Making an impact (1)

'I am heartbroken. Can I come and see you?'

That was Kew, in Bangkok for a short stay, he said, before he returned to Pattaya to work.

Pattaya? That was new. The last time I saw him, he was working in Bangkok. He had bought into a franchise with his girlfriend, selling noodles from a smart, stainless-steel cart.

One night he walking home with the cart when he dropped into Mum's shop to show it to me. He was proud of his new business.

'Next time, I will make you a noodle,' he said.

Things had obviously changed by the time he called me the other night, the first time we had spoken since he showed me his gleaming cart.

'I have quit with the girlfriend, but I don't want to talk about it,' he said, sounding miserable.

'Well, you'd better join me for a drink,' I told him.

'Can you pay for the taxi?' he asked.

'Yes.'

'I will take a shower, and come to see you,' he said, chirping up.

'Can you pay for the drinks, too?'

The privilege of seeing Kew never did come cheap.

'Yes.'

When he arrived, he was wearing a beanie cap pulled down low. His eyes were red, as if he had been crying. He wore a pair of jeans, and a collared shirt. His lips were also bright red.

'Are you...changing?' I asked hesitantly.

'No!' he exclaimed. 'It is lip gloss, to stop dry lips, not lipstick. Maybe I put too much on.'

He wiped it off - then explained the cap.

'I am wearing the cap because I have made a mess of my hair,' he said, taking his cap off so I could inspect his head. 'Feel it - it's all dry, and has no life,' he said.

I couldn't recall Kew - a straight boy who by his own admission was as rough as a street kid when growing up - ever worrying about his hair before.

'I am working as a DJ at a pub in Pattaya,' he said.

'Do you need good hair for that job?' I asked. 'What are you sad about?'

'The girlfriend,' he said.

I suspect that being in Bangkok reminds Kew of the girl, who lives nearby. He is visiting Bangkok for a few days, as trade in Pattaya has gone quiet.

Last weekend, the government held advance voting for the election. It banned alcohol sales, in case party workers were tempted to bribe voters with free drinks.

That affected Kew's pub, as customers stay away if they can't drink.

This weekend, when the election is held, alcohol sales are banned again. That means another quiet night in Pattaya nightspots, so rather than play CDs for an empty pub he came to Bangkok instead.

'I am staying with my younger sister, who is doing well at school...she has an exam today,' he said.

Kew's sister is the darling of the family. She goes to a good secondary school in Bangkok, and stays with her aunt.

Mum's sister, Isra, and her farang boyfriend were sitting at the bar. I introduced them to Kew. Isra, who has met Kew before, looked at me as if she would rather I had said nothing.

That is the general reaction whenever my Thai friends meet Kew. They take one look, size him up, and decide he is no good.

now, see part 2