Saturday 11 August 2007

Flirty (part 1)

I met two gay lost souls last night - one closeted, the other not. One from a wealthy Bangkok family, the other from the poor Northeast. They gave me the chance to compare two sides of Thailand close up.

One is an extrovert, the other repressed...or maybe, just too serious, as he wrestles with the dilemma of how to find the girl of his dreams.

The boy from the Northeast is Paew, who is learning Thai classical dance at a performing arts school. I was on my way to Mum's shop in a taxi when he called.

I had not seen him in more than a month. Last time, he was with his friends. We did not talk much, because he seemed to have found a new love interest in a straight boy from that group.

Last night, he had left his drinking friends, and was now alone. What better time to call the farang? He's always alone, too. We'd make a perfect couple.

The first time I met Paew, he insisted he was straight. He was married, and has a child. Now, all pretensions about being straight have gone.

These days, he wears his nails long. Not just his thumb or pinky nail, like 'real' men, but all of them. He also likes to twist and turn his hands into exotic poses, possibly the same routines he performs on stage. He does this openly, but then he's arty, so that's okay.

'You're nails look beautiful,' I said.

He gave me a deep wai.

His hair was thick and wavy.

'I love it like that - you look pretty,' I said.

He gave me another wai by way of thanks.

'Do you still love me the way you used to?' Paew asked.

'Of course - even though we haven't spoken for weeks, and you do not call,' I said.

We exchanged phone numbers.

Paew now lives in On Nut, which is not far from my office. Last time we met he was staying in Ramkamhaeng, which is too far away to be practical.

Peaw was having a hard time with hiccups, so I suggested he sit next to me. We took a table on the sidewalk in front of Mum's shop, where it was cooler.

Paew was wearing a smart white T-shirt and blue shorts. As I rubbed his back, I examined his features. He was also growing a little moustache - or rather, baby hair was forming above his upper lip.

now, see part 2

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