Cocaine Princess here........I had the fried rice, the sweet and sour chicken balls, some crispy wings and an egg roll. I went back to my table and was horrified! Nemo was gone!!
I put down my plate and looked under the table and I looked around the table thinking maybe someone knocked Nemo's bag by accident. Nemo wasn't under the table and he wasn't anywhere around the table. Nemo's been fish-napped! I went to the hostess and said, 'Excuse me, I don't mean to bother you but my goldfish is missing.' She looked at me for a second and then realized what I was talking about. 'Nemo?' 'Yes. I left him on my table and went up the buffet area and when I came back the water filled plastic bag he was in, was gone,' I replied. 'Just give me a minute and I'll be right with you,' she replied taking a group of people to their table. So I went back to my table and my plate of food was gone! What the hell is going on in this restaurant? I quietly said. First Nemo and now my lunch. My cell phone rang and when I went to answer it I assumed it was the fish-nappers demanding a ransom. I'm guessing you know who it was. 'Hi it's me.' No it wasn't Valentina although I nearly fainted at the shock that it wasn't. It was 'A.' 'Look I can't talk right now, my fish is missing,' I said and I hung up. 'A' immediately called me back. 'What fish and don't hang up on me.' I filled her in about the shooting, the mall on lock down to Nemo being missing.
'Why did you go by yourself?' she asked. 'That's your first question?' I asked back. 'Are you alright?' she then questioned "No my goldfish is missing,' I answered. 'Why would someone steal it?' 'He is not an 'it.' His name is Nemo,' I stated. 'That's original.' 'Everybody in China Town was pointing and calling him Nemo, the name just stuck,' I explained. 'Where did you buy Nemo?' 'At the main mall,' I answered. 'When it reopens just get another one.' 'I'll be sure to remember that if you ever wind up missing. I'll just go out and get another sister.' 'It's just a goldfish. How much did you pay for it, I'm sorry I mean Nemo, how much did Nemo cost?' 'It doesn't matter how much I paid. What matters is he's missing.....I paid around $3.00.' I saw the hostess walking towards me. 'I'll call you back,' I said to A. 'Stay safe,' she replied. 'Sorry for taking so long but I was checking around the buffet, you're sure you didn't take Nemo anywhere around the restaurant?' the hostess asked me. 'I'm positive I didn't. I left Nemo right in the center of the table, went up and got my lunch, came back and he was gone. Then I went over to tell you and when I came back to my table my lunch was gone.' 'Somebody took your lunch?' 'I'm not concerned about my lunch,' I informed her. She scratched her head. 'This is odd, fish don't just get up and walk away,' she said looking around at the other tables. I think she may have thought I was sitting at the wrong table, that thought did occur to me also but I wasn't. 'Do you think someone took him?' I asked. 'If someone did it's a very foolish and childish thing to do,' she replied. 'I'm going to go and ask around. There has to be a logical explanation. I would hate to think someone did steal him. You just enjoy your lunch.' Enjoy my lunch? How could I enjoy my lunch with Nemo gone? I went back to the buffet where there was now a lineup. While waiting I had plenty of time to think. These are some of the things I thought about:
Why did I choose this day to come to the city?
Why did the shooter choose this day to shoot the
victim who was knee deep in a gambling debt?
Why didn't he shoot him at night?
If it was absolutely necessary for the shooter to
carry out his hit why couldn't he have picked
another location than the alleyway beside the
mall? Why couldn't he have waited until the
victim was faraway from the mall?
Why did I buy a goldfish?
If someone did take Nemo, why? Who and
why would someone steal a gold fish? I've
heard of people stealing prize winning show
dogs but good grief a goldfish?
Why didn't I tough it out and be brave
enough to parallel park on the street?
Why didn't I go around the corner and eat
at Burger King?
Why did the Toshiba company choose
China Town for their tech store location?
My turn finally came and I picked the same items as before. Heading back to my table I saw an enormous fish tank and wondered if someone for a prank dropped Nemo in there? I couldn't really tell, the tank was filled with so many tropical colored fish. Another tank contained a baby alligator with a sign that read 'DO NOT DIP HANDS INSIDE.' I whimpered and thought is Nemo's new home in the belly of that alligator? Actually that particular thought came second. My first thought was this, in a couple of years that alligator is going to make a really great purse or a really great pair of heels, preferably strappy sandals.
I was in the middle of eating and I'm not embarrassed to say with a fork when the hostess came to me. She wasn't smiling. 'I have news on Nemo,' she said in a very somber voice.
To Be Continued.....
XOXOXOXO,
Cocaine Princess
