This is Thailand. Chapter 13: Exit of the Dragon. Part 1.

My mother has to go to the North, to her hometown. - said Piam.
-What for?
-My grandmother is 94 years old. She is losing her grip on reality. The local family doesn’t want to take care of her, so someone has to.
-How will she live there?
-She has a plan to open a small, street restaurant on the opposite side of one of the factories. -
-Aha. And she has money for it?
-Almost...
-How much doesn’t she have?
-50,000 baht. Can we lend it to her?
-Lend? The same way that I lent to your father?
-No, this will be different. She will give it back within a month. I promise!
-How will she give it back?
-I’ve thought about everything. Of course, only if you agree.
-I’m all ears.
-My mother owns 10 small pieces of farm land in the north of the country. Each is worth about 100,000 baht. She will sell one and give you back the money.
-All of this within a month? What about the buyer?
-The land will be bought by one of the banks of the farmers. Everything was checked. All we need is your decision and I can go with my mother to sign the documents in the bank.
-It sounds too good to be true. What assurances have we got that your mother won’t change her mind about giving us the money back after selling the land?
-Don’t worry, I’ve thought about everything. I agreed with my mother that we give the bank my account number, so when the bank buy the land, they will transfer the money directly to me. We take our part and give her the rest.
-Our part? 50,000?
-No, 70,000
-How come?
-I agreed with my mother that we will lend her 50,000 and she will give us back 70,000
-You lend money to your own mother with interest?
-Yes. Is there anything strange about it?
-No... What are you thinking?
-The end of the year won’t be too bad for us. The college will pay out the bonus for completion of the contract. On top of that I am starting a travel agency with Piotr. I believe we can make it.
-Does that mean you agree?
-Yes, but please remember that it’s a loan and that everything has to be sorted the way you described it. I don’t want any surprises. We can’t afford to lose this money, ok?
-Of course honey! Thank you, you are my angel!

Angel or not, I didn’t really have a choice. I could agree and risk losing the money. Piam would be happy and her mother would be happy. I’ll have a point in the eyes of her family and her mother would have her own source of income and stop pressuring her daughter into giving her money, which of course comes from my pocket.

Thai carelessness is unbelievable. No more than a month before I had paid 6000 baht for a hospital bill after an accident on a motorbike. I can’t imagine that a woman who has worked for 30 years has no savings. But then, for Thais the only thing that counts is the here and now. If they find a lot of cash on the street, there is a huge chance that they will spend it within 24 hours and give the rest to monks to increase their karma. On the next day they will be poor again. Of course I could say “no” now and before. But in that case, Piam would be unhappy and her mother would ask for more money down the line. On top of that, she would advise her daughter that I am not a good man for her because I can’t look after the family. Welcome to the Thai mentality!

**
December in the college flew by. Between semesters, I was assigned a horde of brats straight from high-school who had to pass Intensive English. I wasn’t sure if it was just my impression, but there seemed to be less classes this time. There was a Constitution Day (which meant a day off) on December 10th. Five days before that was the King’s Birthday (another day off) – the most important state holiday in Thailand. Every year, the centre of Bangkok becomes filled with a week-long parade with lots of fireworks. People prayed to all gods, demons, royal family and kneeled down as a mobile throne of the king, who had just left hospital after spending a few months in there, passed by. Add to this Christmas, which Thais generally celebrate with Christmas decorations and sales at the shopping malls, Gregorian New Year and we have a full picture of living in the coldest (with a minimum temperature of more than 80 degrees F) month in Thailand.

During the break between classes, I studied Indochina’s history and the most interesting information about the most important monuments. Together with Peter, we had just registered our travel agency. For our first group, we prepared an exclusive journey to Thailand, Burma, Cambodia and Vietnam. In the first three, I was supposed to be a local, Polish-speaking guide. Our potential earnings were supposed to cover my cost of living for 3 to 4 months. With the planned college bonus and the return of the loaned money from Piam’s mother, we could probably make it through 6 months. It would have been the first time since graduating in Europe that I would be able to support myself by working on my own. Risky, exciting, not certain – exactly the way I like it.

**
-Marek! What happened in Phuket?!? Who is this girl?!? - Piam screamed down the phone.
-What girl? What are you talking about? Relax.
-This girl... from the postcard.
-What card? - I tried to find out what was happening, my blood pressure rising at the same time.
-You received a postcard from some girl in Phuket!
-What girl? What postcard? What are you talking about? - I said, trying to buy myself some time.
-I don’t know, Nok or something. She wrote something about love.
-I don’t know any Nok. I don’t know anything about any postcard. Calm down, when I come back, I’ll take a look ok?
-Ok, but you better explain everything!
-Sure, see you later.

A postcard from Nok about love. That wasn’t planned! I am such a moron! I totally forgot that my home address was on my business card. I shouldn’t be giving my cards away like confetti. I didn’t believe in her love, but Buddha only knows what she had written. I could be in serious trouble. I ran straight home from work, knowing that Piam would be with Apple at the playground. There was a postcard sent from Dusit Thani Laguna Phuket, written by Nok on the table. The contents were some kind of lyrics composition in English. That meaning was more or less like this: I shouldn’t change, because only when you are faithful to yourself can you be really successful in business and love. Ufff, nothing personal! I lied to Piam, telling her that it was one of the managers from the hotel sending me a Christmas card. It got warm, but this time I managed to get away with it...

TO BE CONTINUED...