Waving back

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"Waving back" is the eighth chapter of Honeysuckle & Pain. It is the first chapter to be narrated by Shnorhk Zildjian.

## Chapter Quote

"She is as changeless as the streets." - Chris Bohjalian

## Summary

The chapter begins on Thursday, June 26, 2014 at 06:02:47 in Los Angeles, California. Shnorhk is sitting in traffic, angrily honking his horn at the driver in front of him for not taking a left turn at a green light. The driver turns when the light turns red but Shnorhk decides to obey the law and wait for the light to change again. When he begins having a coughing fit, he reaches for the hanky in the passenger seat next to a stack of business cards that Patil made for him. When the light turns green, Shnorhk takes the left turn and notices a nearby motorcycle cop. After the last accident he was in, Shnorhk tries to drive as carefully as possible out of fear of losing his job or his license. Later, he spends the rest of the day with Patil.

Over the next few days, several customers complain about how slow Shnorhk drives. He ignores them by playing music on his stereo. The music was recorded by Mnatsagan, Kindo, Dimi, Haruki, Alonzo, and Tzadik. Some customers complain that he plays the music too loudly. Others complain that the music is bad and they tell Shnorhk to play other songs. When Shnorhk continues to ignore them, they respond by not tipping him. This seems to not bother Shnorhk too much. He still has not handed out a single business card. Shnorhk notices how one customer is wearing a shirt that reads "*Zildjian! The only authentic Turkish cymbal!*" This Zildjian has no relation to Shnorhk. Shnorhk seems to be offended by the customer's shirt (because Avedis Zildjian, creator of the Zildjian cymbals, was Aremenian like Shnorhk, not Turkish) and refuses to even take the customer's money.

Shnorhk picks up another customer. This person is a young Armenian. He enjoys the music Shnorhk plays. When Shnorhk tells him the story about the customer with the Zildjian shirt, the young man is also annoyed. He introduces Shnorhk to the band System of a Down. The two continue talking until they arrive at the destination: a coffee shop. Shnorhk reaches for a business card to give to the man. The young man spots his friends and tells Shnorhk to check out the black Escalade owned by one of them. The driver of the Escalade makes a comment at a passing woman that seems to frighten her. The young Armenian man leaves Shnorhk a large tip. Shnorhk becomes nervous and decides not to hand his card to the man.

On the morning of Monday, June 30, Shnorhk picks up a Japanese businessman. The man is on his phone but he does not object to Shnorhk's music. He does not yell while on the phone either. The dialogue of what the man says is shown, but when a Narcon begins to translate, Shnorhk interrupts by stating that it is not important, so the Narcon stops translating. The destination is the airport, and when they get there, Shnorhk hands the businessman a card. After the man exits the taxi, Shnorhk drives away. He notices the man left Shnorhk's card on the seat. Something else was also left behind: a cat statue. It is black with gold whiskers, gold eyes, and red ears. Its paw is up, as if waving. Shnorhk returns to the airport and tries to track down the businessman so he can return the statue. Shnorhk is unable to find the man, but he is certain that the man will want the statue back.

The chapter ends on Monday, June 30, 2014 at 08:05:58.