Martoons

Cast of characters

Dame

Mr E

Miss No

Motel owner

*

“Mr E – do you think the motel manager and me are the same clothing size?”

“Waist, leg, shoulder and all that?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

E waved him off. “I think you’re closer to me. Why?”

* Yes, why? *

“Show time, that’s why. I’ll tell you more later but for now I need a temporary wardrobe change.

“Would you mind switching into each other’s clothes, just for the next hour or so?”

“We can turn them inside out, just like you did last night to fool Miss No outside that washroom.”

* Will Mr E lend Damion his clothes? *

Mr E had no idea what Damion was up to and didn’t want to know. That whole incident had almost cost him his relationship.

Yet life is full of close calls. He was gladly willing to deliver on the clothes.

“Just as long as whatever you’re up to you don’t involve me. I have to be a good boy for the rest of this trip or I’ll be a bachelor again!”

He got out of the car and Dame followed, and they went to the back and E popped the hood. “Now funny you should mention a clothes change.

“Back before I met Miss No I used to go out practically every night with my associates from the bank.”

Sometimes a few of us would end up staying up all night, hopping around to various bars, soju houses and VIP lounges.

“We’d leave the last bar just before sunrise, go to a public bath, and get out of our last night’s clothes – all wrinkled and smoky.”

“We’d clean up at a bathhouse, maybe catch a snooze in there, and then put on a fresh set of threads.”

“Then we’d go into work and nobody would suspect anything, except maybe why we had bloodshot, watery pie eyes. ‘Allergies!’ I used to say.”

He moved some things around in the trunk and uncovered a somewhat dusty fancy shopping bag from one of the expensive department stores.

It was stuffed full of something.

He opened it up and produced a neatly folded suit and trousers, along with a fresh set of socks, undies, tie, and a dress shirt.

“I still keep this stuff here but haven’t needed it for a while. You know, I miss those days…”

He pulled the top item out slightly but noticed it was very dusty from having been in the car. “Oh, maybe I cannot loan this to you. Very dusty…”

“Don’t worry about it,” Dame said, snatching the bag from his buddy and blowing the dust off the top. “This will do just fine.”

He started to walk away from the car, back towards the beach. “If Miss No comes out, tell her I went to the can and I’ll be back shortly.”

He scooted off in the direction of the infamous men’s washroom, with the shopping bag in tow. “Show time!”

* What is Dame about to do?! *

*

Gas     

Back inside the motel, it quickly became evident that Go was not only not snoring and not breathing – he was not there, period!

Miss No scurried out to the desk to check with the motel owner. He was sitting cross-legged on his little platform behind his glass partition, playing solitaire.

He waved off the near-frantic distant relative.

“Go Ajasshi left early this morning about three. A cab driver came and was looking for one of the foreigners. Go left with that cab driver.”

He did a sweeping away gesture with his hand. “He’s long gone Miss No. Long gone. What’s going on?”

The house phone happened to be sitting there right on the counter.

No asked if she could use it but didn’t wait for an answer before she’d already picked up the receiver and dialed.

The owner shook his head and muttered to himself, “Ayeesh. She always was spoiled.”

*

Tomorrow: Mr Go fights against his mind’s mode of being Comrade Go…