Kojak was fired a week ago. I was parking the motorcycle in the garage when KOJAK tapped me on the shoulder and told me this.

FLIM: “ Why are they firing you? On what grounds? “

KOJAK: “ I don’t know? I’ve been doing a good job here and they do this to me.”

He shakes his head and went about packing his things. Of course he doesn’t tell me the real reason. The building Superintendent spills the whole deal.

SUP: “ HE WAS FIRED BECAUSE HE WAS CAUGHT BY ONE OF THE TENANTS RIDING THEIR WHITE PAJERO FOR A NIGHT OUT.”

Kojak comes back to get his bed and his electric fan.

FLIM: “ YOU IDIOT! YOU WERE FIRED BECAUSE YOU WERE USING THE CAR OF THE TENANT! WHY DID YOU DO THAT? “

KOJAK: “ I used the car to just buy some food in the corner.”

FLIM: “ WHY DIDN’T YOU JUST WALK? “

KOJAK: “ Its faster if I rode the car.”

FLIM: “ Why did you use the white pajero? “


KOJAK: “ It was the only thing available.”

He then leaves. The Superintendent walks in again.

FLIM: “ He said that he just used the PAJERO to buy some food in the corner. But it doesn’t seem to make sense.”

SUPES: “ HE DIDN’T USE IT TO BUY FOOD. HE BROUGHT IT OVER THE CABARET, TWO BLOCKS DOWN. HE WAS TRYING TO IMPRESS THE WHORES THERE! “

FLIM: “ WHAT A COCK! “

SUPES: “ NOT ONLY THAT..HE’S ALWAYS DRUNK AND HE VOMITS IN THE ENTRANCE EVERY MORNING! HE’S A DRUNK!!! “

The following morning, KOJAK comes back for his cooking utensils and his gas stove.

KOJAK: “ Can you get me some recommendations? “

FLIM: “I JUST HEARD THE FULL STORY. You had it great here. You got a few hundred pesos washing the cars and the petty chores and when you need to go home you just hitch with the drivers free of charge ….”

KOJAK: “ I use their pajero because they use to pay me 1,000 pesos for washing their car but now it sonly 500.”

I STOPPED LISTENING and just parked the bike. It’s totally useless to listen to people who justify their screw-ups with screwed up logic. Kojak was an interesting and very easygoing guy. The tenants all loved him. And he knew it and it must have gone straight thru his baldpate. Well… no more PUFFT! PUFFT! PUFFT stories in the garage.