7 Years Of Madness Part 4

This submission is a follow on from parts 1 – 3, published in April, 2011.

7 Years Of Madness Part 1

7 Years Of Madness Part 2

7 Years Of Madness Part 3

I grabbed her roughly and held her hard, holding on to the flesh at the back of the upper arm. I half marched and half pushed her to the door of the pick-up. Opening the driver's door I shoved her over to the passenger seat. I was afraid she'd cry out or try to attract attention, but she was in shock from my surprise attack.

I'd studied her routine for 10 days… As regular as clockwork at 5:30 AM she'd leave her room at the back of the noodle shop and head off to the market to buy the day's stock for the restaurant. But she wasn't going to be working today… or any other day for that matter.

This was it.. my time had come. I was going to kill my ex-wife!

My heart was beating quickly as I drove away from the marke, the one near what was my beautiful house. I headed for the Friendship Bridge on the edge of Nongkhai.

I turned left about 200 metres from the bridge and made my way along the Mekong River. Past the bamboo huts where we'd had romantic lunches when I foolishly believed she loved me.

She sat weeping beside me. 'Paul' she murmured.

I lashed out with my left arm striking her on the front of the arm that I'd been holding. A yelp of pain from Ting.. tough luck.

25 minutes later, I waited till there was no sign of traffic, no signs of life, and I turned into a wooded area. The track wound down a short distance to the river bank. An old fisherman's shack was my perfect hiding place.

I had been here every day for 2 weeks and not seen any signs of life. I'd been in Thailand 15 days now and had come straight to Nongkhai from the airport. I didn't even go to Pattaya, didn't even visit the bar where I'd
met Apple 7 years ago. I can only guess that the mirror is still on the ceiling in room 1.

But none of that mattered now. I've come for revenge. Buddha has been too slow in putting things right. My plan is to take whatever I can from Ting.

I pushed her into the shack I'd found. She fell to the floor and I saw she'd soiled herself. I grabbed her hair and yanked her head up. I looked into her eyes and felt nothing but hatred for her. I tied her hands and feet to a large
piece of wood I'd found before.

I composed myself and drank some water. I needed to move quickly now, even her half-witted family would notice her missing at some point. I figure I've got 3 hours or so….maybe more…. The Thai Police might assume she'd gone
off with a guy or something. Who knows ? What's the chances they'll connect me with her disappearance… Of course Immigration know I'm here, but how fast will they put all this together? Fuck it… just got to get on with it.

Taking her bag, I look in her purse, about 2,500 baht cash, but 6 bank cards, 2 Bangkok Bank, 1 SCB, 2 Kasikorn Bank and 1 Ayuthya Bank. Her mobile goes for a swim.

'NUMBERS' I demand from her.

'I'm expecting a baby' she cried.

I kicked her hard in the ribs and she peed herself again.

'PIN NUMBERS NOW'… I showed her the first card……… she quietly said ' Three-Seven-Six-Four'.

'Paul' she pleaded, but her whimpering means nothing to me.

I still remember when she attempted to stab me, and I never forget she sold my beautiful house and used my money to set up a new life with the Thai guy.

We repeated the pattern with the remaining ATM cards. I hope to get something back from the millions of baht she stole from me.

I leave her tied to the wood. I don't even give her any water. Why should I? This is the woman who drove me to the edge of madness… who tried to kill me. I've suffered and now it's her turn! This is my justice on behalf of
all the farang who've been ripped off by a Thai bitch.

I have no option but to drive back to Nongkhai. The pick up has darkened windows so I feel safe. I know from my time here before where the police checkpoints are so I easily avoid them and get to Tesco Lotus.

WOW.. Plenty of money still around in the accounts. I withdraw 3 x 20,000 baht and 2 x 10,000 baht but 1 account let's me take all there is – 70,000 baht. I decide to return tomorrow and take another 80,000 from the accounts with limits.
Tomorrow is midnight.. right? So I drive carefully back to Ting's new home on the banks of the Mekong River.

She is still there…… She looks like a 50-year old Thai woman, not the elegant 28-year old who stole my heart 5 years ago. She stole just about everything come to think of it.

There is nothing I can do now except wait and hide up here till midnight. Ting pleads for water so I give her a swig from my bottle.

I didn't know how I was going to feel doing this to her…. I think I'd gone over it so many times in my planning that I'd already experienced all the emotions…. fear….. doubt…… nervousness. Actually, I feel nothing….
NOTHING!

She tries to engage me in conversation. 'Paul' she says. 'If you let me go, you can boom-boom me.'

Is that the best she's got?

What do I expect? I sit outside and watch the fishing boats go about their business on the Mekong.

In the evening about 8, I clean the shack of all trace of me being there.

She tries to talk to me again… to remind me of all the places we went together, and the things we used to do. But I remind her it was all a big lie.

'I love you', she says. 'Please believe me!'

But I know that in the word believe is the word lie…. be-LIE-ve. There it is, slap bang in the middle!

At 11 PM I drag Ting to the water's edge. I slide her into the water still tied to the wood. I start to turn her face down into the water but I slip and… oh shit….. she's gone with the current, face up on the wood. WTF… nothing
I can do.

I drive back to Nongkhai and stop at a stall. I'm starving and need food badly. At 2 AM I withdraw more cash. Then I drive the pick up about 8 km out of town, the other way, towards Udon. I abandon it down a track. A long and uncomfortable
walk back back to Nongkhai and I'm waiting for the Bridge to open at 7 AM.

My mind wonders back to Ting and what happened.

I jerk myself awake, the queue is moving. No drama with Immigration and I jump on the bus to take me over the bridge to Laos…. to freedom.

The Laos side passes smoothly also, just that stupid card to fill in where the boxes force you to write your details almost vertically because they are the wrong shape.

Taxi into Vientiane and I check into a modest hotel. I'm knackered so I go to shower and sleep a couple of hours. At about 10 I go downstairs and order some food and a beer.

A couple of backpackers walk in and say 'G'day'. Pleasantries exchanged we move on to travel.

'Where have you come from?' I enquire.

'Nongkhai, an hour ago' they say.

'Oh ok' I murmur.

'Huge drama there mate' one said.

'They found a Thai woman tied to a plank, floating in the river'.

'Really?' I faked surprise.

'Yes mate' he continued. 'The wood got jammed in a fishing net and was found by 2 Thai guys doing their shit'

'Whole of Nongkhai is buzzing' they said. 'On TV too mate!'

'Was the woman dead?'

'Thing is mate' one replied ' she was face up on the wood in the river.. she's in hospital.'

TING'S ALIVE!!! OH Fuck!!

I ask at reception about a bus to the Cambodian border near Pakse. Luck is with me. 40 minutes later I get picked up and I'm with a bunch of backpackers.

My only hope now is to get into Cambodia before Ting can say it was me. Maybe she's unconscious? I don't know about extradition between Laos and Thailand but I don't want a holiday in the Bangkok Hilton.

Early evening sees me and the excited group in Pakse. Too late for Cambo now. It's going to be early tomorrow morning. My nerves are shot now and a sleepless night follows. I just need a few hours in the morning, then I can be in Cambo
and lose myself like I had planned.

I wake with a start, -shit!- people are already up and about. I run to the toilet, grab my bag and run outside to find the bus to the border.

It's visa on arrival now.

And there it is! That Cambodian sticker in my passport. I've had them before but this one is my favourite.

This one means FREEDOM.

It's only for a month but I'll be staying much longer.

I jump on the bus heading for Phnom Penh but I jump off at Stung Treng. I grab another bus, this time heading East to Banlung. I book into the same place I stayed last year. They didn't check my passport then and they don't now.

3 weeks pass and I live the simple life. I contact my kids to tell them I'm fine.

Another 2 weeks and I make my way to Sihanoukville via Phnom Penh.

I'm just another face here… another tourist. I can lose myself easily here. I've never been a blabbermouth or the big I am, so I find it easy to keep myself to myself.

So, here I am in Snooky.

Doing Nothing……. watching……… waiting………… Thinking……….. Is Ting DEAD or ALIVE!

Stickman's thoughts:

Nicely put together fiction. I noticed a few factual errors in this part such as the time the bridge opens which kind of gave it away as fiction – not that there is anything wrong with that.