If I Had 1,000 Dollars

In addition to his unseemly coke habit, Hideki had started borrowing increasingly large sums of money, first from the bank, then from his patrons and hangers-on, and then from his friends and some die-hard fans. He even convinced me to lend him $1,000, opining that he needed it to store the remnants of his balloon installations, now that his various exhibits around town were closing down, plus to help him make that month’s rent. He’d been evicted from his toney, Yaletown penthouse apartment overlooking the marina in False Creek and was renting a basement suite from a fan who had given him a break on the rent in exchange for a few of his balloon pieces. Hideki looked so forlorn at the time that I took pity and cut him a cheque, which I now regret. He had that way with people; always knowing which buttons to push when the circumstances called for it.

I fully intend to get my money back.