Trap The Lie

Chapter 1

The brass bell dangling atop the door made a single ding sound as he pushed the door open and stepped inside the diner. It was quaint, smokey and half empty. There were murmurs all around as patrons conversed amongst themselves. It was hushed conversations amongst one another, keeping to themselves; lest there be ears listening intently.

He found the individual he was looking for. A man with features that rivaled those that belonged to a world not like his own. A world of flashing lights and screaming girls, of fame and fortune with fancy suites and fancy cars. A man who looked like he was straight out of a painting as he looked forlornly outside the window.

He walked up and stopped by the table as he tilted his head to the side, taking a moment to study the man's features.

Long lashes that curled upwards, the sun just hitting it perfectly making it look light and feathery. Face devoid of any marring, save for a mole just under his lips; though he doesn't think it falls under the category. It was more to accentuate the beauty that's already there. Yes, the beauty that's there, right in front of him.  "Mr. Zhan?" He greets in a questioning tone.

The man blinks out of his reverie, though the man standing feels guilty for destroying such a serene moment. The beautiful man turns to give him a smile. "Mr. Ji Li, I presume?"

Ji Li refrains from gasping at the smile. It was a killer smile, that he can attest to. Best be on his most professional behaviour, calm and collected. He nods as he tips his fedora hat at Xiao Zhan before sliding into the booth opposite him.

"Can I get you anything, sugar?" A blonde, middle aged woman in a pink pastel waitress uniform asks as she put one hand on her hip and the other holding a coffee pot, and stares at Ji Li in wait. The new arrival stares back. Observing the waitress, her hair in a messy up-do, a hideous shade of pink tainting her lips, her eyes sunken from lack of sleep, most likely, and her skin wrinkling too quickly for someone who may or may not be in her early forties.

"Just coffee is fine," Ji Li says with a wave of a hand, "thanks."

"Sure thing." The waitress replies as she pours coffee into the mug that had already been set on the table for him. "Give me a shout of ya need anything else."

When the waitress walks away and is out of earshot, Ji Li reaches into the inside of his trench coat and pulls out a flask. "Want to add some spice?" He offers to the other man, shaking the item in his hand.

Xiao Zhan shakes his head. "Too early in the morning. Stuff can kill you overtime, you know."

Ji Li just shrugs, twists the cap and pours a moderate amount into his coffee.

Xiao Zhan stays silent as he watches the other man.

Silence consumes the both of them and Ji Li reaches into his pocket to pull out a pack of cigarettes. "So, Mr. Xiao Zhan," he pauses and pops one cigarette in his mouth, lighting it.

Xiao Zhan remains silent as Ji Li inhales long and deep before blowing out smoke, "what is it exactly you want me to do?"

Xiao Zhan stares at the man for a little longer as if calculating something in his head. Maybe he's trying to piece together what he's going to say. Or maybe he's decided to change his mind. Ji Li waits as he takes another hit of his cigarette. The nicotine soothing his nerves and anticipation.

"That's a nail in your coffin." Xiao Zhan comments with one eyebrow raised.

Ji Li shrugs. "We all die someday." He states.

Xiao Zhan nods before placing both his arms on the table, hands clasped together. "My story," he starts and Ji Li puts the cigarette down on an ashtray then leans forward, "I want my story to get out. I want everyone to know."

Ji Li waits for the man to continue, but when Xiao Zhan doesn't, he leans back and picks up his cigarette. "What is it you want everyone to know, Mr. Zhan?" he starts, "what is your story?"

Xiao Zhan looks Ji Li in the eyes intently that Ji Li couldn't help but swallow the lump that had formed in his throat.

"I...I have someone I'm indebted to," Xiao Zhan says as his eyes takes a careful sweep of the area before looking out the window, "someone who needs his name cleared."

Ji Li pauses, coffee mug in mid air in his hand. "I'm not of an authorative figure to do so, Mr. Zhan." He says and takes a careful sip.

"Publish my story in next month's article and it just might clear his name." Xiao Zhan suggests.

"Who is 'he', if you don't mind me asking, Mr. Zhan?" Ji Li observes the other man as Xiao Zhan seems to lean back against his seat and exhales.

"I was only 20, hardly an adult but far from being a kid. Ma's working her butt off selling vegetables on the streets, barely making a dime. Pa's working at the shoe factory and spends his hard earned money on," Xiao Zhan pauses and stares at the coffee mug in Ji Li's hand, "booze than his own family. My elder sister makes close to nothing helping out the local seamstress and my little brother....well he's already a handful but useless." Xiao Zhan chuckles at that before he picks up his own mug and takes a sip.

Ji Li doesn't say anything and follows the action.

"I had to help out," Xiao Zhan continues, "pull my own weight, ya know? There were five people living in a two-bedroom shack with food enough for two. So I worked odd jobs wherever I can find. You name it! I cleaned stables, harvested rice, sweeped chimneys, picked potatoes, mashed grapes with my bare feet and even worked at a coal mine!" Xiao Zhan chuckles again, reminiscing his rough labored days. "All for what? Fifty, sixty-five cents a day? I was young after all, and that might have been why I wasn't earning as much."

Ji Li, with his eyes wide, continued to stare at the man in front of him. "Y-you cleaned stables? You worked in a mine?!" He asks incredulously.

Xiao Zhan laughs, a light sound that made anyone's heart, who heard it, flutter. "I suppose we all start somewhere." He replies, a grin ghosting his lips.

"How did you end up where you are now?" Ji Li asks, suddenly piqued with interest.

Xiao Zhan turns and looks out the window again and Ji Li regrets asking the question. The man's bright smile suddenly disappears and his features darken with sadness. "I met a boy," he starts. His stare seemed far off, like he was miles and miles away; like he was going back in time to relive a specific moment in his life.