A Thailand Story 2006 Part 4

Man, whatever is cooking smells really good. I stand at my apartment door for a minute taking in the the delicious smell. My bar girl friend who I have agreed with, on her staying with me for three weeks at my apartment. Well she just might be the good Thai lady I was hoping for. I open the door but it stops short because of the door chain. So I close it, hoping to see the sweet smile of my Thai cooking live in bar girl Joy.

The door opens for me. "Who are you?", I ask.

"Hi" name Pen.

"Pen?" I say "well is".

Only to be cut short on my words with a "Hello how you?"

I look to my right where the cooking is coming from and see another young lady cooking food.

"Hi" I say back "and you are".

"Daw, my name Daw". "cooking eating soon". "you sit relax". "Yes" says Pen "sitting". I also see another girl sitting with her legs thrown over the arm chair watching television she looks at me and waves with a smile but says nothing. I notice, is she wearing her underwear? When. "Hi darling" comes from Joy walking towards me from the hallway throwing her arms around me and kissing me. Wearing the same pajama top and underwear that she had on this morning when I left for work. "Hi Joy what's going on?". "I lonely not want to stay here lone". "call my friends come visit me". "She call cause she no want cook" says Pen with a laugh. Joy smiles and rubs her stomach and says "I hungry". Daw replies "cooking coming". Pen grabs me by the hand and walks me to the couch sits me down and takes off my shoes. Joy sits at the dinner table and starts munching on the little snacks Daw laid out. As I sit down, I look at the girl sitting with her legs thrown over the arm chair. She stares at me and smiles. Then Joy yells at her saying something in Thai. Quiet girl then jumps up and runs over to the ice box and opens a beer for me pouring it in a glass with ice as she walks towards me. And yes she is in her underwear. Pen is putting small snacks in my mouth, and for a moment I think about this. I know this is Thailand. But. I mean do I throw a fit about this? Should I ask them all to leave my apartment? Is this really happening? I don't just drink my beer I swallow it. Pen sits at my feet puts her arm and head around my leg as she watches television. Like she has known me forever. Then looks up at me and says. "How work?". "Joy say me what you do". "much work I think". I smile at her. "It was fine today Pen". "how is your work?'. "I work nana" she says. "G-spot gogo". "you know?". I reply "No I have never been there". "I mean I have been to nana but not that bar". "You come I take care you". "Thank you Pen", I say. "Sometime I will come and visit you". "She number one lady". "She all ways out with man" says Joy with her mouth full. "Yes I go late" Pen says. "7pm not good". "Before Mamasan get mad me late". "But man take quick you know?". "I back short time Mamasan know I good for bar". "Now she let me come 9 o'clock". I tell Pen "I can see why!" "You are very beautiful". Pen looks over at Joy and says something in Thai. They all kind of talk a bit at the same time and laugh. Joy says to me. "Pen say you have sweet mouth". "You nice man". Daw sings out "Ready cooking eating, eating now". I have a big kitchen table fits six people plenty of room and the menu's look very good. everything is laid out with plenty of beer and ice. We eat, drink, sometimes talking in English but the girls go on speaking in Thai and laughing and enjoying each others company. They tell me they have lived together for over a year. Each working at a different bar. sort of choosing there own path because no one worked together. Except Joy and the quiet girl. But I have been at the bar where I meet Joy and never saw her before. "She work night time" Joy tells me. "she good friend have time away now". "She really does not say much does she? I ask. "Only know little bit English" says Daw. Pen looks at me and says "We teach her few words working bar so meet Farang". "Really what words?" I ask. Pen looks at Joy then back to me and says "I teach word sleep". Then Joy says "I teach word cheap". So Pen says with a little laugh "So first day bar she walk Farang she say "sleep sleep cheap cheap". Everyone starts laughing including me, I could just see the foreigners face when the quiet girl said that to him. Everyone laughs except quiet girl who's name is Lek. She kind of does the bout face but soon joins in the laughter. I raise my beer glass and say "A toast to Lek". She smiles at me and everyone clicks glasses and drinks away. Good food and good company was the way of the night. Pen running late for work hugs me and says good bye. Daw also has to run because she is meeting her boyfriend a Australian man. "He going marry me" She says. I wish her luck on her Island trip they both plan on leaving too the next day. "Can meet him?" she asks . I say to Daw "Yes he can come for dinner". "Yes I cooking eating" Daw says with a smile and leaves. Lek hangs around and as the week goes bye nothing changes much. The girls swing bye with a few different friends of Joy joining us now and then and eating and drinking with us. I and them drink a lot of beer. I guess I have become a bar girl myself as I lay around with them in my boxer shorts and them in their underwear eating fruit and them telling me some of the stories of the Foreign men they have had for the day or night. What some of the ladies go through, it was amazing to listen to their stories. I could listen to their stories all night. And sometimes I would watch them talk to each other in Thai. I could see the closeness between them, they laugh together and at times they are sad together and of course me not understanding the Thai Language. But just from the faces they made, It felt like I could understand the story they told each other and if it was a sad or happy conversation. Daw brings her boyfriend by on a Sunday his name was Toby he is from Australia. Some kind of construction worker who has to travel a lot. Toby tells me of his deep love for Daw. I think he has made a good choice. This beautiful women can cook and clean. I think most of the girls can cook and clean. That is except Joy who just kind of uses her friends to do the work for her. But she has a lot of respect for them and they do for her. Toby goes on with his story about his love for Daw by telling me that he is going to buy a house for her in Thailand. Daw is excited by this and jumps up and down telling us about the many homes they have all ready looked at. I say to Toby that some of the homes around here are new and going for around 4 million baht. Toby's reply was no it has to be bigger and that he is looking for something around 10 to 15 million baht range. They seem very much in love and I must admit they make a good couple. He being the age of 33 and her 23. It just might work out for the both of them and to me he seemed like a very nice guy and both seemed very much in love. Well work has been really hard for me. Not production wise but drinking and partying every night has made me all most crawl to work every day. But I have kept up with everyone and I hope to go back to my company in the United States with a good review. So yes I have been having a good time but work has not suffered because of it. Two weeks have gone by and at night it is mostly Lek and I having a beer and watching movies together. Joy goes to sleep around 10pm and as soon as she does Lek likes to play act like the bar girl from the movie we watched together called "Full Metal Jacket". Lek sits next to me rubs her body against me and says me so horny. I so hot. She acts like the lady in the movie. But the way she says it makes me laugh so hard and loud we always wake up Joy who tells us both to sleep now. Monday at work my e-mail check I am surprised to get a letter from Matt. Meet me Sukhumvit Nana Hotel tonight. That night I go to see him. Matt has lived in Thailand since May 2004 this is the first I have heard from him. I have to say how happy I am to see a face that I have known as a friend. "Buddy how are?" I ask. Shaking his hand and we give each other a bear hug. "Man Bill you lost some weight". "Just a little I have been drinking a lot of beer though and have to slow down". What's going on with you Matt? "You look healthy" I say. but the truth is I see a man who has gained weight. Hair is un cut and long with a face that has not really had a shave in a while. when hugging him I could smell the hard liquor coming from his body and to be honest is face looked older. "Hey I am married man" he says. "Going to have a baby you know a boy we hope". I have to laugh. "You have only been here a short time!" "You are kidding me right?". "No man really" he says. "Tell me about it will you. " "What has been going on with you since you left the company in the United States?" I ask. Matt tells me his story. "You know I went to the Island of Koh Samui not long after my return to Bangkok. I went looking for my bar girl here in the nana area but had no luck I guess she changed jobs or something. So I thought what the hell, I will go see the Island. Never been there you know. So here I am in Koh Samui and I meet a bar girl fall in love and rent a condo on the Island 25, 000 baht a month. I buy furniture, television even a small motorcycle for her. ". He stops and takes a big drink of his whiskey and coke. "I signed a four month lease and had to pay up front the entire amount. Well anyway I asked this girl to marry me. Shit man I had to pay the family a dowry for her. Ever hear of that? I shake my head. "Yes I have heard something about that. " "Then what happened Matt did you two come back here? And now she is having your baby? I asked. Matt says "No let me finish". Then he takes another big drink. "Well two months later after I buy the ring and all, Fuck man the ring was like $4, 000 American dollars and the dowry cost me $15,000 American, anyway two months go bye then she goes fucking crazy drinking every night, fighting with me punching me calling me names hell I don't know some shit in Thai. Sometimes she did not even come home at night. I had to go searching for her at night looking in the bars around Chaweng and Lamai beach area. Hell sometimes getting into some arguments with these Europe guys trying to pick up on her. " "The whole thing turned to shit in a big way. You know what I did? Matt asks me. What?" Shit I catch the next plane back to Bangkok so glad I never married her". "What about the condo?" I ask. "I left it man she can have it, she was a real witch, but man she was a really good looking woman, great body boy she was something. ". Sorry Matt sorry to hear you had problems like that. But I don't get it who did you marry? "Piak you know the bar girl I came here in the first place for. I found her working up the street here in nana plaza. I built her a home in her old village for $10, 000 American dollars. It has one room but will do for us and the baby. Matt orders another whiskey and coke. I do the same. He takes a drink and looks at me. "Hey you know Brad comes in a few days first week of October I think it is. We have got to hook up and go out to party. I have a cheap hotel here where the little wife is waiting cheap 800 baht a night. I need to get laid you know, so you have to go out with us. What do you say Bill? "Sure Matt I mean the first week of October might be my last week here so yes lets go out". Listen Bill I was wondering could you line up a job for me at this company we have in Thailand. I am kind of going through my cash. When Matt asks me for a job I think for a moment to myself about him, wasteing his money and drinking to much looking bad and even fatter. I mean I thought he was smarter then this. He just went straight into this vacation style of living, instead of thinking of the big picture and that should have been surviving in this country, making a change for the better not for the worse. But hey look at me and the way I have behaved these last three months who am I to judge and thinking it better not to lecture him without looking at myself. I reply sure Matt I will try to set something up for you. Cheers he says and we toast to the night. Friday the last day of the week for me. I should get notice from Roy this coming Monday about going home. I should fly back the end of next week, in any case I will have a good time with Matt and Brad maybe one or two days. The day is all most over when Roy's Secretary calls me to Roy's office. I think man this guy wants me on the next plane out not waiting until Monday. But really not a problem with me. "Come on in Bill have a sit. " Hope you have been taking care of yourself in Thailand. I am really sorry for not being around much for you. You understand how busy it's been. I say Sure Roy it's really been all right no worries. Good very good. Now I wanted to talk to you. Well let me get to the point. Your contract is for 3 months to 3 years. And by rights I have the option to extend it or not. I have talked to the main CEO of the company and with his permission I have decided not to offer a three month extension but. (I cut him off in mid-sentence). and say really Roy it is all right I mean this has been a wonderful experience for me to have worked with these people. It has been more my pleasure to help them and you. I wish you the best, you have a fine organization here and you should be proud of your working staff and (then I get cut off in mid-sentence). No wait Bill you did not let me finish I do not want you to stay three more months. I need you to stay a full year.

Stickman's thoughts:

Sorry readers, I gave up trying to format this and put it all in paragraphs…so I'll leave it to how the author wanted you to read it.