Even Thai Girls Cry - by J. F. Gump - Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Tippawan Bongkot stood at the intersection and stared down Soi Bonklong, a dusty side street near the Nan River. Not far away was the small house she shared with Sawat, her fiancé. It was little more than a hovel, but it was their home. Someday, when they had saved enough money, they would find a nicer place to live.

As she stood there, a trace of anxiety crept through her. Today was Thursday, and Sawat was not expecting her home until late tomorrow night. As far as he knew, she was still at her job in Bangkok, and not here in Phitsanulok. She wondered what his reaction would be when he saw her. She hoped he would be happy, but she knew he might not be. Lately, he was always in a bad mood, as if her very presence irritated him. During the last couple of months, he had grown distant, almost indifferent. She couldn’t even remember the last time they had made love.

Tippawan suspected that Sawat had found another woman to satisfy his male needs, while she pursued her career in Bangkok. She couldn’t prove it, but she was sure he was screwing the sixteen-year-old girl who lived at the far end of the street. Her certainty of Sawat’s affair had been at the forefront of her thoughts the night she allowed the police captain in Bangkok to seduce her. But there were other things too. Things a lot more basic, like the need to be wanted, loved, and desired - even if it was for just a moment. Things that Sawat had stopped giving her.

But Tippawan had not come home early to confess her indiscretion with the policeman, or to catch Sawat with his teenage lover; she had come to spend extra time with him and make one last attempt to rescue their faltering relationship. She wasn’t sure what would happen, if Sawat rejected her again this weekend. Probably nothing, except that she would sleep with the police captain again next week.

A young man on a motorcycle sped past and came to a stop in front of her house. She didn’t recognize him, but thought nothing of it. She figured he was a friend of Sawat’s and that she would meet him soon enough. At least it wasn’t that girl. She continued her short walk home.

Tippawan hesitated at the doorstep. She wondered if Sawat would somehow know she had been with another man just two days ago. She was sure there was no way he could tell, but the thought bothered her nonetheless. She took a deep breath, put on her best smile, and entered the house. What she saw put her into a state of shock.

Sawat and the young man were in an unmistakable sexual situation. Sawat was the dominate partner, that much was clear. What he was doing to the young man made Tippawan want to vomit. If Sawat had been with another woman, even the slut down the street, she might have understood and been able to forgive. But this was not a case of simple infidelity - this went beyond anything she could have ever imagined. Her shock gave way to outrage and all sanity deserted her.

The screams which erupted from her were like those of some mindless beast. It wasn’t Tippawan, but some unknown thing that had found its way inside her body. Emotions she never knew existed ripped through her. Her fiancé, the man she was to marry, was having sex with another man.

At that instant, Tippawan decided to end her life. She couldn’t live with such a shameful loss of face. With tears streaming, she fled into the bedroom and found the pistol Sawat kept hidden in the dresser. She had the gun-barrel shoved tightly beneath her left jaw and was building the nerve to pull the trigger, when he came into the room and shouted for her to stop.

His presence refueled her frenzy. She lowered the weapon from herself and pointed it at Sawat. Quickly she pulled the trigger. Bang! Bang! Bang!

Tippawan jerked upright in her seat and looked around, heart pounding. She was sure she had heard gunshots. The other bus passengers were looking too, but no one seemed overly alarmed.

The vehicle lurched and the bang came again. The bus was backfiring, and it was slowing down, too. A minute later, the driver pulled to the side of the road. Tippawan silently cussed her bad luck. She couldn’t even escape from Phitsanulok without something going wrong. She hoped it was not a sign of things to come.

The driver stood and announced that they were stranded until another bus arrived to continue their journey to Bangkok. With that he stepped outside and made a call on his cell phone. A few passengers exited the bus, their faces frowning at the situation.

Tippawan stayed in her seat. It was still cool inside, and she was sure their wait would be short. She closed her eyes and tried to relax. The minutes ticked past with agonizing slowness as the mid-morning heat intensified with amazing swiftness. Within the hour, she was one of the few passengers remaining on board.

(End of Chapter 1.)

J. F. Gump

© J. F. Gump. All rights reserved by the author.

ISBN : 974-93100-4-7 

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