63. Robert’s lover
- This Tui is your lover and Ae knows about it? asked Peter.
- Yes and no. I have told Ae that I can’t live without sex. It would be meaningless. Imagine being celibate in Thailand, of all places. Ae accepts this but he doesn’t want to see or hear about anything I do with other boys. This means that while I am not hiding it I am not telling him either.
- This is getting complicated, said Peter. How did you meet Tui?
- On the Internet.
- Do you pay him?
- No. He isn’t interested in money.
- A Thai boy who isn’t interested in money? That’s something.
- He wants sex, just like I do. We have sex without romance or commitment. Since he isn’t a moneyboy it is more real and pleasant than some random boy off a bar would be.
Peter was one illusion poorer after hearing this. He had thought that Robert and Ae was one of the few successful long-term relationships between a Thai boy and a farang that he knew about. And then it turned out they were platonic. Maybe this is a common development, wondered Peter, who remembered his parents had not shared bedroom for 20 years.
*
Larson kept an eye on Lek. He didn’t want Lek to meet any more immoral persons such as Dietmar. Larson wanted Lek to pull out of the Germany scheme but Lek refused. Luckily the German embassy took forever to reply to Lek’s visa application. The embassy had sent the papers to Berlin. Larson hoped a confrontation about Germany and Dietmar could be avoided if Lek’s application was turned down. No need to fight wars until you have to, thought Larson.
Meanwhile Larson forbade Lek to see Dietmar. Talking to Dietmar about the visa on the phone was more than enough, thought Larson. Lek promised not to socialise with the large German. According to Lek Larson was a much nicer farang anyway. Larson had a good heart and Lek and he were boyfriends now.
Larson ordered new credit cards from Sweden. He didn’t want to bother Bjorn with transferring money for another four months.
Lek never asked for money. But he did drop hints about gold. Hower this was not greed. Lek and Larson were in Emporium to see a movie when they walked past a gold shop. Lek stopped to look at the selection. Larson was on his guard. Gold shopping was not something the Swede intended to do.
- Only look, said Lek.
- Sure, said Larson in a reserved voice.
- You know why people Thai buy gold? asked Lek.
- Luxury, said Larson.
- No luk-suree, said Lek. Is for safe. If have accident have money.
- What do you mean? asked Larson.
- When father me have accident motorbike. Him have gold. Him sell pay money hospital. If no have die.
- I see, said Larson. So you use it as a kind of emergency cash? Almost as an insurance?
- Yes, said Lek. Thai people like.
Larson considered this while the two watched the movie. Thais seemed unable to have cash without spending it. Storing money in the form of gold made sense here. People could carry it around their necks and sell it if they were in a tight spot. Larson thought about what would happen to Lek if Lek was in an accident and didn’t have money to pay for a hospital. Traffic was horrible and there seemed to be a lot of accidents. Larson imagined a wounded Lek arriving at the hospital door only to be sent away to die. How gruesome.
When the movie was finished the two walked past the gold shop again.
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