3
My friendship with my boyfriend-to-be progressed like a Victorian romance, slowly, under the careful watch of my in-laws and free of any immoral behaviour.
I went to the park in the afternoons and he called me on the phone to ask me to come to see him again or to wish me a good night. We sat on the mats and talked what little we could. His extended family was always there and we played with the children. He was good with kids. The family had one baby, one toddler, a boy aged five and a girl aged eight. And then there was the boy’s stepsister. She was sixteen and expecting.
The boy took me to a bridge over a pond in the park. There he bought bread crumbs from an old woman. The muddy water didn’t look like it could sustain life but when we threw bread large fish would come to the surface and feed.
I would stay in the park until it closed at 8pm. I watched the family collect the mats, count them meticulously and look behind every bush if one were missing.
But I began to wonder where this would lead. I was seeing a boy less than half my age. We had no sex. Could he really be interested in me?
I called up my farang friend Farang D, a long time Bangkok resident who earned his nickname from his good heart. “D” or “dee” meant good in Thai. Farang D was a smart guy who gave good advice about Thai boys, but sometimes his carefully laid plans would go up in smoke. I told him about my dating in the park.
- Is he gay? asked Farang D.
- I don’t know. He never said anything about that. But he is gay-ish.
- This is Thailand. He is gay if he wants to be. Why do you keep going to see him?
- I like him.
- So what is the problem?
- I am not getting laid. And I wonder what they want.
- Money, probably.
- They never asked for anything.
- That only indicates they have a longer perspective on you.
- I don’t have that feeling.
- He is too young for a relationship. Mine was 22 when I met him and you know all the trouble I had.
- He is cute. But I moved to Thailand to be a slut. Now all I do is to sit under a tree with a dozen chaperones.
- There is no harm in getting fresh air, said Farang D. But I can’t imagine anything good can come out of this.
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