in a good mood now and felt like yappin’ a little.

* What more is Dame going to say? *

“Yeah, my father was Korean War sol-ja. After he meet my Korean mom. I guess they go boom boom!” He chuckled.

“Then what happened? I don’t know. Anyway, they separate and each go different way. My mom keep me. But she no money. So me – adoption. You know adoption?”

Cabbie shook his head. “Yeah, yeah,” he said sympathetically and the conversation started dying out so Dame wrapped it up: “So, when me child, I go Canada.”

“Now me come here – tourist only. Go home soon.”

Twenty minutes later the cab descended on the congested beach.

“Lighthouse Beachy – many people,” cabby said. “How you find your friend?”

* How will Dame find his friends? *

Dame realized he had no idea where Go and E would be. He also realized that he’d freeze his jewels off walking around this beach for very long.

Then again, he’d have to weave through such a throng of people that he could probably keep warm off the body heat.

Nevertheless, he wanted to find his destination quickly. It wasn’t all that long until New Year’s would be here.

* How long will it take for Dame to find Go and E? *

With his waygook customer looking stumped, the cabby had an idea and held out his cell phone.

“Here – you borrow – okay! I wait here. I tired – maybe sleeping. You go find your friend. Bring my phone back later, okay? I go back Chinju in few hours. I want relax.”

Dame waved-off the cell phone, but the cabby persisted and basically forced him to take it. “Go, go,” he gestured, motioning Dame away.

“Me super tired! I need sleeping – small sleeping.”

Dame hesitated, fishing in his pocket for his passport for collateral but the cabby waved him off, almost appearing scared of holding the document.

“Okay, okay,” Dame finally said appreciatively.

“I borrow phone and go find my friend. You wait here. I come back later. Oh!”

Dame fished around in his pocket for the fare, then realized he didn’t have near enough to cover his fare. He’d have to hit up Go and E.

“You keep your meter running and I’ll be right back with your fare.”

* Will the cabby accept this? *

The cabby had heard the excuse before but like most cabbies, he could read customers well and sensed this weird waygook would be back in fairly short order with the fare.

There was just something about him.

So, with a trust that he’d rarely extend to any cash-short Korean (they’d get the tire iron treatment!), he gave Dame a business card and shoed him away.

Dame got on the cell phone right away and Go patiently plotted out how to get to the soju tent cluster.

* Will Damion in fact get enough money and come back? *

Dame was standing in a taxi parking area, which was elevated quite significantly from the beach.

“Okay, okay Mr Go, I see the tent plaza.” The ember-like glow of the big orange shelters made his eyes tingle. “But how do I know which one?”

“It is the biggest tent. Very close to men’s washroom. Name is Big Top Soju Tent.”

Dame spotted it from his vantage point but when he plodded down a steel staircase to beach level it was a different story.

He got engulfed in a myriad of structures and lost sight of the large tent.

And down in his guts he was getting bad vibes again. As he cautiously continued walking those uncanny vibes magnified.

* What do you think is going to happen?… *

*

Tomorrow: Miss No gets baffled by all the beards.