Read Online CHASING LIFE by Steve Jovanoski - Free Book Online Page B

answering a call on his phone as he went. He was a head taller than Dave and dressed appropriately for a club owner—all in black, with a crisp shirt, leather jacket, jeans and boots. Most likely in his late twenties, Dave guessed. Sam had longish hair, a fashionable growth of stubble, soft eyes and fine but masculine facial features. He was a rather good specimen, going by the women’s admiring glances as he left the bistro. Dave felt very much intimidated, even though Sam had been so friendly.
    The beer went down better this time , and he went for a walk when he was done. He took his phone out and dialled Amy’s number.
    ‘Hello , darling,’ his voice was chipper. ‘How are you?’
    ‘Dave! Hey, how was your flight?’ Amy’s voice came warmly over the phone.
    ‘It was good, yeah. How are you? Good to hear your voice,’ he said, a little too excitedly.
    ‘You miss us already?’ she teased.
    ‘Yeah, a little.’
    ‘So, how’s Hong Kong?’ Amy asked.
    ‘Well, it’s okay . Just checking it out.’
    ‘What’s it like? Tell me.’
    ‘At the moment, I’m in this place full of bars and restaurants. It’s pouring down rain and bloody humid. There are all these fashionably dressed people everywhere and I feel like a wet dog.’
    ‘An d I bet you look like one too. Have you spoken to any of them?’
    ‘It’s hard . They’re all clustered in their own little groups. It’s amazing Amy, there are hundreds of bars here. Very upmarket crowd. They look snobby though. It doesn’t feel like I’m in an Asian country, with so many Europeans, and everyone seems to speak English.’
    ‘S tart talking to them,’ Amy encouraged.
    ‘I don’t know. I feel kind of awkward.’
    ‘Make an effort will you? Get amongst it.’
    ‘Yeah, I should.’ Dave wasn’t keen on sitting by himself again. He checked his watch. It was 10 in the evening. He wondered whether to take up Sam on his offer. He seemed like an interesting character, so why not have a drink and a chat?
    ‘You just got there. Go out and explore,’ Amy kept pushing.
    ‘I will. Anyway, I’ll call you later. I just wanted to say hi.’
    ‘Have fun all right? And just relax.’
    ‘I will. Bye.’ Dave felt re -energised. Hearing a friendly voice made him feel better. He turned and walked back up the road toward The Base nightclub.
                  The rain was relentless but at least slowing in pace. He jumped across puddles again along the footpath and ducked for cover as much as he could, but his clothes were still wet. A turn in the street revealed the lane that Sam had mentioned. Dave went down a set of stairs where tightly packed shops and more restaurants bristled with nightlife. It was buzzing with neon signs and chaotic with disorderly building structures. He couldn’t make anything out of it. Was this another market?
    Anything there could be found on sale. From skinned and roasted ducks hanging in the open air to plastic toys, underwear, socks and fashion trinkets. He walked in another circle, fearing he’d lost his way again. He went up the road and back down and then stopped at the same spot he started from. He took a deep breath and tried to focus. Think man, he told himself. This time, he properly observed his surroundings. He was being distracted by everything going on around him instead of focussing on details. Must be a male thing, he thought. He could never find what he was looking for in the fridge. Julia would walk up to it and pluck it from under his nose—it was irritating.
    A sweet scent from nargile pipes was in the air and then Dave remembered the Lebanese restaurant that Sam had mentioned. He squinted and searched for the name amongst the many neon signs. Two middle-eastern men were smoking pipes outside a small restaurant nearby. He walked in and asked one of the waiters where The Base was.
    The man pointed toward a small alley on the opposite side of the street. The alley was no more than two metr es wide but well