thank you so much thatsouthernasianchick ! i woke to find your wonderful update ! i love how the story is progressing : puthanate accidental meet with mae jieb, the two-timer chaiyapol and our cute boys discovery of bangkok. your photography skills came in with the description of the afternoon rays on the temple i can picture it ! im looking forward to further reads especially how nadech will chance upon urassaya again and their love. love your story, with appreciation.
Rachatayard (The Heir)- CH.11 11/26/14
- Thread starter thatsouthernasianchick
- Start date
thatsouthernasianchick
sarNie Adult
Aww!!! Thank you so much!!!Vimalee said:
I wish I could write stories for lakorn producers!
thatsouthernasianchick
sarNie Adult
Thanks for keeping up with this one!keylargo said:
I'm trying to build their emotions and feelings.
thatsouthernasianchick
sarNie Adult
Chapter Nine
"Here."
Mae Jieb handed Puthanate a bowl of water she had scooped from her water barrel on her porch. Puthanate thanked her and stared at his reflection in the bowl of water, then looked up at her again and smiled.
"Don't worry," said Mae Jieb. "The water is clean. As a matter of fact, it is from the sky; when it rains, I preserve the rainwater in a barrel for drinking."
"I didn't mean it like that," said Puthanate, taking a huge gulp immediately afterwards.
It had been many, many years since he had drunk out of a bowl made of coconut shell. It made him think of his youth years of when he first visited the village, where his surroundings now had completely changed over the years.
"This place has changed a lot," he blurted.
"Chai," Mae Jieb agreed. "We don't need anyone to change it anymore. We grow naturally."
Puthanate was going to say that he didn't mean it like that either but thought it better not to because Mae Jieb wasn't going to believe him anyway. He was now looking forward to a few more extra days here since Por Yai had left the village again. The thought of it worried him a bit because there was no way the villagers were going to welcome and accept him.
"Since none of the villagers will take you, I guess you will have to stay that hotel again, the one where you stayed last time," said Mae Jieb. "But, it's about to get dark now so I will allow you to stay here for a night."
Puthanate's face lit up.
"But, you are not allowed to enter my house," said Mae Jieb. "You may make yourself comfortable on that cot there."
She pointed at the straw cot right in front of her raised porch. Puthanate's smile turned upside down quick but he thanked Mae Jieb anyway. It was better than nothing.
"I will bring you some blankets and a pillow," she said.
Puthanate thanked her again and was even more relieved when she added, "I suggest you go bathe and go inside and change now before it is dark; I don't want the villagers to be mistaken in anyway having you in my house this late."
"Krub," and he added smile.
As he had done for the past nights in Bangkok, Nadech lied on his back, his head rested on his folded hands, and gazed at the stars in the sky. He missed his mother a lot. How was she doing? Since he was born, Nadech was never away from his mother for this long and he missed her more than anything. He misses Barn Nam Tok and the villagers. Nadech misses the sound of nature that put him to sleep at night. Now, all he could hear were the rumbling engines of vehicles that were on the road late at night.
"There you are."
Nadech looked up to see Toey, who took a seat next to him and looked up at the sky too.
"Kid teung barn," he said.
"Toey," said Nadech.
Toey grunted to tell Nadech that he was listening.
"Do you think our land is arable?" Nadech asked.
Toey sat up, "what do you mean?"
"I mean, do you think the lands at the foot of our mountains are arable, suitable for farming?" Nadech asked.
"I don't know," Toey replied, and went into thinking. "Maybe...
"What if I said we could have an open-air market in our village too?" asked Nadech.
"Ja wai ler?" asked Toey. "Do you think we could do that?"
"We can do anything we put our minds into," Nadech answered.
That wasn't exactly the answer Toey was expecting but it surely made him think of the possibilities and outcome. Besides, they both agreed earlier that their village shouldn't rely solely on coconut exports. Seeing the many produces and things Bangkok had to offer, they were sure to expand their horizons and try to go a little beyond ways to help with the progression of their village.
"I want to stay here for a little while," Nadech said all of a sudden.
Toey was a bit shocked but he sort of already knew what Nadech had in mind.
"I want to find a job here and save up a little money so we can see where our ideas can take us," Nadech explained. "I think if we can start somewhere, we must do it."
"I agree with you," said Toey. "I want to work too. We must do it for our village."
"Let's set our time period for six months," Nadech suggested. "Let's see what we can do and where our plans will take us before we take action."
Toey nodded and agreed again that it was indeed a great idea. Finally, they had an initial plan.
Where to start was a the first thing that came to their minds the following morning. Snagging a job wasn't as easy as fishing and in addition to their non-existent education background and work experiences, it would be even more difficult. However, Nadech wasn't picky. A job is a job and if he could get one by the day of the day, it would be a blessing.
"Yes, drive, do you know how to drive?"
Nadech and Toey exchanged looks. Out of all of the positions they could imagine, a food-delivery driver was their only option.
"But we don't know the way around here, P'Dech," Toey whispered to Nadech.
This was their first stop of the day of their job search and Nadech wasn't going to let the offer slip away easily, so he nodded to accept.
"Great," said the restaurant manager. "But, I can only hire one of you."
"I think it's better if I wait for you here," said Toey.
"Gaw dai," said Nadech.
"If that's so, I'll let you try it out today, right now, and if you do well, I will give you a vest so you can officially become an employee of our restaurant," the manager explained.
"Krub," said Nadech.
"My name is P'Joe," said the restaurant manager. "If you have any questions, ask me."
"Krub," Nadech replied.
"You sure you know how to drive a tuk-tuk?" P'Joe asked, reassuringly.
"Krub," Nadech replied again.
"Great," said P'Joe. "So, you will need to know that you are being timed. Each delivery should not exceed 40 minutes."
Nadech nodded to show he understood. Soon, he was delivering his first order.
"Bangkok Condominiums," Nadech read on the note pinned to the brown bag of food. "Room 407."
He detached the slip of paper and stuffed it in his pocket for the convenience of looking at it again if he had to. He should not exceed 40 minutes. Nadech's best bet was asking around to see where Bangkok Condominiums were because if he had to find it himself, there was no way he would be able to deliver the food.
Twenty minutes later, Nadech was still driving around the city with the order. He had only 20 minutes left. Nadech was beginning to sweat due to the rising temperatures at noon. He was thirsty and hungry but he had to deliver this food before exceeding the time limit.
"Around that corner to your right," a little old woman told him.
Nadech thanked her and went into the direction she had pointed towards. Ah! At last! Nadech saw the tall sign that read "Bangkok Condominiums" from a distance and sped towards it without looking both directions. Afterwards, he didn't remember a single thing...
Nadech woke up in a hospital room on a stretcher. When he opened his eyes, he immediately noticed the two shadows at his side. He tried to get up but his left arm hurt so bad and it was then he realized he was wearing a cast. His vision suddenly became clear and beside him was none other than Urassaya and her friend, Sara. Nadech took a deep breath and calmly asked, "what happened?"
"I accidentally hit you," Urassaya said in an apologetic tone. "I'm sorry. You turned so fast and I didn't see and I was picking up Sara's call and then...
"Stop it," said Nadech. "It's not entirely your fault. I should've watched where I was going."
Nadech tried to get up again but both women told him to stay put.
"You need to rest," said Sara.
"Mai dai," said Nadech. "I have work to do. P'Joe is probably really upset with me right now. I have to get back to the restaurant."
"Don't tell me you work at White Lotus Authentic Thai," said Sara.
"Chai," answered Nadech. "Why?"
"Because that order you were delivering was for me," Sara replied. "But, why weren't you wearing a vest? I couldn't tell where you worked."
"Because today was my first day and that order was my first delivery," and Nadech went on to explain how he would've gotten the vest if he had done a good job.
"I had a feeling that was my order," said Sara.
"Why do you say that?" asked Urassaya.
"Because when I called to ask what you wanted for lunch, you said Thai," replied Sara. "And, that's the only restaurant I order Thai food from and it was supposed to come in right around the time you were to arrive."
It all made sense now. The whole time, Nadech was supposedly to deliver to these two women. Was this destiny or fate? Nadech didn't have time to answer that for himself right now because he was too busy thinking about what he will do next. Then, there was Toey, who was probably worried sick about him right now.
"I have to go," said Nadech, trying to push himself up.
He must force himself to get out of that stretchers somewhere.
"Your legs," said Urassaya.
And then Nadech felt the sharp pain in his legs. He gulped and fell back on the stretcher. Nadech breathed heavily but silently in pain.
"I'm sorry," Urassaya repeated. "The tuk-tuk fell on your legs. But, don't worry because doctor said it will heal in no time."
"I must apologize too," said Sara.
"Mai bpen rai," said Nadech.
He couldn't blame them. It was their fault. He took it that it was probably destiny and his fate. Whatever it was, he couldn't just blame them for his bad luck. They were humans just like him and besides, he can't blame innocent people. Unlike the Urassaya he had met in the forest weeks ago, the one standing beside him now expressed sincere apologies through her eyes. Nadech was slightly impressed and surprised.
I really like Nadech's character here. His long term business acumen is realistic and all for improvement to his village. I'd say he has leadership qualities. Aww trying his best in his first job and what an unfortunate and painful accident ! The best part he doesnt put the blame on Urassaya and Sara ! I hope Urassaya's consciousness will take good care of him till he recovers and its when they'll fall in love. I'll love to read their love, forbidden and very sweet. Thank you for the update Thatsouthernasianchick, appreciate and enjoy it lots !
thatsouthernasianchick
sarNie Adult
Chapter 10
Slowly moving forward is better than not moving at all, Toey told a grumpy Nadech the following morning. He handed Nadech some chicken congee he had bought from a nearby vendor that was around the corner from the hospital. When Nadech turned his head the other way, Toey sighed and put the bag on the rolling tray beside him and began to unwrap the contents.
“You’ve got to eat,” Toey told him, transferring the congee from the bag to a small bowl.
He put the spoon in the bowl and handed it to his buddy.
“Don’t make me feed you,” said Toey.
“I’m not hungry,” said Nadech.
“But you haven’t had anything to eat since you were admitted to the hospital yesterday,” Toey argued.
“Just leave it there,” said Nadech, not turning to look at Toey. “I’ll eat it later.”
“If you don’t eat, how are you going to have the strength to pursue our goal?” Toey asked him.
“I just want to get out of here,” said Nadech, totally ignoring Toey’s question.
He finally turned to face Toey with a rather annoyed expression. Toey finally understood Nadech’s behavior. It wasn’t time that he was worried about…it was money.
“You’re worried you won’t have enough money for your medical bills, huh?” Toey asked him.
“I would rather use my money on our village, something useful, not on myself like this,” Nadech replied.
“Then you shouldn’t worry.”
Toey and Nadech turned to the door to see Urassaya and Sara walk in.
“I’ve already taken care of that,” said Urassaya. “You should just rest and eat normally for a speedy recovery because not complying with either just lengthens your hospital stay.”
“Why did you do that?” Nadech asked her.
“Because I am the one that’s responsible for your injuries,” Urassaya replied.
Nadech turned to Toey, whom he suspected knew of this already and didn’t inform him of it beforehand. Toey forced a shy smile and stepped back a step or two so the women could have some space.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Nadech asked his supposedly best friend.
“I told him not to,” Urassaya replied.
“You requested for a special room for me and even a personal care nurse,” Nadech began. “It must be a lot of money. I don’t think I have enough money to repay you.”
“You don’t have to repay anyone,” said Sara. “Just take care of yourself.”
“My friend is right,” Urassaya agreed. “Don’t be considerate. Don’t be stubborn.”
“Look, they’re right,” said Toey, stepping forward with hands on his hips. “Before worrying about our village projects, you should worry about yourself first. How are we supposed to move forward if you’re stalling yourself?”
Nadech was silent for a little while and then slightly smiled, “Khob jai maak.”
Urassaya smiled too and turned to grab the bowl of chicken congee.
“Now, should I feed you or what?”
Nadech smiled and replied that he could feed himself.
When all was settled, Sara excused herself for work. At the same time, Toey announced that he had to go update the head monk at the temple where they were temporarily staying. Sara offered to drive him and Toey gladly accepted the offer.
“See you later,” Toey said to Nadech.
Nadech thanked him and Sara before watching them walk out of the door.
“So…
Urassaya pulled up a chair and sat down beside him.
“How are you feeling? Any better?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Nadech slightly smiled. “Thank you again.”
“Didn’t I just say don’t be considerate?” said Urassaya. “It’s not like we don’t know each other. You’ve helped me before too.”
“It’s just a small matter,” said Nadech. “Don’t mention it.”
“Let’s be friends,” Urassaya suggested.
Nadech paused, staring at her as several thoughts ran through his mind. He was suddenly reminded of Urassaya’s fiance escorting that unknown woman from the other day. Why did he think of that? He did not know.
“’Course,” he finally replied.
“Great!” Urassaya exclaimed. “It’s funny how our quarrels and coincidences made us know each other better.”
Nadech was thinking the same thing. He was happy too.
“So…what brings you to Bangkok?” she asked him.
“My village,” he replied.
“What about it?”
Nadech thought it better not to tell her. It was probably best to keep his plans to himself for now. Not that he didn’t trust her, but knowing what kind of person she was so far, he didn’t want her to ‘help’.
“I’m just…trying to find a job to learn new things and better myself,” he replied.
“Oh, I see,” said Urassaya. “If you need my help, please don’t hesitate to let me know.”
That was exactly what he was afraid of. He didn’t want or need her help. He wanted to figure out and do things on his own. Besides, if she was to be involved in this matter, it would be risky to not assume others will be too.
“Are you okay?” she asked, placing one hand over his forehead. “You’re not warm.”
“I’m fine,” he replied. “You shouldn’t be wasting your time here.”
“Why?” asked Urassaya. “You’re my friend. Is it wrong to visit you?”
“No,” Nadech quickly replied. “I mean, yes…it’s just that…
“If you want me to leave, then just say so,” Urassaya interrupted.
She got up and left before Nadech could say anything. From the last glance she gave him, he could tell she was upset. Darn it! He shouldn’t have replied in such a misleading manner.
“Mae Jieb! Mae Jieb!”
At noon, Mae Jieb was brought to the front porch of her house by the calls of Mae Wath, an older lady that was probably five or six years her senior. As she descended the steps of her porch, Mae Jieb noticed the gray skies.
“Mae Wath! What are you doing out? It seems there will be a storm soon!” Mae Jieb exclaimed.
“I’m here to tell you that your guest has wandered into the forest!” Mae Wath replied. “That hi-so guy…I saw him go into the forest earlier.”
“Who did he go with?” Mae Jieb asked.
“No one,” replied Mae Wath. “He was by himself.”
“Oh no!” Mae Jieb exclaimed. “It’s about to pour down. I’ve got to go find him.”
“Be careful!” Mae Wath warned.
She turned around and left before Mae Jieb could thank her for the news. Mae Jieb tried not to panic and thought of a plan. If she just let the hi-so guy wander in the forest like that, he surely wouldn’t be able to escape the storm. She had to go get him.
“Khun hi-so!” she called out to him when she was in the forest.
She then remembered his name to be Puthanate.
“Khun Puthanate! Where are you?!” she called even louder this time.
The sky overhead rumbled again. It was extremely warm and dense in the forest and it was getting darker by the minutes. She had to find him quick or she will be stuck in the storm too.
“Khun Puthanate! Are you around here?!” she yelled through the tall bushes and trees.
“Mae Jieb!” a panic-stricken Puthanate ran replied.
He ran towards her and wiped the sweat off of his youthful 40-something face.
“What’re you doing here?” he asked her.
“Looking for you!” Mae Jieb replied hastily. “It’s about to pour down; that’s why I came to find you!”
“Well, let’s go,” said Puthanate.
Thunder struck again and it began to drizzle, indicating that a major downpour was imminent.
“We’re not going to make it back in time,” Puthanate said, throwing his arms over to shield Mae Jieb from getting wet.
“We’ve got to find the nearest shelter,” he said.
Mae Jieb pointed out that the nearest shelter was a cave near the waterfall. Puthanate apologized beforehand and wrapped his right arm around Mae Jieb’s waist to escort her through the bushes and trees and rain, which was beginning to drizzle harder and harder. Mae Jieb provided directions to the cave as Puthanate steered her and kept her from tripping and falling over the branches on the ground.
“Mae!”
Nadech awoke to find himself still on the stretcher in the hospital. His face was completely covered in cold sweat and he was breathing heavily for he just had a bad dream.
“You alright?”
Nadech looked over to his left side to see Toey standing up from the sofa.
“I’m fine,” Nadech lied.
He wasn’t in the mood to answer any questions and hoped that Toey would stop questioning him.
“Seems like you had a bad dream,” Toey guessed.
Nadech nodded. Toey handed him a glass of water and Nadech gulped down about half of it. To his surprise, it made him feel much better, but he still couldn’t stop thinking about his mother.
“You sure you okay?” Toey asked him reassuringly.
“Yeah,” Nadech replied and lied down on his right side, facing the window.
He was scared to go back to sleep. Knowing Nadech wasn’t in a good mood, Toey stopped questioning him and let him rest.
thatsouthernasianchick
sarNie Adult
Thank you very much.fea4567 said:
Glad to see you're interested.thatsouthernasianchick
sarNie Adult
Chapter 11
You’re thinking too much, Urassaya told herself as she paced back and forth in her bedroom. Four days. It had been four days since she had heard or seen Chaiyapol, her supposed fiance who she know doubted she still had feelings for. Or…did she even have feelings for him in the first place to begin with or was it all just some sort of joke that she played on herself because she was all too familiar with him since their families were close? Urassaya was reminded of the time when Chaiyapol made her angry and they reconciled about a week after when Chaiyapol showed up at the entrance of her house with a bouquet of bright red roses. Maybe he’s just busy and overloaded with work, she thought.
“You go to the company and you never see him and he never calls you,” Urassaya remembered Sara telling her the day before. “What kind of couple are you two really?”
Urassaya then proceeded to defend Chaiyapol that he is a good guy, which Sara thought was the lamest thing Urassaya had ever said. Just as she was still contemplating on whether or not to call Chaiyapol, there was a soft rapping noise on her bedroom door.
“Come in,” Urassaya called out.
The door swung open and in came Mali, Urassaya’s favorite servant.
“Aow, P’Mali,” said Urassaya, acknowledging her presence.
“Khun Noo ka, Khun Chaiyapol is downstairs waiting for you ka,” said Mali.
“Uh…okay ka, thank you ka,” Urassaya thanked her and watched Mali walk out the door.
Urassaya was slightly surprised. Why on Earth would he show up at her house without any prior notification?
“Because it wouldn’t be a surprise,” said a grinning Chaiyapol several minutes later when Urassaya went downstairs to greet him in the living room.
She joined him at the adjacent sofa and asked of his whereabouts the past several days.
“I went out of town to take care of some business,” he replied.
“How come the office didn’t mention anything to me when I went up there two days ago?” Urassaya asked, trying to remember if anyone had said anything at all regarding Chaiyapol’s whereabouts.
“Because I didn’t tell anyone,” he replied. “Forget it.”
He held up the bouquet of assorted colored roses and handed it to her with the broadest smile.
“Suay mai?” he asked her.
“Suay ka,” Urassaya replied, thanking him for the bouquet.
She set them on the coffee table across from them.
“Sorry I didn’t contact you while I was out,” he apologized. “But I was really busy…and my Dad isn’t in town either.”
“Well, where is he?” Urassaya asked, totally forgetting about Uncle Puthanate.
“He’s out of town for business too,” replied Chaiyapol. “So what have you been up to? I heard the maids telling me that you’ve been out with Sara a lot lately.”
“Ka,” said Urassaya.
“Well, if you have any plans with her today, tell her you need to cancel,” said Chaiyapol, getting up.
“Why?” asked Urassaya, getting up too.
“Because you’re gonna be stuck with me all day,” he replied. “Come on, let’s go have lunch.”
Urassaya remembered that she had promised Nadech and Toey that she would see them later at the hospital. It was also very important that she went today because Nadech would be promptly released at noon.
“Well, let me go get ready,” Urassaya told Chaiyapol.
“Ja,” he said sweetly with a smile.
As soon as she was in her bedroom, Urassaya called Sara to inform her that she wouldn’t be able to make it to the hospital today. Luckily, Sara didn’t have any activities until later that night so she gladly accepted to pick up Nadech from the hospital.
Chaiyapol was waiting at the door in the foyer when Urassaya descended the stairs. He escorted her to his car and they decided on Japanese cuisine for lunch.
“Sorry, I’m late!”
Sara burst into the hospital room but there was no one there.
“Aow,” she said to herself. “Khun Nadech, Khun Toey ka.”
She walked slowly walked towards the restroom and slowly opened the door to see Toey peeing.
“WAI!!!”
“HEY!!! WHAT THE…WHAT ARE…
“EEEE!!!” Sara quickly slammed the door shut while Toey flushed the toilet and quickly zipped up his pants to follow her out into the room.
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” he bellowed at her.
“I’M THE ONE THAT SHOULD ASK YOU! NA GLIED!” Sara shot back, still covering half of her face.
“I…OH…
Toey laughed and stepped closer towards her.
“Come on now, don’t like you’ve never seen one,” he said to her, picking her hand away from her face.
She pushed him away.
“How could you say that?!” she yelled.
“Well because you’re a model aren’t you? A dara, so I assume you’ve seen plenty,” said Toey, sniggering.
“Aie baa!” She hit him several times as he shielded himself.
“Stop! Stop!” he yelled. “You’re so tiny yet you hit so hard! Who’s gonna want you as a wife?!”
Sara repeatedly hit him harder this time just in time for Nadech to walk in and break them up.
“What’s going on?” he asked calmly.
“She peeped me while I was peeing!” Toey replied automatically, pointing at the gaping Sara.
“I didn’t peep you! You were the one that didn’t answer to me when I called you!” Sara argued.
“You…!
“Alright, alright,” said Nadech, exhaling loudly. “That’s enough.”
“How about you? Where’ve you been? Why weren’t you in the room?” Sara questioned him.
“I went to speak with the doctor,” Nadech replied.
“What are you doing here?” Toey asked her, massaging his sore shoulders where she had attacked him.
“I came to pick you two up,” Sara replied.
“For what?” asked Toey.
“Because it’s my responsibility,” Sara replied.
“You didn’t have to do that,” said Nadech. “We can check ourselves out. You and your friend have done a lot for us. You two even paid for my hospital bills.”
“Well, I can’t just leave you here in the hospital like that either,” said Sara. “So, let’s go.”
Toey and Nadech exchanged glances. Whatever.
“Slowly, careful.”
Mae Ward and Phai helped escort Mae Jieb into her home as Puthanate watched and followed.
“Khob jai ja,” Mae Jieb the couple for their assistance.
“Mai bpen rai,” said Phai. “It’s really because of that city guy. I don’t understand why you’re letting him stay here when he doesn’t belong with us. He’s already bringing you a lot of trouble.”
“Chai,” Mae Ward agreed.
“I’m sorry,” said Puthanate. “But I do really need to see Por Yai. It is very important that I do. Please let me stay here until he returns.”
“It’s not your fault,” said Mae Jieb. “You didn’t know it was going to rain. Mae Ward, Phai, please don’t blame him.”
Phai nodded once and excused himself to tend to his chores, leaving Mae Ward to take care of Mae Jieb.
“Lucky you don’t have a fever,” said Mae Ward. “Just a sprained ankle.”
“But she is also prone to a fever na krub,” said Puthanate. “To be cautious and prevent that, I think she should take some medicine. I have some that I brought with me. I’ll go get it now.”
Puthanate disappeared and Mae Ward turned to Mae Jieb.
“You’re really letting him stay here?” she asked. “If Nadech finds out, he’ll be very angry.”
“If I don’t let him stay here, where will he stay?” asked Mae Jieb. “No one here welcomes him.”
“But he could be a burden to you,” said Mae Ward.
“Por Yai will be back tomorrow or the day after,” said Mae Jieb. “Just a day or two more, I can handle it.”
Mae Ward exhaled loudly and nodded.
“If that’s so, I’ll stay here with you to keep you company tonight,” she offered. “Just you and that city guy, it’s not very appropriate to public eyes.”
“Ja,” said Mae Jieb. “Khob jai na ja.”
Puthanate returned with his bottle of acetaminophen pills and handed two of them to Mae Jieb along with a cup of water. Mae Ward stared at it and advised Mae Jieb not to take it.
“It could be poison,” said Mae Ward.
“Please, it’s not poison,” said Puthanate. “It will really help Khun Jieb na krub.”
“Mae Jieb, don’t take it,” said Mae Ward. “We all don’t know his true intentions.”
“If I wanted to hurt anybody, I would’ve done so a long time ago,” said Puthanate. “And if I wanted to harm Khun Jieb, I would’ve done so in the forest while we were stuck in that cave.”
“But you’re still not trustworthy!” Mae Ward’s voice was rising. “Mae Jieb, don’t take that medicine.”
Mae Jieb stared at the two white inch long pills and looked away.
“I’m fine,” she said. “I’ll just have water and go to sleep. Mae Ward already applied some herbs to my sprain so I should be just fine by tomorrow morning.”
Puthanate nodded and sadly walked out with disappointment. He only wanted to help. Was he that untrustworthy of a person that even the sweetest woman in the village cannot see through his sincere kindness? Come to think of it, it was his own fault that the villagers did not trust him. If he hadn’t approached them the wrong way…If he hadn’t shown up with his ideas of modernizing the village…for his own purposes. Yes, that was the original intent. He wanted to expand his company to attract a larger crowd of foreign tourists. Now, he didn’t have the heart to do so anymore.
“This is my condo, come in.”
Nadech and Toey followed Sara into a very spacious and modern living room.
“Oho!” Toey gasped.
“Please make yourselves at home,” said Sara, walking into the kitchen.
“Really, you should’ve taken us back to the temple,” said Nadech. “We shouldn’t be a burden to you…and it’s also inappropriate for two guys to stay with one woman.”
“Chai,” Toey agreed. “Aren’t you afraid of the press?”
“No,” Sara replied. “Relax. I’m not the only one that stays here. Urassaya frequently stays here too and plus, this is a private residence. Without my permission, no outsiders are allowed to enter my condo.”
She handed them two glasses of water.
“Oh, and I’ll be out tonight for a lakorn closing party,” she told them. “If you two are hungry, there’s plenty of instant food in the refrigerator. Just warm it up and help yourselves.”
“How do you warm it up?” asked Toey.
“Really?” asked Sara, with a blank expression. “Come here.”
In about less than a minute, she had taught Toey how to use a microwave.
“Hmm…we should have these in our village, Aie Dech,” said Toey.
“For what? These things are not just expensive but also consume a lot of energy,” said Nadech. “Our fixed way of living, the natural way, is likeable.”
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll excuse myself now,” said Sara.
“Aow khun, I thought you said the party was tonight,” said Toey.
“But I have to go three hours early to do my makeup and prepare for the press,” said Sara.
“Wow,” said Toey. “So this is what the dara life is all about.”
Sara left the condo, leaving Nadech and Toey in the living room. It was quite boring and quiet, except for the only sounds of their breathing. Toey collapsed onto the couch across from the coffee table and entertainment set.
“It’s pretty nice here,” he said.
“It is,” Nadech agreed. “But home is better.”
Urassaya thanked Chaiyapol for the day and after dinner, which was very unsatisfying to Urassaya, requested that he dropped her off at her condo instead of her home. She had much to confide with Sara and was ready to prove her best friend wrong. Urassaya was glad that she and Chaiyapol established an understanding and contrary to Sara’s predictions, they might work out after all.
Chaiyapol insisted to walk Urassaya to the door so she did not want to disappoint him. When they got there, Urassaya unlocked the door to the aroma of food.
“Sara is here?” Chaiyapol asked Urassaya. “Then, I’ll get going since you have your friend.”
“Ka, P’Pol,” Urassaya thanked him and shut the door.
On her way to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water, Urassaya was frozen in her tracks at the sight of Nadech and Toey, dining at the table.
“How did you…what are you doing here?” she asked them.
“Your friend brought us here,” Toey replied. “She went to some party.”
“I know ya,” said Urassaya in a sassy tone, putting her hands on her hips. “I just didn’t expect to see you two here.”
“It’s good that you’re here now,” said Nadech, standing up from the table. “Can you take us back to the temple?”
“No,” replied Urassaya. “I don’t have my car.”
“Well, how did you get here?” asked Toey.
“My fiance dropped me off,” Urassaya replied.
“Hey!” Toey exclaimed, standing up. “Well, does he know that we’re here?!”
“Why do you have to be afraid, Aie Toey?” asked Nadech. “It’s not like we did anything wrong.”
“No, he doesn’t,” Urassaya replied.
“That’s better,” said Toey, sitting back down. “What’s all that?”
He noticed the shopping bags in her hands and Urassaya replied that it was none of their business.
“I went shopping with P’Pol,” she told them. “Well, what are you two eating? Looks delicious.”
“Noodles,” replied Toey. “Don’t tell me your fiance didn’t take you out to eat after shopping.”
“We had lunch and dinner together ya,” she sassily replied. “But dinner was horrible. I’m telling you I’m never at that seafood place again.”
Nadech sniggered, “there’s no ocean or sea nearby in Bangkok so of course the seafood will not be fresh.”
“Roo dee na,” said Urassaya.
“Well, what do you want to eat?” asked Nadech. “I’ll make it for you.”
Urassaya gave him a surprised look, “You know how to use the kitchen?”
“Aow khun, how could you say that?” asked Toey, feeling slightly offended. “What do you mean?”
“Well, you guys are from the village so I thought…
“It’s not hard to figure out things around here,” said Nadech.
“Well, I’ll have whatever you two are having,” said Urassaya finally.
“You want it spicy?” asked Nadech.
“I don’t care,” replied Urassaya. “Whatever.”
Thank you very much thatsouthernasianchick for the long update, expanding all the characters, each couple engrossing. Wonder what Chaiyapol has up his sleeves, being away.
Wishing you Happy Thanksgiving and taking this opportunity to thank you for your efforts and sharing your talents in giving us the joy of reading your ffs.
Wishing you Happy Thanksgiving and taking this opportunity to thank you for your efforts and sharing your talents in giving us the joy of reading your ffs.