Chapter Twenty
Can pointed at the monitor, “it just doesn’t matter, they provide lyrics… now the beat if he doesn’t know it, we can’t help him there.”
“Do I have a favorite song?” Pream asked feeling cornered. Ploy shrugged. “Oh my goodness, what song?”
Can slapped Ploy when he saw Gun walking back in. “Come on, hurry!”
“Oh the pressure.” Pream panicked. “RuK Tur Ni Run”
Ploy quickly handed the clipboard back to the emcee and thanked him. “Aren’t you a hopeless romantic.”
“I panicked.” Pream growled, “plus it was what was playing in the hallway this morning. The song is still stuck in my head. Maybe after hearing it, it’ll finally get out of my head.”
“Charlie made some friends alright.” Gun sighed in relief. “Jim is helping Mai to chase them all around. There’s a kid’s dining area out there.” All three avoided eye contact with him. “What?”
“Oooh menu!” Ploy exclaimed as if that was why she was really excited tonight. “And boy, another round of drinks please-- even for the ladies!”
They were all making fun of each singer that came and went during dinner. It kept their dinner conversation light and away from Pream and her curiosity. Can was rubbing his cheeks when the next round of drinks came. “I don’t think I can drink another beer.”
“You wuss.” Ploy said and handed him her lemon iced tea and took a huge gulp of his beer since her beer was empty already..
Can scratched the corner of his eyes, “any man would be lucky to have you as his girlfriend. Burps, belches, beer belly and all your glory.”
“It’s a good thing you can’t handle me.” Ploy said as she took another swig.
Can hiccuped, “yeah, I’ll get right on that. Let me add manly to that list too.”
Gun rubbed his eyes and Ploy clinked his glass. He looked at her, slowly the room was starting to wobble. She clinked his glass again. “Alright, alright. I heard you on the first clink.”
Pream pushed a glass of water towards his hand, “we can’t have both of you drunk. Ploy is smaller than me. We won’t be able to hold you guys up.”
“Manly.” Can said with a burp, “small and manly.”
Pream laughed, “I hope that’s not your pick-up line to her.”
“Ugh. Like it would work!” Ploy said as she gave Can a shove.
He almost tipped off his chair if Gun hadn’t caught him. But after Gun caught Can he almost fell over himself and Pream reached out and caught him by the waist of his pants instead. “Oh!” She released him and placed both hands over her mouth in an ‘oh!’ Gun caught himself on the corner of the table and righted himself. All of them ended up laughing at their little table. They began laughing so hard that the singer on stage stopped singing and just watched them.
Ploy covered Can’s mouth and Can covered her mouth with his hands. Pream and Gun looked at the both of them and covered each other’s mouth too. But they ended up doubling over in laughter in their seats. The singer gave up and walked back down to his table disappointed that he wasn’t able to finish his song. Ploy was wiping the tears from her eyes and Can snorted out loud causing the group to burst out laughing again.
The emcee cleared his throat, “I’m sorry that our singer didn’t finish his off-key version Kangsom’s song Khun Lae Khun Tao Nun (You and Only You). It’s alright though, I’m forever thankful for the table up here that stop him from singing any further, that’s right, you and only you guys at this table here.” The crowd clapped for them and they all bowed in their seats. The emcee continued, “as a thank you, I am going to bump your singer up to the top of the list. You lucky dogs you.”
Gun looked around the table. “Which one of you guys are singing?”
“I hope you sober up quick.” Ploy said as she pat his hand, “your number is up!”
He looked to his cousin who again, burped into his hands. Gun then placed his head into his hands as the emcee spoke up again.
“This is such a sweet song. Please don’t ruin it for us.” The emcee winked at Gun, “dedication to that young lady with the big eyes right?”
Pream looked at Ploy as Ploy looked at Pream. They both had large eyes and started laughing again Can eventually joined in with them. Gun was the only one not laughing.
“Okay, we’ll get the prompter ready for you. Sirasak’s Ruk Tur Nirun, if you could please mister DJ sir.” The emcee waved Gun over once he picked his head up out of his hands.
“Whoooo!” Ploy cheered, “there’s a prompter, so don’t mess this up!”
Gun got up on stage and stood there, he wobbled a little. The emcee joked, “I want to give you a stool, but I fear you just might roll off of it.” He pounded Gun on the back and laughed nearly causing Gun to lose his balance on stage. The emcee received the cue that he was ready to put on the music. Scratching his head and thanking his table for signing him up, Gun apologized to the crowd. He cleared his throat and placed the microphone back on the mic stand. He closed his eyes as the room started to spin a bit slower now. He’s going to need the mic stand for support. And the music he heard had started. Unsure of where to put his hands, he stuck them into his pockets.
“You look like a nervous school boy.” Ploy hollered.
Another woman somewhere in the crowd gave him a wolf call.
Great, he thought, now I feel like I’m up for auction. He looked back at his table and made direct eye contact with Pream who had her elbows on the table and her head resting on her hand. It looked like she was going to try and listen intently to him. Here goes nothing.
Dai yin samur nee tur chai mai
(The person I always hear is you right?)
Reu siang bai mai tee wai dtaung lom tao nun
(Or is it only the sound of the leaves rustling in the wind?)
Mae wah rao ja glai hahng gun dtae nai jai nun rao kit teung gun samur
(Though we’re far apart, in our hearts, we’re always thinking of each other)
Ja nahn kae nai tee nai mohm nee
(However long we’ll be in these corners)
Took weynahtee chun yung koy fao fao ror koy tur
(Every second I’m still waiting, waiting for you)
Can looked over at Ploy and noticed she was sniffling. “Are you crying? Why are you crying? I told you he doesn’t suck.”
No, he doesn’t suck at all Pream agreed as she watched Gun sing onstage.
“It’s so beautiful.” Ploy cried into her hands. Can laughed, he was the only sound other than Gun singing on stage. The entire room was quiet. They were all focused on Gun. Can stood up making the chair scrape the floor, Gun didn’t even bat an eye. He was still looking at Pream. Can held his hand out for Ploy. “What?”
“Let’s dance to a beautiful song.” Can bowed as she took his hand.
Can winked at his cousin on stage. Gun smiled into the mic and took his cousin’s lead, grabbing the mic he hopped off stage and held his hand out for Pream as well. Shocked her mouth fell upon first until he reached out for hand and pulled her up for a nice, slow dance.
Pream was hypnotized. She laid her head against his shoulders and sighed deeply. He smelled like one of those manly soaps men uses in the shower. There’s no way not every girl in the room right now isn’t fawning or drooling over him. And when Gun got to the last line of the song-- Pream’s heart skipped a beat and then some. Something he did to manipulate his voice was intoxicating.
Chun ja yoo peua ruk tur talod pbai mae sin lom hai jai ruk tur
(I’ll live to love you forever, even if I stop breathing, I’ll love you…)
“Whoa...” Pream murmured so softly that even Gun couldn’t hear it, “...I think I’m in love.”
Once the song was over Gun jumped up to place the microphone back on the stand and went back down to his table. All four looked around the room. Everyone still haven’t spoken anything, silence remained. You can hear the waves crashing, the kids playing, crickets chirping and whoever it was that breathed heavily from his or her mouth inhaling and exhaling.
“I’m afraid to move.” Ploy said leaning to the center of the table and gave the room another lookover.
“I think you made the emcee speechless.” Can said leaning in loser to the table as well.
Pream slowly looked left, then slowly looked right. “Why do I feel like we’re in a fish bowl with everyone wanting to tap the glass of the bowl?”
Mai and Charlie chose that moment to enter and announce that they’re going to bed. Charlie looked at all the adults in the room. “What’s going on?”
“Good night sweetie.” The all said and hugged her. Then Charlie walked away confused as there wasn’t any other movement in the room.
Everyone jumped when a dish crashed and broke somewhere in the distance. That seemed to wake everyone up from their daze and they clapped and cheered loudly for Gun.
“We should go now.” Can said getting up.
“What about dessert?” Ploy asked as they all got up.
“No can do.” He said holding on to his stomach, “I think I’m going to puke.”
Ploy hunched her back as she followed him out, “why do you have to ruin a good moment like that? We just danced to a sweet and lovely song. No. Really?”
Gun and Pream followed close by. They looked at each other and both blushed.
Gun mentally kicked himself, he was blushing like a boy in his youth.
Pream put her hand up to her check-- goodness, was she blushing like a school girl?
Ploy pinched her nose, “Oh my god. Gun, please take him. Take him away.” She began to heave as well when she saw him throwing up.
Gun waved bye to Pream and ran to get Can into a room to wash up.
Ploy shuddered. “Why? Someone is always drunk and puking around me?”
“Don’t work at a bar? Pream suggested.
“And hilarity ensues.” Ploy gave her a big yawn and waved her goodnight before entering her own room.
Pream opened the door and turned the light on to find Mai asleep on the side of the bed. She chuckled and woke the nanny up. “You can go to bed now, thanks Mai.” The nanny yawned and made her way back to her room. Pream adjusted Charlie’s blanket and grabbed a towel to shower.
Gun left Can leaning over a nearby bush as he ran to check in on his daughter. He opened the door to find his daughter already in slumber land with a large smile on her face. He gave her a quick kiss goodnight, stroked her hair lovingly and turned to leave. He then saw the instant photo from the Instax that Pream was taking the morning he bumped into her when he was out jogging. He picked one up of the waves crashing against the rock at sunrise. Did Pream give this to Charlie? He looked at his daughter who was still sleeping and slipped it into his pocket. He chuckled. Gun didn’t know if he was the wave or the rock every time they crashed into each other.
Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ---------- Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ
Can opened his eyes to the loud thumping on his door. “I’m up! I’m up!” He rolled over slowly holding on to his head. His cousin was the culprit behind the door pounding. “Yes?” He rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
“Do you mind if I take your car back?”
“What? Why?” Can asked followed by a yawn.
“Pim and Air don’t want anyone to see their face.”
“It’s ink stained, so?” Can said but he handed the keys over anyway.
Charlie ran up to the room with her Nanny and gave her dad a quick hug before running in to jump on her uncle’s bed.
“They’ve broke out into some kind of rash from it over night.” Gun rubbed his eyes, he was still tired too. ”Do you mind checking out?”
“I checked us in, I don’t see why I can’t check us out.” He waved him away. “Now leave so I could sleep some more.”
“Check out is in four hours.” Gun reminded him turning to leave, he ran back in as if he forgot something. He tackled Charlie on the bed and tickled her. He wanted to hear her giggle again before he took off. When he did, he kissed her goodbye on her forehead.
Can stopped Gun, “why don’t you ask Jim to drive you?”
“The girls don’t want anyone to see them.” Gun raised his hands up only to drop them back down. “I don’t know. I don’t care. I just want to get back home to rest before we start work again on Tuesday.”
“Okay.” Can waved him off and then turned back to his niece who was still bouncing up and down on his, “I want sleep.”
Charlie shook her head, “I want breakfast.”
“Go get your mom.” Can growled.
“She’s packing up right now.” Charlie smiled as she continued her bouncing.
Can climbed back into bed and Charlie climbed up on to him to wrestle. She sat on his back and leaned over to look at him. He popped his eyes open and flipped her over some to tickle her some more. She giggled and laughed the rest of the morning.
Pream walked over to find Can and Charlie wrestling and asked if he was already packed.
“Nah, it’s easy for me, I just toss everything in and I’m good to go.” Can laughed as Charlie bent his leg back and he tapped out.
“I went to look for you car, but it wasn’t outside.” Pream pointed over her shoulders, “I’m not quite sure where I’m supposed to put my luggages.”
“Gun took my car this morning. He had to…” Can shut his mouth and what felt like minutes he finally explained, “He had to leave now. There was some kind of work emergency he had to attend to.”
“Is he okay to drive?” Pream asked worriedly, “he didn’t get much sleep last night. I saw Jim…”
Can put Charlie to the side, “he is fine to drive. He’s slept on less hours than this.”
“Yes, that makes me feel so much better.” She sighed, “I wish he had asked for someone to keep him company so that he won’t be falling asleep on the road by himself.”
Pream smiled and went to pick her daughter up, “one last swim before we leave?” Charlie shook her head, “then what is it that you want to do?”
“Food.”
“You’re hungry? I thought you grabbed breakfast already with Mai?”
“I did, but I’m still hungry.”
Patting her daughter’s head and smiling, “alright, but when we get back home, I’m taking you to the doctor’s. It’s like you have tapeworms with the insane amount of food you’re eating for such a tiny person.”