Vit's Escape

Vit awoke in the small hut at the edge of a rice field. It was already light, although impossible to say how late. He shut his eyes tightly, grimacing. He brought his hand up and massaged his temples lightly, eyes still closed.

The smell of gasoline which was still on his fingers caused Vit’s eyes to spring open. He clenched his teeth hard and crawled to the door of the little hut, whose only purpose was to give some poor farmer a place to escape the sun while he tended his cattle. He cracked the door slightly and stole a quick look. The field was empty and he could see the trees surrounding the village in the distance. He was about a mile north of his house, in a field that belonged to Fatty’s cousin. He had often come here when he was younger, to get drunk or when he found a willing girl.

Another small cluster of houses lay about three-quarters of a mile further north. Did they know yet? Would they even recognize him? He could not go back to his village. How could he explain to Miaw what had happened? The only chance he had to reach a road was to take a chance in the next village. He had not been over there since he come back after his father died, so maybe they wouldn’t know who he was. He began to walk. The bandage on his arm was a dull red but it seemed that the bleeding had stopped. He touched his shoulder with his other hand, pulling the bandage from his skin slightly. Bits of blood-soaked tobacco fell onto the dusty path.

He stumbled twice before he reached the road leading into the neighboring village. As he reached the road he saw a pick-up truck coming slowly down the road, towards him. Vit, turned, and took a step onto the path, ready to run back through the rice fields.

The pick-up slowed as it approached. The driver pulled over in next to Vit.

“Where are you going,” he asked, giving Vit a once-over? “Boy, you look terrible. Guess the whiskey won the fight last night, didn’t it. And drew some blood while it was at it, pointing at Vit’s shoulder.”

“Yes,” said Vit, not moving.

“Well, you wanna keep wandering around, half-drunk and bleeding, or you want me to give you a lift?” The man opened the passenger door. Vit, hesitated and then shuffled over and climbed in the truck. The man pulled out and continued down the road.

“How far are you going,” Vit asked?

“All the way to Ubon, but I can drop you anywhere around here. Just tell me where.”

“Can you take me with you to Ubon?”

“Why do you wanna go there, looking like that?”

“I have to meet some friends,” Vit lied. The driver looked at him incredulously.

“So, what, you were gonna walk there before I came along?”

“I knew I could find a ride.”

“You’re drunker than I first thought. But, sure, if you want to come along, be my guest.

“So, you running away, eh? Let me guess, you got caught banging the village headman’s only daughter. Ha, I wish I was still young enough for that.”

Vit didn’t answer, just nodded. He watched the fields roll by, every minute the surroundings becoming less and less familiar, until after twenty minutes the landscape had become almost completely generic.

“Right up here, we’re going to get to the main road. I have to stop for gas. Why don’t you go and wash yourself up. There are some toilets around the back. And buy another bandage, ok?”

“Yeah, ok. How long till we leave?”

“Oh, I will take about ten minutes, so hurry yourself. Or wait for another guy going to Ubon.”

“No, I’ll hurry, just wait for me, ok, just wait.” They pulled into the service station and Vit surveyed the parking lot the best he could. He had never been here before and didn’t see anyone who he knew or who could possible know him. He moved his arm back and forth just slightly, testing it and winced with the pain. The driver saw his expression.

“You alright? You wanna go to a doctor?”

“No, no,” Vit answered, forcing a smile, “it’s okay, just a little too much fun last night, and I fell.”

“Fell onto her father’s clever, I bet, right after he opened the door and caught you guys,” the man chortled.

As soon as the truck rolled to a stop, Vit jumped out and walked into the service station store. With the little money he had in his pocket he bought a roll of Tensoplast bandage and a small bar of white soap. He then walked around to the back of the building and found the toilets. He gave the attendant three baht and locked himself in a corrugated steel stall.

He squat over the toilet and took off his shirt. Then he carefully peeled off the bandage, unable to stop a meek whimper from escaping. The tobacco, that his mother had used to stop the bleeding, fell away and into the toilet. A spigot, used to fill the plastic bucket for cleaning up was on his right. He balled up his shirt and soaked it with water. Using the wet shirt he cleaned his wound, which was still red and oozing. He then rinsed the shirt again and wiped the rest of his body clean. He dumped A few buckets of water over his head and began to wash himself with the soap, cleaning the wound and picking out the flakes of tobacco which were not rinsed away.

After washing away the soap he got his shirt as clean as he could, wrapped the new bandage over his shoulder and stood up. He swayed dizzily for a second but quickly regained his balance and put on his damp shirt.

Every baht was important now, so instead of buying bottled water, he cupped his hands under the spigot in the toilet and drank, before he walked out into the sunlight and terrible heat again.

“You ready, I have been waiting,” said the old man. He was sitting in the shade, on a wooden crate, sipping a coke from a plastic bag. “I almost had to leave without you. But it looks like now you might smell a little better.”

The man did not stand up and when it was clear that he wasn’t about to get in his pick-up and leave, Vit went to sit in the shade next to him.

“Did you get anything to eat, its still a long drive to Ubon.”

“No, I don’t think I can eat.”

“Oh, you’ll start eating again tonight, as soon as you swallow your first glass of beer.”

“Yes, Phee, I think so,” said Vit, his eyes nervously scanning the yard and parking lot beyond.

Fifteen minutes later, they were back in the truck and on the road. Vit leaned his head back and closed his eyes. Although he could not sleep, he remained silent and didn’t answer any of the driver's attemtps to draw him into conversation.