187. Lek’s job
- You don’t understand, said Larson. - I paid your debts. You are free to quit now.
- Understand, said Lek. - Thank you.
- It means you don’t have to work here anymore.
- Yes.
- So are you leaving?
- No.
- Why not?
- Wan stay in bar. Is better.
- No no! Listen to me. I paid your loan back. You don’t owe anything.
- Yes, said Lek.
- And I did that so you could leave this degrading work.
- Can not.
- Yes you can. And you should.
Larson looked at Dietmar.
- Don’t look at me, said Dietmar. - I never held him back in the first place. It was his idea to come and work here.
- Lar-san you good heart pay loan me, said Lek. - But you not take care me. If I not work how I can get money?
- Get some other job. A normal job.
- Other job pay money only little.
- Lek! I give you the opportunity to escape this… this… prostitution! And you don’t want to? Come to your senses.
- Money is king, said Lek. - If I no money I have nothing. Can not eat rice. Can not pay room. Can not send money father mother.
- Dietmar! said Larson and turned to the German. - You knew this was going to happen. You set me up!
- Not at all, said Dietmar. - This is Lek’s decision. I had expected him to take your offer. But if he rather wants to work that’s fine with me.
- Enough of this! Give me my money back.
- I am afraid that isn’t possible.
- I changed my mind.
- Paid is paid.
- It was 23 000 baht!
- Mr. Larson. I never asked you to pay Lek’s debts. I never promised you anything. You have cleared Lek’s account and I am grateful for that. But what happens later isn’t my responsibility. Did you have agreement with Lek that he should quit once you paid his loan?
- Of course. Well, not an agreement as such. I thought it was obvious. Anyone would take this opportunity to get out.
- Maybe things don’t work like you have imagined, said Dietmar.
- Him no understand Thai people, said Lek.
Larson shook his head. He left the bar while talking to himself about stupid and ungrateful and unreasonable Thai boys.
On the pavement outside Superboy bar Larson nearly collided with a strangely dressed boy.
- Watch where you go, said Larson.
- Solly Mr. Lar-san, said the boy.
- You know me?
- Yes Mr. Lar-san.
Larson wasn’t in the mood for conversation and continued. He went up Suriwong and turned right at Rama 4. He swore in Swedish to touts and people who tried to sell him things on the street and he scared the soi dogs away.
Near Robinson Larson saw two of his friends, Duff and Peter.
- Greetings, said Duff.
- Never save a Thai boy, said Larson grimly. - Love them and leave them. Rent them by the hour. Shag and run. Bonk and dump. Don’t stick around and never ever try to give them a better life.
- Wow! said Peter. - Listen to Mr. Bitter. What has happened to you?
- I gave Lek the opportunity to quit the bar job and he didn’t take it. But he did take the money!
- I would not get involved with a barboy, said Duff. - It is a recipe for disaster.
- Since you mention that, you should go down to Suriwong and have a look, said Larson.
- A look at what?
- Someone you know is there. I hardly recognised him.
- Who?
- I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news. Go see for yourself, Duffy.
Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109