Bangtao Tales
January 2010
Chapter 17

The Land of Smiles?:


The other night I wandered down to “The Yellow Bar”. We call it that because it is lit almost exclusively with yellow lights.

I went there to meet Nyt, who works there. We had already struck up a friendship and the more drinks I buy the more money she gets.

I felt relaxed and cheerful, knowing that the company would be good.

Sitting at the bar was a farang who I had not met before. He did not look happy. I put this down to the fact that he was going home in the morning. A few drinks later it became apparent that he had rather more on his mind.

A couple of weeks ago, in England, he had an altercation with his girlfriend and her response was to commit suicide.

Having been there myself, that is to say, having had a partner do this, then I was able to at least sympathise with his distress. However one is deeply aware that there is not much help one can give because only time can really help and I’m not sure that even time helps much.

So we had another drink, talked a bit about the dreadful sense of guilt and responsibility and gradually the conversation drifted away leaving a sadness from which there is no complete escape.

As the evening went on my new friend found himself a more convivial partner and I returned to my conversations with Nyt and her friends.

Out of the blue Nyt’s friend Garn suddenly notes that it is just coming up to the first anniversary of her awful car crash.

A year ago she had been driving home with her farang husband when she had lost control, crossed the central reservation and hit an oncoming car head-on. She escaped with injuries which put her in hospital for several weeks.

Her husband was killed outright.

I don’t know whether it is my lack of Thai language or my lack of knowledge of Thai culture but I was shaken by the complete apparent lack of distress shown by Ghan and her friends as this story was related. I suspect that it is a protective defence mechanism.

But then just as I am trying to recover from this shock another episode is calmly related.

About six weeks ago Ghan was driving Nyt’s sister home late at night when the car was stopped a gunman rode up and shot Nyt’s sister through the head.

She died on the spot.

I think I have a lot to learn about Thai culture. Nyt had not even mentioned this to me. As far as I can make out there is some sort of jealousy/envy vendetta involved but I really have not had the heart to enquire further.

Nyt was, in fact, clearly upset when this story was being related and I just felt terrible. We went back to my place, made love, as perhaps only those in deep distress can do and protected within each others arms…………

…we slept.

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