Thailand The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Part 9

The Good:

Now I am really sweating, I can feel it just running down my back. My hair is dripping wet and the water is flying from my nose like a waterfall. I had to drag my suitcase four floors down from some stranger's condo into the hot night
of Bangkok. But here I stand in the street, I mean the dark street and I cannot remember which way leads to the main street. If I walk right it might lead me more into this cluster of houses and apartments and if I go left there is no doubt I
could end up even worse. I just need to think a moment. Which way was it that Phim drove in? I need to calm down, it's really hard to think right now, I just found out that my Thai girlfriend had or has a husband and that was his condo she
was trying to get me to stay at. My friend Tee gave me the bad news so I am going to meet with him as soon as I can find a taxi. Right now my head is spinning! How would my friend Tee know this? He makes it sound like it might be trouble for me
if I stay around Phim. I sort of think he might be right because I saw pictures of Phim and this unknown man laying around the condo. Well not laying around, I did kind of snoop around a bit, but she just took off and left me alone when I fell
asleep. All right, that is enough thinking about this. It's time to move and meet up with Tee and find some answers to all this. Lucky for me this giant suitcase has small wheels but it sure squeaks a lot and now it has the dogs barking.
Speaking of dogs, I can barely see some up a head of me. A lot of them up ahead of me and coming my way!

I was thinking going left was the right direction, but it looks like I need to turn around and fast. I start running the other way with these dogs on the chase. I feel like a fox or rabbit running for dear life, with my suitcase dragging
behind me. I can hardly see anything in front of me, these street lights suck in this city. My heart is pounding in my chest. I know it will not be long before they catch me and now the whole neighborhood of dogs are barking and the noise is overwhelming.
Sure enough it looks like a dead end in front of me. No wait, another street to my left. I take it on the fly, knocking over some trash cans which only makes the dogs bark louder and of course throws me and my suitcase off balance. I stumble,
trying to hold my self upright, but my suitcase on wheels swings around in front of me. It is way too heavy to control. I lose it from my grip and it goes rolling in front of me and at the same time I try to jump over it. No luck. I trip on it
and slide on the dirty street on my stomach. I sit up and turn around to look behind me and here they are. Two of them go for the suitcase and the others do the bark and growl surrounding me. I am screaming like a girl, trying to scare them off,
but at that moment I feel my life flashing before me. I cannot believe that it ends this way, me torn apart by wild dogs!

I think to myself that I can notlet this happen even though I am frozen with fear I must fight for my life. I stand real slow with these dogs barking around me and I know this is going to be my last stand when from the corner of my eye I see someone come
from one of the yards, a young boy of maybe twelve years old. My first thought is the dogs will hurt him I have to do something. When all of a sudden the young boy kicks one of the dogs and yells in Thai at the other dogs. He then runs after them
and all by himself scares them away.

Much noise, too loud.

You speak English?

Yes, dog too much noise.

Thank you, thank you, you saved my life.

What? What you talk about? Dog bark everybody.

But they were going to attack, you stopped them from attacking me!

What? Bark no bite, Thai dog no mean, like to bark.

What's your name?

Boon, name Boon. What you do?

I am looking for the street.

Street? You stand street.

No ,the street that has a taxi, I need to find a way out of here.

Taxi, over there, go this way then right for street taxi.

Thank you Boon, thank you so much.

I reach into my back pocket to take some money out of my wallet. I wanted to reward this young hero, but to my surprise my money has been taken. It has to be Phim. I look at Boon and say thank you again and make my way to the main street.
Now I have to find an ATM somewhere around this unknown part of Bangkok. When I come on to the main street it becomes another guessing game as to which way to go. I start walking, at this time of night it really does not matter. I am sure to see
a 7 Eleven store or a bank someplace. I get around three blocks when I hear a car drive up next to me.

Jilber, what you do?

Phim, do not stop me, just keep on driving.

I look you, you not condo.

I saw the pictures Phim, I know that condo belongs to your husband or boyfriend what ever.

You ba ba bo bo, come take you.

No Phim, it ends tonight. You have used me long enough, You have taken my money, you have left me in the middle of nowhere. This just is not working out for me, really, it isn't.

Take money food, see food car. Buy food, here money, some here for you. Take you back, to eating, must eat, why you serious. Old boyfriend, sometimes stay condo, he work away sometime. Not like him, no more.

All right Phim, just take me to a hotel. I do not want to stay in his condo.

Yes, I do. Please we go now.

We go by the bank and I pull out more money before Phim takes me to the nearest hotel for the night. She talks me into her coming up for a while so we can eat. She explains to me that the condo belongs to a very old foreign boyfriend and
that he said it would be all right for us to stay there. She says she only wanted to save me money and was sorry that I was unhappy about the condo. I asked her if she was married and of course she said no. Tee was calling me so I took the time
to tell him I got a hotel room. He asked if Phim was with me but I said no and that I would call him tomorrow at check out because I wanted to get a better room somewhere else. I told him the hotel name and he promised to pick me up the next day.

Of course Phim stays the night. I gave into her begging me for her to stay. The next morning I wake up sick to my stomach again and spend part of the morning in the bathroom on the toilet seat. I swear I am not going to eat the Thai food
that Phim buys. It just is not very good, not clean or something. I get a very upset stomach that seems to bring diarrhoea to my system. It makes me to be very weak when this happens and right now I feel like staying in bed for a while.

We stay here?

No I have to go, Tee is coming and going to take me to another hotel.

Not feel good, we stay, I take care you.

The way I am feeling, she might have the right idea. I feel kind of weak and maybe sleeping a little more might help. So I close my eyes for a minute but that minute turns into a few hours and I am awaken by a knock at the door. I am surprised
to see Tee. He has made his way up to my room with a friend of his and he is not surprised to see Phim.

I think, for sure she would be here, I glad she here.

Sorry Tee, I should have called you, I am not feeling well, maybe we can do this tomorrow.

Not feel well, like before, right?

Yes, just like before, give me until tomorrow, will you?

Sick in stomach, have go toilet?

Yes, just like before, must be the food.

Yes, the food, the food Phim eat with you, the food Phim buy you. Phim tell Gilbert why he is sick. Tell him why.

I not know, what you say.

You know, you tell him now, you tell him everything.

Tell him what? you crazy.

Not crazy, You tell him or I make you. You see my friend big man name Ko and you and no-one leave this room until we talk about sick stomach. We talk about baby. We talk about husband you. We talk for last time.

Stickman's thoughts:

This is one series I have enjoyed a lot, and I admit that when I check emails I keep looking for when the next part will arrive.