26.5.2009

FRIENDS, FORGIVENESS AND FOLLY

    FRIENDS, FORGIVENESS AND FOLLY

 http://www.netsaga.is/media/files/s-dream.mp3

 

 

    For the second night in a row Sharon had little sleep. It had taken three hours of constant crying in which she could have filled a small lake with her tears. For Ben it had been a mixed day of up?s and down?s much like a fiddler?s elbow. First the exposure incident was a low before Tiffany produced the high. Low again round Sharon?s so called in-laws with an image which will never be forgotten as long as he walked this earth. The high of being a dad was something he?d forgotten. Ben thought along those lines of all the responsibilities what went with this before another low hit his head, the low Sharon was on and had been all night. Chino?s takeover of his wife?s dream.

    Ben felt angry again, not at Chino, at Chang. The guy must have known all about this and that?s why he fled the scene. Then again, the guy had something in him, it was something Ben had when younger, a sense of loyalty to those he most cared about. It was written in the lad?s eyes, the desire to be part of this picture, this club and all in it. He cared for them as his own friends. Ben cared for him as a friend. It hurt him to think that something could have happened to the lad. It might be the reason why Chino had come and taken over, all because Chang was showing loyalty to another. Yes Chang was a friend, though Sharon wouldn?t have him back for all the tea in china. She went to bed convinced he had set them up.

    She lay silent now, the sleeping tablets had done their job and stopped her from being upset with this world. He placed a hand onto her forehead and swept back her hair. He loved playing with he hair. She liked it too as she smiled in her sleep. He wanted so desperately to get the club back for his love. Then again it was an up-hill battle, Chino would never let this go from his grasp. The only way would be to do a runner and set up with the little financial capital they had left. They also had the coffee shop on the good old Isle of Wight. They could always go back there and start again, living in true peace amongst the people they know and love. This was something he would have to talk through with her tomorrow.

 

    Bernard passed his wardrobe mirror with the body of Arnold stuck onto it and for a second he stared at his head above the muscular figure of the Hollywood star.

    "Oh Bernie, why can?t you be a hero and possess the guts like Arnold. Why can?t you take on the bad guys, give then a good thrashing?" He stared at the real man and felt the need for the truth. "Just a big tub of lard that?s frightened of his own shadow."

    His thoughts were taken from white pale lard to the door as it knocked. Waddling over , picking up his dressing gown he opened up the oblong piece of wood. There in front of his eyes stood miss Lampshade with her hair all loose and dressed in a casual manner. The light from the hallway caught her hair making it shine along with the intensity in her eyes.

    "H...hello T...Tiffany, what bring you here at this hour?"

    "Oh, I just wanted to see how you are, after last night?s troubles."

    "Fine, I guess. Apart from worrying over miss Sharon?s predicament. After all, it?s not everybody that gets to have their dream taken from them in such a cruel merciless way."

    Tiffany leaned against his doorway. "I know. The more I think the more I realise there is nothing we can do to get it back from Chino."

    He noted the resignation in her voice along with the truth. Truth he now spoke, "I know. If I had the guts of a hard man, I could have shown them a thing or two instead of cowering in the corner like a coward."

    Tiffany raised her eyes to his and openly confessed, "Last night you were not a coward. It took guts to go on up and see what Chino wanted. You handled it in the best way any of us would. As for wishing you could take them all on. That is not bravery, just stupidity. All you would have done is gotten yourself killed. Where?s the bravery in that? No, you did the right thing and by doing this right thing, you earned the respect of many in the dining room last night."

    Bernard looked at the floor all embarrassed about his feelings and how he was respected more for being the calm one. He asked, "Like who?"

    Pulling his face up and making him face her in the eyes, she confessed, "Like me. To me you are my hero. Good morning my big hero!" She kissed him on the cheek and walked away.

    Bernard in turn just stood there all shocked with nothing to say. In the end he turned and with a big smile, closed his door.

 

    Clive had not enjoyed his watered down whiskey one bit. In fact as everyday passed he was finding it easier to develop a loathing for it. Then again, it wasn?t just whiskey, it was all of it. He had done it all for her, now she was going to be another man?s. Then again he was glad that Gloria had been the inspiration for him getting to the point of quitting for good.

    He raised a glass of watered down whiskey high and said out loud, "Thank you Gloria my sweet for getting me to finally quit this foul tasting stuff." He poured it down the plug hole. "Now my dear I will play you a tune I made especially for you."

    After a few minutes of playing this slow tune he felt a presence, just like a cold shiver down his spine. In an instant he stopped playing and had spun round to be faced with?."Gloria! What are you doing here?" He looked at his watch, it was still early. "The club won?t be open for another two and a half hours. The coffee shop is open soon."

    "Actually the shop is open now. I could use a stiff drink."

    Clive grinned, "In point of fact I have given that up. Could find some liquor coffee, if you want one?" He was trying badly at playing the cool merchant, only he felt like the dodgy one with the risky products to sell. "You didn?t come all the way over here just to have a stiff drink?"

    Gloria sighed, "No, I?ve been up all night thinking things over. I think you have been to?"

    Clive tinkered a little with a few keys before confessing, "Actually I?ve been here all night playing tunes I?d made up for you. In the end I decided to toast the good doctor and you in happiness."

    "I know, I heard the last two."

    He raised his eyebrows, "You?ve been snooping?"

    "Nice tunes, you were always good at that kind of thing."

    "No good in love though."

    Gloria walked over and stood by the piano, "Not bad, it?s just the demon drink got you."

    Clive took a look over at the closed bar, "No chance of that anymore, no chance of anything bad or good happening to me."

    "Why no chance of any good? You have a good job here."

    He sighed, "Yes, for now I have this job until Chino and his mob take it away. I have nothing else."

    "I know about that too and I think you will be lucky in love, if the right girl comes along."

    "Yeah when she walks into the bar and says something like play that special tune for me, and as I play she whispers in my ear, I love you."

    "Best try it." She walked away and came back as Clive grinned and played a tune. Gloria remembered these games they used to play all those years ago. Moving up she whispered into his ear, "Play my favourite tune." He started to play her favourite one, The Birdie Song, why I don?t know? Then whispering into his ear she said, "I love you. I?ve decided not to marry the good doctor."

    If keys of ivory could become literal rubber, the birdie song became a musical massacre! No hold on, he could only improve on the tune as it is a musical massacre.

    "You?re not going to marry him?" Clive asked before coming out with... "And why the hell not? He has a good bank account, a respectable position and a nice suit."

    "Because last night he showed his true feelings for me. When those mafia men walked in and stormed the building he said he was going to the toilet. The coward climbed out of the window and legged it. Not only that he left me with a huge dinner bill. I would still be helping out do?in the washing up if your big friend hadn?t recognised me and waved the bill."

    "The coward ran?" Clive was going to say something nasty about the guy before remembering that he had been given a second chance to change his spots. "Maybe fear took over his emotions and he regrets it."

    Gloria leaned over the piano and took his hands, "No Clive, he knew I really loved you. I made the mistake of talking about you and last night, in his extreme way he dumped me. I got a message on my answer machine asking for the ring to be sent recorded delivery back to his home address."

    Clive wanted to laugh, it all sounded like a comedy. "What will you do now? Now that you have confessed."

    "Will you still love me enough, even though I was going to marry another?"

    He watched her walk away as if wanting to place distance between her and his negative answer. As if that was going to happen! "Lady you know I will always love you. Anyway you?d never marry him, I would have made double sure of that." He said this all cocky like.

    "You sure of that Clive?" Playing the same tune he was playing.

    "So sure as I am that you will follow me. I want to show you a truly pleasant sight. A sight which is my promise of eternal love. As long as I live I will not touch a drop, as long as I live I will promise to provide the best I can for you and as long as I live, to love you to my last dying breath."

    "I take it, there?s a proposal of marriage in there somewhere."

    "Take it as read my love."

    Gloria stood there for a moment or was it two before giving the guy a second chance to pull out. "You know you will be stuck with me nagging you day in and day out."

    "I wouldn?t wish for my life to be any other way."

    She kissed his hands, "In that case you have yourself a deal. Go and show me that stunning view you are boasting about."

    Clive took his dream lady up to the recently vacated luxury suite and showed her the beautiful sight of Hampstead in the morning, as the sun shone on their alliance together.

    Raymond came in as they were going up hand in hand and as he watched from a distance he grinned feeling a welling of tears filling his eyes.

    "Oh yes Clive, God blesses the righteous."

 

    Poor Sharon had been sick again. She wondered to herself if this would ever end. Shaz was desperate to start early and get on with all she had to do and take her anger away from Chang and his boss. Channelling it into work would be more productive. Then again, Chang had disappeared and their was a few rumours, he had been done away with. Such an ugly world and one which hung a question over whether a new born baby should be allowed to be subjected to this. Too late now, though getting drunk the other night didn?t help, as Shaz felt guilty over that. Slipping into the old past was not good and pickling her un-born child was the last thing she wanted to do. After her talk with her local G.P on the phone her mind was assured that no pickling would occur, providing she didn?t do that on a regular daily rota.

    Walking over to the bathroom sink she washed her pale face while listening out for her husband who was whistling an irritating tune, like most men had the habit of doing. He was in the kitchen bashing a few cups, must be making a cuppa for her, now that?s sweet. She reached out with water covering her face to clutch hold of not a nice warm towel, but a slimy creature that hissed.

    Ben just finished pouring water into the tea pot, when his wife opened up the bathroom door and shouted out to him.

    "Can you do something for me love?"

    "Sure dear, what is it?"

    "Can you call Phil and tell him his dumb snake is in our bathroom again."

    Ben raised his eyes heavenward before making that call, which was coming to be a habit.

 

 

    Wheeling a trolley along the hallway, Sam was desperate to get the day off to a good start. This was good in principal, as she wanted to take her mind away from Chang and those rumours of him being...well going absent indefinitely. She wheeled her trolley and managed to knock a small table that held a vase of flowers. Sam hated that table in this posh area. It always went for a fall, though this time as she held her breath, it just wobbled before deciding to stay upright. So why was she delivering breakfast at a rather late time to the rich posh area? No one was in it she had been told. Hadn?t Raymond instructed her to do this? Was this a joke? Is he on the payroll? Listen girl, all of this will be answered when you knock and enter.

    "Please come in!" She heard a lady?s voice say this and so entered. Before her she was confronted with two people in each other?s arms. A sudden apparent urge to apologise fell over her.

    "Sorry Clive, I didn?t know."

    Clive took his eyes from off the sun and saw a couple of green spots before realising it was Sam. "This is Gloria. Gloria this is one of my work colleagues, Samantha."

    Gloria launched herself forward and took the girl?s hand, "pleased to meet you."

    "Likewise," Sam replied still not sure what to say about staff being in this place.

    Clive felt the need to elaborate, "Gloria is my fiancee, isn?t that amazing!"

    Sam recognised the older lady and confusion mixed up her mind as she said what she thought, "I thought you were marrying a posh looking guy who legged it out the men?s toilets last night."

    There was an awkward silence, until Gloria grinned, "I was, I didn?t like him as much as Clive. I think he knew that and left in a rather unorthodox way."

    "Gloria called it all off for me!"

    Clive was clearly on cloud nine or he?d been drinking. For a guy who seldom smiled, it was kinda? freaking her out. Sam pulled a strained smile before stating the obvious, "Here?s your breakfast, oh and congratulations." With nothing more to add to this, she turned tripped over the rug, caught the banister to steady herself before rapidly leaving the couple.

    Clive was just about to pour some orange juice when he remembered something, "Gloria honey, I have something for you."

    Her eyes sparkled as she looked at him, "What?s that dear?"

    He grinned at being called dear. "Hold on?I?ve got it somewhere safe. So safe, I?ve forgotten where it is. Oh yeah, I?ll be back in a jiffy!" Running out and past Sam he took the stairs and shot down along his hallway and into his room. Once inside he ran to the loo, not because he was nervous. No under the cistern lid, all wrapped up in plastic sat a small burgundy case. Running back upstairs he was just about to enter when he realised he still had the wet plastic bag between his lips and it had been in his bog!

    Spitting out the offending item and tucking it in with the flowers, he entered with box in hand. Walking before he, he kneeled down whilst opening up the box.

    "Gloria, will, um, will you marry me?"

    Peering into the box she wanted to cry, looking at what was inside it, just like new. "Oh my, you...you kept it after all of these years."

    "I hunted for it in the rain, I found it by an empty bottle. I?ve kept it all these years. I never pawned it, even in dire straights I kept it on me."

    Gloria picked up the twenty four caret gold ring with a large emerald surrounded by a cluster of diamonds. It sparkled as the sun shone it?s approval on this alliance.

    "I will marry you Clive, by God I will."

    "May I?" Clive asked as he placed the ring upon her finger for a perfect fit.

    Not much breakfasting was done at first as both cried with joy.

 

    Frank had just finished mixing a new cocktail to pin on his board, when his bosses walked in looking like they had the world upon their shoulders.

    "This is going to be great," Shaz mumbled as she looked at the booking list. "This place is going to be half-empty tonight now Chino has taken over."

    "Sure, the mafia curse has hit us hard already. Can our finances hold out?"

    Shaz gave her husband a sad nod, "Dunno, best ask Bernard."

    "Yo Bernard!" Ben shouted out to the guy as he was stood over a member of staff having a conversation.

    "Coming Ben!" He said all jolly like as the guy he had been talking too laughed at his joke. Boy he was in a good mood today!

    Frank leaned forward, listening in on this conversation. After all if this place wasn?t performing, there would be redundancies.

    Ben knew Frank was ear wigging, he didn?t care as the words poured out of his mouth like cheap wine from a cheap supermarket bottle. "Can we afford to stay open if this restaurant only gets filled to a third and no one stays here?"

    As Bernard inhaled, Frank?s hairline shifted under the pressure of being sucked up by this monster of a man. Then as he exhaled the hair went back into place.

    "We can afford it for now, everything is already paid for. Yes, we can stay open with just a third of the seats taken. Any less and things will have to change."

    "You mean staff cuts." Ben added like putting vinegar into wine and watched as his wife pulled a sour face after drinking this in.

    "I don?t want to do that. We have a great team here."

    Frank reassured his job was safe for now noted their down in the dump looks. Suggestion time was here.

    "Hey Boss. I brought one of those new coffee machines which claims to make perfect cuppa chino?s. We were so excited that my wife and I videoed ourselves using it! Now why don?t I put it on and you can enjoy watching it."

    Bernard looked at his friends who looked at each other, if there was telepathy here Bernard knew what was the right thing to say. "Um, no that?s great Frank. Another time perhaps."

    "Um, I think we have to go outside now." Ben added as he hurried away to get far from the odd ball of a barkeep and walked straight into another, as he stood there with his heavies.

    "Oh, it?s you," Sharon came out with after a couple of seconds of silence. She stared hard at Chang and then to each one of his men.

    "Um, ur, yes it?s me. Chino?s placed me in charge. I am sorry?"

    Sharon raised herself to her full height of five feet six and barked, "Save it! You set us up. We were never a threat to your organisation and you knew it. I suppose criminal have no morals, no sense of values. Just a bunch of modern day pirates."

    If anyone else had said this to him he would have sorted them. Not Miss Sharon, he had way too much respect for her. "I am very sorry. I had very little choice. It was either Chino tak?in it over or this place gets burnt down. He is convinced you are setting up your own mafia business."

    Ben cut in at this point, "We know. But check out the facts. Sharon has a lot of cash, far too much to worry about making anymore. I am a two bit looser who is hopeless at making any money and has to rely on the brilliance of his wife to survive. My ambition is to live a quiet life and write stories by the warmth of an open fire. I didn?t even want her to open this place. She only did it because it helps her to validate the loss of her parents. We are not a rebellion against your boss and never will be."

    There was a few things he didn?t know there, most he did. "I know that. I promise I will help out as much as possible?"

    "Don?t bother my former friend," Ben came in with, "you just used our friendship to climb up the premier league of criminals."

    "You?ve got it all wrong, got me all wrong."

    The three failed to listen as they excused themselves by walking past him and off upstairs.

    Chang felt the coldness of being on the dark side of people. He was overshadowed by another guy coming out of the woodwork.

    "Hi ya buddy! Did your boss give you this place back?"

    It was that comedian guy. "I?m the caretaker of this establishment."

    "Do you think they are up to something?"

    "Can?t say. Chino seems to think so. He thinks they are hiding some important plans and cash and stash somewhere in here."

    "So, your boss Chino is giving you space to see if you are loyal to the team or not."

    Chang took a giant step closer as he asked, "Who the hell are you?"

    "I?m a darn good comedian and an observant one. I saw you dangling from a certain mafia owned car park the other day and knew all wasn?t well."

    "What do you want from me?" He whispered.

    The comedian laughed, "Nothing. I just wanted you to know that if you decide to go it alone. You can count on my support, not just my support but a load of people in this community are fed up with being leant on. You?d be the hero if you kicked out Chino."

    Chang chose to raise himself up to his full height. "If you think I want to challenge Chino in a supremacy fight, you have another thing coming."

    "You have the know how. You could stop him and gain the respect of not just the community, also everyone under this roof, including Ben and Sharon." Raising his hands to show no offence he just tapped Chang on the shoulder making a comment, "Just think about it."

    Chang mumbled under his breath, "What, rely on you and joke the opposition to death, yeah right." Looking at his boys he ordered, "Best get on with our job boys." As he was about to walk off, a girl called out across the dining room at him. Another order felt appropriate, "Leave me alone guys."

    "I was so worried about you, I thought you had gone for good."

    This felt awkward. "Hi Sam. Look I?m just fine, the eye is healing well. I?m actually the overseer of this joint. I require the same respect as Ben and Sharon. So, best to get on with your work." This should keep her at arms length. This would be the right impression to give, even though somehow it felt wrong to do so.

    She pulled her crumpled top straight, "Oh yes. I forgot."

    Chang moved aside without another word and walked into the kitchen knowing for sure another wall of silence was going to greet him.

    "He doesn?t care about anyone does he?" Sam asked the number one comedian around here, which could constitute a joke if he replied with any sense. A lump in her throat raised itself up and was proving hard to swallow back down.

    "He cares about this place and he cares about you too. It?s in his eyes."

    His reply made sense and as he walked off she felt that lump dissolve only leaving one disturbing question. "If he cares about me who is the other one he cares about. You mentioned two? Hello, don?t run off!"

 

    Chino sat outside his newly acquired premises watching the world pass by. It was cold yes, but not unbearable for a cold hearted man he was. He noted the world rushing by making more money for him to reap back in rentals and kick backs. He observed others who knew who he was and chose to avoid eye contact and rush on by. Being important was a good feeling, but being significant and possessing the fear factor was the icing on the cake.

    "Your coffee sir," Said the waiter chappie who he believed to be called Bob.

    "Thank you, Bob isn?t it?"

    This caught the guy off guard as he stammered out, "Yes sir...that?s right."

    "Do you like working here?"

    "Yes I really do and my two other brothers do as well."

    "They are all called Bob?"

    "Yes, my mother was dyslexic and wanted Bob to be our middle names. Sadly Bob came out first. I?m Bob Alan Jordan."

    Chino turned to his bodyguard, well one of them, "I am glad you don?t have that problem with your brothers eh Bob?"

    "No boss, I?d have to shootem? if they were named the same as me."

    Bob Alan almost dropped his tray with those heartless words.

    A simple answer from a simple man Chino thought as he let his eyes get distracted by a man walking a dyed pink miniature poodle.

    "Hey feller's, get a load of that guy walking that pink coloured dog what a woofter!" Chino decided to torment the guy by shouting out that he was a woofter. "Hey guy?s go and chase that woofter and his pastel pink coloured dog up the road. Tell him to change that suit and the colour of that dog! What a woofter."

    Chino laughed as four of his big burly men chased the small guy down the street. It looked like four American footballers chasing after a small pink coloured ball.

    Gordon was just taking his dog for a walk minding his own business when four big men started chasing him and his dog down the road. He lost them to his relief with the help of a little camouflage, a candy floss stall.

    Bob watched as Chino wiped a few tears of laughter from his eyes before reaching for his mug whilst still staring up the street. It was now a little white thing fell from the sky and landed in his mug. As Bob?s mouth fell open in horror, Chino drank all the contents of one coffee with pigeon?s muck in it!

    Chino looked at Bob who had his mouth open, "Oh don?t worry. It?s just a bit of harmless fun. They won?t hurt the dog or the guy. See, here they come." Chino looked at his empty mug and a coffee which possessed a unique after taste he liked. "Get me another coffee, exactly like the one I just had."

    As blood drained from his face Bob went off to fetch another coffee.

 

    Inside there was some joy as news spread about Clive. He was lost in his own world as he sat by the piano playing tunes for his lady. There was an occasional giggle from the pair.

    Sharon was in no mood for giggling, still feeling a little nausea. Still she felt even more sick over that Chino guy sitting out the front drinking her coffee and not paying anything for the privilege. Suddenly there was a loud noise and a load of shouting from the kitchen.

    As Sharon made her way in she met his translator, "Fire!" Sure enough as she turned she could she the conflagration in the form of a large chip pan in flames. She was so entranced by it all she couldn?t think what to do and so called out for her security, "Ben! Fire! What shall I do?"

    Ben in turn walked into the room in a very calm way. "Well I could tell you what I am going to do in very fine detail. I could waste valuable time in a crises situation like they do in those ?Star Trek? films. Or I could just pull out a fire blanket, flip it over my fingers like so. This will not burn my fingers while I gently lay it over the pan like this." He did just so before nodding to acknowledge one of the cook staff who came in with a fire extinguisher. "Remember not to use an extinguisher as this will only spread the hot oil flames to other places."

    "Wow," was all you could hear as everyone clapped until Chino walked in.

    "When you?ve all finished larking about, you have a business to run. Is this kitchen ready to serve lunchtime meals?"

    "Getalosstooo!" Bernardo shouted his reply.

    "What did he say?"

    "He said we are all ready to go," replied his translator.

    "Good. Get on with it."

    They all watched the menace leave. As soon as the door closed Bernardo?s translator came out with, "Actually Chino, my colleague told you to get lost."

    At this point Sharon laughed, she didn?t know why, it was just funny. This set everyone off laughing until the room was it total uproar. All except Bob Alan who was outside chasing after a pigeon, just trying to get it to do something into Chino?s next coffee.