Part 8 - The Elephants Tail

Chapter 1: 

'Roads and Responsibilities'

Hua Hin, March 2008.

Nick knew about wind-heat, he knew what the signs were when his body was telling him that it would be a good idea to cool down; dry nostrils, eyes going slightly out of focus and, worst of all, a mild sense of vertigo, not recommended when going at any speed on two wheels. These physical indicators had happened before and been a source of alarm, but after 8 years of living and riding a bike in Thailand, he knew what was happening and felt no sense of concern, awareness yes, concern no, not today, at least not for the time being. 

Nick was going to work, a journey of about 20k. He taught English to students at a Rajabhat, a Thai vocational college for the Airline, Hotel, Local Government and Tourism staff of tomorrow.  He loved both these aspects of his life, the Rajabhat he had been part of for 8 years and motoring through Thailand on the bike he called Jezebel.

Today though wasn't about teaching, it was the middle of the summer break and there were no students to teach. Today, he was going to see Jiraporn, a Thai lecturer he frequently worked with. She had phoned and asked if he would help her with some English translation for the new training restaurant. Nick had no problems with this, a 40k ride through wonderful countryside, interrupted only by a meeting with a very attractive woman, wasn’t his idea of a hard time. Okay, it was hot, very hot, but he loved the ride and he knew what he was doing, most of the time.

Nick was practical, but the daily routine he went through with Jezebel may have appeared to the unaware that he was slightly deranged. For Nick, it was all about being a responsible biker. As well as the usual oil and brake fluid checks, he broke off a small twig from a nearby bush and lifted the chain, if it gave too much, then he would get it tightened. Then he would rub his palm over the tyres, this was simply to make sure that no stones had lodged in the tread and at the same time he could check the dust caps on the valves. Should they come off, any small stone could get in and possibly wedge itself, causing a slow loss of air and ultimately real difficulty steering. The final part of the routine was Nick standing astride the bike, engaging the front brake lever while pushing all his weight forward on the handlebars. If the front brake had a problem, it would move, if it hadn’t, it wouldn’t. As always, it didn’t and having completed this performance he pushed the electric start. Jezebel responded with her usual muffled growl. She was as ready as he was.  

This trip into work held no surprises. He had made it over a thousand times and knew it so well he could probably do a fair part of it with his eyes closed, but he didn’t. The journey started with a 3k ride out of town, then up a steep climb, culminating in a sharp ‘S’ bend which left him on the plateau between the mountain range bordering Myanmar and the Gulf of Thailand. Here Nick always said hello to Buddha. It had become a ritual he performed at his oasis of sanity in a desert of mayhem. There was a collection of spirit houses that overlooked the sea where nearly all Thai drivers sounded their horns. Nick didn’t, but he did have two small mantras he spoke, ‘Hi Buddha, Hi Boys and Girls, have a good one!’ on the way into work and ‘Hi Buddha, Hi Boys and Girls, thanks for that, it’s been a good one, long may it continue and improve, for everyone, including me!’ on the way home. He was not deeply religious, not in the generally accepted way. Nick believed in God, but he felt that religions were man-made and more often than not led to conflict of some kind or other. His belief was that God, or Buddha, or Jesus, or Mohammed was in everyone and that we should all be responsible for the actions we had any control over, leaving the ‘higher beings’ time to work out the problems that no individual could alter.  He also felt that to remind us of their power, serenity and grace, God, Buddha etc. had put on Earth animals reflecting this. Whales in the sea, Swans in the sky and in Thailand they had given us Elephants. These were the boys and girls that Nick spoke to, along with Buddha, twice a day. Once on the plateau, it was about another 5k of country roads, along these he rarely went above 60kph, and often a lot less, but after turning left onto the main road, he could up it to 70 or 80. Another 3k brought him to the lights at the junction of the dual carriageway that bypassed the coastal resorts. By this time he knew he only had about 6 or 7 minutes, travelling at 90kph, before he reached the Rajabhat. The ride was pure bliss. 

Having waved to the entrance security guard, Nick turned into the shaded car park and saw Jiraporn getting out of her Toyota as he approached. She smiled as he guided the bike next to her car. They knew each other well, they had both started their jobs there at the same time and, apart from a couple of years when Jiraporn had studied for her Masters at Chiang Mai University, they had worked hand in glove since.  She was a very beautiful woman and at 30, could easily be mistaken for being 10 years younger, unlike Nick, who at 40, often felt 10 years older.

They exchanged pleasantries as they strolled along the tree-lined path by the side of the lake. The Rajabhat had decided to refurbish the old boathouse, asking Jiraporn to take responsibility for the opening of a new training restaurant and it was here that the pair got down to working on menus and signs for the project. After Jiraporn had unlocked the new doors to get in, they went to the reception area where they worked, the only people in the place. Someone had left a box of cruets, salt, pepper, wooden toothpicks, that sort of thing, on the reception desk. Nick picked it up intending to put it into the storeroom, but promptly dropped it when he saw a scorpion crawl out. Jiraporn laughed and then helped him as he put the spilled contents back in, very carefully. After that moment of excitement, Nick went out for a cigarette while Jiraporn went back to her car to get her phone, which she had left there. After an hour or so Jiraporn said they had completed all that she had wanted to do, which didn’t surprise Nick too much, she often thought work would take longer than it did, so they locked up and returned to the car park.

Having said their farewells, Nick was back on the dual carriageway, hot air blowing under his sunglasses and down the sides of his helmet. He knew it was a scorcher of a day, and even now could feel his nostrils were dry, but he was okay, he was aware of the signs. If the truth be known, his mind was on Jiraporn. He really didn’t know what to make of his thoughts about her, let alone begin to imagine what hers were about him.

In their second year at the Rajabhat, they had become very close, so close that, after a couple of months, Jiraporn had moved into Nick’s house. It was wild, magnificent and a complete secret. They had told no one at work, and that had proved to be a very wise move. They had done everything together, including travelling around on Jezebel, he had even asked her if she wanted to learn to ride. She had politely declined but still enjoyed watching him going through his routine and the way he took care of her. After 3 weeks, Nick realised that as much as he wanted this woman, loved her, adored her, it was never going to work. He had then lived for more than 12 years as a single man, and he had gotten used to it. Having anyone around, for more than a couple of days, became intolerable for him. There had been many tears, but Jiraporn accepted Nick’s explanation as the truth it was. They had carried on working together for a couple of months until she went to Chiang Mai for her Masters degree. They didn’t see each other or make contact for over two years and when she returned their working lives resumed and nothing was ever said about the past. There was no bitterness but there was no recognition of what had been either, Jiraporn, it appeared to Nick, seemed to have wiped all trace of their previous love. Nick, on the other hand, knew he had made a mistake. He was always thinking about her, rarely having a day when he didn’t inwardly kick himself. If real happiness was achieved by two people being together, then he knew he had destroyed that option with Jiraporn, forever. Today was becoming another ‘kick yourself’ day.

The spirit houses were coming up, about a kilometre away and Nick was straining his eyes to make them out. He was as hot as he had ever been and thought he should slow down a little, so he did, a little. He was sure his balance was okay, but also thought that’s just when your balance probably isn’t. He checked the speedometer, 40kph, just about right for the ‘S’ bends.

‘Hi Buddha, Hi Boys’ he said as he approached the familiar spot.

‘Thanks for that, it’s been a good one’, he banked slightly to the right going into the first of the turns.

‘Long may it continue and improve’, Nick straightened up for the left-hander.

‘For everyone, inclu….. what the hell’

Everything happened so fast, he had banked left, but the back end of the bike didn’t respond. Instead, the machine just seemed to want to carry on into the ground. With adrenalin fuelled strength he pulled up on the handlebars while throwing his weight through his hips and knees against the inclination that Jezebel was determined to take him. Both he and the bike went off the side of the road, onto a pile of boulders four metres below. Nick and Jezebel parted company, Nick hitting a rock the size of a car, he was crumpled and broken. Jezebel bounced off the next rock, hit a tree and fell back, coming to rest about a metre from Nick, her engine screamed for a few seconds, then went silent, the fractured fuel line unable to provide for the carburettor. 

Nick didn’t feel any hurt, he didn’t feel anything. He was aware of silence and of Jezebel, her back wheel slowly turning. He thought he heard a sound, the magnificent trumpeting of elephants, wading through a lake, cascading water everywhere and loving life. The wheel had stopped and he could see that the valve cap wasn’t there. Instead, he saw a small piece of wood, the broken end of a toothpick that had been wedged there. 

The majesty of the elephants continued as they made their way through the lake, turning to Nick, calling him to join them. Their procession, their regatta, their journey was his for the taking. He once more saw the sliver of wood and his eyes closed.

Jiraporn pulled up outside her home, thinking of Nick of course, but now more concerned with what her mother had to say as she approached her. ‘She’s been at it again’ said the older woman, ‘she just won’t stop riding that bike on the main road. When are you going to tell her that it’s too hot and dangerous at this time of day? 

‘I think she knows’, Jiraporn replied, while thinking that her daughter had learnt nearly everything a 6 year old could learn about bikes. Jiraporn smiled, she was going to teach her little girl all about being responsible.

Chapter Two 

'Kitchens and Classrooms'

Baan Nong Khra, March 2008.

Jiraporn’s mother was called Sophea, although not by Jiraporn who called her ‘Mae’. This informal title was also used by her own daughter, Tangmo, towards Jiraporn when she wished to gain attention. Tangmo called Sophea ‘Yai’ and both Sophea and Jiraporn called Tangmo ‘Tangee’, the version of her name she had decided she liked most. The time when these verbal exchanges were used most was in the early evening when all 3 were in the kitchen and just outside in the shaded rear courtyard preparing the evening meal - a time loved by all. Apart from discussing the hugely important matter of creating dinner, they would each also discover what the other two had encountered during their individual days. This wonderful time reflected similar events happening in homes all around the world, with one significant difference - Sophea, Jiraporn and Tangmo conducted their conversation in at least two, and sometimes, three different languages! The level of language varied from the basic correct use of grammar to the confusing employment of some words being used in different contexts which changed their meanings. All three females accepted that age and experience benefited from youthful inquisition, you're never too old to learn, and sentences beginning with words like ‘Why’, ‘How’ and ‘What’ were always welcomed.

The kitchen dialogues had started 20 years ago by design when Jiraporn had become physically large enough to wash a cabbage, Sophea was intent on making the routine of preparing food a time of pleasant, but purposeful interaction. Sophea had recently moved from an area in the North East of Thailand to where they were now - in the central southern district of Prachuap Khiri Khan, and although the language was Thai in both regions, the use and pronunciation of many words were different. Sophea didn’t want to always be regarded as an up-country girl and enrolled her unwitting daughter to help in losing her tell-tale accent. Very quickly Sophea found her daughter's daily activities, and her own, provided a framework within which she was not only able to adjust her own speech but allowed both of them to communicate without boundaries many families find forming between generations. Jiraporn was never aware of anything other than the process of making dinner, but over time she did realise that by explaining and discussing things with ‘Mae’, she didn't have a problem recalling them back at school which a lot of her friends had. As Jiraporn progressed in her studies, her teachers knew they had a very bright girl on their hands and pushed her more. By the time it came to moving on to the next class, and eventually the next school, Jiraporn found she had more options and she revelled in them.

There was a local International Academy that was constantly on the lookout for talent and Jiraporn's Headmistress had told them of her abilities. They offered her a scholarship at the age of 10, unusual as she would be in a group a year older than her, but with the influx of foreigners into Hua Hin, they thought that the following year might be more difficult to fit her in. Sophea had been invited to discuss this opportunity with the Headmistress and the Deputy Dean of the Academy. She had met Jiraporn’s Headmistress a few times and always had respect for her total belief in not only Jiraporn’s abilities but the abilities of all her students. As the Headmistress had said often ‘a good teacher provides an arena for the child, not a child for the arena’. The Deputy Dean appeared to be on the same page and so Sophea was in no doubt that this was a fabulous opportunity, the only questions she had were about finance. The tuition fees were taken care of, and they were the major element, but the uniform, transport, books and going on any trips were not covered. These would be considerable for Sophea, very considerable and she was not sure of her ability to meet these commitments. She was honest with the other two and said so, their reaction was muted, but not dismissive. What Sophea was then told by the Deputy Dean offered more than a glimmer of hope, the Academy had both a hardship fund and a scheme of long-term loans available to suitable students and their families. The hardship funds, the Deputy Dean felt sure, would cover fixed costs like uniforms, books and transport and any application for a loan towards the cost of any trips would be looked upon favourably. Loans would need to be paid back in full, and they would have modest interest added on, but it was almost guaranteed to be granted. The two teachers were completely understanding of Sophea’s reservations and made sure she had all the documentation regarding these considerations. The Deputy Dean also wanted to make it clear that any substantial drop off in Jiraporn’s academic performance would result in first, a verbal warning to her and notification of it to Sophea, any second drop in results would mean a written warning to them both and should it happen, a third drop would mean the scholarship would be withdrawn. The Academy Deputy Dean had spoken quietly and slowly of these things as he wanted no misunderstanding, he had also been looking directly at Sophea all the time he had been speaking. What surprised him was that Sophea had returned his eye contact directly at him throughout. ‘Do you need me to clarify anything I have said? - I hope my frankness has not caused you to think I don’t want Jiraporn to come to us, I do very much, but I think being clear about responsibilities is very important’. For the second time, Sophea surprised him. Sophea didn’t waiver in looking at him, but she did start to smile. ‘You have made the situation very clear and I would like to thank you for that. I’d much rather listen to someone telling me about what happens when things go wrong than listen to someone who is promising the world without a concern that there may be a problem. I am in no doubt that my daughter would benefit from attending your Academy and although this will not be easy, it is manageable so I have no hesitation in saying it is something I wish to happen. But I need 24 hours before I can sign the formalities. Is that okay?’. The Deputy Dean smiled. ‘Of course, that will be fine. But as a matter of interest, what’s stopping you from signing now?’. It was Sophea’s turn to be surprised, ‘It is simply that I am not the one who will be enrolling, it will be Jiraporn, and I would never commit her to anything that she was not fully committed to herself - I need to ask her if she wants to go to your Academy and discuss with her the consequences that this might entail’.

The following afternoon, Sophea and Jiraporn returned to the same office and met with the two teachers. Jiraporn and her mother both making the traditional Thai ‘Wai’ on entering, and the two academics replying with the same. ‘It’s good to see you here, is there anything you want to ask?’ said the Deputy Dean, looking at Sophea. A smaller voice from her left sounded absolutely clear ‘Are there classes at weekends?’ - it was Jiraporn who had spoken, a big beaming smile on her face. The Deputy found it impossible not to smile back and replied ‘Sometimes, mainly for the students who live on campus or live very close, but occasionally there are also ‘camps’ when the staff and students go on project work, would that be a problem for you?’. ‘No, no problem, it sounds fun’ said Jiraporn, ‘And probably expensive’ said Sophea, glancing down at her daughter with a slight frown. ‘Actually, a lot of the camps are included in the tuition fees, so maybe not so much of a problem for us’, this was the Deputy again, but his use of the pronoun ‘us’ gave Sophea a better feeling, one that had her thinking that he was as aware of the situation as she was. ‘Well’, said Sophea, ‘I think we are ready to sign the agreement, both Jiraporn and I went through all the documentation last night and spoke for a long time about it. We are both very excited about your Academy’. ‘Thank you for your kind words, I am convinced that Jiraporn’s attendance will benefit all involved. What is it you are looking forward to most, Jiraporn?’. Jiraporn did not hesitate for a second ‘Learning English’, she said and somehow her smile got even bigger.

Sophea glanced at Tangmo and smiled, there were times, a lot of times, when she couldn't help but have a feeling of Deja Vu. Her granddaughter and her daughter were two totally different people with contrasting characteristics and personalities, but sometimes it was like looking at different versions of the same person. Being in the same house and watching as these two had grown just compounded this feeling. How much, she wondered, am I like them? Sophea's home, when she had been a 6 year-old, was quite a lot larger and had staff to prepare the food, but that all changed very quickly when she was a little older. Everything had changed, the world had collapsed and even simple conversations could end up in a body floating down a river. A shiver ran down her back, it wasn't something she allowed herself to think about often, but it was always there. Jiraporn's phone rang and she answered, walking towards the courtyard as she did, 'Hello' ... 'Yes, it is' ...

Sophea turned to Tangmo, 'Tangee, do you want to help me with these pieces of pork? - I need you to tell me how big, or small, I should cut them'. 'Okay, Yai - have we got many?' and the process of counting, shaping, working out how many people were eating, how many pieces each would get etc. started again - Deja Vu! 

Jiraporn walked back into the kitchen, looking at her phone as she disconnected the call. Her face looked pale and Sophea knew something was wrong - 'What's happened?'. 'You know the Englishman I work with, Nick? - he's had an accident on his bike and he's in hospital. That was a policeman and he asked if I could meet him at the hospital. I have to go'. 'Of course' said Sophea, 'But before you do, take a couple of minutes to catch your breath and focus. How much gas is in the car? Do you want me to drive?' Jiraporn knew her mother was being wise to get her to clear her mind of the things that were starting to swirl around in it and appreciated her calmness. 'The tanks almost full, it's only 20 to 25 minute drive to the hospital. The policeman said Nick was still unconscious, but could come round anytime. I have no idea how long I will be, but I have some cash if I need it. And I'm okay to drive, thanks.' With that, Jiraporn went to her room and quickly changed her top and skirt and put a quick brush through her hair. She also went to a seldom used drawer and from a small bag under some rarely worn clothes, took from it a purse. See opened the purse, saw what was inside and closed it, putting it into her handbag. Returning to the kitchen she found Tangmo waiting, in her hands were two bags of snacks. 'These are for you and the Englishman - he might be hungry' she said to her mother. This was one of those times when Tangmo totally astounded the people around her, including Jiraporn, and all she could do was to thank her daughter, saying that was a good and kind idea. Sophea said to take care and to phone with any news and Jiraporn went out to the car. As she pulled out onto the dual carriageway, she felt her eyes moisten, 'Oh Nick, what have you done?'. 

Chapter Three 

'Hope and Consent'

Hua Hin, March 2008.

 The sun was going down at its usual slow pace behind Jiraporn as she turned east off the dual carriageway toward Hua Hin. The orange sky filled her rear view and wing mirrors causing her to squint her eyes slightly. This annoying and distracting phenomenon was more than compensated by the richness of the view ahead and to the sides. For about ten minutes the colours surrounding her were intense, reflecting off the many varieties of flora this stretch of road had on either side. Before Jiraporn’s time, during the early to mid 1960’s there had been a frenzy of development by the government and military to create horticultural and botanical research establishments here. The frenzy had died down, but the places were still in use, albeit with only a few people staffing whatever it was they did. What had also remained was this road, a handy short-cut to the north of Hua Hin for Jiraporn and people like her who used it. Very little traffic, well made and maintained roads, quite sensational scenery and it almost halved the journey time – what wasn’t there to like about it? If Jiraporn hadn’t been focused on more pressing matters, she would no doubt have enjoyed the journey a lot more. As it was, she approached the main coast road and turned right towards the town, which then took her through the airport runway tunnel and after another kilometre or two into the hospital front car park. What, she wondered, was she going to discover over the next couple of hours, she was apprehensive, no, she was scared.

Police Corporal Tonsai Buathong was sat at a small desk close to the hospital reception area, he was talking to a woman in a white coat sat next to him. The area they were in, usually crowded, had become much quieter over the past hour and Tonsai had noticed a young woman arrive looking as though she should be meeting someone. As Jiraporn's eyes met his, he started to stand and she walked towards him. ' Ajarn Jiraporn?' he asked, using her academic title as he had done during their phone call, 'Yes, and you are Corporal Buathong?'. 'That is correct, thank you for coming so quickly. This is Dr. Sakda who has been liaising on behalf of the hospital'. All three exchanges Wai's and Jiraporn accepted the offer of a seat. 'Perhaps, Dr. Sakda, you could briefly bring Ajarn Jiraporn up to speed and repeat what you have just told me?'. 'Certainly, your colleague, Mr. Nick Pearson, was brought into A & E at approximately 4.45pm this afternoon, after he had been in an accident, he was unconscious and suffering from, what we think at this time, to be three main areas of concern, a blow to the head causing concussion, damaged rib cage with a least one fractured rib and a severe blow to his upper mid left leg, causing a compound fracture of the femur, or thigh bone. This last injury had caused significant blood loss, although this has now been stemmed. He has come back into consciousness twice, the second time, as I was just saying to the Corporal, he was quite lucid and had a short conversation for about 10 minutes before drifting back again. He has been here now for just over two hours. He is in the intensive care unit and will remain under observation for the next few hours, during which the medical team will assess what procedures we feel are necessary. I should say that while he is in a critical but stable state, the fact he has regained consciousness twice gives me a more positive view than I had an hour ago.'   

Jiraporn felt numb, she had heard and understood every word the doctor had said, and thanked her as soon as she had stopped. But her head was still grappling with what she was hearing. 'You will both have to excuse me, I am not familiar with situations like this, but I do appreciate that both of you know what you are doing and that you have Nick's best interests at the forefront of your minds. Can you answer two questions for me? Firstly, "How can I help?" and secondly, "Has anyone contacted Nick's friends, or his family?"'. The Policeman then spoke 'I think it would be best if Dr. Sakda goes first with regard to the medical situation, she is expected elsewhere soon, then you and I can talk - is that okay doctor?'. 'Thank you' said the doctor 'As you might be aware, hospitals are required to get a 'consent' form signed by an appropriate person, usually the patient themselves, before any invasive treatment is undertaken. However, this is not always possible if the patient is deemed not to be fully aware of their situation. This is the case with Mr. Pearson, although he and I did speak for a few minutes earlier, that would not qualify as being fully aware in the eyes of a judge, should there be any postoperative legal problems. Mr. Pearson and I did speak of this, and he suggested that you become the 'appropriate' person on his behalf, if you were willing. This conversation was witnessed by other medical staff, and along with the contact card Corporal Tonsai found in Mr. Pearson's wallet, and your professional standing, I feel sure a judge would be satisfied of your suitability. I should emphasise that at this time, we are not intending to perform any surgery that needs this 'consent', but there is always a possibility that a condition can deteriorate rapidly, and having this form signed allows us to proceed without any delay. In addition to that, as soon as Mr. Pearson can maintain consciousness to an extent that his judgement is not in question, he will resume his own consent. Have I made myself clear? and are you prepared to sign the consent form on behalf of Mr. Pearson? 

'Once again you have made yourself very clear, thank you and yes, I will sign the form, but what is the contact card you mentioned?' asked Jiraporn, still reeling with this mass of information. 'Here', said Tonsai, 'I found this while going through Mr. Pearson's personal effects, this was in his wallet, and there is another in his passport'. He handed a laminated business card on which, in Thai, were the words ‘In the event of an accident, please contact Ajarn Jiraporn Anchali’and included her phone number and work email address. 'Oh' said Jiraporn, 'I didn't know he had done that! - it's a good job he did'. She handed it back and received a form from the doctor. Jiraporn opened her shoulder-bag, took out a pen and her purse from which she withdrew a Thai ID card and her driving licence, and signed the paper. 'Is this okay? she asked the other two. The policeman had given a cursory glance at the two cards and nodded, 'Fine for me', he said, and the doctor read through the consent form, 'Perfect, thank you' she said. In return, she gave Jiraporn a business card with her details, 'At the moment I am on ward duty from 8.00am to 2.00pm, then A&E admin from 4.00pm to 10.00pm and will be until at least the end of the month, so you can get me at those times on either of those numbers. Outside of those times I am only available on this, and she took back her card and scribbled her mobile number on the back. 'I am relieved you have been able to get here and sign this form, and want to thank you for your help and understanding - I am sure we will see each other again soon, hopefully in improved circumstances. I really have to go now, thanks again' and she stood to depart. 'It is me who should be thanking you for the care and effort you and your team are doing, but sorry – one last quick question, can I see Nick? ', said Jiraporn. The doctor smiled, ‘Of course, but it will be through a glass door and he has a lot of tubes and connections to monitoring machines, and as you know, he is likely to be unconscious. After you have spoken with the Corporal, just come through to A & E’. ‘I’ll bring her’ said Tonsai, and with that the doctor nodded to the policeman and then turned and left.

‘How are you feeling?’ ask Tonsai, ‘It’s a lot to absorb in a very short time’. ‘Yes’, replied Jiraporn, and with that she took deep breath, ‘He’s taken a massive series of blows, or one huge one, do you know much about what happened?’. It was the policeman’s turn to draw his breath, ‘Not much at the moment, but there are no signs of a collision, he may have had to swerve quickly, or there may have been a mechanical problem. The bike has been recovered and is in the compound at the station. It will be examined closely tomorrow by our boys’. ‘Is there a lot of damage to Jezebel?’, Jiraporn realised how stupid that sounded as soon as the words left her mouth, ‘Sorry, that’s Nick’s name for the bike, and it’s a she!’. Tonsai’s face cracked slightly with just the beginnings of a smile, ‘I understand perfectly, mine is called “Anong”, Jiraporn too smiled, Tonsai’s bike was called “Beautiful Woman”. ‘The bike’s quite probably a write off, but we will know more about that tomorrow when the accident investigation team have looked her over. How well do you know Mr. Pearson? how long have you worked together?’. Jiraporn nodded, ‘We started at the Rajabhat at the same time, 8 years ago, and have worked in the same department for almost all of that time,’ replied Jiraporn, ‘For the past year I have been responsible for the development of a training restaurant and kitchen, and Nick has had a big input into that. Nick was travelling back to Hua Hin from a meeting with me at the Rajabhat this afternoon – that seems a very long time ago!’. ‘By the way, I think you can rule out mechanical failure, Nick was almost obsessive about checking Jezebel before a journey, the brakes, tyre pressure, chain slack, he did that every trip’. Tonsai looked at Jiraporn, ‘Thank you, that is useful to know, he sounds like a conscientious biker, not many of us around. Now, shall we carry on with what I think you can help me with?’. ‘Of course,’ said Jiraporn. ‘Actually, it’s quite straightforward for me now that Nick is showing positive signs, my main problem was going to be contacting either the next of kin directly or notifying the foreigners embassy in Bangkok, this only has to happen in the event of death or a long period of incapacity of the patient, but out of courtesy we try to contact the family if it is appropriate even if the patient appears not to be in a critical state. My English is very poor, your English is fluent and you know Nick, so the primary request I have is that you do this, it has to be better coming from a friend than from a police officer who can’t speak their language! Can you do this?’. Jiraporn nodded her head, ‘Yes, I know Nick has a brother, Luke if I remember correctly, and I guess his number is on Nick’s phone, or he is on his Facebook page’ Jiraporn said, ‘Can I access Nick’s phone?’. ‘More than that’, responded Tonsai, ‘I will be giving it to you, along with his other personal effects I have here, and you are correct, Luke Pearson is the next of kin in the back of Nick’s passport, along with his number, email and address’. ‘Won’t the hospital want to keep Nick’s things? enquired Jiraporn, ‘I am happy to take them, but I am not sure what the protocol is about this’. Tonsai answered,‘The hospital has no real interest in Nick’s belongings as long as they know they’re with a responsible person, which you have already shown to be by signing his consent form, they also don’t want the possible problems of things going missing, so this is common procedure’. He continued ‘I have already made a list of the items recovered, and once you and I have signed it, I will get a copy made – one for you and one for me.’ ‘Okay, that sounds fine, and if you don’t mind me saying, very organised’, said Jiraporn, ‘What else can I help with?’. ‘Well’ continued Tonsai, ‘we’ve covered family, really now it’s about friends and although there is no formal requirement to notify them of the situation, they are often the ones that can prove to be awkward. Some get quite annoyed if they are not the first to know or the first to be seen visiting a person who probably doesn’t want to be seen.’ Jiraporn nodded her head ‘I met a few, but only a few, of Nick’s friends in Hua Hin, but that was quite a number of years ago, other than Solly Doukas, who, by chance I saw again a couple of months ago in Bangkok. He runs a place called the Blue Parrot in the bar’s area, Soi Selakam, I think. Solly is a clever guy and will know how to get in touch with most of Nick’s friends, and make it very clear not to bother him until it’s a good time to do so.’ Tonsai looked up in amazement, ‘You know Solly? – so do I, and I think your assessment of him is totally correct, he would be the perfect person to help with this. Being a policeman in Hua Hin, it could be expected that I know him, but how does a Thai Rajabhat English teacher know a Greek Aussie bar owner on Soi Selakam? - maybe I shouldn’t ask’, he smiled again. ‘Only through Nick, and as I said, that was a long time ago’, replied Jiraporn. The policeman looked at Jiraporn and said ‘I think we have gone through all I wanted to cover, are you okay about everything we have spoken about? If you still have my number from when I called you earlier, then that is how to get in touch if you need to’. Jiraporn paused, then said ‘Yes, I have, and as I said to the doctor, thank you for making this as clear as you both have – I was dreading this and it still isn’t a good situation, but you have made it as easy as it could be under the circumstances, thanks again’. The policeman looked at her and spoke, ‘You are making my job simpler and I know Dr. Sakda will think the same. We should speak often over the next few days, and if you have anything to ask, or to put forward, just call – I will be doing the same’. ‘Okay’, replied Jiraporn, ‘now can you show me where Nick is?’. ‘Yes’, said Tonsai, ‘but first let’s sign this list of Mr Pearson's belongings and get it copied.’ Jiraporn nodded, and she took the sheet of paper and signed it, then Tonsai did the same and as they passed the reception desk, he passed it to a member of staff who took it to the copier. As they waited Tonsai turned to Jiraporn and said ‘Tell me something, nothing to do with this situation, did you go to Pa La U Academy?’. Jiraporn looked at him open mouthed and slowly it dawned on her – ‘Aikido’, she said, still with a look of total surprise. ‘Yes’, said Tonsai, ‘it has been nagging me for a couple of minutes, but when you spoke about Solly, for some reason I remembered. I think I was about 3 years above you in the Academy, and you and I were paired together for a bout in a mixed Aikido class, I think I may have just managed to get the better of you that time.’ By now Jiraporn had a big smile on her face, ‘This is incredible, what happened to you? We had that one bout, which you were very lucky with, and then you disappeared, I don’t think you ever came to another class after that’. ‘I didn’t’, said Tonsai, I left Pa La U shortly after that and started at the Police Academy – I was 16, you must have been about 14’. ‘I was 13', Jiraporn said, 'I was an early starter when I was 10, so all my classmates were a year older, but I still remember that bout, you were huge’. The receptionist had copied the paper and Tonsai handed Jiraporn a copy. ‘I learnt a couple of very valuable lessons from that bout with you’, he said, ‘never to judge people by their appearances and that a smaller person with skill can usually overcome a larger one with brute force. I was too sure of myself and you almost took me. I think you impressed a few people, not only me! - now let’s check these items’. This only took about a minute to do, there was a wallet with about 2,000 Baht, a debit and ATM card, and Nick’s UK Drivers license (out of date!) plus his Rajabhat ID card and the contact card he had made naming Jiraporn. His Passport, a packet of cigarettes and a lighter, his phone and his beloved Netbook – Jiraporn didn’t think he was ever without it! ‘Is this still okay, do you know?’ she asked the policeman. ‘I don’t, I haven’t switched it on, but it doesn’t even look scratched, the case must have protected it if it is’. As everything was in order, Jiraporn signed the form and took Nick’s shoulder bag with everything in it. She would look at the items in more detail later. Now was the time that she feared the most, ‘Let’s go’, she said to Tonsai, ‘which way to the ICU?’. ‘Follow me’, he said ‘when we get to ICU 4, I will leave you at the door, please don’t go in, the staff have a lot on their minds and need to focus as I am sure you will appreciate. I will return to the desk we were just at and stay for about ten minutes making a couple of calls, after that, if you haven’t returned, I will come and find you. You are going to see a man with tubes and wires attached, which isn’t normal for anyone, and there are likely to be nurses monitoring the machines around him, this is normal and shouldn’t frighten you. The best thing for Mr Pearson now is to get rest, to allow his brain to acclimatise to his body's condition, the more rest he gets, the quicker he should recover. I’m sorry to scare you with this, but as harrowing as his situation is, it is normal in an ICU ward. He is getting the best possible care. He we are’.

They both looked through the glass door and saw a room with six beds, three of which were empty. ‘That is Mr Pearson’ said Tonsai, indicating the bed almost directly ahead of them. Jiraporn couldn’t help a short intake of breath, she paused, looked at the person she believed was Nick and tried to focus her eyes on his face. Very little of it was visible, he had a mask over his mouth and nose, and some covering over his left check. A lot of what was left was discoloured due to bruising, but she recognised him. His eyes were closed and there were the tubes and wires Tonsai had told her about, there was also a tent type structure with a sheet which gave his waist and upper legs some cover. ‘Thank you’, she said, ‘I’m not going to be here long, but I want to think for a moment while I can see him, I’ll see you back at the desk in a couple of minutes. ‘Take your time’ said Tonsai, and he returned the way they had come.

Jiraporn stood looking, not knowing how to react. She had no feelings of rage or sadness, certainly no thoughts of anything pleasant either, but almost a numbness, maybe helplessness, but strangely a calmness which surprised her. She looked at Nick, but she spoke to Bhudda, thinking this wasn’t the typical way that Thai’s address their Lord, but also thinking this is the way that Nick would. ‘Hi Buddha, you probably know about what’s happened here so I won’t trouble you with the details, but can I ask you to keep an eye on Nick for a while. I know you’ll be doing this anyway, but right now he could use as much help as possible. He might not show it in the way most people do, but he really has a lot of time for you and he is someone who lives a respectful life more than he talks about living a respectful life, please make sure he gets any opportunities there might be to recover, thank you’. And then looking again at Nick she said ‘Hi Friend, you keep at it, fight like you’ve’ never fought before, this time for you. You’ll be out of this in no time and then you and I are going to have a serious chat about a few things, but don’t worry about that right now, just get better. I’ll be back again soon, probably tomorrow morning and I want you to be spilling your coffee and making me smile. Take care, we are going to work out what’s happened and we are going to sort this out’.

Corporal Buathong was just ending a call when Jiraporn approached. ‘Are you okay?’, he asked, ‘Yes’, said Jiraporn, ‘I think it must have been the way you prepared me for that, but I actually feel quite calm. He is in a terrible state, but as you said, there isn’t much anyone other than Nick and the medical people can do about it, so I want to leave them to make it happen. I can make myself most useful by notifying others, and that’s what I’m going to do. I will return tomorrow morning to see how things are’. Tonsai smiled and spoke, ‘This evening you have impressed both the Doctor and I with your level headedness, and we are both grateful, but now I am not as surprised as I was before. Knowing you are the girl who showed so much courage when facing a lump of a boy twice your size nearly 20 years ago answers a few questions. What level did you achieve back then? Did you carry on with Aikido?’. Jiraporn smiled modestly, ‘I stopped when I went to university, just after turning 17’ said Jiraporn, ‘but got my junior black belt, a first grade Shodan. Maybe one day I will take it back up, but not right now’ she smiled. ‘Thank very much, Corporal, you are a credit to the Royal Thai Police in the way you have conducted yourself this evening, I really would have been very scared without your support’. Tonsai almost blushed, ‘It is all part of the job, and it is a part where I get a sense of achieving something most of the time, even under these circumstances. May I say that I would feel a lot more comfortable if you would address me as ‘Tonsai’, I think we have enough history to justify the breach in formality, especially as there are not that many people around!’. This time, a real smile reached Jiraporn’s face, ‘Of course, and I hope you will drop the ‘Ajarn’ with me as well’. The pair shook hands and made their farewells. Reaching the car, Jiraporn stood taking in a few good deep breaths and looked at her watch – it still wasn’t 8pm, she had been in the hospital for just less than an hour. It then dawned on her that it had only been a little over 4 hours since she had laughed at Nick’s encounter with a scorpion, if only that had been the worse thing to happen to him today. She opened the car door and got behind the wheel, ‘So what’s the plan, Shodan?’, she thought, but she already knew, ‘let’s go and see Solly’.

Chapter Four 

‘Black and Blue’ 

The Blue Parrot, March 2008.

Soi Selakam was just ticking over, not busy but there were few people walking around. The street was wide enough for a car and a bike to pass if there were no wheeled stalls selling their goods to negotiate, but cars were rare leaving the pedestrians and bikes plenty of room to move with ease. There were twelve to fifteen bars on the street, ranging from the smallest that could just fit a pool table and half a dozen customers in, to the triple fronted places with seats for 20 on the patio and another 30 inside. All the bars were open plan and all were raised a couple of steps off the street. This elevation allowed anything from 50 to 80 bar girls along the street to watch and hopefully attract passers by, a constant display of tight-fitting clothes on, in most cases, very attractive figures. There wasn’t much noise from vehicles because there were so few, but that was more than made up for by the blaring music and screams of delight from customers and girls as a black ball got potted or a team scored in whatever sport was being televised that night. 

In the middle of Selakam was the Blue Parrot, one of the largest venues on the street. The patio was separated from the street by a narrow bar used by both girls and customers to place drinks and to lean on, with a space in the middle giving access to the interior. There were three bar stools either side of the gap and the whole area was covered with a solid roof structure providing shade from the sun and shelter from the rain, it also had four powerful fans for the essential electric wind. The patio itself had four tables with chairs, ideal for people watching or escaping the crowd. Inside was the bar area to the right with six barstools, a pool table to the far left and four low ‘coffee’ tables in between with comfy sofas and chairs. There was plenty of floor space for standing, nothing was cramped together. On the walls above the bar and the pool table were two large TV screens and, like outside, six constantly turning fans hung from the ceiling. On good nights the Blue Parrot could comfortably host 50 seated and another 50 standing, with those numbers increasing by 20 or so at its busiest. Tonight there were six girls on the floor, another two behind the bar and four customers - high season had definitely finished for another year. From mid-November until mid-March business was good, usually very good, but for the other seven or eight months it was a case of keeping your head above the water. 

Jiraporn had parked by the Chinese Temple, it was only a couple of minutes walk to the Blue Parrot and meant she didn’t have to worry about blocking traffic. As she walked she was aware of eyes following her progress along Soi Selakam, nothing threatening, but the few expats who were there hadn’t missed her arrival, nor had the girls. Jiraporn was dressed modestly, but a modestly dressed beautiful woman was still a beautiful woman and she was a new kid on the block, a source of interest in a world where human interaction was high on the list of activities.

The four girls on the Blue Parrot patio smiled nonchalantly as Jiraporn approached and then climbed the steps into the bar, the two girls behind the bar looked up and straightened their stance as she sat on a bar stool. ‘Hi, what can we get you?’ asked one, although it could have been either as they seemed indistinguishable, Jiraporn smiled and said ‘Actually, I was wondering if Solly was here’. ‘I’ll check for you’ said the other, and stepped back a couple of paces, turned and called into an unseen place behind the bar ‘So-Lee, Lady to see you’. 

The girl smiled and said ‘Moment, please’, while standing back next to the other, Jiraporn returned the smile and nodded her thanks, then said ‘You two are totally identical, you must cause a lot of confusion around here’. They both smiled and said simultaneously ‘Yes’ and laughed. At the same time, a stout man with a straw grey beard, which complemented his long straw grey hair, came around from the hidden space behind the bar, looked up let out a deep throated ‘Whoa, so my dreams have come true at last, what a sight for sore eyes’, and strode the 4 steps to Jiraporn. Jiraporn had got off the stool and had opened her arms out wide, ‘Solly, it’s so good to see you’ and they hugged each other, Solly gave her a peck on the cheek and whispered in her ear ‘Don’t mention seeing me in Bangkok’ and Jiraporn smiled and replied ‘Okay’. 

‘What brings you to the best bar in Hua Hin?’ asked Solly, ‘Other than to see me, of course - and what can I get you to drink?’. ‘Well,’, answered Jiraporn, taking a deep breath, ‘seeing you is reason enough, of course, but there is something I need to talk to you about, and I would love something cold, long and non-alcoholic, I’m driving’. ‘Okay’, said Solly, ‘How about trying one of the twin’s “Jasmine Mint Tea’s?”. ‘That sounds great’ responded Jiraporn, and the girls behind the bar gave a quick ‘Yes’, fist-pumped the air and turned to concoct another of their specialities. ‘Is there somewhere quiet we can talk?’ asked Jiraporn, looking at Solly with a slightly more serious expression. ‘Yes’, said Solly, ‘let's go into the grotto’, and he gestured for Jiraporn to follow him as turned back to the unseen place he had emerged from a minute earlier, ‘Can you bring the Jasmine Tea into the back?’, he asked the twins, who nodded in reply, intent on their masterpiece under construction.

The grotto was less than half a stride from the end of the bar, nothing more than a back room with a stairway to the floor above, a door to the yard outside, a kitchen sink, a double gas hob, a fridge, a four cupboard kitchen corner unit with worksurface and cupboards above, a good sized kitchen table and a double drawer filing cabinet with a TV on top. On the table was a laptop, some receipts and a pint sized white mug with the word ‘Cats’ and a caricature of a fierce feline in dark blue, it was half full of hot tea. There was a well used sofa down one side of the room and two kitchen chairs and one swivel office chair around the table. ‘Welcome to the Grotto, mission control of the Blue Parrot’, smiled Solly.

Jiraporn was impressed, ‘Wow, you could live in here, there’s everything you need’. Solly replied, ‘I did for the first year I was running this place, and others have since, in times of need!, take a seat’. Jiraporn sat at the table, and Solly sat in the office chair, which he had not long since vacated. ‘What's the problem’, he asked in a genuinely concerned tone. Before Jiraporn could reply, the twins appeared, one of them carrying the Jasmine Tea, embellished with ice, straws, swizzle stick, paper umbrella, mint leaves and a half slice of lemon, she placed a crocheted coaster on the table in front of Jiraporn, followed by the glass. ‘That looks wonderful’ smiled Jiraporn and raised the glass to all three and said ‘Khop-khun kha’ (thank you), then took a sip and gave a look of approval ‘Ah-roi kha’ (it’s delicious), the girls clapped their hands and returned, chattering, back around the corner.

Jiraporn put the glass down while exhaling a deep breath, and looking at Solly said, ‘I’ve just come from the hospital, Nick’s had an accident, he’s alive, but badly hurt. I need to tell you because you are his best friend, and I need to tell you because I am so scared for him’. With this release of news came a release of emotion, Jiraporn’s eyes filled and she could hold in her feelings no longer, she wept openly. Solly was taken aback, not by the sight of a woman crying, but by the speed of how quickly Jiraporn’s demeanour had radically swung and, of course, by the news of Nick’s accident. His shock lasted for about three seconds and then he stood, picked up a roll of kitchen towel tissues and moved his chair closer to Jiraporn, holding her elbow gently he pressed four or five tissues into her hand and spoke softly, ‘Let it go, take some time, it’s going to be okay’. They stayed almost motionless like that for a couple of minutes, or maybe 30 seconds, time can be misleading. 

Jiraporn wiped her eyes and cheeks, looked up and swallowed hard. ‘It’s okay, I’m okay, thank you’. Another few breaths and she looked at Solly and said with a smile, ‘I guess you are used to irrational women breaking down on you’ and a small burst of laughter left her throat, but she was collecting herself together and was feeling a lot more like facing up to what today had thrown at her. ‘Rarely a night goes past with me have bring out the tissues for some reason or other, all part of the job when you run a bar’, Solly smiled, then carried on, ‘When you’re good, tell me about the state Nick is in, there’s no rush, as I said, take your time’. ‘Okay’, said Jiraporn ‘I’m good and getting better’, she then told Solly what the Doctor had told her, and how she had seen Nick through the glass door and about the tubes, the tent and all the other things that she had seen and heard at the hospital. Solly, who was no stranger to hospitals as both patient or visitor, nodded throughout while she spoke, and when she seemed to have finished said, ‘They appear to have all the corners covered, and the Doctor you saw also seems to be one of the good ones, all things given, Nick is in the best place and with the right people’.

Jiraporn, who by now was back to her usual in control self, apart from slightly reddened eyes, nodded. ‘There’s something else I need to tell you, and I think you are the only one I can speak to about this, so excuse me for being a bit strange here. I have been racking my head about how to manage my own processing of this situation, so I would appreciate your input as my friend, as well as being Nick’s friend’. Solly looked up at Jiraporn, raised his eyebrows in a perplexed way and said, ‘Okay, fire away, if I can help I will, if I can’t then I’ll tell you, but either way you’ve got my interest and my full attention’. Jiraporn’s face showed the relief she felt, ‘Thank you’ and she looked into Solly’s eyes and asked, ‘Has Nick said anything to you about Hua Hin Airport?’.

This seemingly innocuous question prompted Solly to sit back in his chair and open his hands, signalling to both that they needed to pause and think, ‘Let’s just hold it there for a moment’, they looked at each other, both wondering how to take this forward. Solly broke the silence, ‘When did Nick speak to you about this?, I don’t doubt you in any way, you are someone I trust totally, but I am surprised that Nick told anyone, I had understood from him that he didn’t want anyone to know, even his most trusted friends’. 

Jiraporn looked down at the table, what Solly had just said confirmed her fears, but also gave her a sense of relief, she had been right to speak to him about this, ‘Nick told me about the ‘research’ he had been doing this afternoon, that was the first time he had mentioned anything to me about this. I wasn’t surprised that he was doing it, but I was surprised by the gravity of it. Actually, I think Nick was as well. He said that very recently, in the past couple of days, he had come across some stuff which needed a native Thai speaker's analysis, and wanted to know if I would help. He told me he had been looking into waste disposal which involved the US military based at the airport in the ‘60’s, but some documents he had just come across, which he thought to be important, were in Thai and he needed to have an accurate translation. He also said that he was beginning to think that there might be an element of risk, although the events he was looking into were 40 years ago, there may be links to today. That was about the drift of what he told me. I said to him that I was okay with translating for him and we parted. 20 minutes later he’s involved in an accident which almost kills him, and I’m left with a feeling of paranoia. I spent time at the hospital not only with the doctor, but also the police. As it happens, we both know the policeman, it was Corporal Tonsai Buathong, but nothing he said or asked indicated to me that he thought this was anything other than an accident, and I certainly didn’t mention anything to him about what I have just said. Am I overreacting? Am I paranoid?’ 

‘Paranoia is when you think people are after you and they’re not, if people are after you then it’s healthy suspicion, and right now we simply don’t know, so lets side with healthy suspicion’, said Solly, ‘and the same goes for overreacting, there is nothing wrong with being prepared for the worst and then happily accepting that you were wrong if that is how it turns out’. ‘What else did Tonsai have to say?, I do know him and also his father, they’re two of the good guys in the Hua Hin police. Did he say anyone else was involved in the accident’. Jiraporn was coming back around to dealing with what she knew rather than what she feared, and felt a lot more comfortable with that as bad as it was, ‘I don’t know his father, but it turns out Tonsai and I went to the same school and even fought each other in Aikido class once!, but the talk was mainly how I could help him notify people about Nick’s accident, which was the reason that prompted this visit, and no, he doesn’t think there was anyone else involved. They have Jezabel at the police compound and will be looking over her tomorrow’. She paused to breathe, ‘You know most of Nick’s acquaintances in Hua Hin, I know his work colleagues, can you help let people know about the accident - but at the same time tell them not to visit just yet?, I'll be doing the same with the Rajabhat staff.’

‘That’s not a problem, I can post about it on the ‘Parrot News’ social media page, almost everyone who comes here, and a lot that don’t, read it and it’ll take me about 5 minutes to post’ said Solly nodding toward the laptop on the table, ‘I’ll also post on a couple of other Hua Hin sites that I know Nick sometimes contributes to - the wonders of modern technology!’. As he spoke he reached for the mug on the table and took a mouthful of tea, Jiraporn smiled, ‘Some things will never change, I see,’ and smiled again looking at the mug, ‘So how are Geelong doing this season?, not that I follow ‘Aussie Rules’, as you know’. Solly raised his Cats mug and proudly said ‘We won the grand final last year, for the first time in my lifetime, I think!, and so far, so good this year, but the seasons only just started’. ‘And you’re right, some things don’t change, but a lot do. I could spend a good couple of hours filling you in on the comings and goings in this place,’, he looked around the room, but Jiraporn knew he meant the whole establishment. ‘I’ve missed you so much,’ said Jiraporn, ‘I get the odd snippet of information from Nick about some of what’s happening, but it was never going to be a good idea for me to drop in and see you here, not after Nick and I parted, this is definitely his turf and I wouldn’t want to trespass on it. He and I have built up a very good working relationship, against what I once thought was a bad idea to do so, and the past year has seen that increase, but I am happy to keep it as it is. His life is his and mine is mine’. 

Solly looked at Jiraporn and his solemn expression didn’t change, ‘Nick is a clever guy, he’s like a younger brother to me and in that way I love him to bits, but he was a total idiot to walk away from you, I’ve never said that to him because I’ve never needed to, he knows it, but it’s water under the bridge and you have both moved on. Now let’s deal with this situation and see what happens, when it happens or if it happens’. 

Jiraporn smiled again at Solly, ‘Thank you’. She paused for a couple of seconds and carried on, ‘listening to what you just said, along with some of the craziness in my head, has given me a strategy I think would be good for me to adopt. I’d like to try and explain to you so you can tell me what you think’. Once again Solly raised his eyebrows, ‘Go ahead, I’m all ears’, he smiled.

Jiraporn took a while, but then said, ‘It seems to me that there are two halves to my, and now your, problem. Firstly, we have a good friend in hospital who needs all the help we can give him to recover. As grim as that is, it is quite straightforward. The second half isn’t, there is a possibility that the reason he is in hospital is something that we cannot talk openly about, because if true, then there are some bad guys out there and it could cause even more difficulties, maybe even danger for him. If that is the case, and his accident was deliberate, then we can’t do nothing, because the bad guys won’t wait for things to just go away. Do you think my imagination is running riot?  Jiraporn looked at Solly and wondered what he was thinking, she didn’t have to wait long.

‘Covert and Overt, or to make it easier, Black and Blue’, said Solly, ‘ Some people, ones you trust implicitly, are aware of everything and all others are only aware of what you want them to know’. He carried on, ‘What you have just described is very common practice in all military operations, most big business and, to a much greater extent, in many people's love lives. Keeping secrets, or lying, only becomes a problem when the wrong people find out the wrong information, so you don’t let it happen. What you have said about your strategy is a classic example of where this needs to happen. All we, and it is we, not just you, need to decide is who is Black and who is Blue’.    

Jiraporn had listened intently to what Solly had said, but as he finished, started to narrow her eyes slightly, ‘I hadn’t thought of telling anyone else, just you and me, isn’t that the best way to keep it a secret?’. Solly nodded, ‘If all we were going to want to do is to keep a secret, then yes. But as you have said, if bad guys are involved we might need help, other people who possess skills that you and I don’t have. We will also need to ask other, very close, people in our lives to understand why we were doing things that were not ‘usual’ for us to do. Either way, you need to have a few, highly trusted people in the Black circle to assist and enable us. This Black circle should not just know a few facts but all the facts, otherwise, through no fault of their own they might give the whole game away. If we cannot trust Black team members with everything, then we cannot trust them with anything and they should not be in the Black team. So the priority for inclusion should be, do they have to be in?, and if they do, can they be trusted?. The answer to both has to be yes’. 

Jiraporn was considering what Solly had said, it certainly made a lot of sense if action was going to be called for, but she hadn’t even thought of that scenario. Her whole attitude over the past few hours had been one of defence, not attack. ‘This is not something I was expecting, but I do see the logic in what you say, after all, I came here because I was scared and it wasn’t the accident that scared me but what caused it. But I would be lying if I said this was a situation I was familiar or comfortable with and the idea of Blue and Black stuff is alien to me’. Solly smiled again, ‘Although I have painted a grim picture, it’s actually all human nature. You will not always have told the truth to everyone every time you spoke to them and I guess everyone else you have ever met has not been completely honest with you. With small stuff, we rely on our own memory of what we have said to people, occasionally we get it wrong and get found out. But with big stuff, especially when shared with others, that can be disastrous. Simplifying it to Black and Blue just helps us to control, and be aware of, who knows what and when with regard to the situation’.

Solly paused, ‘With this in mind, I need to tell you about something, un-related, about my situation, because I am going to ask you if you are willing to allow me to include three or maybe four people to come in on this. You have met the twins tonight, Tukta and Ying, they are not just bar staff, and certainly not bar girls. I have known them now for 5 years and they are the closest I have to having daughters. It’s a long story, but in those 5 years they have become the reason I keep this place going. And it’s for them and not for me. They have learnt everything there is to know about running a bar, the good and the bad, and they are by far two of the most intelligent and capable people I have met, right up there with you,’ Solly smiled. ‘If we are going to do our best for Nick, in whatever way that may be, including those two in the Black team is crucial, mainly because I cannot do anything without them knowing but also because they would be very useful people to include. They may appear at first glance to be a couple of giggly young girls, and that is their true personality with people they like, but if you get on the wrong side of them, beware. They don’t take prisoners’.

It was Jiraporn’s turn to smile, ‘I knew I liked them, and if you think they would be of benefit to us in this, then I am very happy to have a couple of Thai girls along’, she paused, still smiling, ‘Who else are you thinking of?’. Solly looked at Jiraporn again and said ‘Before, you mentioned that Nick had come across new information just recently, I don’t know where from, but I might know who helped him get it - I am not sure about this, so I shall have to be careful before committing one way or another. About a month ago, my niece, Livvy, arrived from Oz for an extended break. She knows Nick and they got along well. Nothing romantic, I think, but they chatted long into the night on a couple of occasions. From what they said to me after, it was about a website Livvy had introduced Nick to. Livvy is a journalist back in Australia, or at least she was until she got the boot. That is why she has the time to be here. As we speak, she is on her way back from Penang in Malaysia, she has been getting a 2 month Thai Visitors Visa there. Her train is due into Hua Hin in a couple of hours. So with the advent of this new website Livvy talked to Nick about, I think it might be a fair guess that it may be the source of his new info. I will ask her when she gets back. Livvy and the Twins get on fantastically well - they have all three been like a bunch of gaggling geese around here over the past month!. How do you feel about Livvy coming onboard, if she has been talking to Nick about this?’. 

Again, Jiraporn smiled and let out a short breath of air, ‘I am sure you wouldn’t want her involved if you thought it wasn't a good idea, so you do what you think best after you have spoken. Whatever you decide, I would love to meet Livvy sometime, soon I hope. You said maybe four, is there anyone else?’. Solly replied, ‘You will meet Livvy soon, as far as including anyone else is concerned, I don’t think so at the moment but we should keep it in mind if we need help. We have to have the ability to do the job, we just need to maintain integrity. And now might be a good time to introduce you properly to the twins’.

Before either of them could do or say anything, two identical young women walked in and faced Jiraporn, ‘Hello, Pii Sao’ (elder sister) they said, as they both wai’ed, much longer than the usual brief nod. Solly was mortified. ‘What have you heard? How long have you been listening?’. Jiraporn, on the other hand, simply stood and returned their deep wai, ‘Sawas Dee Kha, Nong Sao’ (Greetings younger sisters), then all three broke into beaming smiles and hugged each other. ‘Can we speak in English?’ asked one of the twins, ‘Nick has told us a lot about you, and that you are a wonderful Ajarn’. ‘Of course we can’, replied Jiraporn, ‘but you speak English really well already, did Nick teach you?’. ‘A little bit, but mainly Solly, and customers of course’, they said, ‘We get bigger tips if we speak English and laugh a lot’. By now Solly was resigned to being a paperweight on an office chair, trying to be angry at the girls, but inwardly smiling at how far they had come in 5 short years, they were a constant joy to him. ‘Okay’, he said, ‘What didn’t you hear, or what didn’t you understand?’, and he wasn’t at all surprised when they looked at each other, then back at him and said ‘Nothing, we got it all’ and once again gave their killer, but genuine smiles.   

Chapter Five 

‘Ying and Tukta’

Hua Hin, March 2008.

Solly was half thinking about giving a short lecture to the twins on when it was acceptable to eavesdrop and when it was not, but decided against it. He arrived at this decision mainly for three reasons, it probably wouldn’t register with the girls at that time, it wouldn’t be an appropriate thing to do in front of Jiraporn who had only just met them and finally because he wasn’t totally sure he believed what he would be saying himself. Thankfully Jiraporn broke what had become a slightly difficult moment of silence. 'So', she said, looking at the twins, 'having heard what you’ve just heard, what are your overall thoughts and what do you think we should do next?’ By asking this question Jiraporn was hoping to find out two important things, just how much of the conversation the twins really understood and also what the girls were capable of regarding problem solving, she was not going to be disappointed with either. 

The girls thought for a moment and then, although Jiraporn didn't know it, it was Tukta who answered. 'We need to take care of Nick, we need to find out what Nick found out and we need to take care of ourselves'. Ying took over, 'If there are bad guys trying to kill Nick, then they might not stop just because he's in hospital, they might try to get to him while he is in the hospital', she continued, 'We have to know what Nick knows before we can find out who the bad guys are'. Tukta then concluded, 'We don't even know if there are any bad guys, but if there are, they will find out that Nick has friends, so we need to make sure that we’re okay, we need to watch each other's backs'. Jiraporn looked at both of them and smiled, ‘I am really pleased we are on the same team, you are both amazing’. Tukta and Ying returned the smile, but not as two young giggly girls, these were a pair of mature, serious and calculating young women.

Solly had watched all this transpire and nodded his head, ‘I agree with with everything that has been said, but I think we should move quickly’, he took a breath, ‘until we know otherwise we have to presume there are bad guys, and they did try to kill Nick, or at the very least try to warn him off whatever it was he was doing. It is quite possible they know he is now in hospital, they also probably know where he lives. But, it is just as likely they don’t know any of these things at the moment, but will find out over the next day or so. Whatever is the case, we should not be standing around doing nothing, we need to act - carefully and with purpose, but act all the same’.

Jiraporn cut in, ‘I need to get to Nick’s house. This afternoon, part of what he said to me was that he had a handy drive with documents on it. At the hospital, Tonsai the policeman gave me Nick’s belongings, which included his Netbook PC. I haven’t had time to check what’s on it, but there certainly wasn’t a handy drive amongst his things. I know where Nick keeps the important stuff at his house, he reminded me about it today, so I think it would be a good idea to go and see if it is there. After all that you three have said, I think I need to do this with caution and do it soon’. ‘We will come with you’, said one of the twins and Solly nodded looking at them, ‘That’s a good idea, take Jiraporn out the back way and also show her where we keep the hidden key, you two follow on a bike and keep a look out for anyone who maybe tailing you. I’ll get Fern to look after the bar, and stay here manning the fort. Return the same way and no one will know you’ve been gone’. To Jiraporn he said, ‘I guess you will be going home after going to Nick’s house. From now on, as you are driving, keep a close eye on your rear view mirror. If you think you are being followed, call me on my mobile, just say where you are, don’t hang up. Then pull over and see if the tail stops, if it does, then tell me and try to drive to a place with lots of people, keep me on the line all the time. If the suspect car drives past you, then do a U-turn and then get off the road and wait to see if it returns. If it does then hopefully it won’t have seen you and will just carry on. If it doesn’t return, then it was probably just an innocent car. If nothing happens on your drive home, and I hope this will be the case, then call me when you get home safely. But from now on, you need to be vigilant until all of this mess gets cleared up. Are you clear about all of this cloak and dagger stuff?’ he smiled.

‘I’m clear’, Jiraporn smiled, ‘and ready for a role in the next Bond movie. Seriously though, I need to check I still have your mobile number, and get yours too’, she added, looking at the twins. They all got out their phones and added each other. ‘Solly,’ Jiraporn said, ‘I want to ask you a question while the twins are here, because I can see that I am going to have a problem with this, it might not sound like a serious question, but it is to me - can you tell the difference between these two, and if so, how?’ Solly and the girls all laughed, ‘Okay,’ he said, but you must promise not to tell anyone, actually the only other person to know is Nick, and he found out by accident’. Solly looked at the twins for approval and received both a smile and a nod from each. ‘Have a look at Tukta’s left earlobe, now look at Ying’s’, the girls slightly turned their heads toward Jiraporn. ‘Ahh, I see’, she said, ‘Did you ever have an earring or stud in there? it looks almost healed up’. Jiraporn had seen what appeared to be a very small hole, or what used to be a hole, in Tukta’s left ear. ‘Actually, it’s not a piercing, I was born with it, I think in English it would be called a dimple, but whatever, I have it and Ying doesn’t. But maybe she will get one if too many people get to know about it - we like being as one’. ‘So, Tukta has a dimple, Ying doesn’t. Got it, I think! Your secret’s safe with me’, smiled Jiraporn and both the other girls smiled back.

‘Okay’, said Solly, rising from the chair, ‘lets get at it’. The twins then did something which took Jiraporns breath away, as it would most peoples, they took off their floral print calf length dresses, and the plain black cotton blouses, to reveal black tee shirts and very short denim shorts. Within 10 seconds they had transformed from conservatively dressed young women to outrageously stunning girls. The blouses and skirts were quickly folded and concealed in shoulder bags, out of which came two black baseball caps. With a twist of the wrist and fingers, their long flowing hair disappeared under the caps. The footwear remained the same, almost flesh coloured Nike trainers and the whole deal was finished off with the girls covering their faces with black face masks, which had never stopped being popular with many Asians since the 2003 Sars outbreak. ‘Wow’, said Jiraporn, mouth slightly open, ‘I think I need to get a couple of pairs of denim shorts and some plain tops, that was impressive’. Solly’s eyes smiled at Jiraporn, ‘That is a good idea, and one that I need to see in person’, they all laughed and moved toward the backdoor. 

Solly turned to Jiraporn, ‘If all goes well, call me when you get home, and we can arrange to meet tomorrow at the hospital to see Nick, if it doesn’t go well - then we will see what happens. But I am hoping it will all be good, take care and thank you for coming tonight, even though it is a difficult time, it is really good to see you again’. Jiraporn looked at him and then put her arms around his waist and gave him a hug, ‘Thanks Solly, for everything, see you tomorrow’, and gave him a kiss on his cheek then turned and followed the twins who were half out of the door. Solly raised his voice slightly to them and said ‘Take care, see you soon’, the girls turned their heads and smiled, ‘Don’t get into any trouble without us’, their usual parting message to him.

Solly closed the door behind them, not locking it so they could get back in, picked up the laptop and mouse and went into the bar. He sat on a bar stool on the customers side and called over to a slim, attractive lady in her late 30’s who was chatting with a couple of other girls on the patio. ‘Fern’, he smiled when she had approached him, ‘can you look after the bar while the twins see our friend back home?, they shouldn’t be long’. ‘Of course, there’s not much happening out here tonight, do you want me to get you a beer?’. Solly thought for a moment, ‘No’, he said, 'I think I will have a few days on the wagon, see if I can lose some of this’, and he patted his slightly overweight stomach, ‘I’ll make another mug of tea in a bit’. Solly looked around and saw that his customers had now dwindled to two, so he called all the girls over to him. ‘ I’ve just had some bad news which I want to tell you about, Nick’s in hospital - he’s come off his bike. He’s hurt quite badly, a broken leg and a couple of other things, but it looks like he will be okay, but for the next few days, the twins will be in and out of here quite a lot. This shouldn’t affect you, apart from maybe Fern, who I hope will spend a bit more time behind the bar. I am about to post on the website, so you might get a few people asking about him. Basically he needs rest and at the moment, no visitors. Other than that, I will be here most of the time with the twins doing the running around’. Fern spoke for them all and said they wanted Nick to get better soon, and she was happy to work the bar - it was going to be like old times, she smiled. The girls all nodded and murmured their concern and willingness to fit in. Solly thanked them all, and said it was times like this he really appreciated how lucky he was to have such great staff, and he meant it. 

With that, Solly opened up the laptop and started to compose the post’s online about Nick’s accident. It wasn’t long before he was getting replies, he responded to a few but after 20 minutes or so closed the laptop, enough had been said. He picked up the computer, went back into the Grotto and made another mug of tea. 

The twins opened the metal gate that secured the backyard of the Blue Parrot, once all three were through the gate, Tukta padlocked it.  She paused and spoke to Jiraporn, ‘Solly, Ying and I have keys for this and there is a spare for when we have forgotten ours. It is here.’ She bent down and moved a small brick in the wall supporting the metal gate, the brick slid out just an inch, but enough to reveal a brass key. She slid it back and no-one would guess it was there. Ying pointed back through the metal cage surrounding the rear of the Blue Parrot, ‘You see those fire escape stairs’, she said ‘They go up to a storage room above the Grotto which accesses the whole building, but the internal door is bolted and padlocked from the far side. But if you ever need to stay hidden for a while, that storage room will give it to you and the padlock on that outside door is opened with this same key. It may be useful to know one day. We call that room The Snug and’, looking at Tukta she concluded, ‘we really need to give it a clean soon’. ‘We will’ responded Tukta.

The back Soi they had come out into was wide enough for two large people to walk side by side, so enough room to park a bike close to the walls and still leave space for another bike to pass, slowly. If you turned right, you would get to Soi Salawat itself within 10 metres, but if you turned left the back Soi headed off to the unknown. It was unlit, with just a few lights from the tiny rooms that many of the working girls used as accommodation. It wasn’t a place you would walk down through choice, but for those who knew their way around, it was a very handy rat-run to quickly get to other parts of the bar area and beyond. Jiraporn could just about make out two motorbikes parked closely to the wall, both facing toward the left. Tukta turned to Jiraporn and said, ‘Walk down there for about 15 metres and you will come to a small junction, turn right and carry on for 10 metres and there is a second junction, you will see the turning you took to get to the Chinese Temple. We will stay at that second junction while you get your car. When we see you coming out we will follow you. Drive, not too fast, not too slow and head past the Hilton, then past the Sofitel and go along to Soi Salawat. Cross Petchkasem Road into Soi Salawat and turn left into the first back Soi on Salawat and pull over. We will be behind you all the time, but we will also be dropping back occasionally to see if anyone is following you. Okay?’ Jiraporn nodded, becoming more and more aware that these two girls had a history that, one day, she was going to enjoy finding out about with them, ‘Okay, see you on the first back Soi on Salawat’, and she set off, aware of the girls behind her rolling one of the bikes. 

Jiraporn crossed into the slipway for the Chinese temple, which also led to the Hilton beach public entrance. About 10 metres before she got to her car she stopped, fumbled in her handbag and took out her phone, she wasn’t going to use it, but it was a good way to take a little time to see if anyone was watching her car, after 20 seconds of miming conversation into the phone and checking out the surroundings she felt sure she was unobserved, and continued. Jiraporn got in the car and started up the motor, reversed out of the parking spot and headed back to the junction. The twins were astride the bike and gave her a nod, she then turned left along Naresdamri Road, the main tourist street in Hua Hin. She passed the Hilton on her left, then crossed the Beach Road, or Soi 61 as it is officially called, and carried on south past the Sofitel until she came to a small right turn going to Soi Salawat, officially known as Soi 80. Getting into Satawat involved crossing Petchkasem Road, the main dual carriageway through not just Hua Hin, but going all the way from Bangkok to Malaysia, but that would be a trip for another day. The traffic at 9pm was quiet, so crossing was not a problem and she soon found herself turning left into the first back Soi on Salawat. After 20 seconds the twins pulled up next to her. Tukta, who was driving the bike, said ‘Ying’s going to stay here and walk up the main Back Soi, I will drive up it now and see if there is anyone hanging around Nick’s house. I will come right back either way and tell you both. If it’s all clear then you drive up and park a couple of houses up or down from Nick’s and go in and get the stuff. we will be watching out for you. When you get the stuff, come out as soon as you can and we all return here. Okay, see you soon’, and Tukta rode off making a swift right turn up the main back Soi. Within 2 minutes she had returned, pulled up again and said as far as she could tell, it was all clear - no one to be seen. So they went off again, this time Tukta went up the main Soi Salawat to another of the connecting Soi’s, while Jiraporn drove up the main back Soi to Nicks, Ying followed her on foot. As Jiraporn pulled up just past Nick’ house she could see Tukta ahead of her about 20 metres, parked and barely noticeable. As she got out of the car she could see Ying about 20 metres behind her, again if you weren’t looking for her you wouldn’t see her. Jiraporn walked briskly to Nick’s house, not having been here for 6 years it felt slightly odd, but she couldn’t dwell on that. She opened her handbag and got the little purse she had taken from her bedroom drawer, she took out a key and opened the front gate into the carport. She turned and closed the gate, briefly looking around to see if she had attracted any attention - she couldn’t see anything unusual and proceeded to the front door, took out another key and opened it. Stepping inside, she was struck by the aroma, so familiar, nothing unusual, but so Nick. She also nearly jumped out of her skin when a cat brushed past her leg and meowed. ‘Hello’, she said ‘You must be Padme’, the cat purred as Jiraporn tickled behind Padme’s ear. ‘It’s good to meet you but I must get on’, feeling perfectly at home with her new friend. Jiraporn walked the 6 or 7 paces to the kitchen area and looked above the work surface and below the cupboards. It was still there, two electric sockets, each capable of housing 4 plugs. The one of the left had no plugs, the one on the right had 2 in place. Jiraporn went to the one on the left, took out another slim key from her purse, inserted it into the earth hole of the top right socket and turned the key. Magically the whole socket swung open to reveal a tiny safe, in which was a handy drive and a roll of what looked like about 50,000 Thai Baht. She took both, placing them in her handbag and locked the mini-safe back up. She then looked down at the floor and picked up the cats feeding and drinking bowls and went to the fridge. She found some milk and topped up one, then found some cat food and emptied the contents into the other. Padme was purring like mad and didn’t stop to thank Jiraporn when the bowls were placed back on the floor. Padme was now a happy cat. Jiraporn went back to the front door, turned around for a last brief look and thought ‘I’m coming back here again soon’. With that, she left the house, locking it back up as it was, went through the car port and again, locked it back up as she stepped out on to Back Soi Salawat. She could still see the twins who hadn’t moved, and got back into her car and quietly started the motor, drove up the soi until she came to where the now departed Tukta had been, did a u-turn and returned to where they had been, not 3 minutes ago, the twins were already there. 

Ying approached Jiraporn’s side window, ‘All good?’ she asked. ‘Yes, all fine, I have the handy drive as well as some money to give to Nick if he needs it, it is not a bad thing to let the hospital know that patients are able to meet any expenses. I also fed the cat’, and they all smiled. Jiraporn decide to get out of the car, ‘I am going to go home now and see what I can find on Nick’s Netbook and handy drive, I will be going to the hospital tomorrow morning to see Nick, and probably Solly too, but while we are here, just the three of us, I want to say what a real pleasure it’s been to have met you. Within less than 2 hours I feel I’ve got two sisters, and I’m so happy about that. You are amazing people and I know we are going to know each other for a very long time. It is so good to have people that you just feel at home with, all the time, thank you’. Tukta had gotten off the bike and she and Ying both came to Jiraporn and they all put their arms around each other. It was Ying who kissed Jiraporn on the cheek first, and Jiraporn responded likewise, then Tukta, not wanting to be outdone, did the same with exactly the same result. They all stayed like that for a few moments, maybe a few moments more than was necessary, but no one moved and no one complained. In a place that could be so cruel, at a time when nothing seemed certain, having each other was something the twins had relied on for many years, and now they welcomed Jiraporn into their place of security, with genuine warmth and affection and Jiraporn felt blessed.

‘Okay,’ said Jiraporn, I must make a move home, take care and give Solly a hug for me. See you both tomorrow at some time’. ‘Take care’, said the twins as they got back on the bike, ‘Are you going back into town or over Soi 88 to the bypass?’. Jiraporn thought for a moment, ‘From here, it’s probably quicker over Soi 88, I know the road well and in 20 minutes I should be back home - I’ll call Solly when I get there’. ‘Okay,’ the girls replied, ‘Safe trip’, and they got on the bike and went back to the Blue Parrot. Jiraporn drove to the top of main Soi Salawat, turned left along the railway road and then left again to follow Soi 88 over the hills to the bypass. There was very little traffic and no headlights behind her. She was following the route Nick had taken 8 or 9 hours earlier to get to the Rajabhat, but just before she got to her place of work Jiraporn turned right to get home. All the time checking to see if anyone was following, there wasn’t. As she pulled into the 4 buildings that made up Baan Nong Khra, the only home she had known, she felt as though she was a different woman from the one that had left 3 hours ago. Even as she got out of the car and locked the door, she was looking back the way she had come for unusual lights or sounds, none of which occurred. She thought her life had changed, she had certainly become aware of dangers she hadn’t been aware of before. But she had also regained a friendship with Solly for which she was very grateful, and discovered a remarkable pair of young women who had truly amazed her. As she thought of Solly, she was reminded that she had to call him and did. It was a short conversation, just saying that all was okay and that they would speak again in the morning to arrange a meeting at the hospital.  

She was now going to have to consider how to merge all this new information with her old life, most notably her mother and daughter. She was thinking this as the front door opened and Sophea stood in the light, welcoming her, there had not been many times when this simple act had meant so much. ‘Come in’, said Sophea, and Jiraporn went up to her mother and held her close. ‘Thank you’ she said, ‘it is good to be back home’. 

Chapter Six 

‘Fish Sauce and Gold’

Baan Nong Khra, March, 2008

Jiraporn followed her mother into the kitchen area and joined her as she sat at the table, the centre of their world. They both sat and said nothing, this wasn’t an uncomfortable silence but a time to gather thoughts and, for Jiraporn, to try to arrange hers in a way that would hold some logical sequence. Sophea knew her daughter better than she knew herself, every breath that was inhaled and exhaled, every eye movement as she stared intently at the irrelevant items that were always on the table were milestones of the mental journey she needed to undergo before committing to share what troubled her. Sophea waited, and was happy to wait for as long as it took. It wasn’t long.

‘Nick is quite badly hurt, his leg is broken, he has had severe blows to his head and to his chest. But he is very likely to survive and, after some time, will probably be almost as good as new’ Jiraporn said, while not looking up from the table. ‘It is good to hear your prediction, although it certainly sounds like he has a lot of work to go through before he gets there, but I am pleased the outlook is positive’, responded Sophea, ‘but I feel there is going to be more to this than just a medical summary’, she smiled and looked at Jiraporn. ‘You are correct, and I am sorry to say that some, if not all, of the rest will involve me, you and Tangmo, if not directly then definitely indirectly, and I am not sure that it is all going to be good’. Jiraporn had looked toward her mother as she spoke, almost with a sense of guilt, her words held no apology but an acceptance that this was out of her control’. She continued, ‘It is possible, no, probable that Nick’s accident wasn’t an accident at all, and that he has come across some information that has unknowingly put him at risk with people who have things to hide’. Sophea hadn’t moved or waivered as she listened, but now lifted her hand slightly off the table top, ‘Do you think that maybe you should go back to the beginning?’, she asked, ‘I have never wanted to know anything you have not wanted to tell me, but from what you are saying, this might affect Tangmo, and that is my red line - if anything comes into our house that threatens you or her, then I want to know everything about it so I can gauge my response. I know you and I are the same in this, so please consider letting me in’. 

Jiraporn raised her eyes and for a moment was speechless. Her mother had never spoken like this before, it had always been the case that Jiraporn had told what she wanted to say and that had been it. She had never been asked to give anything other than what had already been volunteered, never been asked to justify her feelings, words or actions. The reason for that was, and still is, that she did it anyway. There were no big secrets between them, just things that didn’t need to be said at that time.  But she knew her mother was correct, this could impact on all of them. There was also a sense of relief. Jiraporn stared at the bottle of fish sauce on the table, nodded her head and stood. She walked towards the room where Tangmo was hopefully sleeping, peaked around the door and smiled as she saw her daughter clutching a very worn, old doll and was blissfully in the land of nod. She returned and sat at the table and smiled at her mother, paused and drew a breath, ‘Nick is Tangmo’s father’, she said, and looked at her mother, who nodded and said, ‘I have always thought that he was, but thank you for telling me’. Jiraporn didn’t need to say anymore, but decided to warrant her previous silence, ‘You have never spoken about my father, and I have never felt any desire to ask about him. I have always looked around the other kids at school and felt that having just you was the best deal. I’ve never wanted to know about him and that is still the case. I thought, rather I hoped, that it would be the same with me and Tangmo, so I just wanted to erase the idea of a father for her, and the best way was not to acknowledge him in any way, even to you. I guess I was wrong’. 

It was Sophea’s turn to stare at the fish sauce bottle, for a little longer than would normally seem usual. After a few very long seconds she looked into Jiraporn’s eyes and began, maybe the most difficult sentence she had ever had to speak, ‘ I understand, and in many ways admire your logic and your attitude towards raising Tangmo, I think you are a wonderful mother to her and will continue to be, whatever transpires. But there is one huge difference between your situation and the one I faced 30 years ago. Nick is still part of your life and, if the past couple of years are anything to go by, could well become more so, in all of our lives, especially Tangmo’s. That was never going to be the case with your father. I’ve noticed a change in you since you have been working on the training restaurant, and it doesn’t take an Einstein to work out that change is mainly due to Nick. You haven’t needed to say anything, it has been in the way you’ve been. You have changed toward him and consequently towards everyone, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen you so confident and happy. Our lives were never, and will never be, affected by anything your father could do, because he died about 3 minutes after raping me. I killed him. One day, if you want, I will tell you about the event, but I can’t tell you about him because I know nothing other than he was a brutal, horrible person. I am ashamed of taking a life, nothing will ever make that right. I admit that and I will have to face judgement when I meet Bhudda, but I would do it again now if he walked through that door. I am sure Nick is not perfect, but I’m equally sure he is not a serial rapist and murderer. The man who raped me was, and I have tried everything to make sure none of that was in you - it wasn’t, it isn’t and it never will be. You are the perfect antidote to evil, you are pure goodness and so is your daughter, my granddaughter. All three of us are proof that people are what they do and say, there is nothing that we might inherit in our behaviour that we cannot change if we wish to. I’ve wanted you to be nothing other than yourself, whatever choices you make should be formed by the person you are, not by who your parents and ancestors were. You have become that person, you are yourself and no one else, and I am so proud of you’.  

Jiraporn looked at her mother, not in disbelief, but with an awareness that many answers had just been spoken. The horror of what had happened, the courage she must have possessed, the simple doggedness that her mother had adopted by bringing up a child knowing that half of the genes that had created her had been forced on her by a monster. Jiraporn had never known anything other than affection and love and she was in awe, she could only feel admiration, gratitude and a desire to accept, cherish and return all that her mother had given to her. She cleared her throat and spoke slowly, considering every word carefully, ‘One day we will sit down and have a long talk. I really don’t care anything about my so-called father, but I would like to know more about you and what happened. But for now, all I can say is thank you for telling me what you have, and much more than thank you for being who you are and for everything you have done’.  They looked at each other, two women who for no fault of their own were talking about grave situations, one that needed to be confronted and one that had been. There was now more than just a mother daughter bond, as strong as that was, there was also a spirit of fight, a determination to overcome threats and challenges and an unspoken acceptance that if rules needed to be broken, then broken they would be, nothing comes between them. Sophea spoke again, this time to bring the conversation back to the present, ‘Tell me what happened tonight. What I’ve just told you I probably should have told you years ago, but for one reason or another I didn’t. It’s something that is a big part of both of us, but we need now to focus on today, and tomorrow’.

Jiraporn nodded in agreement and proceeded to tell Sophea all about the hospital, meeting Tonsai, going to Soi Selakam and the Blue Parrot and seeing Solly and the twins. She rounded off by relating her visit to Nick's house and, in an effort to bring in a lighter mood to what had become a dark tale, emphasised the positive feelings she had about seeing Tonsai and Solly again and how impressed she had been with Tukta and Ying. Sophea had remained silent all through Jiraporns words, just once raising her eyebrows when Jiraporn had said Tonsai’s family name, Buathong. ‘You mentioned Tonsai, did you feel he was a good man?’, asked Sophea, in a way that made Jiraporn sense this was a much deeper question than it seemed. ‘Yes, definitely’, she replied, ‘at first he was simply there as a police officer, and a very considerate and helpful one at that, but as soon as we both realised we knew each other, I got a really good feeling of shared, positive memories. Not many, but the ones I could recall were all good ones and I got the feeling he felt the same way, why do you ask about him?’. 

Sophea smiled to herself, ‘For two reasons, firstly, if the police are involved with anything it is good to know how they act towards you, it could make a difference in how things turn out. And secondly, I think I probably met him at your school, but more importantly, like Solly I know his father, Somsak, and I agree with your friend Solly’s assessment of him, he is a good guy. It is reassuring to know his son has turned out the same way. You said earlier that one day we will have a long talk about my, or our, past and we will. In that conversation Somsak plays a very important role. He and I have seen each other every month for over 20 years and still do, it is about my work with the factory, he is part of that, but you mustn’t say anything to anyone about it, because it is outside his police work. All I will say at the moment is that he is a good man, there is nothing malicious about what he does and although he is probably the most capable man I have met, he is not capable of evil, he is thoroughly decent’. 

Jiraporn was shaking her head, but smiling at the same time as she said ‘Is today ever going to stop throwing up revelations, I honestly think I will go to my bed a different person that got out of it this morning. We have to have this talk soon for the benefit of my sanity’ and she laughed gently and smiled at her mother. ‘I mentioned to you about Solly’s idea of Black and Blue, well, you are definitely in the Black team and I am thinking it might also be an idea to include Somsak and Tonsai, but that will need to be discussed with Solly and at the moment the ‘do they have to be in’ criteria would suggest they don’t. Before any more of today’s issues, can you tell me more about your relationship with the factory?  I have always known you have a commitment to them, and I have always presumed that part of the arrangement you have includes our living here, but you have never really said what you do for them, although it would be true to say that I never really asked either’.

Sophea’s eyes smiled at her daughter, ‘Well, I guess this is starting that ‘one day’ conversation, but I will keep it short. Not because I don’t want you to know everything, but because some of it is still unknown and confusing to me. I will let you know what I know and how it affects us now, then maybe, at a more suitable time, we can both work on the missing bits’. She paused, took a breath and asked ‘How many women do you know called ‘Sophea’? She looked at Jiraporn and waited for her response. Jiraporn thought for a moment or two and said, ‘Only you, I met a woman called Sophea a few years ago at a seminar in Bangkok, she was part of a delegation from a University in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. She said she was from Poipet which is close to the Thai border, to my knowledge it is a fairly unusual name from the northeast, in Issan’. Sophea nodded her head, ‘I believe there are a few Thai women in the northeast with this name, but very few. It is a Cambodian name which, unusually, hasn’t really crossed over to Thailand. I have this name because I am Khymer, I was born in Phnom Penh. I fled the city during the troubles brought on by Pol Pot and, after a lot of moving around, managed to get to a refugee camp over the border in Thailand, close to a town called Aranyaprathet. A Thai man turned up at the camp looking for me. He said he had been sent to get me by a benefactor, that was his phrase, not mine, and said I could go with him if I wanted. I told him about you, and you were about 3 months old then, and he said it made no difference, we could both go. This wasn’t official, he was there posing as a trader in labour for factories and farms in Thailand which the camp guards and officials were taking money to provide. I took a chance, mainly because he had a pick-up truck which looked fairly clean and seemed like he was not used to doing this sort of thing. My original thoughts were that as soon as he got us through the first 40 or 50 kilometres, if we had not already been killed, then I would grab you and run. But as it turned out, that never happened. I agreed we would go with him, I got hold of you and a bag with the few belongings we had and got in the truck. He drove to the gate, paid the guards some cash and we drove off. After a few kilometres, 4 or 5, he turned right and pulled up in a small wooded area. I thought I was about to be raped again, but he simply said to watch the road we had just turned off.  Within a minute, another truck went flying past. ‘They're from the camp, they want you back and they want to keep the money. They are going to try and kill me and steal this truck as well. None of that is going to happen. Do you know how to use this?  He gave me a handgun, I said ‘No, I have never held a gun before’. ‘Okay, we need to get out of the truck, but leave the baby on the seat’ he replied and we got out. ‘Watch closely and remember’, he said and showed me the safety clip, and said there were 6 rounds in the gun, there was no time to show me how to reload, and that if I had used 6 rounds and still had a problem, then there would be no point in reloading anyway’. He gave me back the gun and said ‘Shoot that tree’, it was no more than 4 metres away, he lifted his arms in a straight line towards to tree and gestured me to do the same with the gun, he said ‘Lean slightly forward and pull the trigger slowly but firmly’, I did and the gun exploded, but I was still stood up and there was a big mark on the tree just to the left of where I had tried to hit it. ‘That is as good as we can expect, give me back the gun’. I returned it to him, careful not to point it at him, and he quickly replaced the spent round. I watched him and asked him to give me some of the spare rounds, he looked at me and gave me a handful of bullets. We heard the sound of the truck coming back before we saw it, he told me to get behind the tree I had just shot and quickly grabbed an automatic rifle from the back of the truck. The truck drove up to him very quickly, engine screaming and pulled up. Within seconds 6 men had jumped out and were first pointing, then started firing their weapons, but they seemed slow and the sound of an automatic rifle soon had them diving to the ground. Two men landed near to me and I shot at one but missed, I then shot again and hit him. I shot at the other but missed, he rolled over and pointed his gun at me, I shot again but missed. He shot at me, fortunately his aim was as bad as mine and he missed me. I shot again and hit his head. He was dead. The first guy I shot was reaching for his gun, so I shot him again, this time he didn’t move. My gun was empty, so I tried to reload, I was fumbling but managed to get one round in the space, it clicked and then I tried again with another, again it clicked, so I refilled another four and hoped I had done it correctly. There was firing coming from the truck, I carefully stood up and saw that one of the bad guys was walking towards my rescuer, who was kneeling and pulling at something on his rifle. The bad guy was laughing and started to lift his gun. I raised my arms holding my gun and shot him, it was the most accurate shot I had fired and the bad guy dropped down, I walked to him and shot him again, just to make sure. There were 3 other bad guys lying down not far away. I walked up to them and shot each in the head. I didn’t like it, I just didn’t want anyone reaching for another gun again. After I had fired the last shot, my rescuer stood next to me. ‘Are you sure you haven’t done this before’. he asked, ‘Yes’, I replied, ‘and I don’t want to do it again’. 

The rescuer and I then spent 10 minutes dragging the bodies into places they wouldn’t be seen, and the rescuer then drove the truck the bad guys had used into the wooded area, out of sight. He checked the truck for weapons or anything of value, which there wasn’t, and then picked up all the guns and ammunition he could find. They went into the box in the back of our truck. Finally he went back to the dead guys and emptied their pockets of id and cash, took their watches and, in two cases, the gold chains from their necks. This haul also included the fold of cash that he had given the guard as we left the camp. That all went into a small bag and into the glovebox of the truck. I had got back into the truck already, to find you sleeping as if nothing had happened, and that was the loveliest sight I could have seen. When the rescuer got into the truck I asked him if he always stole from the people he had killed. His reply was simple, the guns and ammo were taken to keep out of harm's way and the cash and valuables went toward the cost of the operation, i.e. rescuing me, so if I would prefer he returned it all to the camp, then he would gladly take me back along with it. I said I was sorry, and I was, it had been a shock to escape the camp, be shot at and find I could shoot back and I had no idea of where I was or where I was going and I had a 3 month old baby that was soon going to need feeding. He nodded, smiled and said, tonight we will stop at Sakaeo and rest, then tomorrow we are going to a place called Hua Hin, or near to it, 250 kilometres south of Bangkok and that was where I was going to be able to make a new home. The benefactor had told him that there was nothing for me to fear, that if I didn’t like my situation, then I was free to leave at any time. I said that now we had killed 6 guys together, it might be a good idea to get to know each other's names. ‘I think your name is Sophea, but I don’t know the baby’s’, he said, gesturing towards you. I said your name was Jiraporn and he was correct about mine. ‘My name is Somsak, I am in the Thai Border Guard, but this is not an official assignment’, he smiled, ‘and thank you for saving my life’.

Sophea looked at the most observed fish sauce bottle in Thailand and said ‘That was a lot longer than I had expected, it didn’t really tell you what you wanted to know and isn’t helping with any of the issues we face tonight, so I am sorry in a way, but I am pleased to have told you at long last. I wish I had done so a long time ago’. ‘Don’t apologise’, said Jiraporn, ‘you are amazing. So, Somsak is Tonsai’s father. “What tangled webs we weave'', Jiraporn part-quoted Sir Walter Scott. Sophea finished the quote “When first we practise to deceive”, although the last part isn’t strictly true, it is more an omission than a deception. ‘After that’, Sophea continued, ‘the journey was uneventful, thankfully, but Somsak and I found out a lot about each other, his marriage and family, my history before the camp and being born and raised in Phnom Penh. He told me about Hua Hin and Thailand, and although he never spoke directly about the benefactor, I got the impression it had something to do with my mother, your grandmother. When we arrived at our destination I realised it wasn’t Hua Hin itself, but a factory about 20k to the west that canned fruit, pineapples mainly, and my job was basically to liaise between the management and the factory floor. There were some Cambodians working there, but most were either local Thais or Burmese that were bussed in and out on a monthly basis. I was bilingual in Khmer and Thai, thanks to my mother, and soon  developed a working knowledge of the Burmese Myeik dialect used by the Karen people who came from Myanmar. I loved talking with all these people and built up really good communication with them all, but what I really enjoyed was bookwork. The paperwork that goes with all industrial processes is something I can follow easily for some unknown reason. Consequently I was employed by the higher management in problem solving. If there was an issue regarding anything to do with the documentation or the workers, they came to me. All this took a few years, but that is what I did, and still do, though most of the paperwork is done here at home on my laptop, and there are others on the shop floor to manage the workers. You are right to say this house is part of the deal, every 5 years my contract is re-negotiated and part of my payment is that we become the owners of the land surrounding these buildings, which we also own, our holding increases about 5 rai every new contract. It is a complex agreement, but it is legal and I am happy with it. Somsak has assured me that all is registered in my name at the land office and I keep copies of those documents in the bank in Hua Hin’.

Sophea looked up at Jiraporn, ‘That is basically my role at the factory, for the past 15 of the nearly 30 years I have been there, most of my work has been done here at home, but as you know I attend a meeting on the first Sunday afternoon of the month, and have to go into the factory if the need arises, which is rare. It might interest you to know that the university fees for both your Bachelors and Masters degrees were paid by the factory, it is an informal arrangement, but I think it has served its purpose for all involved, and still does’. Jiraporn looked at her mother and once again thanked her, ‘I am pleased to know about these things, and look forward to hearing more, in more detail, at some time. I really do have an amazing mother’, she smiled. Sophea stood, smiled and walked past Jiraporn, speaking as she did, ‘And a generous one, too, although this is going to come a lot later than it should have done’, and disappeared into her bedroom. Ten seconds later she returned holding a small box and gave it to her daughter. ‘This is mine, it was given to me by Somsak after our journey all those years ago, and now I am giving it to you, now it is yours. One day I would like you to give it to Tangmo, at a time you think is appropriate. But that is for you to decide, as is whether you choose to accept it, you may not want it when you realise what it is. 

Jiraporn opened the box and saw white cotton wool, she carefully lifted this to reveal a gold chain with a gold pendant. The pendant was a circle of gold, inside of which were two elephants, a parent, presumably a mother, and a baby elephant. ‘It’s beautiful’, Jiraporn said quietly, lifting the short chain and pendant out of the box. She tested the clasp to see if it still functioned, it did, and then placed it around her neck. She then stood and went to a mirror near the sink, it hung well, closely following the contour of her neckline, but with enough give to allow a slight ‘V’ effect. Jiraporn adored it. Sophea came up behind her so as to view the necklace on her daughter, ‘If you hadn’t already realised’, she said, with a touch of remorse in her voice, ‘that is one of the two necklaces Somsak took from the dead guards, and because of that I have never been able to wear it, but you may have different feelings, it is entirely up to you whether you wear it or not. I simply could never get the images of that gunfight out of my head whenever I contemplated putting it on, I hope you will feel differently’. ‘I do, very much so’, said Jiraporn, now turning to her mother, ‘I can’t visualise those images, but I know how you felt about your actions. Those feelings are what makes you the person you are. For me, this represents everything you have sacrificed, as well as all the memories of the love and knowledge you have given to me. I am ten feet taller wearing this, and I hope that one day Tangmo can feel just a little bit towards me as I feel toward you. But she’s going to have to get it off me first, I’m not taking this off. Are you okay about that?’ ‘Absolutely okay’, Sophea said, as they both turned to a shuffling sound coming towards them. ‘Hello Mrs Sleepyhead’, said Jiraporn, bending down to pick up her daughter, ‘What brings you here?’. Tangmo was still clutching her very worn doll, the same one Jiraporn had clutched over 25 years ago. Tangmo replied, ‘I heard noises, I think it was you and Yai talking. I like this’, she continued, touching the necklace, ‘Yellow elephants, can I have one?’ Jiraporn smiled ‘Yes, but not just yet. Let’s all have some water, and then we can go to sleep, does that sound good?’, ‘Okay’, said Tangee, already having difficulties keeping her eyes open.

After the cups of water were filled and drank, Jiraporn carried Tangmo back to bed, returning to her mother she said, ‘This has been a remarkable talk at the end of a remarkable day, and I still have a little bit of reading to do, so if you don’t mind I am going to take over the table to scan Nick’s computer and handy drive. I’m not going to go into great detail, just find if there is anything that is suspicious and note where it is. Then I need to get some sleep myself. I’ll be going back to the hospital in the morning’. ‘No problem at all, is there anything I can check on using my PC?’, Sophea asked. ‘That would be great, thanks, but not right now.’ Jiraporn responded, ‘I need to sort it out for myself first, then I would very much appreciate your help checking through documents, if I find anything that needs checking. I will be asking you as soon as I have stuff you can do for me’.  

Sophea nodded, smiled, helped to clear the table then hugged Jiraporn, ‘We’re going to have more talks, but right now focus on Nick and his situation. Don’t work too late, get some sleep as soon as you can.’ With that she kissed Jiraporn on her forehead, ‘Take care, see you tomorrow.’ ‘Good night, Mae, sweet dreams’. Jiraporn switched on Nick’s netbook and got out the handy drive, she had already decided to do all the work on his PC, so as to minimise the risk of virus transfer, and also to keep things in one place. Now all she wanted to do was a quick look at the file titles and try to gauge the amount of stuff that was facing her. She smiled as Nick’s photo came up on his netbook, asking for his password, ‘Well Nick, it seems you're not the only one capable of keeping things well hidden, when you get out of hospital you are going to have to meet my mother’, she said to Nick, although she was totally alone in the kitchen and talking to herself. ‘Let’s see if this works’, she continued, this time to the netbook and typed ‘Jezebel99’, the PC opened and welcomed Nick, ‘Okay, we’re in’, she smiled, her left thumb and forefinger were caressing the pendant as her right hand click the mouse to get into the file manager. ‘What have you got for me?’.