It started with a terrible stomach ache. The worst I'd ever experienced. A dreadful combination of Thai curry and chocolate fudge ice-cream. I held onto my stomach in an effort to control its relentless grumbling as I stood on shaking legs within the confines of the dirtiest female restroom I'd ever been too. The stench was horrible and I questioned when last it had been cleaned, if ever. There were stains on the walls that were too horrible to describe. There were three cubicles, of which only one was suitable for human use. Unfortunately for me it was currently occupied by a rather large, Asian woman and her screaming infant. It was at this moment I had come to regret my life choices. If I had been vegan, a health nut, on a diet or at least paid attention to what I stuffed down my throat I would not be in this dire situation. I was literally holding in a bomb that threatened to erupt out of me any second now. It was too late to make any decisive movements. Rationality had been flung out the window and the topmost button on my jeans had already been popped open. I was seconds away from dashing into the nearest cubicle, not giving a damn about where I went as long as I went, when the sound of the toilet flushing cascaded around me in the most heartening symphony I had ever heard. The locked door clicked open and out poured the woman and her child each wearing a grim expression that bespoke a trial that only a mother and her child could overcome. Not caring in the least, I rushed past them into the empty cubicle almost bursting into tears at the sight of the rolls of toilet paper. I slammed the door shut and danced out of the tightest pair of jeans I owned as my stomach rumbled in a cacophony of sounds that shocked me. It was not until the raging volcano inside me finally erupted that I was able to breathe a sigh of relief. Never again would I subject my intestines to the assault of Thai curry. A toilet flush later, I was able to stand upright again. My stomach ache had subsided and I felt rather light and empty. I reasoned that I now had enough space left over for another course. Exiting the restroom from hell, however, I noticed the back exit of the building at the end of the hallway. Opting for some fresh air after the near crisis I had just been through I quickly changed direction. I found the door unlocked and let myself out into the cold air of a deserted back alley. On the opposite side of the street stood a rundown gym, if the posters were anything to go by. After a few seconds rummaging around inside my pocket I stuck my Vape between my lips. I took a quick drag to ward of the chill that had descended upon me, exhaling a cloud of vapor that hung like smog in the freezing air. Out of habit I looked up into the night sky but other than shabby roofing and utter darkness I saw nothing.
"Bang!" A loud crashing noise exploded into the air, I jumped in surprise as my wide gaze penetrated the darkness around me. For a second nothing moved but then a flash of white. A large feline shape, shabby and dirty scrambled out of a refuse bin and out of sight. "Damn alley cat," I muttered in disgust. I took another pull but my Vape had run out of juice. Annoyed, I stuck my frostbitten hands inside the pocket of my jeans and sighed at the sorry state of my existence. Refusing to sink into a morbid state of self criticism, about to turn and head back into the restaurant, I stopped. I could hear voices coming out of the darkness.
"You'll regret this," a heavily accented voice spoke.
"I already do," a cool voice replied unwaveringly.
"Jebal seonsaengnim you have no choice," the accented voice wheedled imploring.
"Enough! Tell Jackson Wang I want no further part in this. I'm finished!"
The other man cursed and the conversation slipped into Korean words I could neither identify nor understand. I glimpsed two figures further down the street but could make no judgements on their appearance as they were cloaked in darkness. I decided it was none of my business and turned again to leave when a gust of cold air slammed into me. I shivered uncontrollably and I felt as if I was being stabbed repeatedly by a sharp gaze but as my eyes flicked around me, I saw nothing once more. The figures had moved on and I was alone. Inside, I found my father comfortably seated at our table, a bemused expression on his face. "Something funny old man?" I enquired with a challenging glare.
"Not a thing my dear," he chuckled in response, grating on my nerves. I rolled my eyes at him and gestured for us to leave. He grabbed his jacket and stood up, having paid the bill while I was indisposed. "You had to choose Thai curry of all things with that weak stomach of yours." He smiles wickedly over at me.
"You had to choose South Korea of all places with that weak salary of yours." I shot back at him. My dear, beloved father with his silver mane and warm brown eyes burst into laughter as we depart the restaurant. I swore I saw tears in his eyes as he moved towards our parked vehicle. My lips had twisted midway between a frown an almost grin when a dark feeling settled over me.
Back in the alley the man had clearly said Jackson Wang, a name that was as familiar to me as my own. I chastised myself, surely there was more than one Jackson Wang in the world. It couldn't be mine, could it?
"I existed under a patch of sky from which no light glimmered. Nothing interesting or unusual ever happened to me. I was the person you brushed pass on the sidewalk and never saw again. Like a falling star that faded as it burned through the atmosphere. A passing moment! A fading memory!"
An analogy I'd soon come to regret.