Thailand The Good, The Bad And The Ugly Part 10

The Ugly:

It's like slow motion, everyone around me is are taking so fast and loud and everything is happening so fast. I know this, but to me it feels like slow motion. It looks like slow motion, because I can see so clear, even the sweat on
my Thai friend Tee's face. His friend Ko standing in front of the hotel door, blocking anyone who makes a move in his direction. Big fellow for a Thai man, looks around 5 foot ten inches tall, fat too, maybe about 260 pounds. Kind of looks
round in the face with no hair. I have to laugh to myself a little, he looks like the round Buddha you see in some of the shops in Bangkok. I can see him with very clear vision, yet my stomach is upset and I feel a slight nausea.

Both Tee and Phim are yelling at each other in Thai. This is really going nowhere and it seems the louder they scream the more I want to pass out. I just want a quiet day. I feel it would do me some good if everyone would just leave but I
can’t get the words out of my mouth to find a way to break these two up.

I find my balance, by holding on to a hotel chair with one arm, the other arm, holding my stomach, I can feel cramps starting and I only hope I can hold out a little longer. I really do not feel like sitting on the toilet again. Been there
most of the morning. Phim gets out of bed and stands up. Of course she has no clothes on, but she continues to scream at Tee. I can see a slight smile on Ko's face when he gets an eyeful, but Tee just keeps on talking at Phim like it's
nothing, her standing in front of him nude.

Phim starts to get dressed as she argues. She doesn't miss a beat. She jumps in to her pants, grabs her bra and puts it on still jawing with Tee. She throws on her T-shirt, then sits on the bed to put on her shoes, never even looking
my way or even looking at Tee. She just keeps on talking and moving and then grabs her purse and heads for the door. But Ko does not step aside. He just lays his back to the door. There is no one moving him.

MOVE, Jilber him move NOW.

He not move, you hand purse to me.

Not, TEE, I Not.

Phim takes a step back from Ko, then lets her fist fly punching him right in the stomach. Ko just smiles but does nothing back. Again she takes a swing at his face, just grazing his cheek. His look back at her turns stone cold, like if he
could, he would just tear her apart, yet he does nothing to her. Phim lets out a scream, then goes nuts by kicking him and punching him until she gets tired and falls to the ground crying and exhausted.

Jilber, I go now.

Tee, let her go will you? This has gone far enough. I do not understand what this is about. I think you need to explain to me what is going on. Why is it you are blaming Phim for me being sick? This is a strange country for me and the food
just does not agree with my stomach. You can't blame her for buying food from the places she is used to eating. She eats the same food with me and she is not sick, so that must tell you that my stomach can not handle the same food that she
eats. Do you understand?

Yes, now she hands the purse to me.

You want? You want?

Phim jumps up and hits Tee with her purse over and over like some crazy lady. Tee grabs the purse, but Phim does not release it from her grasp and both are now in a full tug of war. I start making my way over to break them up, but like I
said, it’s all in slow motion. I feel like my movement is far slower then anything or anybody in the room and just when I reach Tee the purse explodes with what seems to be all kinds of make up, paper books, pencils, pills, small bottles
of who knows what, just a bunch of junk like most all ladies purses.

Phim looks at me, then the ground full of the contents that just came from her purse. She drops to her knees and as fast as she can starts to throw everything back into her torn purse, all the time screaming at Tee without looking up at him.
Tee then walks over to one item, a small bottle maybe three inches high and holds it up to look at it. He then shows it to me like he has found what they must have been yelling about.

This! This make you sick!

Crazy You crazy, give, give to me.

No, this what make you sick Gilbert. Just need two drop for go toilet.

You stupid ba ba bo bo CRAZY. Jilber he no want you see me. He serious for me. He want, But I say no him. So he try make story.

What do you mean Tee? Make me go to the toilet?

Yes, need maybe two drop in hot tea, go toilet, sometime can not go, but this help. Too much, can feel sick inside.

This? This small bottle? It's a laxative?

What? Not know, but make go toilet. Maybe she put in drink, maybe food, too much I think.

That for baby, Tee sick man, want me too much, make story.

Did you put this in my food Phim? Why?

She want keep you room, take money, everyday you stay room, more money for her. You not go out maybe find other lady.

Not, that for baby, Tee not know. He not like you have me. He jealous much jealous. He want Phim, he make story.

Baby? Who baby? Your baby?

No Tee, she is talking about her sister's baby, poor thing was made pregnant by a foreign man when she turned 15 years old and Phim helps to take care.

No not sister baby. Her baby.

Hate you, you lie, lie. Know not what you talk about.

Her baby. Not sister, daughter, her daughter not sister.

NO, NO LIE, you lie.

Baby her baby, man, who you stay condo, Phim not marry him, it his baby. She have husband, man you see before, man who live at house by river with daughter. He name Nuk, he no good.

Phim just stares at Tee with such a look of hate, then she looks at me for a moment I think she is going to say sorry. But she stops and spits on the carpet. Then looks up at me with such hate in her eyes, like it was me who was wrong here,
not her she did nothing wrong. She turns to the door and Ko starts to step in her way, but Tee says no and Phim walks by and out the door. I really did not know what to do or if I even believed Tee. I was hoping Phim could explain all this but
without good English skills, how could she explain herself? It was a no win for her, but how could Tee know all this? I think he has some explaining to do. Could Phim be right about some kind of feelings he has for her. Maybe he is making all
this up just so he can be with her.

How? How do you know all this Tee?

I pay man follow her, when you go Singapore. He do this for job. Ko give paper work to Gilbert.

I am handed a yellow folder that Ko had in his hand all along. I never thought anything about it. So I open it to find pictures and a complete hour and date and times of Phim's activities of her whereabouts around Bangkok. Most were
with the man who I saw a picture of in his condo a German man named Shultz and other pictures with men at the bar, some pictures of her going to their hotel and other pictures of her leaving the next morning sometimes with the man or without him.

That her man German, he have baby with her, but no give money. Sometime she stay his place when he travel for visa to Cambodia. He stay sometime one or two month, I think he have lady there.

You say that this is their baby and not her sisters?

Not sister, daughter, her daughter. She marry man, you no like him name Nuk. She take care him and daughter. Thai lady always take care man she marry. She do for him.

She does all this for him? That man is no good, he is a drunk a bum. He does not work, he does nothing to help her.

Yes, and maybe daughter do the same, she wait until 18 year old then she work bar. Family all same same. Must do to have money.

You say she put a laxative in my food and drink?

Yes, stay in room, pay her money everyday sick. More safe for her, you not meet other lady or understand more about bargirl life. All money you give her go to husband her. You do not mean anything to her. It her job, it her life, you easy
for money. First time Thailand, she know. Man who pay to follow make friend with Phim husband with much whisky. He tell him story of farang who they fool for money. Who do not know what Phim do to him. He tell story about you.

He lets Phim do this? He let her have a baby from a foreign man? Why does he let her do this? What kind of man is he?

We go now, you rest, I come tomorrow pick you up, I think you sad, maybe need time by self.

As Ko and Tee leave the room, I think to myself about having to talk to Phim and get her side of the story. I still cannot believe this is true. It feels like a bad dream. I feel sick a little, but by tonight I should feel better and tonight
I need to find her and get her to tell me the truth. Even if it kills me.

Stickman's thoughts:

I know it's stating the obvious but Tee is a good man! Still, on one's first trip, anything can happen and no-one could be blamed for getting into the mess you found yourself in.