Johannesburg, 2044
A Story of Tea and Redemption
This tea house is a great example of the crazy contrast that exist in city. Over the last fifty years a great deal of progress has taken part in South Africa but sometimes at the expense of others. The tea house rest of the edge of a trendy neighborhood on one of the newer city development areas. Behind the Chinese inspired building is a black stone wall, beyond that one of the cities many sprawling slums. The wall was not made to keep the poor out like the walled slums that would exist 75 years later, it existed more as a way to enjoy a cop of tea without having to think about the terrible plight of poverty. In fact the Jade Monkey had a lovely mix of rich socialites, gutter kids, artist and revolutionaries, that was why Dee Jaa liked it.
Karina had only been here once before, and she had been a very different person than. She was mad and fevered, drunk on possibility. Now she was entirely more sane and less confident, filled with purpose yet unsure what to do next. Returning to this place on this day was a bad idea but she could not help herself.
She found a spot in the corner and waited. Sure enough five minutes later she watched Dee Jaa followed by a younger version of herself. They did not spot her. She knew they wouldn't, she had been here before. It was their second cup of tea.
Quietly she watched as the final moments of her most important relationship unfolded. Dee Jaa tried to reason with her, but she was too far gone back then. All she could think about the infinite possibilities of what they did and those thoughts were bringing up dark demons, long thought buried. Karina watched as her past self became more enraged and indignant. She watched as Dee became more withdrawn and sad.
Then it was over, her past self stormed out ready to start an epic bender than Dee following determined to stop that from happening. In half an hour Dee would send her mad Romanian girlfriend back in time with the hope she would get help but the knowledge that she wouldn't for many years. She watched it all, willing herself not to cry as she finished her cup of tea. Than she took a couple deep breaths, and headed out to leave.
But a curious thing happened on her way outside the tea house. Karina Koji, a born grifter, had her pocket picked by an old man in a faded bowler hat. It was a rare thing to have someone try such a thing on the Romanian but what surprised her the most was that she almost didn’t notice. That meant this old man was a professional. Karina could respect that, but not enough to let the man go. So after adjusting her outfit some she started to run after the old man.
The pickpocket knew he was being chased so he started to run as well. He was spry for a man his age and quickly made it to the nearest gate into the slums. As he dashed down the dirt hill into the expanse of tin houses Karina was right on his heels.
A young man belonging to one of the gangs that ran that part of town tried to stop her. He called after her with surprising concern. “Hey girl, that know place for white folk.” He had seen plenty of tourist slip into the slums looking for an authentic experience and it rarely went well.
“I am not white, I am Romani” she said turning back with a grin. Than she spun around and continued her pursuit. She was faster than the man, but the old man knew these slums well. Every time she thought she had him, the old fox would slip between two houses and slip away. Finally Karina lept onto a rain barrel, cursing in Romanian and leaping onto the nearest roof top. She lept between buildings, tracking the man as he weaved between building.
Than with a well time leaped he crashed into the man causing them both to tumble into an aluminum wall, denting it with their crashing bodies. Both Karina and the man laid there trying to catch their breath. It was the man who spoke first. “Well I guess this is yours girl.”
The man tossed the purse at Karina who sat up. She looked at the man with a half smile, he smiled too as he dusted off his worn out suit. They both started to laugh. The reasons are hard to explain unless you are a grifter. It is a secret joke shared between strangers who have lived similar lives. After that the two began to talk.
The old fox was a career petty criminal. He had lived in South Africa for years but was born in Madagascar. He worked in this slum because he had worked out deals with both warring gangs, they let him work and he promised not to steal from their men. He had no real family, just a fairly gifted thief who was not good at much else.
Karina mentioned she was traveling to Madagascar soon, leaving out the fact that she would also be traveling back in time to reach her destination. By now they had both gotten to their feet and were wandering the tight pathways of urban sprawl. Karina asked if there is anything she should see while she is there.
“ Have you ever seen a famadihana? It is a reburial party. They have them at the family tombs seven years after a family member dies. It is...an amazing party. It is like the spirits are alive and feasting with you. I had one once….for my father. They are damn expensive but man are they worth it. The things I had to do...to make it happen for my family. I swear half the tricks I learned...I learned to pay for that damn thing.” the old man explained, a distant look in his eye. Despite his age and all the shit that had happened to him up until that point, for a moment he looked young again. He looked hopeful.
It was not soon after that Karina left that future and made her way to present day. She made some stops along the way, mainly to check up on family but that look stayed with her all the way to Antananarivo.
***********************************
Antananarivo 2014
Through the massive crowd of people dancing a white structure pushes through the crowd. It is a float made to look like a church, with turquoise designs all along its towers and ramparts. On top of the structure a family gathers around a body wrapped in linen. It has been in the ground for seven years, but it has not been forgotten. For one night the spirits will be returned to celebrate the life loss, as old bandages are replaced with new. All around the structure extended family, friends and curious neighbors gather to enjoy the party. Soon there will be feasting. Old men will get fat and lazy on meat and wine. Mothers will chased down children hopped on on sugar treats. Teens will try to sneak out to find some quiet part of the graveyard to stumble through young love.
On the edge of all this are two foreigners, Karina Koji and Amy Marshal. They watch as the festival moves nearby them. Amy checks her watch but stays where she stands.
Amy: Why did you ask me to come here?
Karina: I know how you Americans are...you never take in local color.
Amy: I think you would be pretty pissed if I said a bunch of shit about gypsies.
Karina grins and nods. She had seriously hurt people before for saying such things.
Karina: Da, but most of it would be true. That is not the only reason I asked you here….I want to make sure we are on same page, as they say.
Amy: Yeah I think that page is mostly about kicking the Mean Girls ass, right?
Karina watches as the float gets closer to them. Despite the somber nature of the night nobody on top of the float seems sad. They all smile with pride.
Karina: The last time we worked together you betrayed me….and you think I am crazy.
Amy: No offense, you think you can travel in time. I know you’re crazy.
Karina: You see this scar on my shoulder?
Karina pulls back her dress to show a small but defined scar. For a while Amy does not turn to look, her face shows boredom and frustration. She rolls her eyes and looks.
Karina: When I was about...12 years old I fell down a well. I was with one of my dickhead brothers, Nico. We were playing in some ruins and I fell down this well. Now..Nico he freaks out and thinks I am dead. But instead of getting help he just runs home and pretends he has no idea what happens.
Amy: Don’t worry, I am not going to push you down a well.
Karina: Ha...well thank you. It was not very fun, all this damp darkness. I had to climb up that damn well. Nearly killed my brother when I got home, and my older brother nearly killed him too. But he is family. He is moron and dickhead but he is family.
The float passes them and continues on its way. The crowd follows along singing and dancing as they go.
Amy: Ok...so what is the point.
Karina: The thing is. I don’t know how to half trust someone. So you might not be my friend, you might think I am crazy but I need you. This is not a match that I am walking into on Sunday. It is a damn brawl, and they are going to tear me apart unless you have my back. I can take Veronica Taylor, that is not hard. I might even be able to take two of those bitches on, but not all of them. We have to do this together.
Amy: Yeah I get that. You have my back.
Karina: Together we beat the top two ladies in the whole SCW. We did that in the main event and nobody thought we could.
Amy laughs this time, shaking her head.
Amy: Yeah but I betrayed you…
Karina: Da, but imagine what we can do when we work together.
Just then a young man of about twenty runs over to them. He has on a sharp, new bowler hat on and a charming smile. He ignores Amy and shakes Karina’s hand.
Man: I don’t know who you are...but thank you. We couldn’t make this happen without you. My father is honored.
Karina smiles and shakes his hand back. The man runs off to join the rest of the festivities. Amy does not know what to make of all this, so she quietly watches. Karina watches him go back up into the float with his family.
Karina: That man was going to be a sad thief with little to show for his life. Now who knows what his future holds? The Mean Girls were going to beat me down on Sunday, make an example of me but who knows? We are meant to never be friends but maybe...just maybe all that can change.
Amy: Yeah...maybe. I still think you’re crazy.
Karina: I am crazy but that doesn’t mean I am wrong. I am going to rewrite my future. I am going to win this Sunday despite the odds. They want a brawl, we will show them a brawl. We will break their pretty faces. And then we will do it again at Chaos. So if you are going to push me into a well….just wait a while ya?
Karina smiles and heads off after the float as the scene fades out.
