Sunday, 10 September 2006

Sleepless society (part 2)


Going wild

Boyfriend Maiyuu, who goes out often at night, last week asked me to let him 'go wild' one night a week. On this night I should not expect him home too early, as he wants to stay out late with friends.

Friday night was one of those wild nights. He was finally get home at 5am - only to leave again for a temple to make merit. I complained that all this nocturnal activity ruins my sleeping patterns. He told me I 'think too much'.

Early in the evening, Maiyuu told me that a friend from the provinces might be staying over. I tried to sleep, but did not manage it, as I knew they would wake me when they returned - and on this night, I had run out of sleeping pills.

In the event, two young men came to stay. They turned up alone, without Maiyuu, at 3am. The wild one, it seems, had gone on elsewhere.

With a minimum of fuss, the boys went to bed in the next room. Being Thai, they were out within minutes, if not seconds. One, Gip, was spread out on a floor, with neither a blanket nor a pillow. The other, Goff, lay flat on his back, on Maiyuu's regular bed, with his arms out like the figure of Christ.

Helpfully, they left the lights blazing - though they need not have bothered, as the wild one was still tearing up the town.

The boys did not eat, nor bother to shower or brush their teeth. I doubt they even brought a change of clothes. They took off their clubbing gear, and went to bed in just their boxers and underpants.

With the boyfriend yet to return, I had another long wait ahead. I like patterns, regularity, and routine - all signs I am getting old. I resented the boys' intrusion into my regular sleep routines, where I can go to bed secure in the knowledge that the boyfriend is asleep in the next room, or soon will be.

On the other hand, what's so bad about asking everyone to come home at a reasonable hour?

The boys' friends continued to call, setting off noisy ring tones on their cellphones. This did not wake their owners, despite the din. Eventually, about an hour later, the calls stopped, and the place fell quiet but for their snoring.

Still I waited, as I knew it would only be a matter of time before Maiyuu was also back. Better to wait it out than attempt to sleep, only to be interrupted. Even when I attempted to sleep, I couldn't. My restless thoughts kept me awake.

My head was throbbing, and my eyes sore. Worse, after so many hours inside, the walls seemed to be closing in.

Occasionally I would open the door to the outside for a look into the market below. I needed to see something moving, but for now was trapped. Too late to go out, and neither the computer nor books held any appeal.

I was exhausted, but could not sleep. For entertainment, I watched the boys in the next room, and tried to comfort myself with memories of their previous visits.

Dressed to kill

In repose, they look beguilingly innocent; by night, they are dressed to kill. They are not starved of night entertainment in the provinces, though it is certainly much quieter, with the streets all but empty after dark.

Bangkok offers a livelier gay scene, and more choice of gay nightspots. Visiting the big smoke is also a chance to catch up on the latest fashion trends - what other young ones at the nightclub are wearing.

I saw them just before they undressed for bed, though we did not talk. The boys looked smart in their dancing gear. The ensemble included brightly coloured belts, drooping suspenders, and fashionably torn jeans.

On previous visits, I have seen them at the other end of the evening, as they get ready to go out. The shower and dressing routine takes ages, second only to the make-up and hair rituals. They get ready in shifts, as they will all eventually need to use the vanity mirror, and we only have one.

Both boys, I noticed, had hardened in the face pleasingly, and become bigger since I saw them last. Good: they're getting old, like me.

Golf wears strong after shave, a scent I find appealing. By the end of their visit it has usually permeated both rooms. On this night, as his scent slowly filled the condo, and their steady snores hung on the air, I envied the boys' easy ability to sleep untroubled by the world.

The night's clubbing phase had ended; now they were in sleep mode. They were able to move from one to the other with apparent ease.

Another two hours were to go by, before Maiyuu finally returned at 5am. That was too late for me. The previous day, I had risen at 9am. No hope of matching that early rise today.

At first Maiyuu offered me a massage by way of saying sorry. But when I told him I was still unhappy about missing so much sleep, his demeanour changed. Just as effortlessly, he turned into an angry young man.

I liked to go out late too, he reminded me. 'Some nights you come back this late, or worse. You make noise, and wake me. Have you ever thought of how I feel?'

'In that case, we should both try going out the same nights. Not together, mind you,' I was careful to add.

I have no interest in going out with boyfriend Maiyuu and his crew - that phase passed years ago. Maiyuu shrugged off my suggestion.

Far from being a panacea, his return was actually making me stressed. I realised with dismay that I was unlikely to get any sleep at all, as I cannot get rest when I have 'issues' outstanding.

I declared I would sleep over with a young friend instead. He has several big university projects coming up. I knew my friend would be awake, as I had called him several times already. We were like two insomniacs consoling each other.

now see part 3

2 comments:

  1. I'm always amazed at how fast Thais can fall asleep... One moment they are saying something, a half-second later they are snoring. Amazing...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Some are blessed like that, you are right. I know a few Thais, however, who find getting off to sleep just as challenging as I do. I like those ones - I can call them in the middle of the night and they don't mind.

    ReplyDelete

Comments are welcome, in English or Thai (I can't read anything else). Anonymous posting is discouraged, unless you'd like to give yourself a name at the bottom of your post, so we can tell who you are.