Comic Book Festival

Well, it's definitely been a long time since I've ventured back into these pages again. Recent events caused me to think of my neglect with a little shame I must admit and I finally decided it was time to revisit the StoryBar.

Anyway, this week was the comic book festival organised by the French, Japanese and Korean Embassies and yep - it was mangas, manhwas and comic books! Yippee! As I was in charge of one of the sections, it was my dedicated duty and sacrifice to safeguard the books from the sticky fingers of potential art (and word) thieves therefore, I spent nearly every single minute I had just reading them. It was such terrible hard work. :)

Apart from that, I have neared completion of the story - "The Doll, the Witch and the Scarecrow" so I must sadly announce my intention to remove the earlier chapters from this blog. I hope that there'll come a time when I'll be able to post the whole story here.

Ah well, that's it for now. I'm off to bed for some much deserved rest after a hard day's work.

Ta for now.

Back in the bar

Popo, at that moment was talking to Ms Rounds in her office.

‘Well, I’ve fired Jovelisi and we shouldn’t have to see his ugly face around here anymore,’ Ms Rounds said to her. ‘And really Popo, the next time you have any problems with the staff, just let me know immediately and I’ll take care of them. That is what you employ me for you know.’

‘Ah yes yes. Well, I tried to give that lazy boy a second chance. But I guess it was wasted. Anyway, I’m happy for the woman who dumped him online. She was very smart to see through him,’ Popo said.

‘I’ve never seen someone of your age work as hard as you do. Surely you should be retired and not working in a bar?’ Ms Rounds said in a mixture of admiration and disbelief. ‘You must be the only person I know who insists on working at seventy!’

‘Well some people don’t like not doing anything,’ Popo replied glibly. ‘Besides, its boring at home. I don’t want to sit down and watch tv all day or potter in the garden. I’m not meant for that!’

‘You nearly gave me a heart attack when I saw you trying to shift those boxes! Don’t ever do that again!’

Popo nodded. Then she smiled. ‘Oh well, it’s over now. I’m going to have my tea with the boy.’ She got up and left the office.

Ms Rounds watched her leave with a smile on her face. She’d never ever seen an old woman move as spritely as she did.

As Popo walked towards Jonathan, a muffled voice reached her ears.

‘You heard the boss. Don’t ever try and shift boxes again old woman! Or you’ll be responsible for murder if she gets a heart attack!’

‘Found your way under the floor boards did you?’ Popo muttered under her breath.

‘Well of course. What else would you expect of a rat? I wouldn’t be a very good one if I couldn’t get underground would I?’

‘And by the way, I hope you feel guilty about leaving me in the rain last night. I could have drowned out there!’

‘Well, if you truly are the rat you say you are, then you would have found a dry spot to sleep,’ Popo told him flatly. ‘Now, disappear.’

‘Hmph. As if you can see me!’ Rat replied indignantly. However, he remained quiet after that.

‘Hello Jonathan,’ Popo said when she reached him. ‘I hear you’ve no school today. Isn’t that nice?’

For the first time that day, Jonathan grinned. It was a toothy one.

‘Popo!’ he went. ‘Did you hear about Jovelisi as well? Your boss finally fired him!’

‘Hmmm. Yes, I heard he said some very bad things to you. I hope you didn’t take it to heart. He’s just a mindless gorilla who has no idea of what he’s saying,’ Popo said, giving him a concerned look.

‘Nah. I just ignored him. Mum said that I shouldn’t pay attention to people who say things like that,’ Jonathan told her.

‘Your mum’s right. It causes unnecessary aggravation and brings to light the birth of another idiot into this world,’ Popo said, giving a little cackle. ‘You are a very intelligent boy Jonathan. Your mum would be very proud to know that you did not react to stupid comments like those. Sometimes even the oldest and mature of us allow words to hurt us when they shouldn’t have to.’

‘Jovelisi’s a very bitter person isn’t he?’ Jonathan asked.

‘The lazy usually are Jonathan. They see the riches but not the sacrifices. Anyway, enough about that brainless oaf. How come your parents didn’t pick you up from school?’

Popo sat down and sipped her tea appreciatively. ‘Well?’ she asked when Jonathan didn’t reply immediately.

‘Well, my mum’s had an accident and will make her way down here soon. Dad’s stuck in a meeting,’ Jonathan answered.

‘I see. Well, I’m glad your mother is all right. Still, it might take a while before she gets here so perhaps if you like, I can tell you a chapter or two. What say?’ Popo said.

Jonathan nodded enthusiastically. ‘Great. I can’t wait to know more about the scarecrow. He’s so cool. He just blows Rat away!’

Popo nearly spat out her tea and instead, decided to choke.

‘Popo are you okay?’ Jonathan asked in a worried voice. He even got up and went to her side.

From somewhere in the background, a voice reached out.

‘Blows me? Blows me? Just what do you think I am you moron?’

Popo had another coughing fit and stamped the floor really hard. Jonathan was thoroughly concerned now and started hitting her on the back to unclog her pipes. After a few minutes, Popo calmed down and waved Jonathan aside.

‘I’m all right now. Thank you Jonathan.’

‘Geesh. I thought you were going to die there Popo. What happened?’

‘Tea went down the wrong pipe. Happens sometimes. Don’t worry, I can’t die like that,’ Popo answered.

From somewhere in the background, it could have even been the walls, a voice echoed out.

‘Really. Could have had me fooled there. I thought I’d have to crawl down your throat for a-’

Popo banged the wall really hard. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at her.

‘Cockroach, cockroach that’s all. Nothing to worry about!’ Popo said, cackling cheerfully.

‘Now Jonathan,’ she said with slightly teary eyes. ‘Shall we get on with that story then?’

The Bus RIde

The bus ride into town was something to remember. There were quite a few students who were standing in the aisle, hanging onto seats and rail bars above their heads. The tarpaulin that served as windows were drawn down tightly and even though there was a transparent square for them to look out, Jonathan couldn’t see a thing. The rain was pelting down so hard that he couldn’t even see out the driver’s windscreen.

However, he didn’t think this lack of view would affect the bus driver. Most of the drivers in Fiji drove with their eyes closed anyway. The bus went over a big pot hole and all the children in the bus shouted as some skidded across wet floors, bumped into each other and even fell (deliberately) onto others they liked and disliked.

‘Oilei! Driver – you trying to break our bums or what?’ a student called out. ‘Oi, can you hear us or not?’

‘It’s no use Peli,’ someone else answered. ‘He’s not listening to us. Can’t you see the old socks in his ears?’

‘I knew there was something funny about his looks today,’ the first student called Peli replied. ‘And look, he’s even got his raincoat on. Oilei, there’s even goggles around his head. Is he planning to take us for a swim or what?’

‘Maybe he plans to drown us in one of these potholes,’ another student shouted. ‘Oi driver watch where you driving man! That last pothole was the size of the Olympic pool man!’

‘Man this is great. No school today and most likely all week!’ Another student called out.

‘Great for you maybe but not for me,’ someone else said in response. The voice was a little glum.

‘Oso.. what you complaining for Wais? Oh yeah I forgot – you have to shave your auntie’s beard when you get home right?’

The whole bus burst into laughter.

‘You are one to laugh. I seen your mother you know. Her moustache was bigger than your father’s!’ The boy called Wais rebutted. There was a fresh uproar of laughter.

‘Ok ok. Let’s not talk about our mothers and aunties anymore!’ The perpetrator said loudly. ‘We wanna sleep tonight and don’t wanna dream of plucking their beards out.’

Murmurs of agreement spread throughout the bus. At some point or the other, each of them had to endure a loving female relative’s embrace and suffer the harsh scrape of their facial attributes. It wasn’t pleasant.

The bus hit another pothole and the students lurched to one side and then the other. Jonathan grimaced as three students squashed him against the window before releasing him. He regretted having chosen the seat right next to the window then – it meant that he was the furthest in and didn’t have the safety of the aisle to escape to. But then again, he didn’t have to endure sweating arm pits from those students who were standing. Anyway, his stop was coming up soon so he didn’t have to endure it for long.

At last the bus pulled to a stop and Jonathan disembarked with a grateful sigh. He shielded his face against the rain as much as he could with his bag and ran towards the bar. It loomed in front of him, its doors promising him dry warmth and hopefully, a story from Popo. He pushed the door open and entered.

‘Oi boy! Who said you can come in here? Get out or I’ll call the police for skipping school!’

Jonathan recognised the voice. He’d heard it before being used on Popo although it had no effect on her. Jovelisi. The big, dumb and lazy man who thought he was a security guard but really, was no more than a door man who never opened doors. Instead, he spent his time on the internet trying to find himself a wife. Jonathan faced him.

‘School’s been cancelled because of the flood,’ he said. ‘I’m supposed to wait here for my mother.’

However, for no reason as usual, Jovelisi was in a nasty mood.

‘Oh we have a smart mouth here. Some white boy who thinks he can tell me what to do eh? Well, get lost! This place is for paying customers only so tell your mother to find you another nursery.’

‘You can tell her yourself,’ Jonathan said calmly. ‘I’m not going to disobey her and I shall wait here until she arrives.’

‘What did you say?’ Jovelisi suddenly shouted, his face pulling into the ugliest frown. Jonathan could even see his nostril hairs. ‘You get out of here now or I shall throw you out you white, cheeky smart mouth! I’ve seen you talking to that old china woman. You and her, both lazy good for nothings while people like me have to work hard and - ’

‘And what Jovelisi?’ a cold, hard voice asked from behind him.

Jovelisi’s face visibly changed. It went from fierce to kicked dog and he straightened up, almost humbly to face the newcomer. His boss.

She was a tall, mixed woman of Fijian, European descent and right then, she looked furious.

‘What were you saying to the boy Jovelisi?’ she asked coldly.

‘I was um..telling him to leave Ms.Rounds,’ Jovelisi replied. ‘He’s trying to cause trouble. He’s supposed to be at school.’

‘Oh? And what were you saying about the china woman who right now is shifting boxes in the back that you were supposed to be doing?’

Jovelisi visibly paled.

Ms. Rounds continued speaking. ‘I thought I heard you call her a good for nothing lazy woman isn’t that right? And because she’s just so lazy, you made her, a seventy year old woman, move heavy boxes so that you can look for women on the internet? And then, you saw it fit to throw out a young boy in the rain when he’s supposed to wait for his mother? I think I’ve heard enough Jovelisi. Please collect your pay from my office and don’t come back here again. Ever! Or I’ll have you thrown out.’

Jovelisi’s face transformed once more into an ugly person.

‘You can’t do this to me! You have no right to kick me out and keep that old china - ’ a hand came across his face, leaving a red mark. Jovelisi growled and leapt forward but was stopped abruptly by a large, dark Fijian man that appeared out of nowhere. He twisted Jovelisi’s arm behind him and before he could scream out in pain, the dark man bundled him forward and outside.

Jonathan and the woman watched as the dark man said some things in Jovelisi’s ear and then witnessed the bully fall to the ground, pleading. The dark man pointed a finger indicating that Jovelisi leave and the bully did so with relief. Within seconds, he had disappeared around the corner. The dark man walked back into the bar.

‘I don’t think we’ll see him ever again,’ he told them.

‘Good!’ Ms Rounds replied. She looked down at Jonathan.

‘Are you ok?’ she asked.

Jonathan nodded. Ms Rounds smiled at him. ‘He was such a nasty person I know. But unfortunately very clever. I couldn’t fire him without a good reason and you provided it to us. Do you want a hot chocolate while you wait for your mother? It’ll be my treat.’

Jonathan nodded and smiled his thanks. Ms Rounds headed to the bar to order his drink and so he made his way to the corner table by the window. It was cosy there and he’d be able to see his mother when she arrived. The waitress brought his hot chocolate over and placed another cup of tea on the table.

‘Um excuse me but I didn’t order the cup of tea,’ Jonathan told her.

‘Oh don’t worry,’ the waitress replied. ‘It’s for Popo. You’ll be having tea with her!’ She threw him a friendly smile before walking off.

Jonathan looked about for Popo. She was nowhere to be seen. Strange, he thought. How did she know he was there?

A Palm Drive

I meant to publish this one earlier but never got around to it till today. Yes, it's one of those incidents that deserves a mention occasionally. About three weeks ago as I was on my way to work, I came across a large crowd standing outside the internet shop that I usually pass. Sad to say, my curiosity was at once alerted, especially when I spotted a very large, leafy palm tree in the background.

As I approached nearer, I was quite surprised to see that the palm was actually lying across a car and that it looked vaguely familiar. This was because, the place where I work has a lush garden of tropical beauties.....8 floors up!! I then met a friend of mine who was observing the incident and he told me that the palm had fallen from the 8th story of my office. I was quite shocked of course. If the palm had indeed fallen from my office, this would mean serious implications (like getting our behinds sued!) so I quickly rushed to my office to determine if this was true. It wasn't thankfully!

There used to be a palm tree that grew outside on the ground floor of my office building. It was that poor palm that got careened into and now decorated the white car. And when I did think about it, I realised that my office grew no large plants therefore it could not have fallen off 8 stories. As for the driver, he was rumoured to have suffered a heart attack thus crashing into the tree before bravely driving his car to a quieter street out of harm's way. That was indeed a clever, brave thing to do.

However, he looked more shocked to me than heart stricken, as if the tree had come to life and attacked him rather than his heart. The poor man was staring at his car, more than likely thinking about his insurance or lack of. My heart went out to him.

Anyways, have a look at this new floral car. :)