Joy

My first trip to Thailand was the result of a planned trip by my Lao co-worker who promised to show me around Thailand and Laos. He cancelled on me after 6 months anticipation so I bought a ticket to Bangkok on my own. As a first timer, I signed up for the city tour at the airport and the next day met my scam artist / tour conductor at the hotel. He took me to the city sites, obviously annoyed that I was not requesting the venues where he made commission. He promptly found me a new hotel and stopped at a "government sectioned gift shop" where they sold overpriced jewellery. I renegotiated the rate of the hotel, 500 Baht cheaper than he quoted me and politely looked at the jewellery without buying. I was relentless in the request to see the shrines of the city and was reluctantly taken by my guide. I requested to go to a traditional Thai dancing show and it was there that I realized the pricing scam was on. After dinner my guide took me to a massage parlor and for a few drinks at Tilac in Soi Cowboy where I declined the overpriced services. At Tilac, I spotted a gorgeous dancer who had a 10+ face and body and was obviously new to the game and shy.

I ditched my guide after repeatedly insisting that I hire his private car to take me to Pattaya, a place I had no desire to go. I returned the next night to Tilac to see "Joy" and instantly became a sex tourist. I saw Joy for several days and the little head was in love. I left Thailand with her address and a promise to return soon. Through letters, the inevitable requests came for money in order for her to stop working but being a mistrusting cheapskate, I sent no money. Amazingly, the letters from Joy slowed to a trickle. When I returned to Thailand, I looked up Joy at Tilac and found her to be the same vixen as every other dancer on the stage. The shyness was gone and I noticed that Japanese businessmen immediately captured her full attention. We saw each other but she was changed. She invited me to her newly acquired apartment and I was introduced to her mother who suddenly had no bus money to go back home. I declined the request for bus money and then excused myself from the apartment. I saw the BG transformation was complete. I figured Joy was out of my life.

A year later, I was back in Thailand for business and was in Robinsons on Sukhumvit getting some pictures developed. Amongst the sea of beautiful women, I saw those eyes. I looked at them and they looked at me. As I asked "Joy?", she asked "you remember me?". We talked a bit and I found that some "nice Japanese businessmen" were getting her a visa to Japan to work in a barbershop. I warned Joy of the Japanese mafia and the real job of the barber shop workers (cut your hair and curl your toes). She was sure she was on the path to a better job and life and ignored my warnings. The first time I met her she was a gem. I still think about her 12 years later and hope she made it out okay. I am still a sucker for caring.

Stickman says:

It's nice that you still care. Would be interesting to know where Joy is now.