A Shattered Soul

Part One: Dreams

“I’m only 31, even you know that.  I’m not that young” retorted Taegun. 

“Hahaha, Mr. Pryce, out of my 62 years of life, 30 of them as a noodle shop owner, I can honestly say that you are the most puzzling man I have ever encountered” replied Wattanna chuckling. 

Taegun got small amusement out of the conversation.  Mr. Wattanna was a good man, hard working, great attitude, but even as chipper as he was he could always get a little too curious. 

“Are you still seeing Damini?” asked Wattanna. 

“She comes by from time to time.  Is my meal ready?” asked Taegun. 

“Oh I got it right here” Wattanna said as he was handing over the bowl. 

“You know, despite her career choices, she is a very nice girl.  I have known her since she could barely walk.  You should go on a date with her” implied the shop keeper. 

“Sir, I am an Irish, German, American grown man.  What would a Thai woman want to do with a man such as myself?” replied Taegun with a mouthful of noodles. 

“You know Mr. Pryce, all my life I have been judged over where I was born, how much money I had, or what family I came from.  I can honestly say the skin color wont matter” Wattanna said with cheery smile. 

Taegun knew he had been beat, and gave off a smirk to admit defeat. 

“That right there is why I come here every morning Mr. Pryce.  I have enough in my savings to lynch off of for the rest of my limited years to come, but the reason I work this shop is to see you kick your own ass for no damn reason, and then see myself kick your ass because I am right”. 

This time Taegun couldn’t hold back his laughs.  This was the one time of the day that Taegun could smile.  He thanked the old man for a wonderful morning and went off to do his business.

            9:00 A.M. Taegun’s job was to escort transport and protect the drug trade of a small but ever growing drug gang.  The leader of the gang was known as “The Colonel” because of his ever so large stature.  Tony was Taegun’s contact and probably Taegun’s only friend besides Damini.  She was Tony’s cousin and lived with him ever since her mom died of lung cancer.  She worked in the brothel down the street and occasionally would help with Tony’s dangerous profession.  Tony tried numerous times to get Damini out of prostitution, but Damini only did it for the money and for the past 8 months her only client had been Taegun so Tony felt better knowing she was with a friend.  For being 23, Damini had a very mature attitude and demeanor.  She had worked in the brothel since she was 17 and had seen her fair share of how cruel the world can really be.  At 19, a young man who looked like he had been to hell and back, came up and asked for a girl.  Taya, Damini’s superior volunteered for the job but Damini stepped in offered herself at a cheaper price on one condition; that he wouldn’t let anyone hurt her.  In the past, customers would get violent and Damini had enough.  Taegun saw an opportunity in that girl.  He could possibly do something right for someone to right the wrongs he had committed in his past.  Damini was his angel, and he always admired her but he was too stubborn to realize it. 

            9:05 A.M. Tony walked in with the shipment of heroine in the back of his contact’s car.  The job was simple, pedal the stuff over to another contact who would then distribute it to Burma and Laos.  Tony’s crew was mainly protection and would ensure that the drug distribution would go without a hitch.  The cops kept a blind eye, while Tony promised in return that they would have safe streets and less crime.  Tony would control everything if it weren’t for The Colonel.  He was the only reason why everyone is uneasy with their jobs.  He will take anything he wants and destroy everything that Tony has built just for the hell of it.  This raised hostility with rivals and other distributors.  The heroine trade became ever more dangerous by the day.  Taegun has seen and done things that no man should ever even hear about.  Taegun was the trigger, the killer, the man to do the things that no other man wanted to do.  His share of the profit would depend on how fast he was able to get it to the distributor and the quality of the drugs.  Since Taegun was such a valued member of the little gang, he was paid higher than anyone, but all his paycheck would be spent on hard liquor, marijuana, food, occasional clothes and most of all: nights with Damini.  He would spend every dime he had just to stop the nightmares.  Oh how he hated nightmares, the past memories of his sins and everything that he had done wrong in his short life.