Martoons

Today: Wide Eyes demands Thomas’ relocation.

Cast of characters

Thomas

Wide Eyes/Damion

Mr Go

*

The Golden God slid his chair out and stood up, shoulders back, chest out.

“Look – enough of this crap. What do you guys want? Actually, not you guys. You Mr Go. What is it you want me to do this time? Can we just cut the games and get on with it?”

Annoyingly Wide Eyes answered.

“Sit down and have a seat and then we’ll talk.”

“Me sit down? Sit in on my face!”

“Okay, okay, relax then. We’re in Korea, remember? You have to act civilized.”

“This is civilized given all the crap I’ve been through here. You guys are lucky I haven’t destroyed the place by now. Lay it on the line – what the hell’s going on?”

Dame stood his ground – barely.

Inside he was quaking.

He’d awakened a slumbering beast.

“Okay, okay, settle down. Here’s what’s going to happen: We – all three of us – will go down to Mr Go’s car now and we – Mr Go and I – will drive you to a new job in a different place.

“If you cooperate, this entire terrible situation with the drugs never happened, okay?”

* Is Thomas going to cooperate? *

Keeping his sight line on Go only, Thomas thought of his struggle so far and how he was finally winning.

And the secret to his success was doing everything the boss requested, no questions asked.

He also felt a wave of heat shoot through him as he imagined Coffee Lady.

She was his hope for sticking it out in this dismal place, for the next little while anyways.

“I’ll go anywhere and do any job you want Mr Go. All I ask is you get me back by tonight. I’m pretty sure I have a date and I don’t want to miss it.”

* Will Thomas get to make his date? *

There was an uncomfortable silence that seemed to last for a thousand centuries.

Finally, Wide Eyes waved him off.

“You’re not in a position to ask anything of Mr Go. This is serious. We’re taking you out of this city and you can’t come back.”

He motioned to Go that they were ready and then issued orders to Thomas.

“Let’s go. Move it!”

Thomas’ coffee cup, still a quarter full and untouched since he’d sat down, was on the glass table getting cold.

The swirly, oily slick of whitener sat on top.

A skin was forming.

Thomas looked at it in vain for a last wisp of steam but nothing.

“I knew I’d never get to enjoy that last gulp of coffee,” he muttered.

“I wanted it too much.”

He left it on the table and got up.

In cue Go and Wide Eyes both stuffed out their smokes and put on mirror sunglasses.

Thomas almost laughed at the corniness of it all but felt too disheartened.

With Wide Eyes leading the way like a body guard, and Go in the rear patting down his own pockets for smokes and his car keys, they led Thomas out through the lobby.

The new secretary had now mysteriously returned to the front desk.

“Guess this means goodbye,” Thomas said playfully and shrugging.

“Remember, any messages…”

He finished his sentence open-endedly.

* Had Coffee Lady left a message for Thomas? *

The secretary didn’t respond nor make eye contact, bidding farewell only to Mr Go with a head nod.

*

Tomorrow: Thomas doesn’t passively succumb to Wide Eyes’ demands.