In Thailand, such moments of high drama often end in farce, and so it was on this occasion, as this panting, desperate farang tried to do battle with the bathroom door.
From the inside, Maiyuu calmly opened the door himself. He looked ashen, his lips purple. But he was alright. He was sitting quietly on the toilet seat. He had not taken anything into the bathroom, even cigarettes.
My phone started going. Yet another idiot with no sense of timing - this time, a chatroom friend who wanted to meet.
'Go away!' I bellowed.
He called another two times before finally getting the message.
'I'm busy!' I shouted.
I cried, and said sorry for arguing. 'This is your home, and I will not let you go. You belong with me,' I sobbed.
'I don't want my life here without you. So I will just have to wait.'
Maiyuu barely said a word. He looked as if he was in a daze.
'Have you taken any prescription pills, or the cleansers?' I asked.
I pointed to the chemical cleansers we keep in the bathroom. He shook his head.
It was half an hour before Maiyuu was willing to get up. I dragged a fan to the bathroom, to blow fresh air into the place. Finally, he started to move.
I took him to his bed, where I massaged his head. First, he slept. Then, as the evening shadows started to fall, he raised himself and made something to eat.
The next day, we enjoyed one of our closest days together in a long time. Maiyuu cooked, I read. We watched movies together, and he surfed the net.
By the time I left home for work last night, he looked happy, if still weak and thin. With my bag on one shoulder, I stood by his side. He gave me his hand, and I held it.
Maiyuu does most of the work and worrying in our relationship. But unlike me, he rarely complains, because he is worried about what I will say. That is not fair.
'I don't want my life here without you. So I will just have to wait.' Those words of mine keep ringing in my head, as I relive that awful bathroom scene.
This man's life is in my hands, and my own future in this country in his. We are more equal than either of us had realised.
So wait, for my boy, I shall.
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