girls.
He was determined to find a normal bar with decent clientele. A neon sign read ‘Blue Lake’ . Inside was a mix of men and women around his age. Dave hesitated but, wanting a drink, pushed past the door. Girls by far outnumbered guys, the latter mostly European and Australian. He felt eyes on him, but he still had his blinkers on and headed straight for the bar.
‘I’ll have a pot of beer—whatever you’ve got on tap—a packet of cigarettes and a lighter,’ he said to the barmaid. He paid for the drink and went outside for a smoke. He placed his beer on a table and sparked up, slowly dragging in a long breath and savouring the moment. A satisfying feeling ran through his body as the nicotine did its job.
Dave noticed two girls and a young man at a table next to him. The man was scolding one of the gi rls with permed hair and, judging by his accent, Dave guessed him to be eastern European—Russian, perhaps. When he looked in their direction, the girl caught his eye, a skinny little thing in high heels. Her mouth was disproportionately large for her face and the cheap red lipstick and runny mascara did her no favours. She wore a tight singlet and an equally undersized skirt. There is no way she could bend over in that thing without flashing everyone, he thought. A loud nasal tone came out of her mouth and she grinned to show horse-like teeth.
‘Hello honey,’ s he said, winked and blew him a kiss. Dave cringed.
‘What are you doing?’ her companion responded with jealousy.
‘It’s ok ay. I still like you, baby,’ she cooed, stroking his face.
‘Why are you doing this ? Why are you looking at him?’ the young man demanded. Dave listened to them arguing. When the man was distracted by one of his friends, the girl turned to Dave again. She gave him a wide smile and whipped her tongue at him, twirling and flicking it obscenely. She placed her hands on the table, vigorously grinding her pelvis back and forth. Dave couldn’t help but laugh at this horny little Chihuahua humping the table.
‘What are you doing? ’ her male companion said, swaying side to side in a boozed up state. ‘You want him? Go for him.’ Spittle erupted from his mouth in his anger. He wobbled sideways and neared Dave. Dave could smell the guy’s rank beer breath and could see how shit-faced he was. He turned his back, ready to say ‘She’s all yours mate, I wouldn’t touch her if you paid me.’ Which was probably what that guy had done. The beer wasn’t going down too well, and Dave wasn’t up for venturing back inside the club after that little incident. Meanwhile other drunk men staggered down the rainy street and fell for the traps set by the bar girls. Some of them wore suits, businessmen out to get wasted before going back to their wives. By the time the girls finished with them, they’d be drunk beyond the hope of an erection and picked clean of cash.
Witnessing the scene, Dave questioned whether he had done the right thing in coming to Hong Kong with no plan. He could feel loneliness and regret threatening to grip him. There was no one he could rely on here. He took out a cigarette, fumbled with it and helplessly watched it fall to the ground. Three cockroaches came rushing out from underneath the building and raced to it. Dave watched with horrified fascination as a battle raged over his cigarette. The strongest cockroach eventually won and dragged it back underneath the building for a feast. That’s it, he thought, I’ve had enough. The cockroaches summed up his experience in the red-light district of Lockhart Road. He put his half-full beer down and hailed a taxi.
‘Hey, don’t come back here again ,’ the drunkard with the girl called out to him.
‘I’ll make sure of that, ’ Dave replied over his shoulder. He felt insulted and would have thumped the guy had he stayed any longer.
‘ To Wyndham Street, please,’ he told the driver. After that experience, he’d settle for a nice massage and
He was determined to find a normal bar with decent clientele. A neon sign read ‘Blue Lake’ . Inside was a mix of men and women around his age. Dave hesitated but, wanting a drink, pushed past the door. Girls by far outnumbered guys, the latter mostly European and Australian. He felt eyes on him, but he still had his blinkers on and headed straight for the bar.
‘I’ll have a pot of beer—whatever you’ve got on tap—a packet of cigarettes and a lighter,’ he said to the barmaid. He paid for the drink and went outside for a smoke. He placed his beer on a table and sparked up, slowly dragging in a long breath and savouring the moment. A satisfying feeling ran through his body as the nicotine did its job.
Dave noticed two girls and a young man at a table next to him. The man was scolding one of the gi rls with permed hair and, judging by his accent, Dave guessed him to be eastern European—Russian, perhaps. When he looked in their direction, the girl caught his eye, a skinny little thing in high heels. Her mouth was disproportionately large for her face and the cheap red lipstick and runny mascara did her no favours. She wore a tight singlet and an equally undersized skirt. There is no way she could bend over in that thing without flashing everyone, he thought. A loud nasal tone came out of her mouth and she grinned to show horse-like teeth.
‘Hello honey,’ s he said, winked and blew him a kiss. Dave cringed.
‘What are you doing?’ her companion responded with jealousy.
‘It’s ok ay. I still like you, baby,’ she cooed, stroking his face.
‘Why are you doing this ? Why are you looking at him?’ the young man demanded. Dave listened to them arguing. When the man was distracted by one of his friends, the girl turned to Dave again. She gave him a wide smile and whipped her tongue at him, twirling and flicking it obscenely. She placed her hands on the table, vigorously grinding her pelvis back and forth. Dave couldn’t help but laugh at this horny little Chihuahua humping the table.
‘What are you doing? ’ her male companion said, swaying side to side in a boozed up state. ‘You want him? Go for him.’ Spittle erupted from his mouth in his anger. He wobbled sideways and neared Dave. Dave could smell the guy’s rank beer breath and could see how shit-faced he was. He turned his back, ready to say ‘She’s all yours mate, I wouldn’t touch her if you paid me.’ Which was probably what that guy had done. The beer wasn’t going down too well, and Dave wasn’t up for venturing back inside the club after that little incident. Meanwhile other drunk men staggered down the rainy street and fell for the traps set by the bar girls. Some of them wore suits, businessmen out to get wasted before going back to their wives. By the time the girls finished with them, they’d be drunk beyond the hope of an erection and picked clean of cash.
Witnessing the scene, Dave questioned whether he had done the right thing in coming to Hong Kong with no plan. He could feel loneliness and regret threatening to grip him. There was no one he could rely on here. He took out a cigarette, fumbled with it and helplessly watched it fall to the ground. Three cockroaches came rushing out from underneath the building and raced to it. Dave watched with horrified fascination as a battle raged over his cigarette. The strongest cockroach eventually won and dragged it back underneath the building for a feast. That’s it, he thought, I’ve had enough. The cockroaches summed up his experience in the red-light district of Lockhart Road. He put his half-full beer down and hailed a taxi.
‘Hey, don’t come back here again ,’ the drunkard with the girl called out to him.
‘I’ll make sure of that, ’ Dave replied over his shoulder. He felt insulted and would have thumped the guy had he stayed any longer.
‘ To Wyndham Street, please,’ he told the driver. After that experience, he’d settle for a nice massage and
Similar Books
