A stone's throw away from Little Italy, the Chinatown neighbourhood in Lower Manhattan covers almost 2km square feet and is one of nine other Chinatown neighbourhoods in the city.
As Tora stands at one of the many entrances into the neighbourhood, her eyes search the crowds of people, not sure where to start.
Redbrick buildings stand tall with scattered colourful banners and signs written in Chinese script attached to the front of them. Apartments with steel balconies sit on top rows of shops, vibrant canopies above their doors and windows with streams of people walking in and out of them, clutching plastic bags full of produce. From barbershops and beauty salons to restaurants and convenience stores, their doors never close for a second.
The distant sound of car horns, ambulance sirens and a mother calling down from her balcony to the street below is drowned out by the chatter between sellers and buyers, either haggling prices or catching up on the latest news.
When Tora attempts to make her way through the crowds, like a shoal of fish trapped in a net, the rising humidity makes her face flush —despite the bitter, cold January wind. With no other option but to follow the tide, Tora is carried along with the crowd, passing shops and market stalls as she goes.
She manages to break free, finding a quieter spot by a small restaurant to pull her phone out of her pocket. Standing on her tiptoes, she raises her gaze above the crowd and tries her best to read the signs —her hanzi reading on the rusty side.
An older Chinese lady, bearing a tray of steamed buns, serves plates to a group of people sat down at a table nearby and Tora quickly turns to her, striking up a conversation in her best Chinese.
"Excuse me, ma'am, can I trouble you for directions?"
The lady nods her head and Tora continues.
"I'm looking for a restaurant near here, Chang Dai. Do you know where I can find it?" She asks.
Pointing a hand past the crowds of people, the lady nods to Tora. "Walk further down, turn left and then immediately right. It's next to a barbershop."
Sighing in relief Tora thanks the woman and turns around to walk away, when the Chinese woman calls out to her.
"Be careful, that's not a very safe area."
"Don't worry about me, thank you!"
Walking closer to the curb to avoid the crowd, Tora glances down at the email on her phone, sent last night.
'Tora, go to Chang Dai and ask for Nadia Wong, tell her I sent you. Just head towards Canal street and you'll find it easily, you're a clever girl! You can put your Chinese to good use too!
Tanaka'
Ignoring Tanaka's email and following the directions instructed to her by the Chinese lady instead, Tora reaches the street corner, turning left and then almost immediately right. She very quickly understands the warning she received from the woman.
Along the substantially quieter road, small groups of teens stand around, looking questionable, while other men sit together on steps leading to apartments, smoking cigarettes and drinking from cans.
Tora stuffs her hands into her jacket pockets, her hair down her back and blowing in the breeze as she walks down the road. Glancing up at the signs again, she quickly spots the barbershop and the restaurant up ahead of her, both next door to one another.
Glancing behind herself, she opens the door to the diner, wiping her boots on the doormat. The restaurant itself has elements of Chinese design with red and gold tapestry wall hangings around the room and intricately painted glass lanterns with red tassels hanging from the ceiling. The rest of the room resembles an average American diner —the cream tiled floor, silver tables with chairs in the centre and booths to the sides, a few customers scattered throughout eating and drinking. To the right, bar stools are seated below a cashier desk with card menus and a tip jar on top of the surface.
"Table for one?"
Tora looks to her left, facing a Chinese woman, a nonchalant expression on her face —her dark hair cut in a short cropped style, her eyes brown, wearing a white t-shirt with black jeans and black boots.
"Oh, I'm looking for someone," Tora says. "Are you Nadia Wong?"
The woman nods. "I'm Nadia. What did you need?"
"Sorry, it's more of a private matter." Tora laughs awkwardly as Nadia stares back at her. "My name's Tora. Um, Tanaka sent me, actually."
Her expression only seeming mildly more interested, she nods towards the booth in the window. "Take a seat and I'll be back in a minute. Can I get you a drink?"
"Oh, a black coffee, thanks." Tora smiles and Nadia walks back over to the kitchen. Shrugging, Tora takes a seat on the red leather-covered bench of the booth, pulling off her jacket and placing it down beside herself.
A minute or so later, Nadia returns holding a tray with two glasses of water and a white cup and saucer full of steaming black coffee. She places the glasses and cup down on the table, taking a seat opposite Tora.
"Thanks, Nadia," Tora says, holding the cup by the handle and blowing away the rising steam. "Sorry about this, are you alright to sit and talk?"
"I'm the manager so I can talk for a bit," Nadia tells her. "What can I do for you, Tora?"
Placing the cup back down on the table, Tora laces her fingers together, resting her forearms on the table. "I'm not sure, to be honest. Tanaka said that you know an arm's dealer nearby? I need some things for my next jobs in the city."
"I can help you." Nadia nods. "You're Japanese, right?"
"Tokyo, yeah. It's my first time in New York." Tora explains. "I'm not sure how long I'll be here, I'm staying in Midtown for my trip."
The corner of Nadia's mouth turns up into a slight smile. "Oh really? Living the life of luxury then?"
"Tanaka spoils me, what can I say?" She shrugs.
"How are you liking New York, so far?" Nadia asks.
Tora huffs a laugh. "Well, I'm not much of a tourist but what I've seen so far seems nice. I only landed at 10 am yesterday and my jet lag got the better of me."
Nadia raises her eyebrows. "I would say to be careful at night but it sounds like you don't need to worry about that. How long have you been working for Tanaka?"
"Uh, six years, I guess?" Tora tucks her hair behind her ear. "He can be pretty full of himself, can't deny that. But I make it work. He's never steered me wrong and we get on well."
Nodding, Nadia takes a quick look past her shoulder, sliding a piece of paper on the table to Tora. "The guy you need is called 'The Fly', here's his address. How soon do you need everything?"
Rolling her eyes, Tora folds the paper up and tucks it into her trouser pocket. "Tanaka has been considerate enough to give me the rest of the week to settle in first. I'd rather get on as soon as I can but I can't work until he tells me."
"Well, the Police are on high alert at the moment, so just watch out when you do go see him." Nadia warns.
"Why's that?" Tora asks.
Nadia folds her arms over her chest. "You know Ash Lynx, right?"
Tora's eyes widen and Nadia raises her eyebrows.
"I take it from that reaction that you do. Anyway, to cut a long story short, he's a wanted man at the moment. The only cop not out to get him is my partner, Charlie, and that's only because Ash has always co-operated when it comes to Charlie."
"Oh really?"
Nadia nods, showing a photo of herself with him on her phone and Tora almost chokes on her coffee, spluttering as she places the cup back down.
"That's your boyfriend? He knows Ash?" Tora questions, taking a closer look.
Raising an eyebrow, Nadia turns her phone back around. "Yeah, why?"
"I saw him at the hospital yesterday with another guy, they were looking for Ash," Tora explains. "He had just come out of surgery when they arrived."
Nadia nods. "That makes sense. Well, Ash and my brother were best friends."
A wave of recognition washes over Tora's face and her eyes widen. "Your brother was Shorter, right? Shorter Wong?"
A pained expression on her face, she nods weakly.
"I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have asked." Tora sighs. "It was banana fish, wasn't it?"
Nadia leans closer. "How do you know about that?"
Tora sips her coffee. "I have some things I need to find out about that drug myself. I was hoping Ash would be able to help me. But I don't think he'd be happy to talk about it."
Nadia shakes her head. "Banana fish is the drug of death, Ash saw that first hand and it really shook him up. But, if you have the right intentions, I'm sure he'd be happy to help you if he can."
Agreeing, Tora finishes the rest of her coffee, placing the cup back on the saucer. "If you do see Ash, I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention that we met. I'm going to leave it a week before I see him and give myself the best chance."
Nodding, Nadia places the empty glasses and cup and saucer on the tray, standing up from the booth. "Of course. I'd better get back to work, but good luck, Tora."
"Oh, this is for the coffee." Tora holds out the change in her hand as she slides out of the booth, her jacket draped over her arm.
Nadia waves her hand away. "It's on the house. See you around."
Thanking Nadia again as she walks away, Tora pulls her jacket back on and makes her way out of the restaurant and onto the quiet street.
Zipping the front of her jacket up, Tora grabs a cigarette from her pocket. She places it between her lips, about to light the end, when a voice calls out.
"You're on the wrong side of town, girl. Need some help from a local?"
-
-
-
"lonely girl it looks like you are out of luck" - Tonight Alive