Adventures in Thailand Ch. 08

Chapter 8: An Unexpected Revelation

It took several days for me to recover from my vigorous session with Stacy. My recovery soon turned into a total lack of female companionship. I was left to occupy my time with my teaching. Preparation and the actual teaching of the classes assigned to me took up a large portion of my time in the daytime, but leaving my nights mostly free. I wanted a return performance from any of the fair ladies that I worked with but to no avail.

During my extended period of being alone, I started feeling like there was something I was missing. There was an inner sense that I should be searching for something. This feeling had been with me ever since I arrived in Thailand. In my times alone, it seemed to grow stronger. I did my best to ignore the sensation, but it continued to nag at me in the back of my mind. Sooner or later, I knew something had to be done about the feeling.

Two weeks after my liaison with Stacy, an older man, who would have been about the same age as my father if he were still alive, appeared at the school. The mysterious stranger would not reveal the purpose of his visit to any of the secretaries. He insisted on speaking only to me. The stranger waited for me until I had finished for the evening and then invited me out to dinner.

"You're the spitting image of your father when he was your age," said the stranger after we sat down and ordered our meal at a nearby restaurant.

"No offense, but you haven't even introduced yourself and your already talking about my father," I returned slightly annoyed.

"My name is Colonel Jeff Baker. I served with your father while he was stationed in Vietnam."

"Lots of guys served with my father."

"That's true, but how many of them have his dog tags?" said the colonel as he showed me my father's ID.

"You've definitely got my attention now."

"There was something that your father wanted you to know, but wasn't allowed to tell you by your mother."

"Look, if you're going to tell me that my father did drugs while he was over here, save your breath. I could have figured that out by myself."

"As a matter of fact, your father did experiment with drugs while he was over here. That's not what I came here to tell you," returned the colonel as our food arrived.

"Please don't tell me he was involved in some sort of atrocity. The man is dead. There's no need to further soil his reputation."

"I will say this about you Jason, you have the same fire your father had. He was my best friend while we were stationed over here. I would do nothing to tarnish his memory."

"Now I'm confused about why you're actually here."

"I don't quite know how to tell you this discretely, so I'll just come out and say it. Your father had an affair with a Thai woman while he was stationed here. The result of that affair was the birth of a baby girl."

"What you're telling me is that I have a half-sister that has been kept hidden from me?"

"That's exactly what I'm telling you."

"Pardon me if I'm not a bit skeptical about this whole thing."

"I would totally understand if you didn't believe me. My suggestion is to go and have a talk with your mother. She's the one that will be able to verify my story."

"I thought you said that she didn't want me knowing about my supposed half-sister."

"I believe she will come clean if you ask her about it."

Thinking back over things, I did recall my mother being against me going to Thailand. Her excuses seemed valid at the time for not wanting me to go, but were they just to cover up something she didn't want me finding out for myself? I began to wonder if what the colonel was telling me was actually the truth.

"Let's say for argument's sake that I believe you. Where can I find my half-sister?"

"She runs an excursion business for tourists north of Chang Mai."

"I don't even know her name."

"Her Thai name is Surikorn. Your father always called her Sally."

"Have you actually met her?"

"Yes, I have. Your father left me in charge of a fairly large sum of money that was intended for her care and education. I made sure that money was properly used by Sally's mother."

"How do I know that this isn't some sort of sinister scheme to somehow get me into trouble or cause a rift between my mother and I?"

"A rift between your mother and yourself may be unavoidable once you verify the truth for yourself."

"Do you have an address for my half-sister?"

"I have a business card in both English and Thai that tells you where to find her."

"Does she know about me?"

"I have told her some about you. I didn't know much myself so I really couldn't tell her very much."

How do you think she'd react to me coming to see her?"

"Not having spent an extended period with your half-sister, I have a difficult time reading her emotions."

"I need to know for myself if she wants to see me or not."

"I've given more than enough to digest this evening Jason. You know where to find me once you're ready to move forward," said the colonel as he stood to leave. He paid for the meal and left almost as suddenly as he had come.

My emotions were tied up in knots. Why hadn't either my father or mother told me of Sally's existence? I was no longer a child and I deserved the right to know about a sibling that had been previously unknown to me. I suspected that my father had promised my mother that he would never tell me about my half-sister. My father was a man of his word, but had made a backup plan so I would eventually learn the truth. I needed to hear my mother's side of the story.

The phone rang several times before my mother answered. She seemed genuinely surprized to hear from me. We had not left on very good terms when I told her I was going to Thailand. I now realized the basis of those objections.

"Mom, I've just met a Colonel Baker and he's told me about a half-sister here in Thailand that I never knew about before."

"Jason, please try to understand, I was just trying to protect you," replied my mother after an extended silence.

"Mom I'm an adult now, when did you think I would be ready for you to tell me about Sally?"

"That's what your father called her? Your father cheated on me with another woman and now you're calling my judgment into question?"

"I'm just saying I had the right to know."

"I wasn't about to have some little slut come here looking to wreck the life I had worked so hard to build."

"That's just an excuse mom. Sally's mother never asked for a dime from either you or dad."

"I stand by my decision not to tell you. I believe I did the right thing and I would do the exact same thing if it were to happen again."

"Since you've already confirmed what Colonel Baker told me, I don't think we have anything further to discuss. You kept the truth hidden from me and aren't the least bit sorry that you did it."

"I'm sorry you feel that way Jason, but maybe you're right. Take care of yourself," said my mother as she ended the phone conversation.

I now knew one thing for certain. I had been drawn to Thailand for a reason. I had now discovered that reason. It was now my duty to try and right a wrong that had been committed against my newly discovered half-sister and myself. I owed it to my father to try and set things straight.