Martoons

Tomorrow: Damion concocts a devious nocturnal scheme…

Cast of characters

Damion/Wide Eyes

University Seniors

Scene: Soju Tent at Chinju Rotary

*

Later.

“Sir, you okay?”

Damion barely registered the comment.

He’d been sitting in the soju tent with the seniors for the last couple of hours, preoccupied most of the time.

His eyes were glazed over, an angry wrinkle written on his forehead and a roguish smirk.

Talk about being kicked when you’re down.

First, Coffee Lady snubbed him.

Then, conceding defeat and respectfully leaving her café in a most civilized fashion, who else should he run into but the devil himself?

Talk about adding insult to injury; rubbing salt into the wound.

He could picture the scene of several hours ago as if it was transpiring right now:

He fully exits the café without missing a beat.

He’s damaged inside, his ego and pride feeling as icy as the cold shoulder Coffee Lady has just given him.

As he coolly slips out the door and crosses the small landing toward the stairs, he sees out of the corner of his eye a white gumby-like blob, but keeps looking straight ahead.

Thomas stands there frozen, braced, all clenched up for battle.

But the wide-eyed Damion is a lover not a fighter.

He swiftly walks right past, although he can’t resist a small jab: “Speak of the devil! Came to say your goodbyes, eh?”

Dame now smirked as he thought about it.

Getting in that last word saved a shred of dignity.

He shook his head and scoffed.

Amazing.

You come to this God-forsaken hellhole at the end of the earth.

You find the most beautiful woman in the world in the dingiest coffee hole in the city.

But no, no, no, you can’t have her.

The biggest stud on the face of the earth just happens to be here too and wants the same broad.

What are the odds!

*Will Damion give up on Coffee Lady?*

The small hard-core nucleus of four seniors usually had their boss’ full attention but not tonight.

“Sir, what are you thinking about?”

Damion’s attentiveness faded back in.

The soju tent.

The seniors.

“Oh, yeah yeah…”

“Maybe we bother you?”

Dame waved them off.

“Oh no! No problem guys. Sorry to be so out of it. Maybe I’m … catching a cold.”

He looked at his watch and that cheered him up.

It was his favorite time of night, between 4 and 5 a.m.

* Why is this his favourite time of night? *

“Excuse me for a moment gentlemen.”

He got up off his stool and went outside for his customary hourly piss and smoke and just to get away from the Koreans.

Even though he loved hanging around with them, he still needed a few minutes to himself every hour – just to be an individual, a Canadian, himself.

As he stepped outside the tent, the cool morning air slapped his unshaven face and that’s what he liked the best: Dawn.

The sky was ever so slightly illuminating, and the few Chinju birds were all crying.

The seniors were right, though.

Mr Damion was not himself tonight.

He actually had something on his mind – Thomas – which had taken him away from his normal carefree live-for-the-moment state: And he was mad at himself for continually thinking about the rising foreigner.

But soon it would all be over.

The plan was set.

* What is this plan? *

He looked at his watch again.

In a few minutes he would depart the soju tent as usual and pour himself into a cab.

But he would not go home and crash.

His next stop would be Central Institute where he had a little drop off to make.

Then he’d go home and might snooze, but if so he’d have one ear open.

With the orchestrated events that were about to unfold, Damion expected he’d be getting an early telephone call summoning him back down to Central.

* What is he going to drop off at Central? *

*

Tomorrow: Dame gets generous and gives a gift – but something smells !