Martoons

Cast of characters

Dame

Mr E

Fred

Mr Go

Miss No

*

“Let’s go!” No ordered. “Pali, pali. We’ve been waiting for you. Why take so long? We need to get off this beach and to safety.

”

E apologized profusely. Fred thought it was overkill and immediately saw No’s hegemony over E, wondering how long their reunion would last.

Fred, for his part, was slow to get in. He wasn’t in the mood to be herded into the packed vehicle.

“How far is the motel?” he queried No.

“Over there.” She pointed to a semi-lit-up building about 100 metres away. “Name – Beach Boys Motel.”

Fred could see a big picture of the iconic crooner group. “Ah, that’s easy. Okay, I’m going to walk – good for health.”

No kept quiet but didn’t like the idea. She couldn’t get Grandpa Kang and his beard out of her mind.

It was imperative to get both waygooks – particularly Fred – off this beach now.

“Okay you walk – but go straight to the motel. Don’t delay – you might … catch a cold.”

Dame was getting legitimately sentimental about Fred leaving and was toying with the idea of getting him a lady for the night back in Chinju.

“I’ll walk with you Freddy. Care to join us Mr Go?”

* Is Mr Go going to join them? *

Go waved him off and climbed in the back seat. “Why you want walking by yourselves? So cold!”

Dame and Fred scooted off, leaving the car behind clogged in the exit way with half a dozen others.

“I might take a taxi back to Chinju now,” Dame said as he took a big puff on a freshly lit cigarette and launched into a raunchy cough, a few seconds later catching his breath.

“I’d like to treat you to a special memory.”

Fred chuckled. “You mean … ladies?”

“Chinju’s finest. Service with a smile – painted on with makeup mind you but…” He slapped him on the shoulder. “C’mon man, it’s your last night. Go out with a bang.”

* Will Fred take Dame up on his offer? *

Fred cringed from the pun and waved Dame off. He was beat and just wanted to crash.

“I appreciate your kind offer but seriously, with that cough of yours, if I were you I’d get out of this cold and into that warm motel room.”

“Relax, man. You’re always going somewhere.”

Dame scoffed. “Yeah, okay Mom.” He looked up at the long string of motels along the back of the beach. “Which motel did Miss No say?”

“Beach Boys.” He saw the picture atop the motel again and pointed to it.

Dame snickered. “And I’m sure they’ve got the licence to use that name!“ He took another, more restrained puff on his cigarette, pondered and then exhaled.

“Just realized something. If I do stay here tonight it will be the first time Donna and me have been in the same room since we were little kids.” He looked away.

“The mere thought of it makes me claustrophobic. We actually can’t stand each other.”

* Do the siblings actually really not like each other? *

Fred nodded with a furrowed brow. “Hmph, that’s odd. Ever since meeting you two back in Edmonton I always thought you too were pretty close.”

“Here we met up only once – at Coffee Lady’s – for a couple of minutes – and it was strained. She tried to bribe me to leave Korea.”

“She’s worried that I’ll do something here that will make her look bad.”

He reflected. “We’ve never really gotten along our whole lives. When you met me in that seedy Edmonton parkade, I was borrowing her car that night.”

“She was good that way – helping me, you know?

“But there are always conditions on it or she expects something from me in return.” He scoffed.

“Anyway, she fits right in here ‘cuz she speaks the language. She’s in her element. I just came for a quick visit and I’ve already stayed too long.”

He puffed and exhaled, his face shrouded in a thick cloud of cigarette smoke. “I don’t fit in here.”

*

Tomorrow: The group arrives at the motel, but will there be room for all of them?