Stu felt he would never feel the happiness that he felt with Dao, and going with other girls only made him realise how much he loved her.
Spock saw little of Stu over the following weeks because he’d snuck out and stayed out, and he and Moo felt concerned.
Spock saw Stu at his window one afternoon looking bleary eyed, so he went to Stu’s back door, which he’d left open when he came home at 4am. He went into Stu’s living room, which looked and smelt like a rowdy pub at closing time.
Stu sat on the sofa in his shorts with his face resembling an old bloodhound.
“I’ll make us a cuppa,” said Spock, picking empty beer cans off the floor.
“Not for me mate,” said Stu holding up a can of beer in his shaking hand.
Spock sat on the sofa and looked at his old friend. “Matey, you need to snap out of this,” he said, “time is something you never get back. You must either find someone new or make it up with Dao.”
Stu shrugged and took a slurp of beer.
“Moo told me that Dao talked about you every day at the shop and cried all the time,” said Spock looking into Stu’s bloodshot eyes.
“Yeah, whatever,” said Stu sounding nonchalant.
“Pon and Kim are coming in a few days, so how about we all go out for a meal?” said Spock smiling.
“Yeah, maybe,” said Stu putting down his can of Singha beer and picking up a glass of Mekong whisky, which he sculled and said. “I’m going to Soi 6… coming?”
Spock sighed, looked at his watch, and then at his depressed looking friend and shook his head. “No, matey,” he said, “not today.”
Stu sat in the King Kong bar pondering and knew what Spock said made sense. He wanted Dao back, unable to get her out of his thoughts. She was the first thing he thought when he sobered up, which is why he got drunk again.
“You not come yet?” asked the woman wiping her mouth and going down to try again.
Stu looked around the dingy, short time bar, his usual kicking-off point before a night on the razz. He felt the warm feeling in his loins as one of his regular short timers tried desperately to finish.
‘He doesn’t normally take this long’ she thought as she sucked and manipulated Stu’s todger.
Stu moved the girl’s head off his flacid old soldier.
The girls looked up and asked. “What’s wrong darling?”
“Nothing,” said Stu and smiled at the girl. He gave her 1000 Baht, finished his beer, and went home.
Stu spent the next day cleaning his house and went out for a few beers with Spock at a nearby bar.
The Heads came the next day and that evening they all went to the all- you-can-eat seafood buffet, where Spock as usual demolished plate after plate of juicy prawns.
Although Dao came along, the others felt a nervous tension between her and Stu, with neither speaking nor looking at each other.
Stu felt angry and Dao did not want to say anything in case she upset him. She had seen a nasty streak to her normally cool, jovial husband when he kicked her out.
Spock saw Stu quickly finishing his first beer and ordering another. 'Well this isn’t going as planned,' he thought as he could see anger now in Stu’s eyes as he glared at Dao.
Spock sighed and popping another prawn in his mouth, tried to think of something to say to break the tension that now lingered at the table.
Pon’s words finally did the trick. Well, his words, along with Spock and Moo’s intervention.
Pon leant across the table and said. “Remember Stu. To understand everything is to forgive everything. The way is not in the sky, the way is in the heart.”
Spock smirked, wiggled a juicy peeled prawn, and said. “Or in the stomach... Ouch!”
“Stop insulting Buddha, stupid Farang, foreigner,” said Moo tugging and twisting Spock’s ear.
Stu smiled. ‘This is how it used to be’ he thought, feeling tears welling up in his eyes. ‘I have missed this.’
He looked at Dao and saw the hurt and remorse on her face and he smiled at her.
Dao, with tears in her eyes, said. “I am sorry my husband. I love you more than anything, please forgive me.”
Stu leant over and wiping a tear away from his wife’s sad brown eyes, said, “I love you too.”
Cheers erupted from Spock, Moo, Kim, and Pon.
“Wisdom and humour, never fails,” said Spock smirking before getting his ear twisted again by Moo.
Stu smiled, moved his glass of beer away, and filled a glass with water from the glass jug on the table.
“I won’t drink too much; it looks like we will have a busy night,” he said smirking at Dao.
Dao smiled and whispered in his ear, “Stop off and buy some Listerine mouthwash on the way home.”
Stu smirked, stood up, took out his wallet, and said, “Right, time to go.”
He smiled at Dao, waved at a waitress, and shouted, “Check bin khap,” the bill please.
Although the couple were now back together, Stu could not forget how Dao hurt him and hoped they could work through their problems and stay together. His feelings for Dao had changed and although he would do anything for her, he no longer trusted her, and wasn’t sure whether he still loved her.
Dao felt happy and didn’t realise that she had done anything wrong. She now understood that the Thai attitude and the Western attitude towards sex was different, and she wanted to be a loving, devoted wife.
Things between Spock and Moo were also on shaky ground as usual. This time Spock was in the doghouse after he and Stu came home one night spannered, and Spock showed an infuriated Moo his new tattoo.
****
Spock and Stu had gone to Soi 2 for a few beers. However, after listening to a good band in one bar, the pair stayed and got spannered.
Spock kept looking at the small glass-fronted unit behind the bar. He had seen several people going in and out of the shop for several hours. The people coming out of the shop had Thai girls clinging to their arms with beaming smiles.
Stu looked at his watch with a Popeye squint. “Nearly one o’clock,” he slurred, “the bands almost finished, so I suppose we better go home.”
Spock belched, looked at Stu, then back over at the now empty shop, and pointed. “Not yet matey, I’m going to get a tattoo.”
Stu looked over at the tattoo shop and puckered his brow, “You’re doing what?” he asked.
“I’m getting a tattoo,” said Spock who belched, got off the bar stool, and staggered toward the tattooist.
Stu laughed and said. “Moo will kill you.”
Spock turned, looked at his mate, furrowed his brow, and slurred. “I wear the trousers in my house.”
Stu sniggered. “Yeah, when Moo lets you... Anyway, what are you having done? A heart with Spock loves Moo.”
“Nope, but it’ll be tasteful,” said Spock grinning and staggered to the shop with Stu following.
Spock smirked as he sat in the tattooist chair and the Thai asked him what he wanted.
“Right Picasso matey,” said Spock showing him the back of his forearm and pointing. “I want Thai writing going down here saying: It won’t suck itself.”
Stu cringed as the smiling tattooist picked up his buzzing needle, as Spock chuntered at him to make sure it looked good.
The Thai tattooist, although used to drunken foreigners, found Spock annoying, especially when he kept calling him Picasso matey and wouldn’t stop whinging about how good he wanted it to look and impress the ladies. Spock glared at the tattooist every time he touched his skin and asked for a different colour.
The tattooist thought Spock and Stu were tourists, unaware Spock lived in Pattaya with his stroppy Thai wife, so with Spock pissing him off, he tattooed in Thai: ‘Up your bum, no harm done,’ which he knew would attract the lady… boy’s.
He knew the girls at the bars would say nothing and just smile because it was something he had done many times with annoying tourists.
“Does that look okay?” asked the tattoo
ists when finished and Spock inspected the Thai writing.
“Hmm,” he said slurring nonchalant “It looked crooked, but I suppose it will do.”
“Don’t worry, it will look better when it’s healed,” said the tattooist smirking and wanting them to leave so he could close and go for a beer.
****
“You stupid man,” said Moo clipping a smiling Spock around his head. “You like ladyboy?”
Spock then looked puzzled at the writing while Moo translated.
The following day, Stu chuckled as he drove an angry Spock to the tattooist and threatened to rearrange his face.
The terrified Thai told him that when the scabs came off, he would cover it up with a colourful dragon, free. Looking nervous, he showed the enraged Spock a picture of a majestic colourful dragon.
Spock looked at the picture and smiled, imagining how good it would look curling around his forearm. He calmed down and let the man off with just an ear clipping.
Still grumbling on the way home about having to wait for the scabs to fall off, Stu chuckled as Spock told him.
“I need a beer matey to get over the shock, but don’t drive near any ladyboy bars.”
Stu smirked and said. “I don’t think you can call them ladyboys nowadays Spock, they are now called transsexuals.”
Spock looked at Stu smirking and said. “Matey, there’s a difference between a transsexual and a ladyboy.”
Stu furrowed his brow as he drove and said. “Oh yes, and what that might be?”
“Well,” said Spock sounding wistful. “Transsexuals are sometimes girls who have had the strap-a-dick-to-me operation.”
Stu frowned and looked confused as Spock chuckled and said. “And the others are fucking ladyboys.”
Moo felt livid when she saw Spock later, knowing if her friends saw the tattoo before it was covered, they would think her husband was a poofta. She didn’t believe Spock’s story at first because Stu wound her up and told her Spock said he would no longer call her Goyt head, but Albert.
****
They arrived at the Imperial Palace in Bangkok, went through security, and drove to the Prime Master’s large accommodation area.
Dao and Moo went to see Kim and Samnan while the lads went to Pon’s large study/office.
Pon sat behind a large shiny teak desk and smiled. “Thank you for coming,” he said, then stood and wai-ed them.
Spock and Stu smiled, went over, and gave him a double ear clipping.
Pon laughed, and they all sat.
“You mystical old dog, you sounded elusive on the phone, so why do you need to see us so urgently?” asked Stu smirking.
Pon looked at Spock’s forearm, furrowed his brow as he read his tattoo, and grinned.
“Don’t ask,” said Spock noticing Pon staring.
“Brought us here for a piss up have you?” asked Stu rubbing his hands together.
Pon sighed and shook his head. “No Stu, something is happening that is devastating the Buddhist world,” he said and looked concerned.
“What’s wrong?” asked Stu, concerned by their friend’s sullen demeanour.
A Thai woman brought in two hot mugs of coffee and put a mug in front of Spock and Stu, wai-ed the Prime Master, and left the room.
Pon waited for her to leave and leant forward. “It is difficult to explain,” said Pon, knowing his English friends were as thick as pig shit.
Stu took a slurp of coffee and said, “Well try. It can’t be that difficult.”
“Yeah, he has a CSE in ceramics, and he’s an author, so he will understand,” said Spock smirking and pointing at Stu.
Pon took a deep breath as the pair leant forward in anticipation of his story.
“What is happening now dated back to events that happened over 2,500 years ago.”
Spock and Stu looked intrigued and surprised, as they were unaware that anything untoward was happening in the world, as Pon told them. “You must understand that the wisdom of Buddha was not written down until hundreds of years after his death. The details about his life are known to only a few people and are sketchy.”
Spock chortled and after taking a slurp of coffee, said. “Sketchy, oh that’s profound.”
Pon smiled and said. “Buddha’s mortal life was not as important as his immortal words.”
“Get on with it,” said Stu, taking another drink from his mug.
Pon sighed, looked at Spock and Stu, cleared his throat, and told them.
“Before the Buddha found enlightenment and became known as Siddhartha, which in the Pali language meant, ‘he who has found meaning,’ he was *Prince Kshatriva Gautama. His family ruled the Sakya clan, who were fearsome warriors in the Mongolian empire. However, before Kshatriva gave up his Royal position and wealth to follow his calling, he was married with a son. His son Rahula, before following his father on the path to enlightenment, was married with two daughters.”
“I never read about that,” said Stu interrupting after he remembered reading snippets about Buddha while studying for a pub quiz.
“No, you won’t have. Very few people know what I have told you; it has been kept secret within certain monastic Buddhist societies known as the Sanctuaries. The Tinju being one of many around the world.”
Spock furrowed his brow and looked puzzled. “What does monastic mean?” he asked.
Pon smiled, and ignoring the question, told them. *“Rahula died before his father, but his wife Achal and his daughters, Madhu, and Sabita, survived. The writings said that King Ajasatru, the then ruler of the Sakya clan, sent his army to attack the village where the Buddha’s cremation was being held to kill Achal, Madhu, and Sabita and take the Buddha’s body before it was burned.”
Spock and Stu looked puzzled. “Why?” asked Stu. “I can’t see a singed corpse being much use.”
“As I already told you, the Buddha was a Prince,” said Pon.
“Yeah, but you said he gave that up,” said Spock looking confused.
“Yes, but King Ajasatru was only the caretaker ruler of the clan, because when the Buddha’s father, King Suddhodana died, neither Siddhartha nor his son Rahula had any interest in becoming Kings.
However, once Siddhartha died, because the Gautama family were still ordained rulers, Achal, the Buddha’s daughter, and Madhu, and Sabita, his granddaughters, by rights were the true rulers.
Because King Ajasatru and his family had built up the powerful clan, he was unwilling to hand that power over and wanted all trace of the Gautama’s eradicated. He not only wanted to keep control of the clan, but wanted the Buddha’s body to secure his reign.”
Spock and Stu looked confused and not having the benefit of the Appendix at the back of this book, looked at one another and shrugged.
“Yeah, that’s all very interesting, but all that happened years ago,” said Stu looking bemused.
Spock smirked. “Huh, and I think it is safe to say that they are all dead now.”
Pon entwined his fingers and told them.
“From what the stories told us, Buddha had always feared that King Ajasatru would try to murder his daughter-in-law and granddaughters, so he assigned some of his followers as Gopetu, Protectors. As some of his followers came from warrior clans, he chose them to protect the family. The later scriptures said that when King Ajasatru’s army attacked the village, two Protectors escaped, along with Achal and her daughters. However, King Ajasatru’s army took Buddha’s body, which his son later had cremated and sold the ashes and remains to eight princes of countries around Asia, giving the Sakya clan more wealth and power.”
“Yeah, but they are only stories like in the Christian bible. How do you know it’s fact?” asked Stu, enthralled by the tale.
“Because mortal remains of the holy ones are scattered around the globe,” said Pon who looked at Spock and Stu and grinned. “You know we have some of his teeth, as does Sri Lanka.”
Spock and Stu looked at each other and groaned.
“Yeah, and what a bloody nui
sance they’ve been,” said Spock frowning.
Pon smirked and said. “There are also bones in Korea as well as Sku...”
“Okay, so what happened to the girls?” said Stu interrupting, wanting to change the subject.
“They lived in anonymity for the rest of their lives. Madhu and Sabita married and had families, who in turn had families, and so on and so forth throughout the ages. The Gopetu’s would do the same and stay with the families to watch over and protect them throughout the generations,” said Pon, cutting to the chase, as he knew Spock and Stu had the attention spans of gnats.
“The old Gopetu story sounds like a load of old bollox,” said Spock who looked at Stu and smirked. “Hey matey, why don’t you write that into your book? Woneater meets the Gopetu.” Spock chuckled at his scathing wit, until Stu raised an eyebrow, giving him the pre-bollocking glare.
“Okay,” said Stu, looking at Pon. “So, what’s all this got to do with today?”
Pon looked at his confused friends.
“I know you are sceptical and confused my friends, but the descendants of our lord Buddha are real and live in modern society with their protectors.”
Stu tried to work out how many families of the Buddha could be out there. Although useless at maths, he thought that with the Buddha dying over 2500 years ago and rounding up to the nearest decimal point, he figured that there could be lots. “So how many Buddha’s kids and their Guppy’s are out there?”
Pon smirked, “Gopetu,” he said correcting him.
He then stood and said. “Please come with me, my friends.”
The lads shrugged and went with Pon to the lounge where a small Asian boy with a shaven head, dressed in saffron robes, sat in the lotus position watching television.
The boy, engrossed in the cartoons, didn’t move and gazed at the television.
Wondering why there was no sound coming from the TV, Stu saw the boy wearing headphones, and Pon said. “He was brought here by his Gopetu several days ago after his family were murdered in England.”
Spock and Stu gasped. “England,” said Stu furrowing his brow. “What were they doing in England?”
Pon looked at Spock and Stu looking puzzled and said, “They’re English, and they live there.”
Protector--The Final Adventure Page 2