BRACE YOURSELF - PART II

Wednesday, May 10th


"Don’t you have work today?" is the first thing I hear at half 7 in the morning. Its one of those mornings I really cant wake up on my own. My heads spinning, my mouths dry and I have a funny taste in my mouth. Water, I need shit loads of water. Cold showers are temporary relievers. After which you can feel the effects wearing you down.

I make it to the office. The morning's hard. I manage to squeeze a cigarette in the middle and try to dredge up last night. Looking out the window on the 4th floor I suddenly see a guy on a bike trying to jump the signal. Only he doesn’t see the cop waiting on the other side.

Looks like I'm not the only one whose gonna have a long day.

I drink as much water as I can. I make it to the afternoon which is a whole lot more relaxed. I can’t wait to get home. Before I leave to get home, I get a call.

" We're going to Suede Bar tonight. Be ready at 9". Click. Btax hangs up.

I get a lil more than an hour to find my bearings till Btax comes to get me. Like I said, cold showers are temporary relievers.

Btax comes to get me with Sailor and Tsar. Tsar no longer spends too much time in this city as his work is concentrated somewhere else. I take well to reacquainting with familiar people.

We head there and its reasonably crowded for a Wednesday night. At least I don’t have to squeeze by people saying, "Now, as a question of etiquette - as I pass, do I give you the ass or the crotch? ".

Fortunately we make our way to the bar with ease. Jack n cokes for Btax n me, Sailor's on Bacardi and Tsar is on diet coke. Tsar doesn’t drink in this city. He's got his reason and we respect that reason. So there's no questioning his motives. But Tsar outside of this city is a different ball game and since we know this, we don’t question.

More often than not, the topic of conversation will always find its way to unmentionables.

" I’m paranoid about carrying anything on flights", I tell Tsar. He's been traveling up and down between cities for a couple of years now. He's built his confidence. He knows the loopholes. He defines a calculated risk.

" What about sniffer dogs?" I suddenly have a vision of an Alsatian barking up my ass and all eyes in the airport are on me. Candid camera moment.

"The odds are slim" Tsar reinforces. " They're mostly there when they get a tip off".

2 years ago I was traveling alone to Singapore to catch up with a childhood friend. On the way to the airport, I was in a catch-22 situation. Either I could play safe and get rid of what I had on me or I could get on the flight and revel in my notoriety once I got there. I had the same vision of the Alsation grabbing a bite off my rear end. Calculated risk? Not when Cheebai greeted me at the airport with evergreen. I'm glad I chucked it outta the window. Sure enough someone else was going to be notorious on my way back home, I caught site of 3 Labradors before I checked in at Changi.

We need refills. I make my way to the bar and try to get the bartenders attention. Sitting at the bar is a middle age guy probably in his mid 40's. He's checking his messages. I glance over and then I glance back. I'm not the kinda person to pry into other people's personal lives coz I wouldn’t want anyone to pry into mine, but the guy literally had his phone in my face. Besides which, looking the other way wasn’t going to get us our drinks. He's staring at his phone and the message reads ' How could you do this to me? You used me. I hate you, you promised me you would leave her and the kids'.
My eyebrows perk up. My eyes get big. I'm not quite sure what to think. The guys probably in a mid life crisis, his wife is too busy with the kids n not giving him enough attention. So he's probably buckled in and given into someone who would. Heck, I don’t know. All I know is that Diane Lane's role in Unfaithful is not restricted to women only. This guy was giving me a live act.
" Can we have a repeat of our 3 drinks please" I try to keep a strait face.
The bartender knows what we've been drinking. Its my 3rd time around.

He looks at middle-aged guy. " Can I get a double scotch on the rocks". I guess he could use it. He's going to have a long night.

I get our drinks and head towards the guys. I tell them about my encounter. They crack up.

" Either which way, he's going to be lonely tonight!" Btax has a cruel sense of humor. None of us can help but agree. I know I shouldn't feel bad for the guy, but I can’t help myself. Sticky situations like those need a lotta work to get out of and your basically screwed.

In the mean while Btax has mysteriously organized for our second round of blue kamikaze’s.

"Cheers!" and the drinks disappear as mysteriously as they appear.

Tsar starts to tell us about a trip he's planning to make to Portugal. One hour from Lisbon is a lake around which happy campers are going to rave on for about a week. His description of what he's anticipating to experience makes us all want to be there.

We hang around till the bartender tells us its our last order.

"One more round of blue kamikaze’s", last orders are code for Btax calling the shots. No pun intended.

The nights still young according to our standards. The only difference is I have a balding boss to report to the next day. I call it a night and ask the guys to drop me back. It's difficult to resist the temptation of having the night out. But a fucked up day at work is not the price I am willing to pay. Even though it's still going to be pretty fucked. By the time we reach my place the guys have decided to drive to our French Colony for breakfast. Its a 2 hour drive one way. I do the math. I need my sleep. I bid goodbye to the guys and make my ascent upstairs. Its funny how when your trying to make the least amount of noise getting into your house, you end up making the most. Fortunately I was quick and made a nose dive strait for my room. After a quick change I set the alarm on my sound dock and dive into my blanket of obscurity.

Daryl Hannah makes for a feisty nurse when she walks down the aisle of that hospital in Kill Bill Vol.1. She's got that sinister smile n she looks ominous with her eye patch. She's whistling a tune I hear. I wake up. My phones been ringing.

"ScarS you awake?" Btax is all frantic.

"wassup?" i say in a muffled tone.

"Can you get out?"

I look at my watch. It's almost 5.

"Are you serious?" Click. Btax hangs up.

I rest my head back on my pillow and darkness engulfs me.