A Question of Promise #7 by Thuyen Nguyen

call me tomorrow if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re still alive.

A Question of Promise #7

a comic by thuyen nguyen

Later in the evening

din

k! knoc knock!

Dice, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s me.

Dice?

oh no...

itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unlocked?!

dice? no...

no, no...

dice! where are you?

dice!!

what the hell!?

in eric’s bedroom? nothing untoward, i assure you! eve? what are you doing here?

oh, hi eden!

didn’t hear you come in.

No, i mean; how did you get into the apartment? the door was locked.

well, with this, obviously.

i see... but you knew that eric wasn’t here. you called me about that earlier.

i found it in my purse. don’t know how it got there, though.

that is the polite thing to do, i guess.

that’s eric’s old key. the one that he said he lost...

you should return lost property as soon as possible, right?

and i couldn’t just leave the key in his mailbox.

Yes... Anyone could come in. anyone could find it and come in.

well, that’s my good deed done for the day!

i’ll show myself out.

tell eric i hope his mum feels better soon.

sla

gone. quick as a flash.

where have you been?

don’t change the subject! your lateness put me in danger!

you said you were only going to be gone for 30 minutes!

I’m so sorry. the traffic from the tv station was insane.

there’s something unnatural about being that chirpy.

dice! you okay? did she see you?

tv station?

are you sure that’s a good idea? alvin & mcmahon said that they’d bring eric back.

erin’s going to be on “late night talk” tonight.

she’s going to make a public appeal to anyone who knows where eric is.

have you heard from them yet?

and you won’t be hearing from them anytime soon. no, not yet.

home sweet home.

you’re back!

Eric!

thank god! we were so worried-

umm... you’re wet?

salt water; if i’m not mistaken.

yeah, soaking wet.

swim? tanker?

i had to swim ashore from the tanker.

you’ve got to get out of those clothes. you’ll catch hypothermia.

they have... business to attend to.

where’s alvin & mcmahon?

you’re right! i’ll run a hot bath.

thanks, eden.

good to have you back.

yeah.

ah... so good...

i haven’t swum that far since high school.

i’m going to be sore tomorrow...

like the tiger, your alien may unintentionally be hurting those around it.

shhriigkk!

what if all of the pain that it has & will cause...

but think about this:

...was intentional?

why did she say that...?

well, it seems that everything has turned out okay.

what’s wrong?

absolutely. now we can kick back, have a cold one, watch some tv-

HOLY crap!

come on... answer! i gotta call erin!

too late. the show’s started...

45 minutes later

big thanks to my guests: richard croft...

...and clockwork erin!

well, that’s our show for tonight!

erin, you have an important message for the folks at home?

my friend eric has gone missing. if you’ve seen him, please call the police.

any information could be useful, so if you can help, please do.

richard, you wanted to add your support too?

this has been “late night talk.” goodnight!

i’m sure our viewers will help if they can!

wow. richard croft just helped you out, eric.

i hope we don’t get in trouble for this.

ck!

cli

i’m sorry, eric. i was only trying to help.

don’t worry. i’m safe, and that’s the important partring! ing! r

hello. eric speaking.

it was a little misunderstanding.

mum? no, i’m alright.

i’m fine, really.

you saw “late night talk?” no-one is making me say that, mum.

umm... there’s something I have to tell you...

erin? g! g! rin rin

INC

OMIN

GC AL

ERI

mum, seriously! there’s no-one pointing a gun at me!

i have to visit my mum tomorrow. you?

yes, i saw it. thanks for doing that for me.

i know, i know. i’m so so sorry about this, erin!

it’s times like this i wish i had a phone.

ears & fingers to use it would be good too.

erin wants to have a long talk with me. ring! ing! r

mum! I’m alright-

that was the police. they have a few questions they’d like to ask...

i see. i’ll come first thing in the morning.

officer... roberts?

city police department

eric knows faking a kidnapping is a crime, right?

The next day

yes, but we didn’t mean to do it. it was an honest mistake.

and eric’s face ended up on national tv.

i forgot to tell my girlfriend where i was going.

she got worried and panicked.

so where was eric? why didn’t he tell his lover?

perhaps eric has a bit on the side? hmm!?

yes, unfortunately.

no!

there’s no-one else!

you, your lover & your concubine will not be charged at this time.

don’t think eric’s getting off lightly though.

there is no other woman!

he’s going to have a mental fitness test.

wait here.

oh, great. now they think i’m crazy.

ck! k! kno knoc

m! sla that must be the shrink. 08

eliza? what are you doing here?

i could ask you the same thing.

morning, eric. long time no see.

but, of course, i already know. guess who i saw on tv last night?

no, still a counsellor. i’m here on contract work. while the police psychologists...

i did tell them that we were related, but apparently conflict-ofinterest doesn’t apply in this case.

i thought you were a counsellor. did you change jobs or something?

...deal with real criminals, i get to work with trouble makers like you. how’s aunt emma?

hahaha! she’s a smart woman.

mum is okay. she kept calling last night in the hopes of distracting my “kidnappers” long enough for me to escape.

“shall we” what?

leave, stupid. let’s go the park & get some ice cream.

shall we?

ice cream?

Botanical Gardens

twentyfour... what i wouldn’t give to be young again.

how old are you now?

twentyfour.

you can do silly things and get away with it, eh?

will this be on the record?

you want to tell me what happened?

yeah...

well... depends on how embarrassing it is. it’s kinda hard to explain, but...

you didn’t say that during the police interview, did you?

I was taken by a secret organization because they thought I had direct contact with an alien lifeform.

no.

good, because that makes you sound crazy.

never say that again, and i’ll mark you as “sane” in my report. deal?

deal!

i was up all night explaining & apologizing. the police, AmiciLlo, Richard Croft-

it’s been a nightmare, eden.

Meanwhile...

i don’t mind making a fool of myself, but i want to be in on the joke.

i know, & i am really sorry about this entire mess.

really?

yeah. you look good on tv.

speaking of jokes; you did a great job last night.

ding

come on. this is our floor.

what am i going to say to him?

i am serious.

you will tell him that you were a bad little monkey who deserves a spanking.

you will take total responsibility for this and thus keep me in a job.

be serious for a moment, please?

after all, that’s what friends are for.

clic

howdy, erin. come in.

amicillo, this is my friend: eden.

Amicillo?

so you’re the infamous eden...

you know, for a troublemaker, i didn’t think you’d be so...

nice to meet you.

first, let me apologize for what happened-

umm... thanks...?

if it was any other man, they’d be saying goodbye to this view.

cute.

like the view?

it’s great.

i’ve been in this business for 20 years. i know how to handle these incidents.

did you hear about torque rox’s overdose of hookers and beer last month?

damn right you didn’t! that’s because they have me as their manager!

and lucky for li’l erin here, i’m her manager too.

but not me.

no...

don’t think so...

no, but we’re getting there.

does that mean we’re in the clear?

as for the police, i pulled a few strings and they’ve decided to turn a blind eye.

and lucky for us, your friend eric is a nobody, so the newspapers had to...

well, you’re part of the winter cool family now.

wow, amicillo. that’s great!

you’ll be back on “late night talk” tomorrow to explain yourself.

...put something else on their front pages.

family looks after each other, right?

right!

i was thinking about upping my fee to 20 percent...

how can I thank you for your help?

you; eden. you look like you’d be a bit of fun.

how about you and me have dinner tonight?

But now I have a different idea.

dinner...?

oh, where are my manners?

he’s from denmark.

so?

okay, first of all, why is he dressed like a european cowboy?

i’ll get you gals some tea.

i can’t remember. a place where everyone wears those funny little hats.

or was it sweeden?

so what?

you’re having dinner with him, right?

are you serious?

i have a boyfriend, remember?

look, i’m above laying guilt trips, so i’ll just say this.

you asked me to do you a favour, and i did it. it’s fair to say that you owe me.

so, li’l lady, when should i pick you up?

hmph. the hot water wasn’t on. if you still want tea, it’ll be a 5-minute wait.

any time after 7pm.

eric’s place the door opens... and it’s my cousin!

how was the test? lying on a couch, word association, some inkblots?

nah, none of that!

we went to the park and just talked.

so the test was a verbal interview then?

i see. no brain scans, blood tests, x-rays?

no interview.

we talked about family stuff.

you seem to be rather interested in this mental fitness test...

nothing like that.

well, i am interested in how humans diagnose each other for problems.

are you trying to kill me?

Come on.

somehow, that doesn’t put me at ease.

if i wanted to kill you, you’d be dead by now.

Beep! eep! B

3:30pm

another headache...

1R Meesceived sag e

Eden

n’t ric. Ca Hey E t. h ig n 2 come heada e v Ha Call ache. w. morro you 2

wow, looks like i didn’t lose it after all!

it’s just a coincidence-

hey, my key!

hey dice! i found my key!

From:

actually, eve found it.

eve? then how did it get back here?

shame i already paid to replace it, but still!

she didn’t come up here, did she?

she returned it while you were gone.

no. she put it in the mailbox and left a message on the phone.

did you hear me, dice?

what are you doing, anyway?

eric’s kitchen hey, hey-

Holy crap!

what... are you doing?

what’s the matter?

what’s it look like i’m doing?

why are you sharpening knives?

i’m sharpening knives.

like when i’m cutting vegetables? just in case you need to... use them.

yes.

i’ll be in my room if you need me.

cutting, slicing... stabbing.

one question before you go.

i don’t have one.

Where do you keep your hacksaw? 17

that’s a shame.

eric, i think you’re just being paranoid.

sure, the knife sharpening was a bit of a shock.

5:30pm

and putting the rat poison with the condiments is a mistake anyone can make.

dice is new to neck ties. so what if his winsor knot looks more like a noose?

it’s all just a coincidence. Madison was just trying to scare you.

the hair dryer... in the bath tub?

you’ve been in there for a while!

taking a bath?

the bathroom’s all yours.

no! i need to make an important phone call.

eric’s bedroom come on... pick up...

. slam

hello. eliza speaking.

why, hello. this is a surprise.

eliza? it’s eric!

p! bee

umm... i have a... err... dilemma.

twice in a day. it’s like a family reunion.

i’m all ears.

what’s up?

how do i put this into words...

well, i’m not 100% sure, but evidence is mounting.

that does sound like a dilemma. i think my friend is trying to kill me.

have you thought about calling the police?

are you sure?

see, the thing is, i can’t do that. he’s my friend, and i promised to protect him. hence, my dilemma.

not much of a friend if he’s trying to kill you, though.

have you tried talking to him?

he’s kinda busy... ...setting up weapons around the apartment.

true.

then perhaps you should get out of the apartment?

But i have to come back sometime, and he’ll be here waiting for me.

hmm... then how about inviting someone over?

a third person could diffuse the tension and also be a valuable witness.

in case of your death, obviously.

a valuable witness?!

that is, if he doesn’t kill the witness as well.

call me tomorrow if you’re still alive.

beep... beep... beep...

your mind is playing tricks, dude.

no, wait. if dice is the cause of eden’s headaches, her being here will make things worse.

alvin and mcmahon are gone...

she doesn’t believe me...

a third person here would make me feel at ease, though. i should call eden-

who else do i know?

! ring ring!

oh, hey! i was just thinking about you.

you haven’t been at school for a few days...

all of our notes are on my computer. we just need to write them in essay form.

Hi! it’s eve.

hello?

that’s sweet! were you also thinking about our wax class project?

crap! that’s due tomorrow! !

slap

i’m really sorry about that.

well? what are we going to do?

how about you come over to my place, and we’ll burn the midnight oil?

your place?

is that okay? p!

bee

yeah, of course. it’ll be like high school. we’ll order pizza. it’ll be fun.

so?

how does that sound?

it sounds perfect.

so, what kind of food do you like?

umm... i like eggplant.

7:15pm

vegetables? ha! what you need is some red meat!

driver! turban steakhouse on william street.

yes sir. k!

clic

is erin’s career going to be okay?

depends on how tonight goes, li’l lady.

i see...

make it well done, too.

can i get the chicken salad-

for you, sir?

she’ll have the mixed beef set. understood.

i’ll have the country steak. raw.

you didn’t have to order for me.

nonsense. tonight’s my treat, li’l lady.

you don’t need to worry about anything. 22

please stop calling me, “li’l lady.”

why? it’s a cute name.

calm down, eden. you’re doing this for your best friend. just a hour or two more and it’ll be over.

i have to use the ladies room.

is this guy for real?

i’ll be waiting.

my god!

that gal’s got no taste in ringtones.

hello? oh, i’m sorry. i have the wrong number.

ring

i was calling eden-

this is eden’s phone. i’m her date for the evening.

i’m her housemate. i want to surprise her by cleaning up the house.

is he using my phone!?

can you keep her busy for the night?

what do you think you’re doing?

what the-?

you can’t just use other people’s phones without their permission!

i had to answer it to stop it from annoying the entire restaurant, missy.

but i don’t have a housemate...

it wasn’t eric, was it? who?

no, it was your housemate. 23

eric’s place z! buz buzz!

eve’s here. we’re doing some school work, so can you-

hi eve. welcome!

slam.

wow. he usually puts up a fight.

i know. i’ll be out on the balcony.

what’s in the bag?

so this is casa de eric, eh?

nothing. just girl stuff.

so, you want to start working, or eat first?

or we could do chinese? i have the menu here somewhere-

there’s a good pizza place around the corner that delivers.

thump

CRACK!!

your 24 hours are up, dice. slam.

Eric returns safe and sound, but not before Eden enlists Erin to make a public appeal for information on national TV. In trouble in more ways than one, Eden agrees to Erin’s demand to help smooth things over. At home, Eric’s time away has placed a seed of doubt in his mind as to Dice’s real intentions. Someone is hiding a secret... but who?