CHASING LIFE (10 page)

Chapter 12

The following
day, The Base hosted a party with laid-back music. Dave greeted the staff and had a light conversation with the barman while waiting for Sam.

             
‘You’re Sammy’s friend?’

             
‘Yeah.’ Dave didn’t realise he’d been noticed.

             
‘This one’s on the house.’ The barman placed a bottle of Corona in front of him. He was a dark-skinned Asian with a shaved head and approachable personality.

             
‘Where are you from?’ Dave asked inquisitively. He’d become more interested in people lately.

             
‘I’m from the Philippines.’

             
‘You have an American accent.’

             
The barman laughed, ‘We’re an American colony.’

             
‘How long have you worked here for?’

             
‘Two years. But I’ve been around these places for a lot longer. The barman looked young but the creases under his eyes showed experience. He pulled out his phone and showed a photo on it to Dave. ‘This is my little girl and wife. This is why I’m in Hong Kong.’ The photo showed a baby with a happy smile being held by its mother.

             
‘That’s a great shot. Must be proud.’

             
The barman shook his head and smiled while looking at the picture. He didn’t have to say how much he missed them. It was all in his eyes.

             
‘How about you? The barman asked.

             
‘I’m still single. But I hope one day that I show you a picture like that.’ Dave thought he’d forgotten that dream. Seeing that photo made him think how much he’d missed out on and how much having a family with Erin meant to him.

             
‘You will. I was a single man once too. As long as you really want it, it will happen. Someone always listens.’ The barman’s eyes suggested upwards as he spoke. He then excused himself and served a new customer.

Sam
came from his office and spotted him, ‘Hey Dave.’

‘
Hey, how are you?’ They shook hands.

‘
Recovering from the other night. I’ve been drinking orange juice and cleansing my liver all day.’ Sam held up a glass and took a gulp.

‘
I had a fantastic night,’ Dave replied. ‘The headache was worth it.’ He wanted to forget his breakdown from the night before and get together with some relatively familiar faces.

‘Yep,
it was fucking good. It’s like that every week Dave, I’m telling you.’ Guests came in and greeted Sam. He kept apologising to Dave for the interruptions while trying to accommodate everyone at the same time.

‘How’s
Carla?’

‘She was
still struggling today too. She’ll be here soon.’

‘
Erin’s left Hong Kong?’ he asked, finally daring to bring up the topic. He was excited from just saying her name and gutted at the same time for not being with her.

‘Yeah, she
’s gone. I only found out recently that she was leaving. A wild girl, that one. You did well,’ Sam said with an approving smile. ‘I was impressed. She does what she wants and doesn’t care about anyone’s approval.’

‘She
’s an interesting character,’ Dave agreed, wanting her even more now after listening to what Sam had to say. Excitement built up in his chest at the mere thought of her.

‘
People who don’t know her often find her a little arrogant and cocky, but she’s just confident and says it like she sees it.’ Two arms wrapped themselves around Sam’s neck as Carla gave him a kiss hello from behind.

‘Hi Dave
,’ she greeted him with a peck on the check.

‘Hi
Carla. How are you?’ Dave returned the hello with enthusiasm. She was just the person he wanted a word with.

‘
A lot better than yesterday. I scarfed down a handful of pills, and it seems like just now they’re kicking in. What a wicked night! My head has been spinning for the past two days,’ Carla squinted and laughed. ‘And how did you like the evening?’ she mocked playfully.

‘Loved it,
’ Dave answered bluntly.

‘She
liked you Dave. It’s a shame she had to leave.’ Carla sat between the two men and took a sip of Sam’s juice.

‘Do you know where she went?’ Dave
asked, unable to keep it to small talk any longer.

‘Paris
. She’s finishing her studies there. Didn’t she tell you?’

‘No. S
he asked me to go with her and would only tell me where if I said yes first.’

‘Oh
, my God!’ Carla laughed. ‘She’s nuts, that girl. That’s exactly what I would expect of her and yet it still surprises me.’

‘Why didn’t you say
yes?’ Sam asked. ‘That’d take her by surprise.’

‘You
should have,’ Carla agreed. ‘Shock her back and see how she responds.’ Going by their reaction, Erin must have been in the habit of throwing people off by her straightforward manner.

‘Hang on,
’ Sam amended, ‘my suggestion was probably rushed. You just came to Hong Kong, you’ve hardly seen it. You can always go to Paris later.’

‘Who cares
, he can come back on his way home!’ Carla cried. ‘We’re talking Paris here—sitting on the Champs-
é
lysées in the afternoon sun sipping wine. And the food! Oh God, the food!’ Carla’s expression went all dreamy.

‘All right you, take
it easy,’ Sam teased.

‘How long are you here for
, Dave?’ Carla asked.

‘I don’t know
. I hadn’t planned beyond arriving here, but now I’m getting a little over it, it’s too loud for me. It’s too much excitement for someone my age.’ Dave recognised he must have sounded like an old fart.

Carla
’s curiosity was just spurred on. ‘What kind of work do you do?’

‘
I worked in a factory, admin stuff. I have an accounting degree, but I don’t have a job at the moment. I just took off and left.’

‘But what will you do for money?’
she prodded.

‘I sold my house
, paid off the mortgage and now I’m travelling. If I budget well I should be all right. I’m hoping for a temp job—a waiter or a dishwasher would do. I don’t want my savings blown away and if I don’t find one I’m going back to Melbourne.’ What he didn’t want to admit is that he wanted to open up an Accounting practice. It had been a dream of his for a long time. The money was his and Julia’s, and he didn’t want to waste it.

‘No girlfriend back home?
’

‘
I was married. I’m single now.’ Dave didn’t mind the questions but he felt uncomfortable about where they might lead.

‘But what are you going to do?
’

‘Will you leave him alone?
The poor guy feels like he’s being interrogated,’ Sam interrupted, much to Dave’s relief. Dave realised Sam must have noticed Dave’s incessant knee shaking when the girlfriend topic was brought up.

‘I was just asking.’

‘That’s all right, I’d be curious too if I were you. To be honest, I don’t have a happy story to tell you,’ what the hell, Dave thought. ‘A few years ago my wife fell ill and passed away. It was hard on me, but life moves on.’ It was the most simplified version he’d ever told, but in black and white, that’s how it was. And that’s how it would seem to anyone outside his family circle. Carla had a look that said she was sorry for him but wanted more info.

‘
I’m real sorry to hear that, man,’ Sam said, squeezing his shoulder. The man’s usual carefree demeanour changed, and he was all ears.

‘
Thanks, Sam. I told you it’s not a happy story,’ Dave half smiled and tried to keep it light. He didn’t want to sully the mood with his soap opera or bring anyone else down. People didn’t usually know how to respond and he gave them a moment to think about it. Some people changed the topic after he told them about it, and others just went quiet in case they offended him by saying anything at all.

‘That’s terrible. H
ow did you recover?’ Carla’s eyes were filled with sympathy.

‘Recover?’ He repeated the word as if he’d heard it for the first time in his life
. ‘I’m a lot better now. Counselling, friends and family helped me a lot. Sooner or later you’ve got to move on.’ Dave felt like he was reading from a pamphlet. He’d heard the words so many times he knew them by heart. It was the first time he’d spoken about his experience with anyone other than his closest friends. He’d done so in front of complete strangers, in a Hong Kong club, and somehow it felt okay. His chest felt lighter.

‘That’s pretty hea
vy shit, mate. Let’s have a beer,’ Sam said, in spite of his juice-only policy that day.

‘I think I need one too,
’ Carla said and Sam ordered a round for all of them.

‘Hong Kong
is a great place, Dave,’ Sam continued. ‘It’s a hub that draws people with interesting stories. Some are sad, some funny. Every one of these guys that I shake hands with has an interesting reason for being here. Sometimes fate brings them here so they can be themselves without inhibitions and follow a mad dream. Some come to escape reality in an alcohol-fuelled fantasy. No matter where you go it will always be your favourite, remember that.’ Sam’s commentary made Dave feel like an honorary guest, as though the man had given him the final approval of genuine friendship.

‘Hey, I thought you stayed because of me
!’ Carla butted in.

‘No darling.
You
stayed because of me,’ Sam said coolly and kissed her on the cheek.

Throughout the evening
, no matter how many of his patrons tried to compete for Sam’s attention, he and Carla stayed with Dave. Sam had food and drinks ordered to their table, and they talked for hours, swapping funny stories. They carried on till the last customer left the venue and the music finally stopped. He’d never gotten the chance to get drunk with his own friends and it felt good.

They all walked out
eventually, facing the morning and flinching from the light like nocturnal creatures. Sam wrapped his jacket around Carla while they waited for a taxi.

‘Want to share a cab?’ Sam offered
.

‘
I’m good, thanks. I’ll go for a little stroll and suck in the morning air. It feels kind of good tonight.’

‘
This is Hong Kong. Don’t suck in too hard or you’ll choke. Hey, why don’t you come over tomorrow in the evening? We’ll have dinner at the French bistro. You know the one, on Wyndham Street,’ Sam suggested.

‘Sounds good. S
ee you there.’ Dave accepted without hesitation and walked away with his hands in his pockets and a smile on his face. Further down the road, he kicked a squashed cola can across the empty street, like a kid on his way home from school. He watched it cling and clang across the asphalt and disappear down a drain. Apartments lit up one by one as the dawn light spread. Shopkeepers opened their rumbling roller cages and buses zoomed down the street, picking up early workers that gave the city its kick-start for another busy day.

While crossing a side street
, he came across a loud and groggy trio of young guys belting out U2 songs off-key. The three inebriates held each other for support. Had any one of them relinquished his hold, the swinging drunks would surely collapse. And so they did. They fell all over the place and rolled into the gutters, but the singing continued relentlessly. Dave lit a cigarette and leaned against a wall, watching in amusement. The pisspots got louder and he started whistling along. Slowly, they staggered on and out of view. The entertainment was over. Dave finished his cigarette and hailed a ride back to his hotel.

The tax
i dropped him off in front of Ragan Hotel. Inside the lobby he found the sleeping guard snoring away in a chair with his arms folded and legs spread out. Great security, he thought. He extended his finger to press the elevator button but then turned and looked at the man, hesitating for a moment as if he was reminded of something, then walked up to the reception desk.

‘Excuse me, where
is the nearest travel agent?’ he asked the well-groomed man that looked more like a hairdresser than a receptionist. The man jumped out of his seat and fixed his tie. He’d been watching a soccer game on a little laptop and hadn’t noticed Dave come in. He took out a map, as they usually did, and pointed to a few travel agents in Times Square.

‘They will open in half hour
.’ He pointed with his finger at his watch.

‘Thank you.’

‘Will you be extending your stay, sir?’

‘
No, I’ll be leaving today,’ Dave answered and left. The search is over, he thought. He should never have left Melbourne.

He walked through the
early-morning fish market and down an alleyway, where, luckily, the smell wasn’t yet at its peak. Fresh catch wriggled energetically in water tanks.