I once visited New York City on a business trip. I think my business there will end quickly, or at least I should end it quickly, because I also have a schedule that I have to fulfill the day after my arrival at The Big Apple. Apparently, Mr. Hartono, my friend on business from Indonesia had to turn the plane around because one of his family members had just passed away.
Without reducing my condolences for what is happening to Mr. Hartono's family, I am actually a bit annoyed that all of this has changed the schedule that I had previously set. However, since it's a business level issue, I have to stay in New York a little longer until I meet with Mr. Hartono and sign a triangular contract between us and a company domiciled in Brooklyn.
As a person who comes from a small country in Asia, it's not that I'm foreign to the United States, in fact this is my umpteenth visit to that place. However, to be honest, I never even went out for a walk to enjoy the beauty of New York. In fact, I have a lot of free time.
I prefer to lock myself in a hotel room, or occasionally go down to the small bar located on the ground floor. However, tonight, the sound of music from a small loudspeaker in the corner of the bar was no longer pleasant to me. There was an intention to enjoy for a moment the night air and the crowds in New York City.
I've decided I can take a walk for a while, as long as I can still see the top of the hotel I'm staying at. So I passed a crowd which was a shopping center for all needs related to welcoming the new year. Nothing caught my attention.
I just stood for a long time in front of a building tens of feet high, watching the purple LED light show that displayed joy through the theme of fireworks explosions and words to welcome the new year. In front of the building there is a fountain which also gives the same performance by utilizing jets of water that are shot from under the large pool.
The reflection of the lights formed lines and curves, and small explosions. One long line, extending from the bottom, then going up with the same curve many times. The stripes form the butterfly's wings. Big, smaller, bigger and smaller.
However, I'm getting bored, I'll be walking in a bit. Forward again until you find a park that is rather quiet from pedestrians. I sat for a while, looking for a quiet place where I could smoke a cigarette and think for a moment about what exactly I had been looking for. I wasn't even interested in tasting any of the morsels of snacks I came across along the way. But, ah, never mind. What place is this???
When I went to take the opposite step to return to the hotel where I was staying, suddenly someone I believed to be a tramp tried to catch up with me. The guy in the parachute jacket and the short yellow beanie must have bad intentions, I thought. I had to reach the crowd across the street before he grabbed me.
A friend of mine once told me that he had been a victim of blackmail under the guise of being homeless like that. Foreign faces like us, he said, would be easier to target.
"Hey, stop!," the man shouted.
I'm certainly not crazy. How can I answer that call? And at the same time, I started to think that this was all because of Mr. Hartono. I can be in this place because of him.
"Damn it," I quickened my pace while muttering in annoyance, "If only that damn Hartono hadn't changed the meeting schedule, of course I'd be at home tonight with my wife and children," I grumbled again, and I had to be a little faster.
"Hey idiot! Hey Musashi Miyamoto, wait!," the damn tramp shouted again.
He kept calling me by the samurai nickname because my face which really led to an identical Japanese face. However, when I arrived at a rather crowded place, I turned to face the man, and shouted in panic.
"Help! He—, he wants to rob me!" I kept shouting and grabbed the arms of the people passing by in front of me.
Hey, why is no one paying attention to my screams? Are these people crazy? Don't you guys have brains? There is a person in front of you who is in need of help.
"Hey, please, someone help me, or that guy's going to rob me," I said around the corner.
"Hey, hey, Musashi! Wake up, idiot! Plakkk!!!," suddenly someone slapped my cheek.
I felt strange, and felt like I had just woken up from sleep, but when I opened my eyes I saw the face of the old tramp again. I tried to back away by pushing my ass back.
"Hey, hey, hey, wait a minute Musashi, what are you doing? I won't do anything bad to you, calm down," he said.
"Okay, calm down," he moves his hand down and tells me to calm down. He must have thought I couldn't speak English.
Seeing that I was starting to subside, the man drew a little closer to me. He held out something in his hand. I was surprised, my wallet was in his hand. I reached for the wallet with a harsh look, like a female cat trying to protect her kittens.
"Don't worry—, I won't take anything that doesn't belong to you," said the tramp.
After feeling that I met a good person, I started to open my mouth. The man was surprised to know that I can also speak English. And he told me about how I could be lying helplessly on the sidewalk in the early hours of the morning like that.
I thanked him, and I told him I had come to New York City on business and that I was currently staying at a hotel. I was escorted by him to the hotel.
When I woke up the next morning, I was surprised to find all the money in my suitcase gone, and I only found the mouth of the suitcase open on the table. So did my wallet, and my eyes started to glow at that time.
When the hotel clerk came to clean up and found me raving, Mr. Hartono followed behind him.
"Mr. Hartono—," I said, "I just got robbed, all my money disappeared, that bum, that damn bum, has tricked me so many times—," I continued.
"It's okay, Mr. Kobayashi, it's okay, I know," Mr. Hartono patted my shoulder.
"—but," I said.
"Don't worry, after you sign the contract later, your money will come back many times over. I have agreed to our contract. You take it easy. As the person who will be the main person in charge of the core of this business, I give you the freedom as a token of my gratitude for still waiting even though I've taken up your important time," explained Mr. Hartono | This short story was inspired by The Ink Well Promp #47
