181. Bia’s grim fate
- Fine, said Bia when Duff had finished speaking to Peter. - If you not want me stay room you I not stay.
- Good, said Duff. - That saves me from having to ask you to leave.
- I go now, said Bia with a sad face.
- OK, said Duff.
- I go out.
- Yes.
- Outside.
- Yes. You are leaving.
- I go out and have no place stay.
- You can go home.
- Can not. I no home. I sleep road. I sleep park. Is dangerous. Have people bad.
- Yea sure.
- Sleep on the road. Dangerous so much. Have people knife. Kill people sleep.
- I know what you are trying to do. But it isn’t working.
- But if I die. Never mind. No people care me. Is better if I dead.
- Here it comes!
- When I die every people forget me. Same as I no friend. No people love me. But never mind. Is fine. I go sleep road now. Goodbye.
- Goodbye, said Duff.
Duff went to bed. He laughed quietly at the thought of how transparent Bia’s manipulation attempt had been. He would sleep on the street and get killed? How childish.
Bia was too spoiled to sleep on the street. Duff was sure of that. Bia would go right back to Peter’s apartment and sleep in the air conditioned comfort he was used to.
But Duff would like to hear from Peter to confirm that the boy was back. Not that anything was likely to happen, but it was late at night and Duff would sleep better if he knew Bia was home again.
Duff called Peter.
- Is the boy back yet? asked Duff
- No, said Peter, who answered the phone so quickly that Duff suspected Peter had been waiting for it to ring.
- He isn’t? It has been an hour since he left from the hotel.
- Where did he say he would go?
- Oh the usual BS. He would sleep on the street and get mugged and killed by the bad guys and nobody would miss him.
- He likes to talk like that.
- The little drama queen likes to make people feel guilty. But it doesn’t work on me.
- It doesn’t work on me either, said Peter.
Duff paused for a moment. The image of Bia sleeping under a bush in Lumpini park kept appearing in his mind. Duff chased the image away, only to have it replaced by another where Bia was sleeping under a railway bridge in the slums.
- Where do you think he is? asked Duff.
- I don’t know. When he storms off like this he doesn’t tell me. And he turns off his phone.
- He is punishing you.
- Yes. He wants me to worry.
- Don’t fall for it.
- Of course not.
Duff imagined Bia down by the docks, where the homeless and the hopelessly drug addicted were. This was the most dangerous part of the city. People could get attacked and murdered for twenty baht down there, Duff had heard.
- There is nothing we can do, said Duff. - He will show up soon enough. Till then we both deserve our rest and sleep.
- You are right, said Peter. - I am not going to worry about him. That’s what he wants. But the last thing I will do is to run over to Lumpini park to look for him at this hour.
- Excellent, said Duff. - We agree. Good night.
- Good night
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