Martoons

Today: The mystery box is found…

Cast of characters

Mr Go

*

As Damion disappeared down the block and around a corner, a power window in an economy car hummed down.

That car was parked and had been sitting in the alley just down from the concrete pad.

Mr Go normally parked on that pad but he’d seen the shattered glass the day before and had been meaning to sweep it up and avoid an annoying tire puncture.

Now, as he sat in his car with the seat fully back, he wiped sleep out of his eyes and gave his head a shake.

That person heading down the alley – who just came out of my institute – was that … Meesta Damion?

And what had he been doing mucking about inside my building?

That’s trespassing! 

Go lit up a cigarette to fire up his brain.

He hadn’t gone home last night, out with Mr E frolicking as usual.

He’d decided to crash at the institute as he did more and more these days.

But when he had pulled up and turned off the vehicle an hour ago, he was so comfortable he reclined the seat and dozed right off.

It was nice and cool down in his car in the alley; the institute tended to be hot and stuffy.

Go, cigarette now hanging from his lips, temporarily disembarked his vehicle and – his face wrung by skepticism – moseyed on up to the back door.

What had Damion been doing?

Go accessed the landing.

Right away he grabbed a flyer off the floor, stepped back outside, and used it to sweep the glass off the pad.

After parking his car up on the pad, he cussed himself for letting the landing get so littered.

Miss No would give him an earful if she saw that.

So why not tidy up a bit now?

 * Will Mr Go find and open the planted box? *

He bent down and scooped up a pile of litter.

But he felt something underneath it.

At first he thought he was imagining things.

He gave his soju-grogged brain a shake.

He felt around again, his fingers exploring the cube-like shape.

“What the…”

What did that wily Damion have up his sleeve this time?

Go played dumb and left the box right where it was, buried under all the flyers and trash in the ground floor landing.

Ascending the institute stairs to go and do his daily openings, he wondered why Damion had planted a box.

Obviously this had something to do with his mystical projections of the previous day when he babbled something about Thomas leaving … and … a box arriving.

Go smirked a smug smirk.

This should be interesting.

I’ll just play right along with him and see how far he tries to take this prank.

Go was instantly in a good mood and threw his arms up jubilantly.

I can’t wait to see the look on Damion’s face when he finds out I witnessed his whole pre-game show.

Go walked through the lobby to his office, sat in his desk chair and lit up a cigarette.

As the room filled with smoke and nicotine crept into his cranium, he became sentimental.

He was really going to miss Thomas.

Having had the athletic, handsome Canadian in his institute had been like winning the lottery.

The business had exploded.

Kids loved him.

Housewives drooled and got into catfights in the lineups to enroll in his limited classes.

Businessmen regarded him as a role model; a New Age executive – laid back, stronger than an ox, funny, and aggressively business-minded.

They just wanted to be around him and become more like him.

Then Go suddenly banged his fist on his desk. “Ayeesh– that Damion she-bal (asshole)! He’s a guest in our fair country and thinks he runs the place!”

He shook his head.

“It’s the story of Korean history, being played out again! How could I have been so stupid – to let him con me into getting rid of Thomas! Me – Mr Go – babo!”

He’d smoked his cigarette down past the traditional halfway mark and angrily stuffed it into the ashtray.

Yet what Go really couldn’t figure out was why Miss No wasn’t doing anything to stop this whole thing?

He wasn’t sure he really wanted to know.

* What are Miss No’s thoughts on this whole ordeal? *

*

Tomorrow: Miss No saw the potential for some extra benefits with Thomas.