Green Tea and cyanide
“I had sex last night in a cupboard” pulling the sheet off my face I notice Big Tom standing there, his array of cuts and bruises seem to verify his story. “The security man wouldnt let me into the building”
“The walk back was absolutely horrible, I was marooned out on some peninsula where nobody speaks English and couldnt find neither taxi or a drink of water. We were so hammered last night weren’t we? It was ridiculous, remember when I said I was going to deck that guy? That’s when I realized I was completely gone. So how was the night in the loony bin, eh Tommy boy? Everybody sit around masturbating in their own feces?”
“Actually yes, thats surprisingly accurate, thats pretty much what we did alright” replied Magic Tom. I look at the rusted watch Id bought in Beijing, miraculously still ticking, and indeed it would keep working for the duration of my travels, until the strap fell off in New Zealand and it finally met an undeserving ignominious ending in a New York dumpster eight months later when I accidentally sat on it, crushing its face. It was almost noon and everybody was still lazing in bed, something about the oppressiveness of the room kept its occupants motionless usually till late morning as if acknowledging that another day had passed and another begun was simply too difficult to accept.
I decided to be cheeky and call in one of those idle offers people make in hostels which they never had intention of honoring. I emailed Sara an American expat Id met in Chengdu who promised to show me around Hong Kong whenever I arrived. Shes having a party some friends and invites me along, I bring ladykiller Big Tom along with me, Im sure they wont mind.
I do my usual wandering during the day, through a street filled with curios and eventually find a strange marketplace where I eat a whole variety of unidentifiable creatures. Eventually returning in the evening to find Tom. The subway is utterly packed with revelers, it seems as if the whole of Hong Kong is out in force and everybody is dressed up, except for myself and Tom that is. Halloween seems to be a massive thing here, the amount of work put in to some of the costumes is almost frightening. Arriving a Sara apartment, which is located very close to the main bar area, we climb up onto the rooftop and enjoy the view of the masses swarming below. The police have closed of large sections of the streets, implementing a oneway pedestrian system with large side streets effectively serving as feeder queues to the central bar area. People are queuing all the way up the road to get into the main street in the center.
After a few drinks on the rooftop we descend amongst the unwashed horde below. An Indian friend of Saras owns a bar nearby, he gets us through the police cordon and brings us up a stairs into a small ultra cool night club. After five minutes I notice that Tom seems to be in a heated discussion with the Chinese bar manager, wandering over I discover that the manager is demanding the $200 entrance fee, “no, no its all fine” I tell him, “we’re friends of the owner” I said pointing over at the Indian guy talking to the two girls in the corner. He disappears, but is back five minutes later and again insisting on payment from Tom and one of the other girls we brought with us. “What the hell is wrong with this guy?” Tom asks, “didnt we just explain”. We walk over the Indian guy asking what exactly is going on, “its all fine” he says “The guy keeps asking us for money” I explain “its all fine” he says again batting us away, telling the girls that the bar manager is just being a bit over enthusiastic. Tom taps me on the shoulder telling me that earlier on he overheard the owner ordering the manager to get the money off “those guys”. “Id rather be out on the street, amongst the crowd” says Tom “Me too, lets get out of here”
We leave bringing some of the girls with us and agree to meet Sara later on. The entire of central Hong Kong seems to be on party mode, everybody seems to have opted for Club 7-11 which afforded the best opportunity to wander about admiring the interesting costumes on display.
As the night winds down, we end up in a night club where people are permitted, in fact encouraged to dance on the bar top. A girl with a man sit down beside me. I glance over, the man vanishes into the crowd leaving the girl sitting alone next to me. She leans over to initiate conversation. At first its the usual polite introduction but quickly her sorrowful eyes and the tell tale submissiveness of her smile gave her away. When she realises that it isnt going to happen she vanishes quickly, time is money in her profession I guess. Tom had vanished with two girls by the time i was looking for a taxi.
Back at the Mansions and into bed, I was awoken shortly by Big Tom, who woke me up to apologise for waking me up it would seem. He had returned to the club after the two girls he left with had started laughing at him in the taxi, he searched for me and found the Mongolian witch I was talking to wearing the witches hat Id found earlier and learned that Id already left.
So the day ends much as it had begun. I am awoken again for a second time by Dillsworths’ disturbed dreams, murmured echoes of a lost life. The sad eyes of the prostitute in my mind, I wondered what tragedies lay behind these people.
