Saying goodbye (2)

Mum put the pork on top of the cooker, and the greens around the sides.

I did not feel like eating, and told Toon that I would stay at the bar.

‘You have to come over,’ he said.

I joined him at the table, but still did not help myself. Toon put food on my plate, to encourage me.

I did eat, but not much. As I watched him, I was thinking how much I would miss him if he left.

Toon is like many boys from Esan who move to Bangkok. They do not enjoy big city life, and long to get home.

His hair was long, and needs cutting. His skin was dark, as it usually is when he returns from the provinces.

Toon, who started training as a khon dancer in his teens, is still a country boy at heart.

He was drinking one night, when someone attacked a younger friend with a bottle.

Toon went to his defence, and suffered a deep cut to his thumb. The wound needed six stitches.

Weeks have passed since the fight, but Toon’s finger is still swollen and numb. He is worried his thumb has lost some of its mobility, which could affect his career as a dancer.

He was eating well, which was good to see.

‘When I am in my condo, I cannot be bothered going out to get food. We sold the fridge. We should sell the TV, too, because no one watches it.’

Toon's condo is within walking distance of Mum's shop. In Bangkok, Toon lives with his brother, and another performing arts student friend.

Now that he has graduated, Toon spends many of his days alone. He has a girlfriend, but rarely brings her drinking.

I turned to farang J.

‘Three or four years ago, Toon used to come here with his student friends as a large group,’ I said.

‘Now, most have graduated, and moved elsewhere to find work. I rarely see them any more.’

Farang J, who lives in Britain but visits Bangkok several times a year to be with his girlfriend, could see I was unhappy.

‘I will see Toon, if he goes back to Kalasin,’ he said. ‘I might hire him to help me.’

Farang J and Isra are engaged. They plan to marry, have a family together and open a small business in Kalasin.

Farang J, a builder, will split his time between Britain and Thailand as he does now.

‘When I have a home there, you must come and visit,’ he said. ‘Then you can see Toon.’

Farang J is a compassionate soul, who has made friends with Thais and foreigners alike at Mum’s shop.

Earlier in the evening, Teung and he went off together on Teung's motorbike to play snooker at a shop nearby. They won two games each.

Farang J was in a reflective mood.

‘I go home to work, so I can come to Thailand and enjoy myself,’ he said.

‘I do not want to go back to the daily grind, but I need to earn money to pay for my other life here.’

Farang J has come to the end of his stay in Bangkok. This time, he was here for two months, which is longer than usual.

now, see part 3