By this time, a few more people had congregated on the balcony and most everyone took a pause to smoke and drink. A couple of disparate conversations started so it seemed that the success stories had ended but then Prince Henry who had hardly spoken a word looked over to Gil and said, "Hey Gil, why don't you tell all these folk, the story about Stormin' Norman and yourself last year."
Gil stared fixedly at Henry for a couple of seconds. His left hand was shaking and he began tapping the table quickly to calm himself down. "Yeah well, that story huh.Henry. Ok, I'll tell you all about Norman or Stormin' Norman as we all called him. He was a wild man. Wild in the real sense of being out of control. It wasn't just the drugs although they didn't help. He was just out there. He scared everybody. Not just me but everyone. A big black motherfucker too. Not as black as Henry over here but black enough. A man of colour as they say.
"Anyway, one night a couple of us are sitting here. This very same table. We were just talking shit as always and Norman walks in. He's drunk of course and had some women trouble I was told later. We were talking about how the Taiwanese view other people, other races. Anyone who know me knows I'm not a racist.Right Henry," said Gil looking at Henry who nodded in agreement.
"Well I make the comment that anyone who's been here any length of time knows well enough. The Chinese think they're the best, the smartest and most cultured that is. White Caucasians are further down the list but still get some respect because they managed to carve up China and win the Second World War. The Japanese are hated but they are considered smart. But black people, well they're not considered to be high on this particular totem pole, according to the Chinese that is .. Right away, Norman's at me. Really at me. Calling me every name under the sun. At first I'm a bit worried he might try and pick a fight, grunts don't like Marines and vice-versa y'know; but we've both been living at the hostel for a few weeks and we know a lot of the people around the place so I tell myself it'll be ok and that it will all blow over in the morning when we're all slept it off. So I tell Norman to shut up and go to bed. Well I guess that was a mistake because he stood up with this angry look in his eyes and walked down to the stairwell and came back with a rusty old bike chain and just started to lay right into me. He laid into me real good. There were a couple of guys around and they tried to pull him off and stuff but he did a fair bit of damage. Busted me up good and proper. I had to go to hospital for a couple of days. I couldn't teach for more than a week. Internal bleeding and shit."
Sean and the others were somewhat surprised at the turn that the conversation had taken. It was Sean's first night on the balcony and the scene provided a taste of what to expect in the future. "What about this guy, Stormin' Norman. What happened to him," said Hamo.
"Oh, not much of course Pippy asked him to leave the hostel. Big deal. Pretty much he acted like nothing changed. He left to go back to the Philippines a couple of weeks later.
See some of his former army buddies and go whoring I expect."
"So he won't be coming back?" asked Winnie.
"I suspect he'll be back one day. He was earning good money here and there's no other place, crazy enough besides Taipei that he would find half decent work so I guess he'll be back but.," said Gil who paused and gave a curious smile and reached down to pull something from his string bag. Gil, the old hippie with the lank blonde hair tied into a short ponytail and drooping moustache who you wouldn't think could or would hurt a fly then held up a sheathed switch knife. He pushed a knob so the narrow blade sprung out and caught the light of the bare light bulb above the table. "But I'll be ready for him next time. Me and my darlin' Clementine will be ready and waiting for that prick," said Gil staring lasciviously at the knife. Then he started to intone sadly as he looked down at the knife; his Clementine.
"In my dreams she still doth haunt me, Robed in garments soaked in brine.
Though in life I used to hug her, Now she's dead, I'll draw the line.
Oh my darling, Oh my darling, Oh my darling Clementine,
You are lost and gone forever, Dreadful sorry Clementine."
Gil giggled until specks of spit covered his chin. He stopped abruptly and looked up. "Yep, Clementine and me will be ready for him next time.".
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