Gay power

What is it with Thai guys and power bills? Or any kind of responsibility, for that matter?

My pay came out on Wednesday, and we had a power bill due. I am usually reminded when the end-of-month due date arrives, as the man from the electricity company comes to turn off our power at the mains.

The bill usually falls due a few days before the end of the month, but until my pay comes out on the last day of the month, we can't pay it.

My boyfriend refuses to arrange the finances around when bills fall due. He will wait until the man cuts off the power before paying that particular bill. Until someone gets anxious about an unpaid bill, why bother?

To be fair to him, the power man usually arrives at our condo on the same day that my pay comes out. Unless the boyfriend is up early to withdraw the money and take it down to the motorcycle taxi men - who deliver it to the power company on our behalf - then we suffer a power cut.

The power man arrives in the morning, when I am still using the computer.

I have been sitting here many times when the screen of my computer goes blank. The fan next to me stops, and the lights go off.

The man switches off our power at the mains switch in the hall, which is by the lift, only 20m away. Sometimes I run out to see if I can catch him.

Once I did, and chastised him for turning off people's power. That day, we had paid the bill, a few hours before. But the news had not reached him yet.

These days he is too quick for me. He wants to avoid another scene with the angry farang, so he runs away.

I rarely see Thais run. He must make an entertaining sight, scampering up or down the stairwell to escape my wrath.

This month, however, the boyfriend had no excuse. He spent Thursday night away from home. When he turned up the next day, he was clutching a wad of cash - money he had withdrawn to pay the power bill.

I urged him to take it down to the market and give to the motorcycle taxi men straight away, so that for once we could escape a power cut.

'He's unlikely to come today - tomorrow's a public holiday,' he said.

'So what - why not pay it?' I asked.

A couple of hours later, I tried again.

'When are you going down to pay the power bill?'

'It's too late now - the power company is closed,' he said.

Yesterday was a public holiday, so again we couldn't pay.

This morning, the inevitable happened, as Maiyuu had not paid the bill. At 10.30, the power man came and turned off our mains. I was in the shower. The light in the bathroom went off, and the music playing on my computer stopped.

The boyfriend grabbed the power bill and the money, and raced out the door. He doesn't like to feel the wrath of the farang either.

Ten minutes later he returned, panting and out of breath.

'I had to use the stairs - the lift is being repaired,' he said.

A small source of satisfaction for the farang, then - Maiyuu won't run anywhere either, if he can help it. And we live nine floors up.