Mum is my age, her partner Lort in his late 40s. The youngest members of the household are toddlers, both aged under two.
They look set to stay for a while. Some other members of the household, however, are restless.
The toddlers enjoy cuddles and kisses, and get them in spades, as Ball’s family are warm, loving types.
When the boy, Mew, sees me arrive, he heads straight to my arms. He also enjoys climbing on my back.
The girl, Fresh, is more reserved. She will hold up her hands and give me a wai before wanting cuddles.
Fresh, who is slightly older, is Ball’s favourite. He regards the girl, who was adopted, as his daughter.
When we are together, Ball plays mainly with Fresh, while I play with Mew.
Mew is the son of Ball’s elder sister Kae and her boyfriend.
They have built their own little world upstairs, on the same level where Ball and his girlfriend Jay sleep. Two bedrooms are upstairs – one for each couple.
While Ball and Jay have little other than the clothes and a few other bits and pieces to their names, Kae and her partner Tum are more industrious.
They have created a small enclosed space around their room, comprising a wardrobe, desk, even their own fridge.
Recently they asked me if I would take on a loan to buy a car on their behalf. Mum has her own pick-up truck, but they wanted a vehicle to call their own, even though they share the same home as everyone else.
They look like they are preparing to leave the family home to set up sticks of their own.
Ball and his girlfriend Jay, meanwhile, have started talking about moving out to rent their own place.
Jay would like a room closer to where she works. She would also like to remove Ball from the malign influence of the slum, as he finds it too easy to drink there.
I buy alcohol for him, and when Mum’s friends turn up, often they bring more.
‘If he moves in with me, he won’t find it so easy...we won’t have the money,’ she told me.
Like Jay, I would like Ball to live in safer, more pleasant surroundings.
But I would be sad to see him and his family break up. It is also home to Ball's younger brother, and occasionally his elder brother, a soldier who lives on base. He is close to both.
They are decent people, and get along well enough.
Part of me hopes they can stay together, as I enjoy them the way they are.
3 comments:
ReplyDeleteAnonymous27 August 2010 at 20:53
Very nice post. Thank you. I have mentioned before that your readers want to hear about the real life of Thailand. That is what keeps people coming back. Most of us live in the "developed world"(ha, ha) and are very much interested in the details of a world far different than our own. It is probably hard for you to "see the forest through the trees" as they say, but a well crafted description of the babys blanket can be enough.
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Bkkdreamer28 August 2010 at 06:28
Anon: Thank you. I wonder if my friendship with Ball and his family would survive frequent absences.
We would grow more remote, but I don't think our relationship would lose steam altogether.
However, each of us would have to re-assess what it meant.
Well, I would. I can't expect someone his age wants to do much thinking about such things.
It is easier just to drink and watch the football.
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Boonie S30 August 2010 at 08:11
I’ve found it difficult to catch up with your blog. Maybe your old link isn’t working. Maybe my brain isn’t working…. Anyway, pleased to have found you again at last.
All the best, Boonie
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