Todd has a pretty, slight frame, and goes out with a tall boy who is the fem half of the relationship. They live with a small dog, Foogoh.
As I entered the condo the other day, Todd was opening his power bill. 'Oh my God! How did this bill get so high?' he asked. 'I suspect Foogoh has been opening the air con while I am at work,' he joked.
They are a sweet couple. The other night, he told me, they spent the night making little delicacies - parcels of steamed meat in banana leaves - for the Chinese New Year festival early next month.
He has been offering them to friends, including us, and will save the rest for the festival itself.
Todd lives in a single room, which he decorated himself. It has a rock garden on the balcony out front, plants, and an illuminated fish tank.
He sells computers and works long hours.
Todd is a hit in our condo, as he has his own car. At weekends, he takes friends out to meals. I see him return from outings, his car full of passengers.
Todd is a hit in our condo, as he has his own car. At weekends, he takes friends out to meals. I see him return from outings, his car full of passengers.
A couple of years ago, Todd took us to the coast, where we rented a house for a couple of nights at a naval training camp.
About a dozen Thai boys converged on the camp that weekend. We rented several houses, which the navy keeps to entertain guests.
I felt out of place, as most of the boys were in their early 20s, or younger. Bic came, along with her boyfriend, Nok, who is slightly older than the rest.
He shunned the company of the 20-somethings, including Bic, in favour of spending time with the 'adults', including kathoey Top, a woman in her 40s who claims to have spiritual powers.
As one of the elders there, I was also invited to dine and drink with the 'adults,' but I declined. I remember kathoey Top from a previous encounter. She likes to hold court, while her believers sit at her feet hanging on her every word.
Kathoey Top claims she can speak to the dead, and make spirits inhabit the souls of the living.
I met her the first time at a street party in Bangkok several months before, where local spiritual mediums performed their tricks.
I recall Thais around us talking in tongues. Others performed odd dances around fires, and writhed about on the ground.
This is par for the course at some cultural festivals, but still looked odd.
now, see part 3
This is par for the course at some cultural festivals, but still looked odd.
now, see part 3
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