Fortune Cookie

Two young men meet for lunch and read their fortune cookies.

    Two young men, working entry level jobs downtown, sat back as their waiter delivered a lunch check and two fortune cookies to the table. Mike scratched the back of his head and watched his pal Harry play with his cookie, avoiding the check.

      “Well? You gonna look at your fortune or what? I’ve got a meeting after lunch” said Mike. 

     

     Chan’s Chinese was their favorite, Tuesday lunch meet-up. The small, War Mein kitchen was just a couple blocks walk from their respective workplaces. They usually ordered whatever Chan had on special.                        

     “What? You don’t really believe in that fortune stuff do you?” Harry asked. 

     “Well, its just a harmless, after dinner Chinese tradition. You know, something fun. You remember fun don’t you? Or has counting beans for Brown and Sons leached all the fun out of you?” Mike raised both eyebrows and stretched his famous, pearly white grin. 

      Harry and Mike had known each other since high school. They’d competed in sports and girlfriends and bragging rights regarding almost anything over the years. Their friendship could be characterized as a long string of harmless, one-ups-manship stunts. 

     “I’ll bet you don’t go a day without checking your horoscope in the newspaper.” Harry flipped his cookie in the air waiting for Mike’s come-back. 

    “Not every day, so what?” Mike answered, lifting his chin. 

     “So nothing, really” replied Harry. “Fortune cookies are just cheap, mass produced sweets with fake, paper scrap fortunes inside. No magic, just gullible tourist theater.” 

     Here we go again, thought Mike, Harry the know-it-all. Harry casually batted the cellophane wrapped cookie back and forth between his hands, then flipped it up like he was making a basketball free throw.   

     “Except, we’re not tourists” Mike pointed out, nonchalantly checking his tie for spillage. He’d put on a couple pounds since graduating junior college.   

     “You know what I meant dude, bite me.” 

     “Just break open the cookie and pretend to look at it, otherwise somebody around here might feel insulted.” Mike looked over his shoulder, “You don’t actually have to eat the cookie, you know.” 

     “Who, old Chan get insulted? Be serious. I think they’ve got you licking too many stamps in Warshowski’s mailroom.” Both friends kept avoiding the check.

     Harry looked around like he was going to sell Mike an expensive, fake watch and leaned across the small table. “You know, you’re supposed to read whatever it says on the fortune and then add “in bed” after�" its funnier.” Harry pulled a half smirk. His shoulders bounced as he silently snickered. 

    “That’s just tacky, dude.” 

    “Yeah, maybe, but funny. Try it” said Harry. 

     “Ok, I’ll read mine, but then you have to read yours. Here goes: “A tall dark man will visit you.” 

     “In Bed.” Harry interjected then laughed and drummed the tabletop. An elderly couple from a nearby table looked over at Mike and Harry.

     “Yeah, no, not funny. I’m not gay. But the fortune sounds a little spooky.” 

     “Chill out man, like I told you, its all designed to be very general. That lame fortune could apply to anyone.“

     “Whatever. Ok, now read your’s, you agreed.”

     “Alright” Harry snapped the bent cookie open, “Let me unroll it here.” He played slide trombone with it, pretending to get the writing in focus,“Beware silent lovers, for they have murder in their hearts�"IN BED” hahahahha. Mike shook his head. Harry, badly in need of a hair cut, always thought he was such a lady’s man. Then Mike spread his Hollywood grin, he suddenly thought of a way to mess with his friend. 

     “Hey, wait a minute” said Mike in a serious tone, “that sounds kinda weird, like not so general a statement. Maybe you should consider it more seriously.”  

    “Oh for crying out loud, Mike” said Harry and tossed the cookie halves and fortune onto the table, “Get a grip, man, its just a freakin’ fortune cookie. Besides,” Harry shrugged, “I’m between lovers at the moment, so it doesn’t apply.” Harry tapped the face of his watch, checking the time. The check lay undisturbed between them.

     “So? It didn’t stipulate current lovers. Maybe it was talking about that crazy ex of yours, the one that stalked you for months after the two of you broke up. You know, crazy Fran, the bleach blonde with the surgically attached poodle. You remember crazy Fran, don’t ya pal? Didn’t she once trick you outside the club, steal your car keys from the valet and lock you out of your car? Man, watching her mug faces at you from inside your car was hilarious.” Mike’s laugh boomed around the small dining area, as Harry rubbed his jaw and winced. Two middle aged, middle management types got up, paid their check and left Chan’s grumbling.  

     

     “Yeah, well. And that’s actually funny, or ironic maybe, because, I just saw her on the train today. She was sitting there, right behind me, so quiet I didn’t even notice… (gulp). Hey, Mike, ah, lets order something else quick and get a couple new cookies before we head back to work. Whadda-ya say?”

     “Not getting superstitious now are ya old buddy?” Mike stood up to go, “Yeah, sorry, I got an important meeting with the company Vice President. I might be my big promotion.” Mike shoved the check in front of Harry. “I gotta book outta here pronto, so do me a solid and pick up the check.”

     The owner, Chan, stepped outside the kitchen to investigate the loud conversation and recognized the two young men. He watched them briefly before approaching their table. They were regular customers to his small War Mein eatery. He knew them well enough to go talk to them.

     “Hey, what you two do? You make noise over here, disturb other customers, not order more food and not pay check. What you do? I have business to run, not daycare.”  

     “Old Harry here is spooked by the fortune he got in his cookie, Chan” said Mike.  

     “Yeah, right. I don’t believe in that stuff Chan” said Harry.  

     “Oh, you no like fortune? You no believe? Very bad” Chan said shaking his head.  

     “What are you getting at Chan?” Asked Mike.  

     “Must like fortune, must take seriously” said Chan. 

     “Aw, those things are printed in some Taiwan factory” Harry scoffed. 

     “Oh, no. No factory. I get special fortune cookies from my great Uncle in Canton. He send shipment once a month, at great risk.”

Mike, who was standing and about ready to leave, sat back down.  

     “Yeah, ok” Harry continued, “But they’re still just general fortunes that apply to anyone, right?”

     “Ah, that what you two think?” Chan asked, shifting his eyes between the two young men.  

     “Not me Chan,” said Mike, “I take my cookies, very seriously. 

     “You two�" young, always kidding around. Make jokes.” Chan brushed the greying tips of his mustache with a finger. “That why you should pay attention. Believe fortunes in these cookies.” 

     “You’ve got to be kidding Chan” said Harry, brushing his own sparse mustache. 

     “No kid, serious business. Great Uncle trained in meditation by Tibetan sage, very powerful. Great Uncle sees many things very clear, writes them down. Then wife takes to printer. Then wife and four daughters bake into fortune cookie. Very special, only can get here, at Chans Chinese.”

     The two friends looked back and forth at each other without comment. From casual conversations, they learned Chan had escaped Mao’s revolution and was pushing sixty, he wasn’t one to put them on. Both took second looks at their fortunes and scrunched up their faces as they considered what Chan said. 

     “Now! Pay Check! Go back to work. Chan’s not running some old lady, Ma Jong joint. Go!

Author's Note

Early sketch from a writing prompt. How’s the dialogue? Any need of more back story or is is good as is? All critiques and comments welcome

Reviews

[Aura]

Are fortunes in fortune cookies real?! I loved the dialog between these two friends, Harry and Mike. Mike obviously takes the fortune cookies a bit more seriously than Harry. Harry is a bit more laid back I must say. But that statement Harry got " Beware silent lovers, for they have murder in their hearts" was a chilling one indeed. I would've liked to see what appened next after they both left the restaurant, does the fortune come true? Sometimes fortunes can be general but they apply in different ways. I liked Chans small dialog as well, telling the two friends that fortunes must be taken seriously, and that it is a bad thing if they are not. I enjoyed reading this! You have a knack for writing short stories!

[roarke]

Thank you for the read and your comments Aura. As this is a sketch from a prompt, I appreciate suggestions on where to take the story. Yes, I only write short stories, as writing longer pieces usually gets me in trouble. Lol I don’t have the patience or organizational skills to write longer pieces. Thank you again for your impressions.

[Aura]

You definitely have talent with the dialogue and the flow for the story. I really enjoyed it, it was my pleasure to read!

[Delmar Cooper]

Your man "Chan" sounds just like the original creation by Earl Derr Biggers. Maybe too close, perhaps another Chinese name? Having said that, Chan was still my favorite character in the story, a much less tedious fellow than your two salarymen. Short stories invite the writer to slip in brief snippets of back story, these insertions can make a character (s) less interesting.

[roarke]

Hm, I didn’t think about Charlie, I was just going for the Ch in both Chan and Chinese. But you make a good point. Yes, Chan is an interesting character, I’ll work on polishing him up. As for the younger two…they’ve been trouble from the start. I think in the rewrite, this story might change considerably. Thanks for the read and observations and suggestion, Del they are really helpful.