He threw her down onto the mattress and stood up. Another man came and kicked her in the ribs. She tried to scream out in pain but could not. He pulled her legs open and she felt him push something inside her vagina. It felt huge and it hurt. He kept ramming it in, until she felt herself all wet and sticky. She thought that she was bleeding. She could hear the other girls crying. She thought that she was dying. Another man, and then another man raped her. It went on for hours before she was thrown a bottle of water and some sticky rice wrapped in a banana leaf. Her left leg was chained to a metal clasp that was concreted in the ground.
Chapter 9: Back in Thailand
Danny had forgotten how much he hated the long haul flight to Thailand. When he stepped off the plane and was slapped with 92 degrees of humid heat, he also remembered how hot it was and how much it made him sweat. As the taxi took him through the green hills into Patong, he caught glimpses of the clear turquoise Andaman Sea under a clear blue cloudless sky and he also remembered how much he had missed this place.
Now he was back he felt even closer to Ying, the beautiful detective who had opened his heart to the spirituality of Thailand. He thought he could feel her presence. Or was it just the breath of the ‘Thai Dragon’ that had pulled him back here. He knew he was back in Thailand to look for Jack Morgan, but he was hoping that he would find something more than that.
He had told the taxi driver that he wanted a cheap and cheerful hotel, clean but not expensive; maybe somewhere with a swimming pool. The driver told him he knew a good place and took him to The Family Inn, just one block back from the Beach Road. The price was right and Danny took a room. They gave him an even cheaper rate because he booked for the month and it was smiles and wais all around. Danny suspected that the taxi driver might be in for a bit of a bonus. It was already 2:00pm local time.
Danny formulated a plan instantly. He went to the Seven Eleven shop a few doors down from the Family Inn and bought a bottle of Jack Daniels and some cigarettes. He was going to relax and have a drink on his hotel balcony for a couple of hours, before catching some sleep. He would set the alarm and go out tonight and have a look around Patong. He would have a look at the Captain Morgan’s Bar tomorrow.
Today, he was just too jet lagged and a few drinks and a night out was just what he needed.
Patong is a different creature by night. The atmosphere changes as soon as the sun drops into the sea. Waste ground, pavements and shop doorways, which are empty during the day, are now filled with people selling ornaments, trinkets, jewellery, cigarettes, lighters, flashing and noisy toys and almost everything else you can think of; all set out on little blankets on the ground. A couple of women sit on the kerbside with babies and small children and beg with a cup. They share the kerb space with a leper and a couple of amputees. Mostly, all these people are ignored by tourists and locals alike, but some kind souls will stop and give them money.
Bangla Road was loud, brash and buzzing as always. Bright lights flashed from every bar and a thousand different songs blasted out from the bars’ speakers, competing to be heard above the noise. Girls, dressed in tops that barely concealed their breasts and mini-skirts that revealed their legs right up to their thongs, if they were wearing one, waved and smiled at the passing farangs, trying to tempt them into their bars. The more daring or cheeky girls would walk out onto the street and flirt outrageously, or push and pull the men into their bars. Old fat and bald farangs would give up without much resistance and then, smiling, go willingly with the girls. They would tell themselves and their friends back home how much these Thai girls loved older farangs and how they treated them like movie stars. They would never mention how much they had to pay to sleep with these girls. Bangla Road is seedy, but it’s also compelling. Sex is available everywhere, but it’s not so much in your face as Nana Plaza and Soi Cowboy in Bangkok, or Walking Street in Pattaya.
Danny found comfort in this place. He did not feel lonely here. Pretty girls were everywhere, all smiling, and each one available for a small price. He liked walking up and down Bangla Road and sitting at the front of the bars on the main road and watching the people; the tourists, the locals, the sex workers, the cigarette sellers and the old ladies dressed in traditional northern Thailand costume. They were piled high with hats and other useless items for sale and constantly rattled little sticks along the back of carved wooden frogs to mimic the croaking noises of real ones.
All the side streets were bursting with Beer Bars, where he had to fight his way past bar after bar, almost being mobbed by gangs of scantily dressed girls who would not hesitate to rub his cock or flash their pussy or boobs. Dancing girls were on the bar tops gyrating and grinding to songs, thrusting their pelvis to flick up their short skirts and flash their thongs. Soi Eric, Soi Crocodile, Soi Easy and Soi Sea Dragon were where the Go Go bars and strip clubs were. Bright coloured lights and loud music were everywhere, as were old men with sexy young girls wrapped around them, sitting on their knee or just pressing against them.
Old men would sit there with their hands up a girl’s skirt, or feeling her breast, and the girls would giggle and pretend that they were enjoying it in the hope that he would be her paying customer for tonight. Playing the bar top games of Connect Four, Jackpot and Jenga gave the girls the chance to move in on any male customer who sat at the bar. There were pool tables to play and huge slices of tree trunk that punters have to try to drive 4” nails into, with the wrong end of a hammer head.
Laughter and giggles and screams of pretend delight from the girls all entice the men into their bars. Sometimes the girls pretend to let the customers win these games, but if there is money on it, they always win. They should do, as they are experts at it.
Danny liked the girls who danced on the bar top at the Tiger Bar, with their school girl type uniforms of tartan mini skirt, white blouse and black tie. They flashed their knickers and smiled sweetly as they danced over the heads of the men who sat drinking at the bar.
Soi Gonzo was a smaller, cooler and generally quieter street than the others and it was often missed by people, being squashed between the busier and brighter Sois Eric and Crocodile. In Soi Gonzo Danny could sit and actually chat to the girls and enjoy all the bars along the soi. He drank slowly but steadily and eased into a pleasant state of drunkenness.
It was just after 2:00am when he decided to get a tuk-tuk back to his hotel. There were still a lot of people everywhere. At that time of night all the Seven Eleven shops were full of farangs (foreigners), with young Thai girls, and they all seemed to be buying toothpaste, toothbrushes and condoms. The Thai girls always seemed to be grabbing as much snack food as they could carry. Why not, the farang would be paying. He smiled to himself. It reminded him of the night that Nok, the bar girl he had met at Moon’s Bar, had taken him into a Seven Eleven on Nanai Road, before they spent the night together.
Chapter 10: Captain Morgan’s Bar
Danny did not bother with breakfast, he rarely ever did. The mid-morning heat was intense and it made him sweat as soon as he left the cool of his air conditioned room. By the time he had walked down the stairs to the hotel pool his baggy T-shirt was clinging to his damp stickiness. He peeled it off over his head and dropped it onto one of the lounges that surrounded the poolside. They were all empty, except for four of them that had been pushed together and were occupied by two middle-aged farang men and two young Thai women, who they had no doubt brought back from one of the bars last night.
Danny plopped himself into the pool. He could dive but he had not done so for more years then he could remember. The water felt cool and was a refreshing relief from the intense heat. He swam a few lengths and then floated in the water. There was no breeze and the green leaves of the palm trees looked like a perfect photo against the deep blue sky. Danny took in the view of the mountains that surrounded Patong. He did not remember noticing them last time he was here.
After changing into
clean clothes he wandered out of the hotel and headed towards Beach Road. He knew that the Captain Morgan’s Bar was somewhere along the south end of the beach. He didn’t take a direct route and he had no plans to do anything else other then take a look at the place, get an impression. He strolled along Rat-U-Thit Road past the ‘O top’ market, past the massage parlours, where all the girls sat outside fanning themselves and smiling at any passing farang.
“Hello! Massage, handsome man?” Girl after girl sang out.
He walked past the Jungceylon shopping centre and crossed over to walk down Bangla Road to Thaiweewong, or Beach Road. He turned left to head south. He had not walked with any pace, but the sweat was pouring out of him and his shirt stuck to his skin. He was uncomfortable. He had forgotten how long it had taken him to acclimatize the last time he was in Thailand. The Beach Road seemed a lot longer than he remembered, but he put it down to the heat and humidity. He had almost walked the entire length of Beach Road and the bars and shops seemed to have come to an end. Now it was just hotels. But then he saw it, just past the Family Mart shop.
Danny had no intention of going into the bar, but it was suddenly just upon him. The bar was a tiny place and opened onto the narrow pavement. It was just a wooden bar with tables and chairs along a narrow strip between two buildings, but he could see they had a toilet at the back of the bar and some stairs, which he presumed led up to the living area. There were hand written signs on blackboards advertising ‘Room for Rent’, another advertising ‘Laundry service’. The biggest board was standing outside on the pavement advertising BBQ every Tuesday night at Captain Morgan’s Bar. There was nobody behind the bar and Danny was looking for a bell or something to get some attention. Then he noticed a Thai lady asleep on the floor behind the bar. Some partially eaten Som Tam (spicy papaya salad) in a plastic bag fastened with an elastic band was on the floor next to her. Danny was about to wake her, but then he noticed a photograph behind the bar, partially hidden behind some bottles of spirits. It was leaning against the mirrored panel.
He recognised the photo straight away. It was the same one that Nui had given him back in England, but the one she had given him was a cropped close up version of this original one. In the photo behind the bar he could see Jack Morgan, still middle-aged, still chubby, smiling and bald. But in this photo he had his arm around another man. Obviously a close friend; they even looked similar. Well, at least as far as the hair style went. They were probably about the same age, but this guy was skinny with severely nicotine stained teeth, which all seemed too big to fit comfortably in his mouth. In spite of that, it was an infectious smile and Danny found himself smiling back at the photo.
Maybe it was just an instant reaction, or maybe it was gut instinct or good old fashioned detective work, but Danny moved to the end of the bar, leaned over and silently slid the photo out from behind the bottles, then quickly walked back out onto the street. He was dying for a cold beer now, but decided to walk back towards Bangla Road. All the bars were empty at this time of day, but he walked into one of them and ordered a beer. The pretty young Thai girl took a plastic wrap from out of the freezer, rubbed it between her hands to force the air bubble to one end and then whacked it on the bar to make it pop loudly. She offered the split package to Danny and he took out the ice cold face wipe, opened it fully out and put it over his face for a moment, before wiping his brow and his neck.
“Holy Jesus Mother of God! That’s grand” he sighed in blissful relief. He emptied the cold Chang beer bottle in two huge swigs.
“You want more?” asked the cute bar girl.
Danny nodded and lit up a cigarette. It was his last packet of English cigarettes. He would have to buy some Thai ones from a Seven Eleven shop. He put the photograph on the bar. He was glad that he had taken it. He did not know who this other man was yet, but it looked like he might be able to tell Danny where Jack Morgan was. This was a photo of two men who were clearly close friends and happy in each other’s company.
“I’m going to find you, Jack Morgan” whispered Danny and exhaled cigarette smoke into the air.
It was still only 11:30am. Danny decided that he was going to go back to Captain Morgan’s Bar tonight. He had another beer while he decided what he was going to do today. He thought about going for a walk, maybe go for another swim, or get something to eat. But he spent too long thinking about it and started drinking Jack Daniels and now it seemed the best thing to do was to stay here looking at the pretty girl and getting drunk.
Chapter 11: Back to Captain Morgan’s Bar
Danny awoke lying fully clothed on his bed. The air conditioning was set on full at the coldest setting and he was shivering. It took him a few minutes to work out where he was. He knew he was in Thailand and he knew he was in his hotel room, but he couldn’t remember how or when he got back.
“Jesus, I hope it’s still today” he said out loud to himself.
It was pitch-black outside. He rolled over and turned on the bedside lamp and, as soon as his eyes would let him, he focused on his wrist watch. It was seven o’clock. Danny knew that it would be bright sunshine if it was seven o’clock in the morning, so it must be evening.
“Thank feck for that.”
Danny’s head cleared. He saw another empty bottle of Jack Daniels on the little table near to the patio doors. He shook his head. He couldn’t remember buying it and he certainly could not remember drinking it. The cigarette packet lay empty and crushed next to the overflowing ashtray. Full ashtrays and empty bottles, this was how Danny always woke up.
“Right so” he said and sat on the edge of the bed.
He drank the two complimentary bottles of water that were left in his room and undressed, showered, shaved and dressed again. He walked into the Family Mart a few doors down from his hotel and bought cigarettes, then jumped into a tuk-tuk and asked the smiling driver to take him to Captain Morgan’s Bar.
“200 baht to Captain Morgan’s Bar” said the driver for the 50 baht trip. He smiled even more when Danny just nodded. It was not even two minutes before Danny was getting out of the tuk-tuk outside Captain Morgan’s and paying the happy driver.
He sat at the bar, ordered a beer and lit up a cigarette. He made general small talk with the young girl behind the bar and casually asked her if she owned it. The girl covered her mouth and giggled.
“No. I just work. Owner not here.”
They both laughed.
“Who owns it then?”
“Fon. She good lady, make good bar. I work she before in another bar.”
“I’d be delighted to meet Fon. I like her bar. Very good.”
“Yes, very good.”
“Is she here?”
“No, not here.”
Danny decided not to ask any more questions. He did not want to raise any suspicions, but at least he knew that, as far as this girl was concerned, the person who owned Captain Morgan’s Bar was a lady called Fon. Danny finished his beer and decided to walk back to the hotel, maybe get some food along the way. He had just realised how hungry he was, and that he hadn’t eaten all day.
It was still only just after eight o’clock in the evening and, although it had been dark for nearly two hours now, it was still very hot. Even after dark in Thailand it’s always hot and humid. Even walking along at the easiest of paces will bring any farang out in a sweat, but every bar offers cold beers and ice cold handy wipes to mop the hottest of brows. Danny left Captain Morgan’s Bar and decided to take a walk along Prachanukrua Road at the south end of Patong Beach. He knew this Road would take him straight back to his hotel, because this was the way the tuk-tuk had brought him.
He had noticed the Dolphin Bar as he had gone past it in the tuk-tuk, and he liked it. It was like a lot of other bars in Patong. It was an open air, oval shaped bar with lots of coloured lights, loud music and two television sets; one showing English footba
ll, the other showing Australian Rules football. Lots of pretty girls were calling out “Hello! Welcome” to passing tourists, often without any response, but this bar was somehow different. It was so busy, packed full, with lots of voices and laughter. As Danny approached it he was already hot and this looked as good as any place to get an iced beer and a cold handy wipe. He walked past a quieter bar to reach the Dolphin Bar, ignoring completely or just shaking his head to the girls who called out to him,
“Hello! Welcome, handsome man.”
Danny saw the beautiful Thai girl behind the bar straight away. He had to keep looking. He thought it was Ying, the detective who had helped him so much when he was here before, but he knew that was impossible. He knew Ying was dead. He had seen her body at the hospital. But this beautiful woman was so much like her, it could be her. Danny did not know, but the girl he was looking at was Ling, the beauty from Udon Thani, and the new object of Marc, the French owner’s desires. But Ling was not interested in the owner.
Ling had seen Danny walking slowly towards the bar. She thought that he was handsome for an older farang and felt a strange attraction towards him. She had the feeling that she already knew him; this was a deep feeling and almost instinctively she decided that she must know him from a previous life. She quickly wai’d to the small Buddha shrine that sat high up amongst the bottles in the bar. She quickly said a prayer and asked Buddha to make the handsome farang stop at her bar. She was delighted when he finally reached the Dolphin Bar, stopped and pulled up a stool. She was just serving a big, rough looking Australian man at the other side of the bar, but as she flipped off the top from the man’s beer bottle, she tossed her long dark hair and glanced over her shoulder. It made her heart thump in her chest. He was looking right back at her. She had never seen eyes that looked so blue.
The Kiss of the Dragon Page 3