Haircut fantasies, evil slum smells, bruises of love, pool snobbery

Ball’s elder sister, Kae, was cutting her son’s hair.

Maew is a toddler. He would not sit still, and I wondered if he would manage to keep his ear as his mother tried to get at his elusive locks.

‘I was hoping to see you cut Ball’s hair, but you never did,’ I told her.

Ball had his hair cut last week for the first time in months. Shorter hair improves his looks, as his face looks more open.

‘He went to the hair-dresser’s shop instead,’ she said.

What a pity. I was looking forward to seeing the two of them together.

Ball is fussy about his hair, and forever checking himself in front of the mirror. Would he have sat still, or would he, too, have found some excuse to keep fidgeting?

-
‘Something stinks,’ I said.

I was sitting on the living room floor, next to a flax tray table where Mum keeps the food.

Some of it had been there since the night before, and had gone off.

I found the offending plate...old chicken, well beyond use-by date.

‘Do you mind if I put this in the rubbish?’ I asked.

I found a plastic bag, as Mum's place does not appear to possess a rubbish bin.

The Thais in the room looked at me.

Kae’s partner, Tum, laughed.

‘You are obviously not used to slum smells,’ he said.

-
Ball and his girlfriend Jay broke up the other day - only to come together again a mere 18 hours later.

She left home in the morning, but was back again the same night as if nothing happened.

Ball was delighted to have her back, judging by the fuss he was making over her.

No one else was happy about it, though, including me. She's living off them and contributes nothing.

Mum called me about 3pm with the news of their break-up. When Jay left, Mum was drinking at a neighbour's place nearby. Ball ran to his mother in tears.

Ball’s face was bruised below the eye, his lip cut. He inflicted the harm on himself, as he and his girlfriend argued.

'I wanted to say sorry for the things I had done to her in the past,’ he explained later. 'So I punched myself in the face.'

I went to Ball's place and provided moral support for an hour or so, until I was too tired and drained emotionally to stay any longer.

Later that night, while I was at work, Ball's mother called to say her son was waiting to see me for a few quiet beers.

I walked to their place, only to find Jay was back in residence. Mum turned up, and said nothing, nor did her partner Lort.

Yet only hours before they were complaining to me about how the girl contributed nothing. Ball, in their view, was better off making a new start.

Jay was paid the other day, but gave Ball’s Mum nothing towards household expenses.

Mum pays for her food and grocery items, even pays for her to get to work and back.

‘He meant to give Mum money, but her elder brother borrowed it first. He promises to pay it back next week,’ said Ball, defending the girl.

'Next time you want to beat yourself up, please let me know,' I said. 'I am unhappy that you put yourself through that misery alone.'

-
I took Ball’s elder sister, her partner, and four kids for a swim at the pool on my condo roof.

You’d think that would be easy, right?

Wrong.

Before crossing the slum to pick them up, I asked the security guard if I could take them to the pool as my guests.

Any tenants can use the pool, and I have seen them take guests there before.

‘I know a family around here. We might have four of five people at the most,’ I said.

‘I don’t know...I don't want to make that decision,’ he said.

‘I’ll make it for you...I’m bringing them over,’ I said.

‘I’ve seen other tenants take their friends up there, and I can’t see any rules posted anywhere saying I can't,’ I said.

Half an hour later, when I returned with my Thai guests, a nosy cleaner stopped me.

‘We called the juristic entity. They say you can’t take non-tenants to the pool,’ she said.

‘Too late...I cleared it with the security guard. I’m taking them. However, I’ll talk to the office when it opens tomorrow,’ I said.

We encountered no further problems, and enjoyed an hour splashing about in the pool.

I wonder if the service staff would have been in such a hurry to contact the condo owners if I had not told them that my friends were from the slum.

They wouldn’t dare challenge people of higher economic class than themselves, as they cower before such influence. Families from the slum are a much easier target.