Fiction: Let the sleeping dogs lie!

A tall man with a well trimmed moustache clad in black suit and wearing dark sun glasses arrived at this suburban Inn called Chingles walking majestically with his black shiny shoes making noise with each stride he made. He looks around as if for someone and walks straight to one of the raised three legged stools at the counter. He was a stranger and the commoners at the pub fastened their eyes on him with curiosity. He looked composed and had confidence the like of presidential body guards or commandos. He wiped the stool with his handkerchief to avoid his suit being soiled needless to say that the seat was already clean. He then sat and ordered for a cold Guinness. The waitress hastened to serve him. She admired the man right from when she saw him enter and she was starting to entertain some naughty thoughts in her mind soon after serving him with his first beer. “Welcome sir,” the waitress said to the man as she placed the platter with the cold beer near him. “Welcome dear, you look gorgeous,” the man coolly answered. “Thank you and enjoy your drink,” the waitress coyly responded. Apart from the man, there were other patrons who were being served sharing the same table. They were busy talking animatedly about the current affairs focussing solely on politics of the day. The coming of the strange man however made them change the subject in fear that he could be an informer sent by a powerful politician. They now started to talk about the weather and matters to do with the community. The waiter went back to the group after serving the strange man. “Have you ever served that man before or is it his first time here?” one of the men asked the waitress in a low tone for the man not to hear. “I swear today is the first time I have laid my eyes on him,” replied the waitress to the anxious men. “Please, when you go back try and get to know what kind of a man he is,” another from the group requested the waitress. The stranger was very fast in gulping his beer and before long he beckoned the waitress to come and serve him with the second drink. The waitress left the commoners and dashed to serve him. “I hope I’ve not kept you waiting for long sir,” she apologised. “Not at all dear,” he answered. “What drink are your friends taking?” The stranger asked her. “They are sharing Smirnoff Vodka.” “That’s interesting because I have two bottles in my briefcase. Actually someone bought me five bottles last night and I could not handle them all,” said the stranger. “I can give them if they don’t mind, that is,” he continued.The waitress dashed back to her friends and explained to them what the stranger had just said. No one objected. The stranger took one of the bottles from his briefcase. “Let them first work on this. I will give them the other one once they are through with this one,” he told the waitress as he handed the bottle to her. The men were very delightful and shouted almost in unison, “Thank you and God bless you.” The stranger then requested the waitress to seat with him for a chat. She accepted the offer gracefully. “Take a drink on me dear,” the stranger requested her. “Thanks sir. I will share the other bottle with my fiends.” The stranger then introduced himself as a businessman and that he was in fact visiting the area in search of business opportunities. He inquired from the waitress how much they make in a day and generally how the business was fairing. After half an hour or so, the men seated at the other end were through with the first bottle and couldn’t wait for the last one to land on their table. The stranger promptly kept his word and passed over the second bottle for them to make good use of it. They started to lustfully deal with it enthusiastically. The waitress kept on going to and fro her friends’ table to fill her glass then she could come back to her guest. Soon after the second Smirnoff was opened the men plus the waitress were visited by a deep heaviness in the mind and succumbed to a heavy sleep that none could help the other. The stranger then proceeded with his mission. Ensuring that all doors were closed, he went to the counter, opened the drawer and removed all the currency he found. He then vandalized the victims and left with a big diabolic smile. “Mission accomplished, I will let the sleeping dogs lie,” he muttered to himself as he swiftly left. Neighbours and the patrons who came later could not believe their eyes. They found the waitress and her customers in a trance. Efforts to wake them up were fruitless. skangongoi@yahoo.com