Martoons

Cast of characters

Mr Go

Miss No

*

Go realized love couldn’t be willed. It had to come from deep within, and inside him there was nothing.

It depressed him a little but he soldiered on, wondering if he could hammer his emotions for No into shape over time.

What she’d said about family in the future did hit home.

Furthermore, Go prided himself on being sensitive to the concerns of those close to him. And doing something about those concerns.

“It is not acceptable,” No said, “for you to come to bed sloshed and smelling like kimchi and cigarettes. Half the time you don’t even take a shower.”

“And then you fall asleep without even acknowledging me.”

“I am going to clean up my act,” he declared. “The key to a healthy love life is stamina.” And thus he started his midnight jogging craze.

* So he started doing that for her? *

An hour’s running worked the alcohol through his system and nullified the annoying soju side-effect of preventing his manhood from rising to the occasion (one of Miss No’s most grievous grievances).

Alas, their love life flickered on occasion.

This glimmer of hope gave Miss No enough confidence to eventually make her big move in the bedroom.

She’d heard some trashy girl in a Hollywood movie say the best way to ‘hook a guy’ was to have his baby.

* How was she planning on making that happen? *

So, she waited eagerly back at the villa on yet another lonely night, while he was letting loose at his favorite CUPID ? VIP ROOM. It was a special occasion – the VIP Madame’s birthday.

This was the lounge where he’d been coming since the early days, before he even met No.

After tonight’s birthday hoopla he returned home, changed into jogging gear and informed a bleary-eyed (yet ultra eager) No that he’d be right back.

After she’d given her “It’s-the-middle-of-the-friggin’-night” squawk, he calmly replied:

“Honey, you know my routine. I’m doing this for you, for us. I want to be able to go that extra mile for you…” And he headed toward the door.”

“…and for us, our future family and son-to-be!”

“Wait,” she blurted out, “I have something to tell you…”

But she never got to tell him that she wanted to start planting the seeds of their family that very night. Go was already out the door.

Being liquored-up more than normal, he jogged further than usual.

While he huffed and puffed out on the pavement – five, ten, fifteen kilometers – she drifted off to sleep in a huff of her own.

She awoke several times and reached out for him, but came up with only a handful of comforter.

When she woke up the third time to nothing more than a palm full of fabric – “He’s still not back yet?” – that was it.

Her humiliation meter shot into the red and she instantaneously declared their live-in relationship splitsville.

She shot out of bed immediately and quickly packed a suitcase, intent on retreating to her parents for the time being.

Moments later, on the stairs down to the street, she seethed as a huffing-and-puffing Go came up. It was the crack of dawn and he was going up for his post-jog shower.

“Oh! Where go?” a somewhat dumbfounded Go uttered. “I run marathon.”

He huffed and puffed feeling proud yet she walked right past him with her nose in the air, hauling her overnight suitcase.

“Nobody says no to Miss No!” she declared.

She stormed outside and boarded a waiting cab.

* She didn’t even tell him why she was leaving? *

*

Prelude to Sunrise      

So now here she was – New Year’s morning in the beachside motel where she’d spent so many pleasant holidays with her family.

Only this one had just gone bad.

Staring at the empty comforter where Go had been last night flashed her back to that night she left him. “Nobody says no to Miss No!” she muttered angrily again.

*

Tomorrow: No can’t seem to shake her paranoia and Dame and Fred have a run-in in the notorious men’s washroom.