Love Around the World 02: Bangkok

When I woke up in the morning, she was still in bed with me, fast asleep. I watched her until she must have sensed I was awake, her eyes slowly opening. Greeting me with a kiss was a surprise before she suggested we should shower, eat and then I could take her to the nearest station. We had some fun in the shower, and I think I earned more brownie points as I wanted her to orgasm one last time. Breakfast was the typical fare you'd find in an intercontinental hotel before I escorted her to the metro station so she could ride it home to where she lived.

Sharing a last hug, we didn't swap information. I was nothing but a customer, and I almost thought of a movie or two, that she was a working girl with the heart of gold. I'd settled the payment before she'd left with me the night before. She proved her heart of gold when opening her purse and handing me the money back.

"I can't keep it," she whispered, "If you find a girl to love and treat her like you treated me... It was only for a few hours, Mark, but I didn't feel cheap or used the entire time." She lifted her eyes towards mine. "Men like you are not the only people who sometimes need love and affection."

Hugging her tightly, I couldn't really offer her words of encouragement that wouldn't sound hollow. Instead, I simply hoped she would stay safe and that, if I ever ended up in the same establishment, I would definitely hope she was working so I could say hello. The metro train arrived, and she let me go, turning and boarding without a backward glance.

The night with Dara left me with a sense of melancholy, the fact I was now divorced and single, and the one thing I wanted in my life was someone to share it with. I resolved to sort things out, and the first thing I needed to do was get out of the hotel and into an apartment complex.

It took a little time though as it was something I wasn't going to rush. I participated in more than one viewing and wouldn't allow the agents to push me into something that didn't feel right. Two more months passed by living in the hotel before I finally found the place I wanted. A relatively new build, mostly full of hard-working Thai people, in a part of the city away from the touristy hustle and bustle.

Moving in day was interesting as I'd already purchased the furniture I needed, keeping it in storage until I had a place to move into. I didn't miss the curious glances from many of my neighbours as I helped the removalists carry everything to the top floor. It was a comfortable two-bedroom apartment. Spacious living room and dining area with modern kitchen, the living room leading out to the balcony providing a spectacular view of Bangkok. A master bedroom with ensuite and a second bedroom, with a smaller bathroom and separate toilet.

Settling into my new apartment over the next couple of days, I didn't miss the fact and enjoyed it that I was the only non-Thai face at the local supermarket, and I found more than one bar nearby that nearly fell silent the first time I walked in until I proved I could do more than just order a beer in the local language.

"Why you living here?" I heard a voice ask me one afternoon as I was returning to my apartment with some groceries. I stopped walking towards the elevator as I turned to see a group of old women sitting near the entrance.

"I'm sorry?" I asked in English.

"Why you here?" the same voice asked, taking note of who was asking. I'd guess the women were all late fifties or early sixties. Everyone I'd met so far had been nothing but friendly. Granted, I'd played up the oblivious newcomer at times, but let slip that I could speak a little Thai.

"What do you mean?"

"This apartment complex. Thai people. Where are you from?"

"Australia. I live here now."

"Why?"

I'd give her credit. She was certainly insistent. I wasn't offended by any means. I figured she was curious, but her limited English made her sound rather abrupt.

"Would you like the whole story or just the bullet points?" I asked in Thai. That led to instant nattering among their group as they were no doubt wondering who I was now. "I mean, if you're wondering why I moved into this apartment complex, it's everything I wanted. Location is excellent. The apartment is fantastic. And it's full of friendly and welcoming local people."

The nattering soon turned to smiles. Even the woman who'd been questioning me couldn't help smiling somewhat ruefully as my Thai had been fluent.

"I'm aware some of you might worry about my presence, perhaps thinking it'll lead to changes here. I doubt it really. I haven't seen another non-Thai person in this area of the city since moving here. I like that fact." I paused for effect before meeting the woman in her eyes. "Feel like a giant, really."

"He is very tall," one of the women stated.

"Handsome too," another one added before realising I understood, which led to plenty of laughter and giggling.

"You ladies have a good afternoon and evening. I'd better get this food upstairs." I turned towards the elevator before I stepped back and looked at them. "My name is Mark by the way. I live on the top floor. I hope to see you all again soon."

I saw them sooner than I imagined as I was sitting back watching some television later that evening, sipping at a beer, hoping to stream some sport from back in Australia, when there was a knock at the door. Very few people knew where I lived, opening the door to find the same gaggle of women from earlier, all of them now wearing their best smiles and each was carrying a dish in their hands.

Stepping aside, I knew there was no chance I'd win the argument of not really needing anything as they walked in, six voices talking over each other as they walked towards my kitchen. There were compliments and criticisms as the dinner table was soon covered in a cloth, places were set, and the lady who'd been questioning took my hand and ensured I was sat down first.

"Sorry," she said softly, "I was rude but my English..."

I held her hand as I shook my head. "I understand. You were curious," I answered in Thai, figuring we wouldn't be using English much, "I wasn't offended. Please, all of you, take a seat. You have my thanks for preparing this for me. I'm curious as to why myself..."

After they all introduced themselves, they explained that my arrival hadn't gone unnoticed, and they'd been rather curious about me for the past couple of weeks. Admitting they were nervous about talking to me, as only the woman who asked the questions actually spoke English, they eventually thought they'd just gather together and grab me when I arrived home.

There were the usual questions about my life before asking about my relationship status, telling them about my divorce, my decision to leave Australia and why I'd chosen Bangkok.

"You want to meet pretty Thai girl?" Lawan asked. The question was in English.

"I'm sure I'll probably meet many pretty Thai girls. I'll admit that I don't want to spend the rest of my life alone. Though girls I meet are friendly, I reckon they're rather wary of me, perhaps wondering as to my intentions."

I didn't miss the glances all six of the women shared and I nearly gulped in sheer terror as six eyes turned towards me, all of them smiling, and I was left wondering what the hell they'd just agreed to without exchanging a single word.

Dinner was fantastic and I was amazed at how easily the conversation flowed. All six of them were happily married, making me roar with laughter as they'd told their husbands they would be entertaining the new man upstairs, left wondering how the hell that sounded to their ears. Most had families, all their children grown and three of them were now grandmothers.

Seeing them off at my front door after I'd helped clean up everything, I was given a kiss on the cheek, needing to lean down as none of them were particularly tall.

"We look after you," Lawan stated in English, "You good man."

"Are you six going to mother me to death?" I retorted in Thai.

The six of them all shared another of those looks before Lawan replied very simply with, "Yes."

They seemed aware I wasn't working though I had started applying for jobs to teach English. Even without qualifications, plenty of places were willing to hire ex-pats, and once I proved I had knowledge of Thai, particularly the written word, I found my phone lighting up with offers and though the pay being offered wasn't great, I didn't exactly need it even after purchasing my apartment.

I had no idea whether the place I ended up signing on with was reputable or not, but when I arrived at the building for the first time, it seemed legitimate enough, the classroom filled with thirty mostly young Thai people ready to learn English. It was a mixture of sexes, and I was convinced three of the feminine-looking students were ladyboys. Wasn't really any of my business or not, but they didn't miss the extra glance I made when going through the list of names.

That took some getting used to as surnames could be a real mouthful. Even knowledge of Thai didn't make it easy.

The first few lessons were a breeze. Most knew at least a few words and sentences, and in addition to speaking, they had to learn to read and write at the same time. It was certainly out of my comfort zone as something I'd never done before, but what made the students feel at ease was the fact I could converse with them in Thai if it was necessary.

The Super Six, as I was calling them now, didn't miss the fact I was heading out to work a couple of times a week. At least three times a week, I'd receive a knock on the door and one of them would be standing there, offering a bowl of food. At least once a week, I'd be dragged into the apartment of one so I could meet their husband and family. I was soon meeting their children, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, even elderly parents...

It took a few months to happen as I started to put myself out there regarding the dating scene. I wasn't stupid enough to think every girl who was friendly or flirted with me actually wanted to date. Most of the time, they were either doing their job, particularly if I was getting something to eat or enjoying a drink, or they were just being that. Friendly.

For some reason, though, I never took a girl back to my apartment. Part of me genuinely worried what the Super Six would think if I had a stream of random Thai girls ended up visiting me. I guess I didn't want them to think that I was the typical non-Thai bloke taking advantage of the situation. Not that I was sleeping around anyway. I generally just enjoyed a little female company before heading home alone.

"Why you not meet girl yet?" Lawan asked me over dinner one evening. It was only me, her and her husband. Good man he was.

"Haven't met the right one, I guess," I replied in English. Her husband didn't really speak it at all. She'd learned it by watching English television and movies.

"We ladies set you up with nice girl, I think. Time for you to not be bachelor any longer."

I would have groaned but I had a feeling they'd set me up with someone I'd actually like. "Okay, I'll bite," I replied in Thai, "Who is she?"

Lawan smiled. I didn't know how to interpret it until she replied in Thai, "My daughter."

The fact her husband grinned at me was a surprise as I didn't honestly think he'd want his daughter dating someone like me. I'd never met her before. Had met more than one pretty daughter of the Super Six, and Lawan had five children all up, but I had a feeling I hadn't met the daughter Lawan was mentioning.

"Lawan... This could all go terribly wrong..."

"My daughter is a beautiful woman, Mark. You'll like her. She's beautiful, intelligent, has her own career, and she won't..." She paused, considering her words carefully. "I know what non-Thai men sometimes think when they are with a Thai girl. Worry they are only after money."

"I'm not worried about that any longer. I'll take anyone I meet at face value and go from there."

"Would you like to meet her?"

I couldn't stop the smile that formed. "You won't give up until I do, won't you?"

"No. She needs to meet a nice man. Her ex-husband... He was not so nice."

"He was an idiot," her husband muttered.

"You will come for dinner soon? I'll let you know when she's coming?"

"And you'll tell her, right? It won't be a surprise to her."

"Oh no, we will tell her that she will meet a good man when she visits. She doesn't come as often as our other children. She is very busy with her career. We're very proud of her."

Glancing between the pair of them, I knew Lawan wouldn't give up while her husband just went along with whatever his wife wanted to keep her happy. I knew if I didn't agree I'd have the other five women in my ear constantly until I did. I managed to hold in the sigh. "Okay, give me a date and time and I'll come down for dinner," I finally said.

Given that she had to speak to her daughter about coming to dinner, there were no firm plans just yet, Lawan told me that she would either message me or come up and talk to me when her daughter could confirm when she would come and visit. I was going to suggest that Lawan give me her daughter's number so we could at least introduce ourselves, but Lawan insisted we shouldn't talk until I met her in person.

With that going on in the background, I continued to teach English and keep myself occupied when I wasn't. I found that I enjoyed teaching, my students were great fun to spend a couple of hours with, and I didn't miss the fact that all the female students did their best to grab my attention constantly. I knew there were boundaries, but I wasn't shy in returning a little flirting from time to time.

Though I was living in Bangkok permanently, I still played the tourist from time to time. I loved visiting the ancient temples. Even in the middle of the chaotic city, they were places of peace, the architecture generally stunning. I would still visit some of the tourist areas from time to time if I did feel an urge for some conversations in English. I'd generally find a group of either young Australians or Brits on tour, whether they were backpacking or visiting at a bachelor party. Most of the time, they were eager to just drink a lot and probably enjoy some carefree sex. More than one probably sated a curiosity in a ladyboy bar. Telling them I was now living there permanently usually led to an avalanche of questions about what it was like. I would always smile and suggest I wouldn't be moving again unless it was to somewhere else in Thailand. I'd fallen in love with the place in the few months I'd been there.

It was perhaps six weeks later that Lawan knocked on my door on a Tuesday night. In addition to the usual bowl of food she loved to cook for me, she told me to keep my Saturday night free as her daughter finally had time to visit.

"You know this is just making me think she won't really have time for me," I suggested.

"Once she meets you, she'll always make time. She's thrown herself into work because of her divorce and it keeps her busy." Lawan paused and lowered her head. "She's been miserable, Mark..." Lifting her head, the sadness changed to a smile. "She's rather intrigued by what I've told her about you so far."

"Good things, I hope?"

"Only good things."

I'll admit to feeling a little nervous as the date and time approached as I had no idea what to expect, and I certainly didn't want things to go so wrong that it would affect my friendship with Lawan and the others. I dressed nothing but casually nowadays as the temperature was a near-constant high twenties (Celsius) with the humidity constantly in the seventies. I rarely wore trousers any longer, even when teaching, spending my life in shorts.

I'd already been out during the day to buy a couple of things, not wanting to arrive empty-handed. Lawan sent me a message in the morning, asking me to arrive at 6pm, her daughter planning to arrive around fifteen minutes after me. I'll admit to being a real bundle of nerves as I headed downstairs, Lawan greeting me warmly as always, her husband with a handshake and the offer of a drink.

"Don't be so nervous," Lawan insisted as I could barely sit down.

"Hard not to be when this is being arranged by her parents."

"We wouldn't introduce you if we didn't like you," her husband stated.

At six-fifteen on the dot, the doorbell rang, Lawan heading off to answer it. I rose to my feet, ensuring my hands were empty, as Lawan walked in with an absolutely gorgeous woman behind her. She greeted her father first before she stood next to her mother. I'm fairly sure my jaw dropped for a moment as she gazed at me in silence, keeping her face mostly blank.

She had the most gorgeous brown eyes I'd ever seen on a woman. A cute little nose. Her cheekbones were simply glorious, her face the sort that should be seen on billboards along major highways. Most Thai people naturally have black hair. She'd lightened it so it was more in line with brunette than anything. Would definitely help her stand out in a crowd. I stood at six-one, she must have been five-three at most. She wasn't a waif, but she was slim like most Thai girls I saw out and about.

"Mark, I'd love you to meet my daughter, Chariya."

Offering my hand, a soft one took my hand in return, leaning down to kiss her cheek. "My mother has told me a lot about you, Mark," she said in near-perfect English. I definitely leaned back and looked at her in surprise. "Ah, I'm guessing she didn't tell you about that."

"No, she didn't," I replied in Thai, "But I guess it means conversing will be far easier than either of us imagined."

"Mum mentioned that you spoke pretty good Thai. Most Westerners who end up living here barely bother learning a few phrases."

"I wanted to integrate myself properly, which is why I'm living here instead of around other ex-pats."

Realising I still held her hand, I let it go as Lawan returned with a drink for her daughter. I didn't miss the look she gave her husband, insisting they move into the kitchen. Chariya suggested we head out onto the balcony, their floor only a couple below mine so they were still afforded a rather nice view of the city.

Sipping at her glass, she finally cleared her throat and I was happy to let her lead the conversation. I was of little doubt that her mother had filled her ears with plenty of information about me, not that I'd talked about myself in any great length even though we did enjoy each other's company all the time. Turning towards me, I met her eyes and smiled, a shy smile being returned.

"Never had my mother set me up with a man who wasn't Thai before..."

"She's set you up before though?"

"Only the once. He was someone I dated before my husband. It didn't go well." That shy smile formed again. "Hope it goes better a second time."

"How long were you married?"

"Five years. It wasn't a happy marriage. He wanted me to stay at home and fill the house with babies, giving up everything I'd worked hard to achieve. I'm not saying never, but his jealousy eventually turned into him raising his hands in my direction."

"So he was a coward..."

"What he didn't know is that my father ensured all his children were capable of protecting themselves." The sly grin that formed before sipping at her drink had me chuckling. "Given he wasn't that much bigger than me anyway, I would like to think he learned his lesson, but men like him rarely change."

"Sorry you had to deal with that. It's that sort of shit that is still sadly rather common where I'm from. I take it you have a good career going?"

"I like to think I'm successful in at least one area of my life. I'm hoping that my personal life will get better though."

"You ever dated someone like me before?"

"No... Let's be honest, most Western guys who visit Thailand are not after women like me."