Stickman Readers' Submissions November 18th, 2011

9/11 and how I met my Thai Wife

My last submission was Jai Dam which was about a horrific relationship with my Thai girlfriend which resulted in her calling
my ex-wife prior to our separation and subsequent divorce. This happened about ten years ago and I'm still recovering financially from a divorce battle that burdened me with huge payments that will finally end next year.

During my divorce I lost just about everything from an unscrupulous stock broker who lost my multi-million dollar account to my business going bankrupt. My ex-wife told me the day I was separating from her that she will do everything to destroy
my relationship with my two sons and ten years later I am only speaking with the eldest. If anything could go wrong with my life during this period it happened. I hit rock bottom but for one silver lining.

He Clinic Bangkok

Ten years ago on September 11th I was in Hong Kong and was traveling to Bangkok on the following day. As an American and a New Yorker I was traumatized by the destruction of the World Trade Center and I knew people who worked there and one
friend never went home that night. I arrived in Bangkok in the afternoon and was staying at the Marriot so instead of waiting for my friend who was arriving a few hours later at the hotel, I decided to head to Nana Plaza to have a beer. Big Dogs
had a few plasma screens turned on to the news was a perfect venue for a beer and to catch up on the events about the World Trade Center. I was not interested in the bargirls since I was riveted to the TV at the bar. However the cashier caught
my eye being really cute with a slight attitude.

It was love at first sight! Cupid had drawn his bow and his arrow struck me right between the eyes. I was mesmerized and all I could think about was going out with her. She was not one of the working girls and her boss would not let her go
out with customers. When I met him later on he seemed quite protective of her. She feigned very little interest in me and through our conversation I found out her shift was nearly ending so I had to work quickly. I asked her for her phone number
and was surprised she gave it to me. Here I was in Nana Plaza where you can get any woman you want to bed with you yet I was ecstatic to just get her number. I asked if she would go out with me that evening but she was already busy with friends
so I had to wait until another time. All I could do that evening was think about her which was a bummer for my friend who wanted to have a rocking evening in Bangkok.

The next day I called her and she agreed to meet me after work. She liked jazz so we decided to go to Saxophone for some entertainment. I couldn't return to the States for over a week due to flights being cancelled because of the terrorist
act so it gave me time to start courting her. As I found in previous relationships in Thailand things can move quickly and before you know it your girlfriend wants to move in with you. This relationship was different and it took time for us to
get to know each other. I knew she was starting to like me when she asked if it was ok for one of her family members to go to the movies with us. What helped our relationship grow was her ability to communicate in a higher level of English so
our conversations were intense at times. Money was never an issue nor was it ever brought up. I paid for our dates and that was all. I never went back to Big Dogs and only met her when she finished work which was luckily the early shift.

CBD bangkok

She told me that she met a young man from Denmark who she fell in love with and was waiting for his return which was about a year earlier. He would call her every night and I would hear their short conversations so I had some competition
with a younger man. I was 40 at that time and she was 24. There were a few other men very interested in her who would call so I was not the only suitor. I found out that she had been married twice. At 17 she was married to a Thai boy from her
village who cheated on her with friends and family so she left after a few years and she married an Australian man who was her boss at work when she worked at a restaurant. That marriage did not last long since he was out most nights enjoying
Thailand's PFP scene.

I was leaving to go home after a week and all of a sudden she starts getting horrible headaches which started becoming quite debilitating. I took her to the hospital but they couldn't find anything so they gave her some medication for
the pain. Upon my return to the States I find out she has TB of the brain which could be fatal. Luckily one of her suitors took her to Bumrungrad and a talented doctor diagnosed her properly and he saved her life. He footed the over 100,000 baht
bill and they never had a relationship. There are true Samaritans in life and George is one of them. While I was in the States I would call her hospital room and he would answer the phone and give it to her. I would also ask him about her condition
and he was a true gentleman.

I knew if I didn't return soon to Thailand the love of my life would be gone so after two weeks I managed to return and she had just got out of the hospital. She was very weak but overall she was not in a lot of pain. For a year she
needed to be on medication for TB and she had to visit the doctor every three months to be tested. At this time my business was very much scaled back where I was only doing a few big deals from China so I had some free time. She couldn't
go back to work right away so I took her first to Chang Mai to recuperate.

I will end the story here until my next submission which will be about what has occurred over the past ten years that now has my love and I living on a barren island in the Persian Gulf.

wonderland clinic

Stickman's thoughts:

George really does sound like a true Samaritan.

nana plaza