Forever Charmed: Book One Forever Loved

by L. J. Hawke

  They entered the lobby, and Sanur spoke fluent Thai to a beautiful young woman with a wide face wearing a blue uniform. She took them in the elevator to look at some apartments. They were shown three different apartments, each one bigger than the last. The third one had a beautiful view of a nearby park and was very quiet. “Is this one all right?” Tania asked Sanur.

  “It's within budget. Housekeeping will clean your apartment twice a week; it's part of the price.”

  Tania looked around. There was a modular couch, a flat screen TV, a beautiful white balcony big enough to put a table and chairs out there, a bedroom a little larger than its queen-size bed, a wardrobe, a bathroom with a small rain shower, and a galley kitchen. “I love it.” Tania felt like pinching herself to be sure she wasn’t dreaming. This was nearly twice the size of her South Korean apartment.

  Sanur regally nodded his head, then spoke in Thai. The lady smiled and handed a business card to Tania. “Please go to your hotel, check out, and move your things here,” said Sanur. “Show this card to the tuk tuk driver, and he will get you back here. This lady will be waiting at the front desk with your key cards. The one with a red border is used to get into the apartment building, and the second one with a blue border is to enter your room. Don't lose either one, because if you lose them after hours, you will have to sleep somewhere else for the night, and then hire a locksmith to break you back in. Come back to the office when done. Can you remember where that is?”

  “Two blocks that way.” Tania pointed.

  “Excellent. I have some paperwork to sign. Can you get back to the office in approximately forty minutes?”

  “Less than that. The hotel isn't that far away.”

  Sanur nodded that regal nod of his again, the planes of his face opening into a small smile. They went down in the elevator, and Sanur waved down a tuk tuk to get to her hotel. Sanur paid the driver in advance, and the driver took her the few kilometers to the hotel. Tania asked him to wait to take her back to the apartment. It took Tania only a few minutes to check out of her hotel and soon was back at the apartment. She paid the driver a little extra, was given her entry cards, dropped off her rolling suitcase, and immediately went back to work.

  Sanur had added a list of the various prices paid in Thai baht to Tania’s contract alongside the various jobs that she would be doing. Tania used a currency exchange website to do the conversions. The salary was lower than she had been making in South Korea. But with all of her extra jobs, Tania would end up making just above her last salary. Tania did an internal happy dance, pretended poise on the outside, and signed her name on the bottom of the three-year contract.

  Sanur took her to lunch, and they had shrimp dim sum and cold mint tea. “I can give you some time to acclimate yourself.”

  Tania shook her head. “I might as well learn the job. Shall I do some training after lunch?”

  Sanur laughed. “Most people would take the afternoon off and go to the pool. I like your drive and ambition. You were certainly the best candidate for this position. I'm very pleased with my choice.”

  “Thank you very much. I'm delighted to be working with you.”

  Sanur nodded his head regally. “Likewise.”

  After lunch, Sanur walked Tania around the neighborhood and pointed out grocery stores, numerous restaurants, and the mall. He then took her back to the office, gave her a golden Apple laptop still in its box, and Tania started work immediately at her desk, just back from the receptionist’s. Tania set up the new computer and immediately began working on the company’s website. Pleased, Sanur went back to his office. When Leyva came back from lunch, she trained Tania on the phones.

  Tania left at five o’clock and walked to the mall. She reveled in the air conditioning and found some delightful dim sum to eat for dinner for only about two American dollars. Then she bought things she needed, like sheets and towels. She walked to her new home, changed into her tankini, and worked out.

  Afterward, Tania then took one of her brand-new large fluffy beach towels and went to the pool. She delighted in the slide of cool water over her skin, walked back and forth until she got tired, swam, then walked again. She finally got out to lay in the padded lounger and was startled at how life could change in just a moment.

  The next day, Sanur closed up shop and took Tania to get her Thai visa. They waited in an interminable line in a hot office. Tania had already applied for a work visa, and now that she had a job, she needed to turn in her new employer’s paperwork to receive the visa. Sanur spoke in fast Thai to the person behind the desk and showed Tania’s contract. There was a lot of stamping, and then Tania got her work visa. While she was waiting, she texted Jo, her old boss, to send her things to her new Thai address, and to donate her winter clothes and heavy linens.

  After rehydrating at a coffee shop with a smoothie, Tania returned to work. When she got back to the office, she realized that she couldn't be the receptionist without being able to speak Thai. She needed someone to sit in front, smile, and take phone calls. She had two choices. She could go with an agency, or she could put an ad written in English on a Thai website. Tania immediately decided against an online ad. It would bring in many people, and she would be overwhelmed with interviews.

  Tania decided to go ahead and go with an agency. She specified that she needed someone with an extremely high English level. They sent a beautiful woman in a teal dress and three-inch black heels. She had long, black hair held back in a golden clip and beautifully-done makeup. The woman, who gave her name as Preet, spoke little English. She refused to type anything into the computer. Everything that Tania showed her she ignored in favor of working on her nails. “I answer the phone,” she said.

  “No, you don’t get to sit here and do nothing in between calls.” Tania narrowed her eyes at Preet. “Don’t you know how to use a computer?” Theyoung woman shrugged.

  Tania painstakingly showed Preet what to do on the computer and how to do it. Preet sighed and refused to pick up her pretty fingers to do anything, even fill out a form letter or message pad. Finally, incensed, Tania said, “You’re fired.” She paid her for a full hour of work, even though the woman had been there less than an hour. Preet made a slight grimace of distaste and swished off.

  Tania called the agency and said she wouldn't be needing anyone else for now. She realized they didn't need talent; what they needed was someone they could train exactly the way that they would like. Tania searched on a website, used a translator program, and found a nearby orphanage with teens living there. She knew that she'd have a winner if she could find a teen with a high enough English level. Tania did some online research and discovered that the Thai working age was fifteen years old, and that she would have to tell the Thai labor board within fifteen days about the under-eighteen employees.

  Tania got up, told Sanur she was leaving for a short time, and transferred the calls to his phone. She caught a tuk tuk, and soon found herself in front of the orphanage. She went to the front door and spoke to a young woman with short, choppy hair and a blank face sweeping the front steps. Tania told the woman she needed to speak to the director to see if there were any teens with very high levels of English for a job. Two girls and two boys rushed up to her and asked what the job entailed.

  They brought her inside, and Tania kicked off her shoes and sat on the floor with them, as they had very little furniture, and obviously slept on the floor on mats that were piled up in the corners. Tania explained that she needed a receptionist and asked their ages. All four of them were sixteen years old. The girls spoke better English than the boys, so she decided to go with them first. She told the boys not to worry, because they would probably have other work for them later on.

  The director of the orphanage came out to find out what was going on. She was short and wore a loose dress far too large for her tiny body. She had a wide, flat face and a warm smile. The teens explained in a spill of rapid Thai. “I am Mrs. Amioad. I am delighted that Achara and Kannika have found employm
ent. Where will they be working?” Tania took Mrs. Amioad and the teen girls back to the import/export company’s office via tuk tuk, showed the girls the reception desk, and talked about their duties and payment.

  Sanur came out and introduced himself to both Ms. Amioad and the two young ladies in Thai. Sanur then took them up past the second-floor loft to the third floor, to the small apartment there. There was a studio apartment, with a large queen bed, plenty of storage, an air conditioning unit, and a small kitchenette.

  The girls were extremely happy. They were in Thai school, and Tania asked whether or not the girls could go on a half day. One girl would be the morning receptionist and the other one the afternoon person. Tania also offered to pay for their online English education.

  After a very quick Thai conversation with Sanur, Mrs. Amioad determined that it was a good idea for them to get a free apartment. The orphanage was crowded, the girls would be aging out of the system, and the apartment on the third floor and three meals a day came with the job. The girls would also receive an online education in English.

  Tania explained that she had gone to many classes online because her small school in the holler where she grew up didn't allow her to take more advanced classes. She showed the girls the educational website and explained that she would expect the girls to be doing their homework on the computers at work when they weren't directly working with clients or had other tasks, and that the girls would have a laptop to share for their apartment.

  Achara, the taller of the two, wanted to work on the morning shift. She laughed and said she was always up before the dawn. Kannika was delighted to work afternoons. Sanur showed all of his permits to Mrs. Amioad. He then started working on the relevant paperwork for the Thai government, which Mrs. Amioad signed. Sanur took the director with him to file the paperwork. On his way out, he slipped Tania a company credit card and told her to buy the girls whatever they needed, and that they were closed for the day.

  Tania took the young ladies for makeovers. They all had their hair cut and got mani-pedis. Tania supplied them with tea and fruit juices and took them out for noodles and chicken. Then Tania took them shopping for simple dresses and sandals, which made both girls smile hugely and laugh behind their hands. Then they got housewares; a microwave oven, a rice cooker, bowls, plates, chopsticks, and a teapot at the mall for the girls and for Tania.

  They hauled it all back, with a stop to Tania’s apartment to drop off her things. Tania took the girls home, settled them in the apartment, made sure the cable TV was working, gave them the laptop that Sanur had in storage, and got them logged on under different logins into the educational site. They went back to the orphanage to get their backpacks and the few things they owned, stopped off for food for their small refrigerator, and they were quickly settled in.

  Tania realized she had no way to communicate with her new employees, so she took the teens back out to get phones for them and to get a chip for her own phone and a Thai number. Tania texted Sanur and the young ladies her new telephone number. She left them with their schoolbooks and a pile of homework and went home to her new apartment.

  Tania called home at the end of her second day to tell her friends about the new job—and new country. Corrine did a screaming thing, and both Tania and Kandace put their fingers in their ears until she finished. “We were so sad when you had to sign up for another year to pay off your school loans. This is so awesome! Show us the pool!” Tania made sure that the correct door cards were in her pocket and used her wireless headset with her cell phone. She walked around and showed her friends the apartment and the complex, then headed back to her apartment.

  This time, Kandace did more than grunt. “Girlfriend, you gone and done won the lottery. We’ll let you stay there, if you let us come and visit.” Her girlfriends heartily approved of her Thai lifestyle, so Tania felt delighted about her decision.

  Corinne spoke in a cheery voice. “Looked up the website. You’ll be selling some primo stuff. But the website needs you to hammer on it.”

  Kandace snorted. “But your boss looks hot. Does he dye that hair?”

  Tania laughed. “Probably. You’re right. He’s all grace and formality. Nice, actually.”

  “Better treat our girl right,” Kandace said, and Corinne nodded. Corinne and Kandace then began pointing out what needed to be changed on the website while Tania took notes.

  By the time Tania arrived the next morning, the floors were swept, and the girls were laughing with each other. Achara stayed, and Kannika was in her school uniform. Mrs. Amioad had spoken with the school and had gotten the girls on half school days. Tania took them both for a quick breakfast, then Kannika waved and went to school. Tania made sure that both girls had money for lunch.

  Tania found Sanur in his office. “Can you take calls today while I train Achara? We’ll take live ones in an hour or two.”

  Sanur looked up and gave Tania a quick smile while simultaneously poking at his phone and his laptop, both the latest devices. “Of course.”

  “Thank you so much,” Tania said in her best Southern honey voice. He grinned at that.

  Tania trained Achara, who listened to her every word and took notes in English and Thai with the pad and pen that Tania supplied. Tania quickly typed up some telephone scripts to use and walked Achara through them. Tania pretended to make dozens of phone calls, making Achara laugh with her ridiculous demands. Tania looked at the outgoing orders and did a series of complaint calls to Achara. “This is Achara with Kaung Import-Export for the Home. How may I help you?”

  “Yes, this is Nicholas Spry. I'm calling because my tables and chairs were not delivered on time, and I'm having a party next weekend.” Tania gave her voice a very dry British accent.

  “I'm sorry to hear about your undelivered furniture, Mr. Spry. May I have your order number?”

  “Can't remember the damn thing, can I?”

  “Sir, can you spell your last name?” asked Achara. Tania complied. “Could you give me the last four digits of the credit card you used to order this?” Tania rattled off some fake numbers. “I see that your furniture is actually in Singapore and should be delivered to you by the end of the day. Is there anything else I can do for you?” Tania pretended to splutter, then hung up the pretend phone.

  The girl learned script after script readily, and Tania had her go out to buy fruit for a snack. Both girls were very skinny and showed the effects of malnutrition. It was obvious they had not been receiving three meals a day. Achara readily took to having a snack break, to Tania's relief.

  Tania explained the entire ordering and tracking system to Achara, as Sanur had explained it to her. Tania also had Achara scan documents, answer phones, and listen in on actual conversations that Tania had with real customers.

  After lunch, Tania did the same training session with Kannika. By the end of the day, Tania was exhausted. She took the girls out for a fast street-food dinner, listened to them giggle in Thai and complain about their homework in English, and sent them up to their apartment. Mrs. Amioad arrived to ask the girls about their day, and to make sure they were doing their homework.

  Tania walked home, enjoying the rapid-fire pace of life in Chiang Mai. Motorcycles roared by everywhere, there were restaurants and coffee shops on every street, and there were many food stalls to tempt her on her way home. Tania laughed to herself when she thought of the freezing winter she’d left behind, bundled up to her eyeballs.

  Sanur had been polite, helpful, and perfectly willing to have Tania run the office as she saw fit. He was the best boss she’d ever had. And easy on the eyes. She laughed, fished out her first key card, and decided the pool would be the best place for her to go. Tania knew then that she was the luckiest person on the planet.

  Customization

  Sanur used the next day's lunch hour to help Tania open a Thai bank account so she could move her money over and gave her a preloaded business credit card, taking the one he had given her back. She didn’t have much, but Tania ne
eded to keep what she had. Despite the heat and having to fill out multiple forms, Sanur was gracious and relaxed. Tania found herself relaxing too.

  Things went like clockwork at work. Sanur was delighted with the new help. The young ladies were always ready to do more work, and they had schoolwork to do when things were not busy, both offline Thai and an online English course. Tania kept abreast of the online orders, made sure the warehouse for the larger items drop-shipped quickly, and arranged for pickups with individual artists all over the region. Mrs. Amioad visited every single day to be sure the girls were all right for the first week, then three or four times a week after that.

  The import/export business sold fair trade craft items online from all over the region—Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and some from Laos and Myanmar. The business sold tables, chairs, art pieces, carvings, sculptures, and many reusable items like straws and plates made from bamboo and other environmentally-friendly materials.

  They did a brisk business with Singapore, South Korea, China, Taiwan, Japan, and even the United States, Canada, Great Britain, and Australia. Tania's internet campaigns allowed people from all over the world to know what products were being offered, which ones were on sale or had free or reduced shipping, and what would look beautiful in someone's home. Tania sent Corinne the changes to the website, and she approved them. Sanur was delighted, especially when sales started to tick up.

  Sanur met Supayalat after hours at the rooftop bar of a hotel across town. Supayalat stood and bowed. “My lord,” she said in the old language. Anyone looking at them would see they were related. They had the same black hair with a copper sheen, the same formidable grace when moving, the same flat nose and whiskey eyes. She was two centimeters taller than Sanur, and had muscular arms and legs hidden by a light copper shirt and khaki pants.