Martoons

Today: Donna cautions Fred about his search for Thomas

Cast of characters

Fred

Donna

*

“Never met him,” Donna said flippantly and went right back to her ice noodles.

“And what I’ve heard isn’t good. Don’t think he had any business coming to Korea. He wasn’t a good fit.”

Fred was taken aback but played dumb and kept his mouth shut.

Donna continued: “From what I heard – which wasn’t much – he’s one of those foreigners who comes over here, rapes and pillages the place, then leaves. I assume he’s left?”

Fred shrugged.

Donna obviously had a skewed version of events.

Or, if she really knew what had gone on with Thomas, she wasn’t letting on.

* Which do you think it is? *

“Has Mr Go said anything?”

“He doesn’t talk to me.”

Fred nodded. “Miss No?”

“Oh … I overheard a telephone conversation she had with one of the housewives. It was obviously about Thomas and No was vehemently denying that she had anything directly to do with his departure.

“But really, I don’t know and don’t want to get involved.”

They both went back to their noodles.

Fred looked flummoxed.

“Fred,” Donna continued in a soothing tone, “I just listen and learn. You know that I speak Korean, but nobody here knows that and it’s amazing the things they’ll say as a result. Miss No especially.”

* What has Donna learned about Miss No? *

Their discussion was replaced by the sound of sucking noodles again.

A minute later Donna had finished and daintily patted down the corners of her mouth.

“The stuff I heard about Thomas made me angry at him and I asked myself, ‘What kind of idiot was he?’ But sitting here talking to you has got me thinking. You know, back when I first got here, clients were calling all the time and asking what happened to Thomas.

“They couldn’t believe he was gone. Of course that made me wonder but here you don’t ask too many questions. In fact, you don’t talk – period. You’ll be told what you need to know.”

She sipped her water.

“We’re just visitors here, always on the outside.”

She shook her head.

“Whatever happened to Thomas could happen to you or me, at any time. You have to be careful! I need this job.”

Fred felt a chill down his spine.

He’d been taking this whole Korean thing pretty lightly so far but Donna’s comments had just single-handedly changed that.

He needed to be more serious.

He couldn’t afford to throw his job away either.

The subject of Thomas hung over the table – Donna could feel it.

And she didn’t think Fred was satisfied with what she’d said.

But she’d had enough.

Thomas was gone and she certainly couldn’t bring him back.

* Again, what happened to Thomas?! *

“Guess the boyfriend’s not coming,” she said. “Finished? Let’s blow this pop stand.”

Outside the restaurant, Fred waited with her while she flagged down a cab.

“Look,” Fred said, not knowing when he’d see Donna next, “if there’s anything you could find out about Thomas I’d really appreciate it. Anything…”

She either didn’t hear him or didn’t respond, and there was a deadly, thick silence.

Donna broke eye contact and glanced over Fred’s shoulder for her cab, which was off in the distance.

She then motioned Fred even closer with her forefinger and lowered her voice (having conditioned herself to being eavesdropped upon).

“Watch what you’re doing.”

She abruptly stepped past him toward the curb, but turned her head back.

“Don’t let Miss No find you snooping around.”

* How dangerous is Miss No? *

A cab was making its way over.

“Miss No’s a survivalist,” Donna continued, “her whole generation is, especially her family. Way back when – Korean War times and beyond – her family was just like everybody else and had to scrounge for three squares.

“Now they’re one of the wealthiest in Chinju. They own half the media industry in this city. And apparently they have a history of ruthlessness. They survived the period of Japanese rule by collaborating with the Japs, like publishing newspapers which printed anti-Korean propaganda.

“Other Koreans called them traitors but they just laughed all the way to the banks. They have no scruples.”

Fred could only stand there and take it all in.

The cab pulled up.

Donna got in and rolled down the window.

“Look, I can’t do much more for you about Thomas. I need to lay low and keep this job. I don’t want to go back home to reading those stupid horoscopes.”

She turned her head and told the cabbie where she was going, and then turned back.

“Glad you could make it tonight, Fred, but you’re on your own. I’m not trying to tell you what to do. Just be tactful okay? Invisible. If anyone asks, we never had this conversation, got it?”

* ‘Invisible’… Like Wide Eyes? *

Fred was a bit stunned.

Korea seems to have already gotten to Donna.

She rolled up her window and the cab sped away.

*

Tomorrow: It seems to be a small world in Chinju.