From the Formicary: Can I Save Her? No, Not Her! A Different One
This is London Calling…
Can I save her? No, Not her! A different one.
The answer is an emphatic NO. It’s too late as it’s already happened. Here I am talking about a young lady named Auy NOT the lady indicated by BM in a submission on 11/10/2013.
The story started in a normal enough way last Saturday afternoon (that is if one defines normal as sitting down on a Saturday afternoon to send an email to a total stranger (BM) who said, “At this point I think I’m looking
to fellow readers for advice here, as to whether or not I can save this girl?” And, “Can I take her out of the bars and help her to better herself?” in a submission on 11/10/2013).
I had decided to add my thoughts; I don’t usually do this because after all what do I know? I started with the usual honest pleasantries (that is giving praise to Mr. Stickman for his sound advice) and went on to say, and here
I quote myself, “I feel the major issue is culture. You are dealing with a totally different culture – different expectations, values and ways of seeing the world. This simply cannot be minimised!!! An example of this is the position
of family in Thai culture. Here I'll cut the crap – when there is talk of "family" it essentially bears down on the position of the young woman in Thai society. Please do not think that her parents and siblings do not know that
she works in a bar!!! They do and either passively or actively encourage it. Bluntly, she has an asset that can be put to economic use!!!!”
At this point I received a SMS from Auy. Remember Auy? Well, she is the daughter of Nanthana. Auy is a woman whose mother has recently died, who is without the father she never knew (he was/is a member of the ‘boys in brown’),
living with unpleasant (to say the least) relatives, trying to take care of her younger brother and who is now living in a semi-burnt out home (which had been built on the proceeds of a Swiss massage parlour), all because one Thai citizen
took Yaba.
I had said in a previous submission that I worry about Auy and Esso her brother and that they are living with some of the most unpleasant people I have had the misfortune to meet. What I had said seems to have proved prophetic.
The SMS from Auy was asking ME whether she should go to Switzerland to be a hooker. She was receiving pressure from her aunt to do so. Remember it was the aunt’s son who had burnt down the family home after taking yaba and beating
his wife near to death. Clearly money, dosh, mulla, the mighty ALL important baht was needed in plenty (perhaps the Swiss guy had grown tired to international currency transactions). Who else to turn to other than Auy? Or really Auy’s
mouth, pussy and arse.
I said, “NO don’t go to Switzerland”.
The pressure on Auy by the aunt clearly increased. Further SMS flowed across the ether including, "…if I go please you looking after esso (her brother) for 3 months…?" What? What? Was I really being invited to go to the
leering kingdom to look after a 15 year old boy for 3 months so that his sister could go and work as a hooker? Yes, I was.
I declined the kind offer. And so ended Saturday.
SMS have continued to flow. One invited me to buy a house for Auy and Esso, another to help pay for house for Auy and Esso, another invited me to go and “live same family” with Auy and Esso. I felt able to decline all of
these kind offers.
More recently the tone has changed, “..please not leave me”, “martin you family…you all I have.” I have always replied (because it is true), “I not go away…”.
The aunt has now belatedly changed the story and assured Auy that her pussy will not be involved, “..no martin she tell if work pussy police she scare. Looking find little money but no problem…” And “…if can go
Swiss every month 1300fr. 3 month maybe I have small house stay with esso…no I dream…if good I go…?”
OK, I feel that there are a number of issues here. 1300 Swiss francs is £890.57 or $1423.18 or 144,450 Albanian Lek per month. For 3 months it is £2,671.71 or $4269.54 or 433,350 Albania Lek.
Now let’s suppose for a moment that the work the aunt is proposing does not involve Auy’s pussy (or any other orifice) and remembering that Auy will have a tourist visa and no work permit, what job could it be? I have asked
this question. The answer I received was, “…I not know but she have husband.” Ho hum. How much does the aunt expect in respect of costs (air fare, accommodation and the rest)? I have asked Auy, “…I not know..”
Ho hum.
Does Auy really believe that she can get a house in Ubon for those sums? Is she really a poor innocent young woman? I don’t know!! You think I know??
What I do know (and I this is the content of a SMS I’ve sent to Auy), “I ask mum, “Nanthana, what you think Switzerland? mum say, “ Markin, I not know – I only see one room and customers.””
Yes, this is true, the aunt got Nanthana to go to Switzerland with just the same same story and is now (I think and don’t you?) doing it to Nanthana’s daughter. Ah!! The smiley, smirking kingdom.
It is now a done deal. “Aunt say she give me all and must go work…” The aunt has booked a ticket to Zurich for Auy for 10th January next year. Case closed.
What to feel? Don’t ask me!!!! I don’t know.
I worry about Auy and Esso. I mean it. I worry.
I did apologise to BM for the email I sent him and do so again. However, I was under pressure – receiving SMS from Auy as to whether she should be a hooker in Switzerland and at the same time writing an email commenting on the
problems of ‘saving a bar girl’. But I take back one comment I made in the email, “…this has been possibly THE strangest experience I have EVER had!!!! Honest!” It wasn’t. On reflection it barely makes
the top five of THE strangest experiences I have EVER had (all of which have taken place in Thailand or been related to that smiling place). Honest!
There are a number of submissions that I have which are ‘works in progress’:
1. From the Formicary: Why did I ever think it was a good idea to go to Thailand?
2. From the Formicary: Why did I ever think it was a good idea to go to Thailand? I must have shit for brains. (A lengthier examination of the Thailand
question).
3. From the Formicary: Don’t talk about my sons. Why, what have they done now and how much will it cost? (A bi-monthly Ant specific Newsletter).
4. From the Formicary: I know you said you want a bottle of whiskey and a packet
of cigarettes but I make mistake. Giggle. I get a bottle of whiskey and a hooker. Sorry. (A Nanthana related work in five volumes).
5. From the Formicary: It’s probably too late but why not nuke the miserable place anyway? (A geopolitical/economic
examination of present day Thai society)
In addition, I almost started: From the Formicary: Martin, I’ve got the clap and I’m chained to bed in a Zurich brothel. (A short treatise on Auy).
However, I doubt that any will be completed due to the fact that I have lost much of my interest in Thailand and Thai related matters and am trying to lose more. It is more likely that I will start a site www.MarkinRepublicofVanuatu.com.
This will invite submissions about the Republic of Vanuatu (population 243,304, area 12,190 sq km) and surrounding countries, in fact anywhere except that sorry waste of space that is the smiley kingdom of Thailand. But that is all in the
intermediate future.
On the 22nd October Ant and I fly to Corfu for a week all-inclusive stay (£329 pp) in a proper country to have a proper holiday: three meals a day of edible food, all drinks free of charge all day, two large clean swimming pools,
clean beaches where nobody is trying to sell you plastic tat/fabrics/fake sunglasses or their sister at inflated prices, clean sea with NO plastic tat/fabrics/fake sunglasses or people trying to sell you their sister at inflated prices, beautiful
scenery, a museum and genuine ancient artefacts, archaeological sites and friendly Greek people. AND they play cricket on Corfu (honest). Now beat all that you miserable people of Koh Samui.
What I will not find is a host of young women with cute cute bums. Yes, I will miss that – I do care. In fact Ant at the age of fifty-six will probably have the cutest bum on the island. I will not care (Why did I ever think it was a
good idea to go to Thailand?) but Ant will notice and feel proud about it.
I’ve asked for this submission to be posted on Thursday 24th October, fourteen years to the day since I arrived in the sorry excuse for a society that is called the Kingdom of Thailand. If by chance you are reading this at 7.30pm
in the Grand Inn Bangkok you are reading this at exactly the moment and place that I met Ant fourteen years ago. My first impressions of the kingdom can be found in an
early submission. Ah! So young and naïve!
So, what’s left to say?
Well, thanks BM you may not choose or be able to save her or yourself and I’m not up to saving Auy BUT thanks BM you have played a part in me saving me!!! And I didn’t even know I needed saving.
This was London howling.
Pip pip.
P.S BM – run, run now, Run fast while you still can
Pip pip …pip.
