A Thai man in his 30s, he was watching the football at Mum's shop when he tossed that question to me. He was obviously hoping to provoke me - which, of course, he did.
On weekend nights when I arrive lately, the place is full, with young guys standing around watching the television.
When the main game ends, most football fans have the good taste to disperse.
This one was different. He ordered one beer after another, flicking from one boring football channel to another, trying to get his fix of - what? Handsome guys kicking balls around?
I had not seen this customer before. When I arrived, he was sitting in front of the television. I sat myself down the bar from him, but found I couldn't stay there, as his cigarette smoke was blowing in my direction. So I moved across from him, closer to the TV, with just a narrow benchtop separating us.
Normally, this does not cause the person opposite any bother, as he can still watch the game. But not this guy.
'You - farang - block [the way],' he said bluntly, giving me a foul look.
He meant he couldn't see the football. Given that we are strangers, he spoke rudely.
'Maybe you are just too short,' I said.
He looked me over briefly. 'Are you a kathoey?' he snarled, resorting to that all-purpose word which people from the provinces use when they mean 'gay'.
The drunken one had an audience of three teenage boys, who drive motorcycle taxis and had also turned up to watch. They knew him. I wonder how he knew me.
I was reading a syrupy romance, the kind of which women readers buy by the handful and get through in one night.
It is about the same length as a comic book - about 20 pages - and has a couple of starlets on the front. A poor choice, perhaps, but there is nothing better at Mum's shop to read.
Was it my choice of girly fiction, or something about my manner, which prompted his remark? In any event, I was not prepared to leave it hanging.
Most Thais are polite and tolerant of the sexual diversity around them. He distinguished himself by his rudeness and intolerance.
'Why do you ask? Why is it your business? Can't you just sit there and watch TV, or is too hard?' I asked.
He bowed his head, and agreed that he should just watch TV. Meanwhile, I moved seats again, so I wouldn't have to look at his face.
I was angry after that exchange. For just a moment, the safe, friendly atmosphere which I normally associate with Mum's shop, despite the odd painful customer, broke apart like an empty shell, and I saw it as a potentially hostile place where I could still get myself into trouble.
Later, Mum and I ordered food to eat at the bartop.
'You - food,' he said when it arrived.
This guy could just not shut up and mind his own business.
'I have eyes - I can see,' I replied.
A teenage motorcycle boy looked at me, surprised.
'I don't like him,' I replied simply.
I will not be dislodged so easily from a place where I belong. Most Thais like foreigners, and are pleasant and polite. I ask them about their lives, too. In short, we get along.
If the football is on, I get on with my thing, and they get on with theirs. It is only occasionally that someone unpleasant comes along and disrupts the peace.
The motorcycle boy next to me was curious about sex. He's that age, after all.
'Have you ever had sex with a woman?' he asked conspiratorially.
'Yes.'
'How many rounds in one night?' he asked, scratching his nether regions.
Mum overheard us, and put a stop to the conversation. He turned to ask me more typical questions instead: how much I earn (always a favourite, with Thais), where I work, where my parents live, how many brothers and sisters I have.
It was the first time this boy and I had talked, and I enjoyed it. Normally, I just fetch him Pepsi.
Quickly, the rhythm and pace of life at Mum's shop returned to normal. We ignored the drunken football fan. A couple of hours later, the drunk stumbled home.
Life is bigger than any of us in particular. Thankfully, no one really cares whether or not I am a kathoey, or like reading girls' fiction. It all adds to the colour of life.
No comments:
Post a Comment
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.