by Guy Lilburne
“I’m not being funny,” said Terry pushing his glasses up with his fingertip. “But how can anyone use that booking voucher, when it’s in somebody else’s name?”
Sloany pulled out Eric’s passport from his pocket.
“You use this.”
“How can we use someone else’s passport?”
Sloany opened the passport to Eric’s photograph.
“He’s a farang. This could be anybody. A bald headed, fat and ugly farang. No offence Norris!”
“None taken, lad.”
They all nodded their agreement.
“And they don’t check the passports. They just use it to check you in and photocopy it. You use your own passport to travel down.”
“He’s right you know and I mean that most sincerely.” Terry looked around, but wasn’t challenged in his endorsement.
“And it’s a free prize in a domino game?”
“Yes Norris. The prize is absolutely free! There is an entry fee of 2,500 baht to play in the game.”
There were some moans and groans.
“Come on, lads! That’s only £50 each. I’ve just paid out £400 to the poor bloke. Even with four of you I’m still £200 out of pocket, but I’m just thinking of that poor little girl lying in a hospital bed with a broken back. Where is your charity?”
John was the first to dig out his wallet and put 2,500 baht on the table.
“I’m in. TWAT FUCKER SHIT PANTS.”
Terry, Norris and Taff all followed. Sloany picked up the money and stuffed it into his wallet.
“OK. Game on. I’ll referee. I suggest that you all have a toilet break first and refresh your drinks. You will be playing as four individuals and it’s a straight up and down the board. Once somebody is over the line, the winner is the person with the least points on the board. Agreed?”
“Agreed,” they chorused in unison. Suddenly there was a real tension in the air.
“Well, I don’t know about you lot, but I’m going for a pre-match shit. Do you see where I’m coming from,” said Terry.
The table emptied as they went for a toilet break and Sloany took four more bottles of beer to the table. The players returned and took their seats.
“OK, Gentlemen. Please draw a domino. The lowest domino starts and we play clockwise.” Sloany was trying to sound as official as he could.
John won the drawer. The order of play would be John, Terry, Taff and Norris. The joking and the usual banter had stopped. This was a proper match for a real prize and the players were taking it seriously. Taff flicked his head, first to the right and then to the left, making his neck click. Terry stretched out his arms and intertwined his fingers. He bent his fingers back until they clicked. John shouted out some swear words in no particular order and Norris farted. They were all ready.
“No talking please, Gentlemen. John to down.” Sloany wiped the sweat from his head with his tea towel.
John led with a double-two. This told the others that he had no high value doubles. It was also bad news for Terry who was sitting next to him and was sitting with the double-six and double-five. He knew that John wouldn’t be putting anything down to let him play them if he could avoid it. Norris was the last to play and he had no high value doubles either, although he did have lots of ‘dots on the bones’. It put him in a strong position, because he could play his big dominoes, knowing that John would knock them off and not allow either Terry or Taff to get in with their big doubles. The game was slow and thoughtful. There were challenging looks and glances, but nothing was said. They sat around the table like four gunslingers in the old Wild West. Each one careful not to give away any tells. Occasionally, someone would raise an eyebrow or play a domino very quickly, or play it extra slowly. Were they giving something away, or were they just bluffing? Only the player knew for sure, but each play was watched carefully by the others. Nothing was said. Sometimes a nod of acknowledgement was given by a player, in appreciation of a well-played domino. Sloany was giving a commentary in a low whispered voice, reminiscent of the old time snooker commentators. It added to what was already a tense atmosphere.
Norris chipped out and scored no points. John laid down his double-blank and a blank-four. Four points in total. Terry had got stuck with the double-five and double-six. Twentytwo points. It wasn’t a good start in a straight up and down match. Taff showed his six-four. Ten points. Sloany marked the board and shuffled the dominos. Terry selected his ‘bones’ and it was his turn to drop first.
Bang!
He slammed down the double-five. The fives were quickly knocked off. John put up a one-six, thinking that Terry would have played the double-six first if he had it. It was a trap. Terry slammed down the double-six. The chances were against it, but he had picked up both double-five and double-six in the first two hands. The dominos went his way and he chipped out without knocking. After two hands the scores were Norris 9, John 12, Terry 22, Taff 22. The next three hands were all low scoring and only four points separated the players from first to last place. Norris was the first player to make the turn and be ‘on his way back’, but there were still only ten points between all the players. It was a close match and all these players were match fit, according to Sloany’s commentary.
John lost a big hand and it put him in ‘the dead hole’. He couldn’t take any more points or he would be out and the game would be over. He chipped out in the next two hands and closed the gap with the players behind him. The last hand was the quickest hand of the match and Norris went out with the highest single score of the match. He had all high value dominos and he had been frozen out. He laid his dominos down in a row. Double-six, double-five, double-four and six-three.
“Fucking hell. They look like niggers teeth,” said Sloany, still in his commentator’s voice. The others flashed looks of disdain towards him.
Taff went out too. John showed double-blank and was still in the dead hole. Terry counted up the points on his two dominos. Eight points. It put him one point behind John. He had won the match by a single point. John was the first to shake his hand. Norris bemoaned his bad luck and spent some time explaining to the others how he could never win with the hand he had. Terry had won the prize and was going to be off to Phuket at the weekend, with somebody else’s passport and hotel booking.
“Living the dream,” he toasted and raised his bottle up in the air. The others all ‘clinked’ their beer bottles against Terry’s.
“Living the dream,” they chorused.
Chapter 12: A weekend away in Paradise
Now time in Thailand always seemed very different from time back in the UK. Well, at least that is how it seemed to the ex-pats who lived in Thailand. That’s how it seemed to Terry and Simon. Normally the days just seemed to flash past - but waiting for this particular weekend seemed to take a long time. Simon was looking forward to his weekend away in Khon Kaen with Pom and Terry was looking forward to his adventure in Phuket.
Simon obviously saw Pom each day at the radio station. They spoke a lot each day and each day they were getting to know each other better. They even kissed a few times, but neither of them seemed in any hurry to take the relationship onto a more physical level. Well, at least not for now. They simply liked each other too much - respected each other too much to just jump into bed together. They were both secretly hoping that this was going to be a forever relationship, so it seemed OK to take time with everything. Pom had explained to Simon that taking him home to meet her mother was a big deal and it meant that she was considering him as a future husband. Simon liked the sound of that. Each day he thought that Pom was getting more and more beautiful. He was falling for her. Pom also told him that she had only ever had one boyfriend and that was a long time ago.
“Did he meet your mother?”
“No. It was never that serious.”
Pom had also star
ted calling Simon ‘tee rak’. It meant ‘darling’ in Thai and Simon liked it. He thought it was far too soon to start planning a future with Pom, but he liked the idea that it was a possibility. Life felt pretty good to him. Going to Thailand seemed to have been a good decision for him. So far the only part of Thailand that he had seen was a small part of Pattaya City - the area around The Sloan Square Bar and the journey to and from the radio station. The journey from the airport to Pattaya when he first arrived was all motorway and not very inspiring.
Simon mentioned in the bar that he was going to rent a car to do the road trip. Sloany said that he knew somebody and he would probably be able to get a good deal for Simon. The next day it had all been arranged. Sloany told him that a brand new Honda Civic would be waiting for him at the bar for the bargain price of 1000 baht a day. It was actually a good price and Sloany had not added anything extra to the price for his own benefit.
Terry was also getting excited about the weekend. He had stopped worrying now about using somebody else’s passport. His only problem now was how to get down to Phuket. It was a long way from Pattaya. The best and quickest option was to fly down, but Terry didn’t have a lot of money. As far as he was concerned, what he would have spent on a flight he could be spending in the bars. He was thinking about taking a bus. Although he permanently lived in a seaside resort in a tropical country 365 days a year, he was excited about having a holiday on the island of Phuket.
While they were all playing dominos Terry floated a question - bus or fly?
Sloany got straight onto his laptop, while the others argued about it and came up with various price guesses and hours it would take to make the journey.
“It will only cost you 200 baht on a bus and only take about 10 hours,” said Norris. That sounded really good to Terry.
“No. It will cost as much as a flight, about 2,000 baht and take 20 hours,” said John. That sounded really bad to Terry.
Sloany looked up from his laptop.
“A bus from Pattaya to Phuket will cost you 1,226 baht. The journey will take 14 hours, leaving at 6:00pm and arriving at 8:00am the next day. You can fly from Bangkok with Bangkokair for 1,790 baht and the flight will take just over an hour. It’s only 500 baht more Terry and I’ll take you to the airport for free, if you want?”
“Thanks Sloany. That’s it then. I’ll fly. It’s not worth worrying about for that amount of money.”
Eventually the weekend had arrived. Simon picked up the Honda Civic outside The Sloan Square Bar on Friday afternoon. He threw his case in the boot and picked up Pom from her rented room. He told Pom that he didn’t really want to drive all the way to Khon Kaen on a motorway and asked if she knew a more scenic route. She did and she directed him on main roads. They saw fields and mountains, farms and cities, towns and villages. Pom was happy to explain everything that they saw and Simon was happy to listen. They drove past many temples and beautiful Buddha statues. Pom told Simon the story of Buddha. He liked that too.
Sloany borrowed a car for free from a friend and drove Terry to Survarnabhumi Airport on Saturday morning.
“I really appreciate this Sloany and I mean that most sincerely. How much do I owe you?”
“Nothing mate. I told you I’d take you for free.”
“Well, you must have to put some fuel in the tank. Let me pay for that.”
“Save your money, Terry. Have a drink in a nice bar in Phuket for me.”
“Well, that’s really nice Sloany.”
“You know me Terry. I’m too nice for my own good. I look after my mates.”
The flight was on time and boarded quickly. An hour later the plane was flying in low over the Andaman Sea to land at Phuket International Airport. It was the first time that he had ever been to Phuket and he was excited about it. After he collected his case from Baggage Reclaim he swapped his own passport for Eric’s passport and walked out of the airport building to the mass of taxis and minibuses outside. The taxi ride over the hills was beautiful. The hills were covered with green jungle and there were fantastic views out over the Andaman Sea - clear blue, reflecting the clear blue sky overhead. It had a different feel from Pattaya. Terry felt that it was somehow more upmarket. It just had that sort of feel to it. The taxi went down some very steep and winding roads into Patong. Terry looked out of the taxi window as it drove along the road. The place had as many bars and restaurants and massage parlours as Pattaya, but everything looked somehow cleaner. Terry suddenly realized that he was looking out of the window and smiling. He made a conscious effort not to smile in case the taxi driver or some pedestrian saw him and thought that he had mental health issues! With every minute that he sat in the taxi driving through Patong, he became more and more certain that he was going to have a wonderful time in Phuket. He loved the place already. The taxi drove all the way along Rat-u-Thit Road. When it got to the O-top market, it turned right down a one-way street towards Beach Road and then turned into the Holiday Inn Hotel. The hotel looked fantastic. It was luxurious and Terry was greeted by one of the prettiest Thai girls he had ever seen. She was dressed in a traditional Thai dress and she gave him the most beautiful and respectful wai. Terry smiled and nodded and then, as a bit of an afterthought, returned her wai while he was still holding his case and Eric’s passport and the Agoda booking form in his hands. His case bashed his nose and the beautiful girl smiled. Terry decided that he loved Phuket. He sat at the grand reception desk and handed over the passport and booking form. He was so impressed with the hotel and was so busy looking around the reception area that he forgot to be scared or nervous about handing over somebody else’s passport as his own. The beautiful girl behind the counter didn’t even look at it. Another beautiful girl walked towards Terry with a silver tray. A glass of iced jasmine tea was taken from the tray and handed to him. The girl behind the reception desk pushed a blank form and a pen towards Terry. She pointed to two boxes.
“Sign here and here please.”
“Do you want me to fill in the rest of it?”
“No Sir. I can do. Just sign here and here, please.”
Terry picked up the pen and signed. The girl compared it briefly to the signature in the passport. Then she checked it again. She frowned.
“Sir. Why you sign different name?”
Terry suddenly had a cold sweat as panic gripped him. He snatched back the form and screwed it up - scrunching it into his pocket.
“Sorry, I forgot. That’s my nickname. I just signed my nickname. Terry Davies. I’d better sign my real name for you. Eric Somebody. Can I have a new form please?”
The girl smiled and slid another blank form over the counter towards Terry. Terry took the passport from her and opened it to check Eric’s full name. He copied Eric’s signature from the passport into the two boxes on the blank form as best he could. The girl found it all somewhat amusing, but for some reason, not suspicious! She completed the form and photocopied the passport. She handed a room key card to Terry and beckoned a porter to take him to his room. The room was huge and as beautiful and luxurious as the rest of the hotel. There was a complementary bowl of fruit waiting for him on the table. He had ‘His’ and ‘Her’ bathrobes and slippers. There was a big wooden box containing a selection of teas and coffees from around the world. The mini bar was free and would be restocked each day. The balcony was a good size and overlooked one of the four swimming pools that the hotel boasted. Terry didn’t worry about smiling anymore. Now he couldn’t stop smiling and he didn’t care who saw him or what they thought. He gave the porter a 20 baht tip. He felt that the occasion merited more, but he just didn’t have the money to throw around. He went to the mini bar. There were various cans of beer, miniature wines and spirits, soft drinks and chocolate bars. On the shelf above the fridge were bags of crisps and nuts. It was all free and Terry had never stayed in a hotel with a free mini bar before.
“Blo
ody hell.” he whispered, as he looked over the goods on offer. He decided there and then that he would empty the mini bar each day, if it was the last thing he did. He grabbed a can of Singha beer, pulled the tab and walked out onto his balcony. There were some people swimming in the huge swimming pool, but not many. Stone elephants placed around the pool cascaded water into the pool from their trunks. A few families sat around the pool. Parents relaxed and sunbathed. Children ran around and played. Terry raised his can.
“Cheers everybody. Here’s to living the dream.”
Simon had enjoyed the long drive up country with Pom sitting at his side. He loved seeing the countryside - the mountains and lakes. Khon Kaen was a big city. Bigger than Simon thought it would be. There was a huge university and Khon Kaen seemed to be a city on the up - a city that believed in its own future. Pom’s mother didn’t actually live in the city. She lived in a little village 20 km out of the city, just off the Maliwan Road. Pom had already told Simon that he wouldn’t be able to stay with her at her mother’s house. Half way between the city and her mother’s village they passed a drive-in style motel resort. Pom told Simon that he could stay there after he dropped her off at her mother’s. She directed Simon to her mother’s village. Simon could tell that Pom was getting excited to see her mother again. He was excited for her. Her mother’s house was very basic. It looked like an old barn on stilts. It was a wooden structure with a corrugated tin roof. There was an outside squat toilet housed in a rickety shed. The barrel of water used for flushing the toilet also doubled as the shower. The kitchen consisted of a table in the shade of a mango tree. A water tap on the end of a blue pipe, which emerged from the ground and a black-coloured builder’s bucket made up the sink unit. Two clay pots, charred black with use, was the cooker. There was a beauty in the simplicity, but Simon was also very glad that he would be staying in the resort. The views out across the rice fields were beautiful and her mother kept some chickens and ducks. She also grew her own vegetables. Chilies and herbs grew wild. Pom’s mother was called Pip. She was younger than Simon thought she would be. She was a pretty lady with a delicate, slim build. She had an elegance and a kindness that she showered people with. Simon liked her straight away. He could see so many qualities that she had handed down to her daughter. She had greeted Simon with a charming wai and said ‘Hello’ in English, but it was the only English word she knew. She asked if Simon wanted to stay and eat, but Pom said he was going to the resort soon. They arranged for Simon to collect Pom and her mother, Pip, the following morning. They were going to show him some of the sights around Khon Kaen. There were many beautiful temples to see and, because it was a ‘Big Buddha’ day, it would be a good time to go to a temple.