Fiction.
Turpentine Smile
Loose Leaves from the Tree of Daydreams.
Hong Kong.
I’d just finished my first cup of coffee at Cafe D’Lanchett, I had no appetite. I saw orders of bacon and eggs pass by on Sue’s old hand but never raised mine to order. I kept thinking about Dany and how he’d died last night for no reason. I mean, it could’ve been worse. It could’ve been me in the water with a hole in my head. Poor kid, I’m sure he’ll get a chance in another life. Maybe.
Sue’s stumpy steps cut my thoughts, she filled my cup, “You sure you’re not having anything today Bobby?”
Man, was I sure, “I got a lot on my head, you know?”, and raised my coffee for another sip.
“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, honey.”, and she arched that smile of her’s… that yellow, coffee-stained smile.
Then the goddamned door burst open with that damn bell making all that noise. A hot breeze from outside hit me like a monsoon and the light coming in bugged my eyes.
Lester shot in in a hurry, like every Tuesday, ran up to the bar and sat on a stool, “Hey babe!” -that’s what he called all the waitresses; that moron, they loved him, — “would ya’ do me a kindness and make me one of those big lattes to go? I’m in a hurry.”, then turned to look around the place, like always, with a big fucking smile, as if he’s looking at something he never saw before. How I hated that dumb fuck and his purple raincoat.
“Hey friend, can I help you with something?”, I realized he was talking to me, and I had been frowning the fuck out of him. Prick knew my name but kept calling me friend.
“Nah, I’s just looking at the mirror behind ya’, what the fuck is that thing?”, I’d no idea where that was going.
He unbuttoned his raincoat as he turned on his seat to look back at the mirror. Why the fuck would a guy like that carry a katana? I hated fucking purple coats.
“What, that thing?, he said nodding at something in a corner where the mirror met the ceiling.
“Yeah, that, what is that?”, I couldn’t see shit but I kept going.
“That’s nothing.”, he pulled his coat over his leg covering the katana and got comfortable.
Now I’m the one thinking this guy knows something about me, he played me good with that ‘nothing’ bit. He wasn’t afraid of me. I was just some lonely fuck drinking coffee. He couldn’t give a flying fuck if he tried with all his might. I was really loosing my shit, I could’t think straight about this moron.
Nelly came back with a huge smile and that fuckin’ latte in her hand. He just handed her a $100 and left. The prick even waived at me as he reached the door and gave me a thumbs up.
Well I wasn’t having any of that shit.
“Hey Sue! Would ya’ get me a special?, I’ma need extra bacon, babe.”, I really was going to need it.
“Ohhh! Never called me babe before, babe”, followed by that yellow smile I couldn’t stand.
“Shut the fuck up and get the food.”, she didn’t realize how nice I was being.
A brief silence in the place. Some woman looked at me like I was crazy… and that fucking bell rang again, “Eat cherfuken’ pancakes.”, I was as calm as could be.
Nelly came by with a coffee pot and poured some. “Everything ok Robert?”, she was nervous.
“Just get me a latte, will ya’?, and waived my hand to be left alone, “I’m lactose intolerant.”
“You got it, mister.”, she left on the double.The pancake lady was also gone. Her money was on the table, she didn’t even have them to go.
I figured Lester, that fuck, should be around two, three blocks away. I looked at that fucking bell, then back at the kitchen as the door opened and I could see Mr. Chen working on my special. Still had time. Nelly hurried in, kind of tip-toeing, like she didn’t want to make noise. The damn door opened again, some kid and her mom. There goes that fucking bell again!
I stood up as Nelly got to my table. “I’ll be back for my special in a minute.”, snatched the latte from her and went through the door before it swung back shut.
I hate the weather here. Hot, humid and crowded as fuck. Lester’s raincoat was so bright you could spot it a mile away. At this pace I’d reach him before he got on the ferry. So many people selling shit here. No I don’t want a flyer, buddy. Fucking Causeway Bay.
“Hey Lester!”, I couldn’t walk faster with the fucking latte in my hand. “Hey Lester! You fuck!”, oh, he heard that one. Swung around and opened his raincoat. Smiled at me, drank some latte. “Hey I got this for ya’! I got you another latte!”, people were starting to notice my yelling. Lester just stood there, smiling as he drank with one hand on his katana.
“Hey ya’ fuck, this one’s lactose free.” I just squeezed the fucking cup and that thing burst all over his coat. He pulled that blade faster than diarrhea and my hand was on the ground, cup still clenched in it. I fell to my knees and he haunched over me.
He spoke politely, quite calm about his fucking coat being ruined. “What do you want, friend?”
My gun went off and his brain was a one second fountain. Nobody expects a 38 in their face at 10 past 8 in the morning. Grabbed my hand from the floor and ran as fast as I could. People were going crazy all over but no one wanted to even be near my path. Some private security moron from a building tried yelling ‘stop!’ at me.
Made a quick turn in an alley and around to the back of a karaoke bar. I hid between some dumpsters, took the gun to my palate and pulled the trigger.
Opened my eyes after the lightning and saw the broken light on the ceiling. I stood up and went to the sink, poured some water on my face. Hands felt alright, clothes were clean, and the bathroom at D’Lanchett still smelled awful.
I walked to my seat and the special was waiting for me. Bacon was crisp. I sat down eager to eat. Sue even left the paper for me to read.
“Here’s your latte.”, Nelly was a darling. “Be careful with this one, ok?”
I couldn’t understand why they were so nice to me. Specially after all the shit that went down last night with Dany. Oh, yeah, where the fuck is that prick? It’s almost 9 in the morning.
That. Fucking. Bell. Again!
I was ready to kill Lester again right then and there, but wouldn’t you know it, it was Dany again.
“Over here!”, I raised my hand, “Got you a latte, ya’ dork!”, I was so glad to see him. He was a bit slow, scratched his head where the hole had been, and ran his fingers through his hair, he was still waking up. He came over with a big smile.
“Hey, you got the special, looks good.”, as he sat down going for the latte. He saw the paper and stammered, “Why you reading yesterday’s paper?”
Poor fucker didn’t have a clue to what had happened. “It’s today’s paper.”, I said as I pushed my plate over to him. “Have at it kid, my head’s killin’ me, not hungry.”, I lied. I was hungry as fuck and that bacon was so crisp it could win a pageant. I was tired.
I read the paper, he had breakfast, coffee kept coming, and occasionally he’d look at me. I could see the fucking question on his lips. He smiled, like a goof, and kept to his food. Just when I thought he was going to let it go, he went for it.
“Where’s Lester?”, he was dead serious when he said his name.
“Do you remember last night at all?”, I couldn’t think of anything better to say. He said he did. He was lying. I was going to call him out but there was that fucking bell again with the door. Bright light, salty breeze on my eyes. Lester. Again.
He went on to the bar pretending not to see us and ordered a latte. I could see him thinking as he pretended to scratch some imaginary spot on the counter. He put on a big smile and turned back at me. At us. I stared right back. He began to walk to us. My hand was on my gun. He opened his coat and I saw the stupidest umbrella a grown man can carry. It was small and it had a rubber ducky pattern on it. The kind kids take to school. Ridiculous. He sat down and put the umbrella on the table, he turned his head to Dany and spoke, but his eyes stayed on me as he did.
“It’s going to rain.”, he said with a smile, “you better have one of these”, as he slid the thing in front of me.
Dany was naive. “What are you talking about, it’s 115 degrees outside, sunniest day ever”.
It was then that Lester took his eyes off me and turned completely to him. “We’re on an island, it’s going to rain.”, he let go of the little umbrella and looked back at me.
I grabbed it and nodded at Dany, “He’s right.”
“What’s with the lattes?” He just flipped the conversation entirely to me, “What don’t you like about them?”
I didn’t give a fuck, “I hate that you have one every morning, all dandy and shit, always on your way somewhere. And what’s with the fucking katana, anyway? Why do you even need one? You look like a clown wearing that purple plastic tent.”, yeah, I was asking for it, I had my gun ready.
He wasn’t amused but he wasn’t angry either. “Why’d you put a hole in the kid’s head last night?, fucker went there, just like that.
Dany turned to me more surprised than pissed, which I guess was good for me. I thought about it for a second, but couldn’t think of a good reason.
Silence was thick, weighed on my shoulders, “Well I guess there was nothing left to do or lose. He’s always looking up to the purple coats and I think they’re all bullshit. You know, last night I almost struck gold. Did you know that?”, they could see through my lies.
“No you didn’t.” Lester was so solid I couldn’t argue.
“But it was there! Ok? It was right there! It was for me to take. I’d struck gold! And then the fucking purple coats show up and everything is up for grabs. Gold was taken from me! That’s why the fight began. People were doing all kinds of crazy shit. It was crazy.”, I froze, I couldn’t keep making shit up.
“Do you remember it like that, Dany?, Lester was soft spoken but again, solid.
I was sure Dany couldn’t remember any of it, he was so drunk with the shit I gave him. We were supposed to party hard. Well I was wrong as fuck. He laid it all out for me in a really hard to swallow pill.
“It was all good. Everyone was having a great time. The water looked amazing with the lights reflecting from shore. I remember it all. You fucked up everything, Robert. I saw you coming at me when I was about to leave with a purple coat. I never thought you’d rather shoot me than let me go. I thought it was a dream, until I saw the date on the newspaper. How many times have you done this, you sick fuck?”, Dany was tense, his hands under the table. Now I wondered if he’d brought a fucking gun.
“What you got under there, kid?”, I didn’t want to put a hole in him again.
“A fucking umbrella with little ducks on it. It’s going to rain, you know?”, he wanted to kick the shit out of me so badly. I don’t blame him. He lost his gold last night and it was my fault. I wonder how he took that umbrella from under my nose.
“Ok, enough of this.”, Lester got up, he put his hand on Dany’s shoulder “c’mon, I’m sure you have to be somewhere, stop this nonsense, you could be here forever.”
Dany got up and dropped the umbrella in front of me as he said to Lester, “Literally, forever.”
The fucking door opened. The fucking bell rang. They fucking left. I fucking hated it all once more.
There’s always some one there to show some support, you know? Small as it may be, there’s always someone there. Sue cleaned my table and Nelly brought fresh coffee. They didn’t have to, not at this point, but they did. Always keeping the gears turning.
I tipped them all the money I had. It wasn’t much, but it was all I had. Maybe even Mr. Chen would get some, poor bastard worked the grill overtime all year round. I told them I’d be back later for my things, please hold the seat. They said sure, no problem. I loved that about D’Lanchett.
I walked all morning along Causeway Bay. I thought about the gold. About Lester and the purple coats. I thought about losing Dany as a friend, he used to look up to me and I let him down. I let everyone down, except maybe Lester and the purple coats. I couldn’t decide if I was a sad fuck or beginning to think I could break the cycle. A bird shit on my shoulder. “Fuck you birds! This is brand new!”, I wished I could spot exactly the one that did it.
“It’s not brand new.” Lester again, holding a handkerchief, “clean yourself.”, His coat was open, I could see he had that fucking katana again.
“You come for me?”, I was ready to get it on again.
He looked me in the eye and nodded, “I’m here for you.”, as he said this, his voice sounded so clean. So real, and there was that smile of his, again.
We started walking and left the bay, into the alleys filled with people. I walked in front and he followed. I went around to the back of the karaoke bar and between the dumpsters.
“What are we doing here, man?” Lester had such a clean smile. I almost couldn’t go ahead with it.
I turned around, gun in hand. He smiled, he knew what was coming and still, he went on in a silly voice, “I’s just you, waitin’ to happen, you fuck.”
I couldn’t not do it. I had to. “Why ya’ smiling?”, I pulled the trigger, didn’t wait for an answer.
I was about have my coffee when the bell did it’s thing. Light hit my eyes, breeze, and all. I was too tired and didn’t care nor gave it much thought. I really needed to dive into my coffee. And there he was, purple coat walking across the room asking for a latte. He was happy about something.
He turned to me from the other side of the room, “Dany’s in Macao. He struck gold last night.”
I drank from my cup, “Well that’s great, he really wanted to go for it.”
Lester was relentless, “You should come, it’s so close by, the ferry is less than an hour, I’m sure you can spare as much.” There was that big fucking smile again.
I wanted to know how he did it over and over again. “What exactly is it that you want, ‘friend’?” He wasn’t my friend, but I said it like he did.
“I just want to break away from this shit and move on Robert.”, first time he used my name. “This place is filthy, greasy from decades. Time here is grime.”, he smiled, “I’m fucking turpentine.”
He got up and left. As he crossed the door, I kind of enjoyed the breeze from outside. There must be some gold out there for me. Ferry is pretty close, I figured I wasn’t going to make it to Macao with my ass stuck in a booth.
I left my gun there, finally, under the table in a brown bag with leftover biscuits and the morning went on, like every Tuesday at D’Lanchett.
Thanks for reading.
“Loose Leaves From The Tree of Daydreams” is a series of moments that reflect on everyday thoughts through surrealistic interpretation.
I write about and photograph life, nostalgia, love, melancholy, time, and a nameless place where I search for dream filled crepes.
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