“I’ll come too,” I volunteer immediately. “I’m her cousin. Maybe I can help and settle a deal with your Boss. I’ll help Lina pay back what she owes,” I add before Mohawk opposes me.
“No May,” Lina protests. She grabs onto my arm tightly. As if there is a fourth wall between us, she says, “Stay out of this. I’ll call you after.”
“No,” I retort. Lina must be crazy if she thinks I am going to let her go with Mohawk alone. “I’m going with you. I’m not going to leave you, Lina.”
Mohawk narrows his eyes at my suggestion, but his lips curve into an entertained smile. “What a loyal cousin you have, Lina. It isn’t a bad idea for a third person to co-sign your hefty loan. It might save your head.”
Lina gives him a resentful look. When she turns to me, Lina’s eyes are full of defeat and remorse. “I’m sorry May. I don’t want to get you involved.”
I can only give her arm a small squeeze. It is my way of telling Lina that I am going to be here for her, regardless of how bad the situation turns out to be. I am still in shock, but I do my best to compose my surprise. You think you have enough credibility to deal with loan sharks after your brush with the gangster? My intuition purses her lips at me and shakes her head.
“My Boss does not like to wait ladies.” Mohawk takes a couple of steps back from the counter, a clear indication that we are supposed to follow him now.
Lina holds onto my arm as we follow Mohawk out of the store. The feeling of leaving Sansachun without a choice is terrifying. Lina and I could not have predicted our great day would take a turn for the worse. There are so many questions I want to ask her, but I know this isn’t the time or place. With a heavy heart, I walk with Lina and follow Mohawk out of the store. The silence is hard for me to bear when the questions are dancing on the tip of my tongue.
It becomes apparent that the red carpet treatment allows Mohawk to be here. A large, black sport utility vehicle is waiting for us outside of Sansachun. Its engine is still running at a steady beat. Mohawk stops when he reaches the driver’s side of the car. He waits for Lina to close up the store. Lina’s hands are shaking uncontrollably as she locks up the front door of Sansachun. I offer to help her, but Mohawk makes it clear he wants her to feel the torment of anxiety and fear. Asshole.
After Lina extracts the key out of the lock, Mohawk motions for Lina to get into the back seat of the car first. I follow shortly behind her. Once I am in the car, Mohawk closes the door behind us and walks around to the front passenger’s side.
Inside, the car is total darkness. There is a solid black partition separating the back seat from the front. It is halfway down, revealing a driver who has one hand on the steering wheel and the other on the gearshift. The driver is wearing black sunglasses that cover more than half of his face.
When Mohawk gets into the passenger seat, he simply nods to the driver. The car’s automatic locks switch on as it pulls away from Sansachun’s curb.
The late afternoon sunlight is as bright as ever. However, inside the car, the light is a mute dark blue color. The streets are bustling with the spontaneous commotion of cars and people. It all seems worlds away from where Lina and I are heading.
Occasionally, I catch my cousin’s concerned face. Thoughts run through my mind at a rapid pace as I try to find some logical and rational meaning to the situation. Then, I remember Spyder and his money issues. To the naked eye, Spyder has plenty of money, but a closer introspection would probably cite an unreliable income source. After all this time, I am about to find the truth to my suspicions. It is just too terrible that Lina has to be involved in something as reckless as this.
“Is Boss on his way?”
From the front passenger seat, Mohawk’s left hand flashes to his ear. He is holding an unidentifiable cell phone. At the same time, the car’s partition rolls up. Mohawk and the driver disappear out of sight shortly. Apparently, the partition is not only vision proof, but sound proof as well.
“Who are they?” I immediately turn to Lina. “We need to call the police!”
Lina’s eyebrows came together in worry. She looks at the partition to gauge if it is safe to talk. “We can’t call the police May. It’ll be worse for us if we do. They’re loan sharks. I’m sorry May.”
A feeling of dread comes over me. “How long has this been going on?” Somehow, I feel betrayed.
Lina gives me such a sad look that she almost appears to be a different person. Apparently, she has been hiding this fact from me for quite some time. “About two weeks now. Last time, we asked them for an extension and today’s the last day.”
“We?” I have been under the impression this is Spyder’s sole doing.
“Spyder and I have some financial problems. I borrowed ten grand to help my parents. Spyder borrowed an additional ten grand for his own personal reasons,” Lina whispers as rapidly as she can. Her eyebrows come together in defeat. Lina’s shoulders sag as her tone of agitation increases.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I know it is an impractical question to ask, but I can’t understand why Lina kept such an important problem from me.
“. . . Because I thought I could handle it. It’s embarrassing to have such financial problems.” Lina makes a sour facial expression. The regret is also evident.
“Everybody has financial issues,” I remark and attempt to conjure up something that would brighten up the situation. But a dark thought crosses my mind instead. “How deep are you in this?”
“Enough,” Lina mutters in reply. “Hopefully, I can ask the Boss for an extension.”
“You–” I start to reply when the partition lowers with a soft hum.
Evidently, Mohawk is done with his private phone conversation.
“Talking about us?” Mohawk rests the left side of his head against his chair’s headrest. When Lina and I don’t answer him, Mohawk lets out a feigned sigh. “That’s right . . . not everyone gets to have a meeting with my Boss. We’re not the type of business where you can schedule an appointment with us when it is convenient for you. We are also not the type of business where apologies and pleas can earn you extensions and forbearances. You’re lucky my Boss is taking time out of his day to entertain your sorries. I would choose my words wisely if I were you.”
Who do you think you are?! My conscience is shoving a closed knuckle at his head. I bite my lower lip at Mohawk’s rude diction. I want to disagree, but Lina touches my hand softly. She shakes her head feverishly, adamantly advising me to let it go. Fortunately, I don’t have to put with him any longer.
The car makes a sharp turn around the familiar bend of the dreary road. Spyder’s house is on steep hills that lead to a shabby neighborhood. His is the only house on top of the highest plateau with skewed black gates. Every single window is tinted a dark shade of black, and the front door is constructed entirely out of shutters. At the moment, however, the most fascinating thing about Spyder’s house is not its unusual design. It is the fact that the uninvited vehicles line the front like flies attracted to a particular light.
Four unmarked sports utility vehicles, identical to the one we are sitting in, park in front of Spyder’s house. From the headlights down to the grill of each tire, the cars make an intimidating convoy. The SUV Lina and I are in round out the end of the group. It comes to a slow and calculated stop right in front of Spyder’s gates.
“Let’s go.” Mohawk is out of the car before the driver can turn off the engine.
“I can’t do this, May.” Lina turns to me with abrupt panic. Fear, anxiety, and nervousness splay themselves on her expression.
“Stay calm.” I try to comfort my best friend and cousin. “It’ll be ok. Take a deep breath.” Are you convincing yourself too? My intuition is gulping down her Red Bull with a lets-do-this sticker around her forearm.
Lina inhales tentatively and then exhales again.
“Let’s go!” From the outside, Mohawk pounds on the car door.
“Come on. He’s getting on my nerves.” The irritat
ion free flows through me now.
I open the door and get out of the car first. Lina clasps both hands around my left wrist to pull herself out. I don’t want to let it show, but a sinking feeling develops at the bottom of my stomach. I survey Spyder’s house and the area. The quiet neighborhood is oblivious about the house on top of the hill. Many of the houses on the block are empty; their owners are still a long way from home at this time in the afternoon.
“This way.” Mohawk leads the way into Spyder’s house.
Lina and I make our way towards the black gates behind him. The gate groans when Mohawk moves through them. The steps leading up to the front door has various cracks and breaks in them. At the top of the very last step, the front door is left ajar.
Mohawk pushes the door open with only one hand. The door swings open without a sound, revealing its hollow appearance. The house’s modest furnishing includes two small chairs, a coffee table, and a large wooden bookcase against the wall. It is a shocking contrast to only two months ago, when I was last here for Spyder’s birthday party, where miscellaneous furniture and items claimed the entire area. Now, the only sign of life in the room is the natural mid-afternoon sunlight; it is the only source of lighting from the front window.
Mohawk’s footsteps pick up speed as he leads us around the house. I am familiar with the layout enough to know that Mohawk is leading us to the dining room.
The house has an old rusty smell to it. The floorboards creak with every step that Lina and I take. Spyder’s dining room is set to the very back of his house. Its threshold is of a large oval shape. Inside, a glass table for six is front and center behind a large window. The walls are redwood, dated and ancient. The dining room is housing the company of more than ten people today.
“Don’t try anything funny,” Mohawk instructs under his breath as we near the dining room. He nods to two men who are guarding opposite ends of the dining room’s entrance. Without another pause, Mohawk heads straight in with us in tow. Then, he steps to the side wall and stands guard. Just like that, Mohawk recedes into the background.
No one can truly prepare themselves for a meeting with citizens of the underground world. This isn’t a typical meeting in which the most precious thing at stake is failing to impress the potential employer or lacking the correct qualifications. This also isn’t the type of meeting in which being prepared for questions and the pressures of intimidation are tools for resolution. This is the type of meeting where ignorance is bliss, and giving in to another person’s rules is not a sign of weakness but rather survival.
The scenario in the dining room is already chaotic. There are four figures surrounding the dining room table, but none sitting. All clues suggest that a physical confrontation occurred prior to our appearance. Strange faces occupy the dining room, except for Spyder who is the present victim. Each individual gang member is dressed in the same stylish suit as Mohawk with the same silver diamond watch on their left wrists. The face of the watch yields a serpent wrapped around the bold letter M.
“Please stop!” Spyder is begging. The imminent distress in his voice permeates the walls of the dining room.
This no-good-son-of-a-bitch! my intuition hisses. She has her boxing gloves on at the sight of Spyder. I can’t say he doesn’t deserve the pain that is raining on him. I have my reasons for disliking Spyder and this moment proves my intuition right.
“Shut up!” One of the suits extends a right fist to the bottom of Spyder’s throat. The impact of his closed knuckles and the exoskeleton of Spyder’s throat collide at a painful speed.
Oh, this can’t be good. I mentally die. This is not a simple conversational meeting after all. I actually feel pain for Spyder. Even though I don’t like him, he doesn’t deserve to be treated like a dog.
“Stop! Please!” At the sight of her boyfriend’s assault, Lina breaks away from me and runs to Spyder.
At the sight of us, the gang member assaulting Spyder steps back to watch Lina rush toward Spyder. He is hardly breathing; it doesn’t take a lot of energy out of him to hurt Spyder. “Look who’s finally here.” His face is bright and welcoming, but the tone of his greet laces with dangerous sarcasm.
He is menacing in every sense of the word. His black hair is slicked back from his face, revealing a widow’s peak hairline and large brown eyes under overarching eyebrows. His sculpted facial structure rounds out hollow cheekbones and thin, hard lips. From the way he carries himself, it is easy to see that his position was earned and not given.
“Are you okay?!” Lina ignores him to address Spyder. She wraps her arms around Spyder who has apologies written all over his sorry facial expression.
“I’m sorry baby.” Spyder buries his head into her arms.
Are you? My thoughts are salacious. I bite down on my bottom lip. I haven’t decided where I stand on this.
Sang Junjin is his birth name. But in many ways, Spyder epitomizes the nickname given to him by people who have interacted with him over time. He is tall with a potbelly, but at the same time wiry with curly hair that gives him the impression of wearing a mop. Spyder is always spinning webs of lies and deceit to trick people into doing what he wants them to do. But his web of lies is going to fail him. This is not the first time Spyder’s dragging Lina down with him. But there is no point in bringing up the past when the present is uncertain.
“Danny, I thought Boss says there’s no need for physical violence.” From behind us, Mohawk’s demure voice addresses Spyder’s attacker.
Danny, as his name turns out to be, points at Spyder and Lina on the floor. “They need to learn that they need to uphold the terms of the loan!” The look he gives Mohawk is unnerving. “I’m just doing my job unless you have better ideas to make them pay.”
I glance around the room and realize the actual Boss of this group is not here. Should I be relieved the Boss isn’t here yet? Could it get any more violent than this?
“Suit yourself.” At Danny’s outburst Mohawk steps back to the corner of the dining room.
“Aish!” Danny wipes the corners of his mouth as though this is not worth his time. “Get up,” he tells Spyder and Lina. When they are too slow to heed his order, Danny extends a black heel and kicks Spyder’s side.
Spyder groans in pain as he doubles over.
What the heck?! A surge of courage liquidates my veins. Ok. I’m all for kicking Spyder, but this is inhumane.
“Ok! Ok!” Lina shouts at Danny. With great effort, she pulls Spyder into a dining room chair. Tears are cascading down the side of her face. “Is this really necessary? Do you really have to beat him up like this?!”
“Is it necessary for you to borrow money from us and pretend you don’t need to pay it back?” Danny retorts with swiftness. “We made multiple attempts to reach you. You not only ignored us, but also hid from us. Is that necessary?”
Spyder and Lina cringe at Danny’s outburst. Spyder is clutching onto his nose; the blood is cascading in a linear line. Lina is inhaling and exhaling in rapid breaths; her body starts to shake.
“Look, Lina. We’ve been reasonable.” Danny’s lips curl into a cruel smirk. “As we were discussing with your disgusting boyfriend, before he opened his mouth and made me punch him, we don’t enjoy taking drastic measures such as this. Not only is it time consuming for us, but also incredibly . . . demeaning . . . for us to deal with situations like this. It’s embarrassing, Lina. We’re not some average street gang that you can just borrow from and then ignore our attempts to contact you. It went from a business transaction to some street transaction. How did it get so bad?”
Lina shifts uncomfortably in her seat. “We understand that. We understand it all. But please believe me, Spyder and I are doing everything that we can to gather the money and pay you back. We don’t want it to get to this point. We’re trying very hard, Danny.” Lina’s eyes become big and soft as she looks up at him. Lina nudges her boyfriend to come to her rescue. “Tell them, Spyder.”
“I did. I’ve been telling the
m,” Spyder speaks up at Lina’s encouragement. He shakes his head, conveying the notion that he has exhausted his pleas prior to our appearance. That is when I notice the purple bruise on Spyder’s right cheek.
“Uh huh.” Danny nods his head; he has heard it all before. “Yes, you’ve been trying to pay us back for the last two months. Extension after extension. I don’t want to hear it anymore. Either you come up with the money or we will take it, including everything you love, from you. I don’t want to hear the bullshit anymore.”
“It’s not bullshit,” Lina argues with Danny. There is a fire of justice dancing in her eyes. “We honestly and sincerely mean it! After the last extension, we asked for a grace period. It’s not the end of the month yet. Twenty thousand dollars, including interest, is not a feasible amount for Spyder and me right now. Please understand.”
Twenty thousand dollars?! I do my best to remain calm from Lina’s words. Can Spyder even spell twenty thousand dollars? Slapping her forehead, my intuition is spellbound by the event.
Danny begins rubbing the temple of his forehead as though he is overcoming a major headache. “Shut up,” he states simply.
The other men around the room remain motionless.
“You’re being unreasonable!” Lina lashes at him. My cousin’s temperament is working against her. “You’re not listening to us. How can we get twenty thousand dollars within such a short deadline?”
“I said I don’t want to hear the bullshit anymore!” Without considering the fact that she is a girl, Danny raises his hands to her.
Oh hell no, he is not about to hit her. “Stop!” I shout before Danny does anything more drastic. Why does my voice sound like a child?
He lowers his hands at the sound of my cry. Danny turns to me with deliberation. He glances at the other members in the room, who are all standing as still as stone. Apparently, Mohawk is the only person who dares to challenge him. The rest remains as still as statues without command.
As though he sees me for the first time, Danny’s question comes out in a quick and bored snarl, “And who are you?”
April Loves Black Coffee: First Impressions Page 8