I raise an eyebrow. “Okaaay…”
“Come on! Have your drink and get changed so we can go and check out the bar downstairs before we have to meet the others.”
“So are we meeting them at the backpacker resort?”
“No, just at a place on Khaosan Road. They said to look for a bar called Gazebo.”
“Cool.”
“What are you wearing?” she demands.
“Um, probably just this.” I hold up a simple beach dress in a shade the sales assistant described as Aegean blue. It has flowers embroidered around the hem. I plan on wearing it with white beads and a couple of matching bracelets.
“Aw, cute. But that’s a bit daytime-ish. Maybe you should wear something more suitable for clubbing.”
“Mia, I’m not really trying to impress anyone here.”
“Suit yourself,” she says huffily.
I bite my tongue. Mia always makes me feel like I’m doing the wrong thing, even when I’m not. But I suck it up. We’ve already bickered enough since leaving home.
Mia takes forever to get ready, but we finally head out, grabbing our handbags on the way. Mine has a chain strap that I put over one shoulder. I’ve read about petty crime in Thailand, so I hold the body of the bag close to my chest, even as we wait for the elevator.
“You need to relax,” my sister says.
“I am.”
“You look like an uptight school teacher with your arms crossed over your chest like that.”
“I just want to make sure my stuff is safe.”
“Chloe, we’re in a five star hotel. There’s probably a ton of celebrities and multi-millionaires staying here that are much bigger targets than you.”
“I suppose.” I let my arms drop and try to chill out. For some reason, Mia has this effect of amplifying my sense of responsibility. I always feel like a crotchety old lady around her, but I swear I’m not like that the rest of the time.
We enter the bar in the Riverside Lounge and sit on a bronze-coloured couch near a guy playing jazz piano. He’s really good.
“What would you like to drink?” I ask Mia. “A Shirley Temple?”
“Haha, very funny. A Long Island iced tea, please.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes! And remember, it’s almost my birthday, so you can’t get all lecture-y and make me feel bad about anything tonight, OK?”
“OK. I promise I won’t say anything negative unless you’re doing something that might actually kill you.”
“Thank you.”
I go up to the bar and order a Long Island iced tea for Mia and a strawberry daiquiri for me.
“Go easy on the spirits with that one,” I say to the bartender, pointing to Mia’s drink-in-progress.
He frowns and nods, probably thinking I’m crazy for asking for less alcohol. But I’m always terrified that my little sister is going to follow in our alcoholic mother’s footsteps.
After Mum hit rock bottom, I counted the days until Mia turned sixteen so I could move out and take her with me. And although I felt like I did a much better job of looking after her than Mum ever did, I still found it hard to stop my sister from going off the rails sometimes. I guess it’s going to take a while for me to accept she’s my equal again, even though she’s about to turn twenty-one and doesn’t live with me anymore.
I carry the two drinks back to where Mia is sitting and put hers on the little table in front of us. She leans forward and takes a large slurp from her glass.
“So would you like your present now, or after midnight?” I ask her.
“You got me a present?” she squeals excitedly.
“Of course I did.”
“Aw, thanks. Now might be best in case I’m too drunk at midnight to appreciate it. What is it?”
I reach down into my bag and retrieve a small Tiffany’s pouch. Mia practically snatches it out of my hand and rips it open, tipping the contents into her hand. It’s a silver necklace with a small round disc and the letter M engraved on it.
“Oh, I love it!” she says, putting it on. “How do I look? Was it expensive?”
I laugh. “Only you would ask about the price. Don’t worry, I’m sure it would meet with your standards. And it looks lovely.”
She sticks her chest out and swings her torso from side to side as if to show it off to an imaginary audience. Then she stops.
“Ooh, he’s cute in an FBI agent kind of way.” She tilts her head in the direction of someone behind me.
I turn and see the same guy from near the pool earlier.
“Odd. I saw him before and thought he was staring at me.”
“What’s odd about that? He’s probably a guest here, and you’re a little hottie. He probably wants a holiday fling.”
“You know I’m not interested in anything like that.”
“Oh, Chloe. You really need to ditch Aaron and get a proper boyfriend. Not someone who’s away all the time and who you only get to shag via cyber-sex.”
“Mia!”
“Well, don’t you?”
“No! But even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you!”
She chuckles. “You really are a bit uptight sometimes. Anyway, it looks like that dude isn’t going to ask you out. He’s leaving.”
“Good.”
Mia gulps her cocktail.
“Jeez, this is weak for a Long Island iced tea. I should go and complain.”
“Shouldn’t we meet your friends soon?” I ask, trying to distract her. The last thing I need is the bartender telling her I specifically ordered it that way.
She glances at her watch. “Yeah, I guess.” She tips the remains of the cocktail down her throat and looks at my drink. “Are you done?”
I take one last big sip of my daiquiri and stand up. “Yep.”
Despite having seen the landscape on the way in this morning, it’s still a small shock to move out of the sterile hotel environment and into the humid evening, surrounded by traffic noise and dusty streets.
All I can hear are motorbikes and trucks that sound like they need muffler repairs. There are a dozen tuk-tuks parked just outside the hotel grounds, and as soon as the drivers spot us, they swarm over.
“You need taxi?” they yell over the top of each other.
One of them pushes his way to the front. “I do you cheap deal. Thirty baht to wherever you want to go, but we visit my friend’s shop first.”
“It’s a scam,” I whisper to Mia. “I read online that they try to make you buy all this fake jewellery.”
“I know. I’ve researched this country too,” she whispers back.
She looks at the guy offering us the thirty baht trip. “No, thank you. How much to take us straight to Khaosan Road with no stops?”
He looks disappointed for a second, and then the cogs obviously start turning in his brain.
“Five hundred baht.”
I do a quick calculation in my head and laugh. “Twenty bucks? You went from one dollar to twenty?”
He frowns at me. “How about four hundred?”
“Two fifty,” I say firmly.
He scowls at me. “It is peak hour. It will take long time to get there.”
“Don’t worry then. Thank you,” I say, walking off and dragging Mia with me.
“Wait, wait! Three hundred.”
“OK.” I grin at the driver.
He waves us over in the direction of his tuk-tuk. Mia squeezes my arm.
“Nice bargaining.”
“We’re probably still paying too much, but in the scheme of things, it’s pretty cheap,” I concede.
We jump into the back of the tiny vehicle. This feels like even more of a toy than the Fiat we caught to the airport. The driver takes off into the traffic, stopping and starting aggressively at each set of lights. At one point, he pulls out into the wrong lane to overtake, and I feel my stomach drop. I try to forget all the news articles I’ve read about the number of tourists who die in road accidents in Thailand each year.
Mia ha
s always been an adrenaline junky, so she looks almost bored when we narrowly avoid hitting another tuk-tuk.
“Are you sure you don’t want to quickly visit my friend’s shop?” the driver calls out to us.
“No, thank you,” we say in unison.
He smiles at us in the rear-view mirror, revealing a couple of missing teeth. “Just checking.”
Khaosan Road is busy. It feels like the type of crowd you’d encounter at a large sporting event. Mia and I push our way through the hordes of people, past food stalls and markets in our search for the bar where my sister’s friends are waiting. The scent of barbequed corn makes my stomach rumble as we walk past one particular vendor. Part of me wants to slow down and take a closer look at everything, but I can’t get separated from Mia, and she seems to be on a mission. I suspect it’s a novelty to be able to hang out with your friends in a foreign country.
It takes us a while to find their location, because it turns out to be a rooftop bar, and not one of the many venues at street level. I instantly like the atmosphere, with its Moroccan design and chilled-out vibe. Mia isn’t impressed, though. There aren’t many people around, and the ones who are there are lying around on cushions smoking shisha.
“God, this place is dull. What was the gang thinking?” she says disdainfully as she spies them down in the back corner.
“They probably thought it would be a good place to start, where you can have an actual conversation without shouting,” I point out.
“Yeah, well I hope they don’t want to stay here all night.”
“They’re here for your birthday, so I’m sure they’ll be happy to do whatever you want.”
She hurries over to her friends. “Hey, guys!”
“Hey!” Two guys and a girl look up at us. The girl, Ava, jumps up and squeals, enveloping my sister in a bear hug. She and Mia have known each other since the beginning of high school.
“I can’t believe we’re all here!” she squeaks.
Mia mirrors her mannerisms, waving her hands all over the place. “I know! I’m so glad you could all make it. How are you enjoying Thailand so far?”
“It’s been great. We got in yesterday morning, so we’ve had a bit of a chance to explore, but mostly we’ve been drinking. You should have seen Todd here last night.” She points to one of the guys. “Total write-off.”
“Aw, someone looks a bit sick,” Mia coos teasingly.
“Leave me alone,” he grunts.
“You know what’ll fix that, don’t you?”
“Are you buying?” he challenges.
“If you want. How about some chartreuse?”
Chartreuse? At this rate, Mia will be passed out within the hour.
Todd shudders. “Can we start with a beer?”
“Sure thing. But not here, OK? I want to go somewhere with a bit more life.”
“It’s your night,” he says. “Lead the way.”
I’m a bit disappointed that we won’t be staying here even just for a short while, but I figure we’ve got two more nights in Bangkok, so maybe I can convince Mia to come back with me before we leave.
We all trek downstairs back into the crowds and Mia sets her sights on a bar that isn’t really a bar…it’s just a stall selling bucket cocktails. There are lots of small plastic chairs and tables spilling out into the street.
The guys purchase beers, and I buy three buckets for us girls.
“This is more like it,” Mia says, looking around and beaming at the chaos. She sips from her bucket, which resembles something you’d use to build a sandcastle with, and then looks at the two guys.
“Todd, Grant, you’ve met Chloe before, haven’t you?”
“Briefly,” Grant says. “I think maybe at your birthday last year?”
“Oh, that’s right. My vampire party. That was awesome,” Mia says wistfully.
“I think I was sick that night too,” Todd says despondently.
“Well, you need to learn your limits, babe,” Mia says.
I almost laugh, because Mia is the last person who should be lecturing someone on limits.
To be honest, I don’t really know Mia’s friends that well. I spoke to Grant for about five seconds at Mia’s last birthday, maybe about the weather or something else equally mundane. I recognise Todd, but I’ve never actually had a conversation with him. And while I’ve heard lots of stories about Ava from Mia, I couldn’t tell you anything about her apart from the fact that she seems to sleep around a lot. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but that’s all Mia’s ever told me.
Then I start wondering if I’m going to be the fifth wheel on this trip. I’ll have to suss out the romantic situation between the guys and girls later.
But for now, there doesn’t seem to be any flirting going on between them. Todd looks too ill to even consider being social. And Grant appears relaxed, drinking his beer and checking out a couple of girls walking past who are wearing shorts so short their butts are on show.
“Put your tongue back in your mouth,” Mia says dryly. Grant just grins.
“Jealous, huh?”
“Of those skanks? You’ve got to be kidding.”
So I’m guessing Mia and Grant aren’t an item. That rules out one couple.
“What do you guys want to do for dinner?” I ask them.
“I dunno. Grab some street food in a while, maybe?” Mia says.
“Those satays do smell pretty good,” I agree as I inhale their delicious scent in the evening air. There must be a stall nearby.
The guys and I sit quietly while Mia and Ava gossip about some mutual acquaintance back home. I only half pay attention, choosing to absorb the atmosphere rather than engage in a conversation about people I don’t know. But because I’m not talking, I quickly finish my bucket cocktail and realise I really need to use the bathroom. Ava points me in the right direction, so I stand up and wobble slightly. Those drinks must have had more alcohol in them than I thought.
“I’ll see you guys back here in a minute?” I say.
“Yeah, cool. But don’t be too long. I want to go dancing soon,” Mia warns.
I nod in acknowledgement and go off in search of the bathroom. I seem to get lost on the way, because it takes me at least ten minutes to find it. And when I get there, there’s a huge line-up. I jump from foot to foot, cursing my tiny bladder and hoping Mia and her friends wait for me.
After a further ten minutes, I get my turn and discover it’s one of those hole-in-the-ground toilets. I knew they existed, but I’ve never tried to use one before. Being slightly tipsy is not going to help my balance either.
I figure it out eventually, but not before a couple of people bash on the stall to ask if I’m finished.
I open the door and sheepishly walk out, avoiding the death stares from the women waiting to use the facilities, and feel around in my handbag for my little bottle of hand sanitiser.
As I hurry back to the group, I get disoriented. There are lots of those makeshift bars on this street, and I can’t remember which one was mine. I walk the entire length of the road, inspecting each one, but they all look the same. There’s no sign of Mia or her friends, and the annoying thing is, I don’t know if it’s because they’ve left, or if I’m just blind.
I look at the time on my phone and discover I’ve been gone for almost half an hour. That’s an eternity in Mia’s world.
Damn it. It’s my first night in Thailand and I’ve already lost my sister.
FOUR
OK. This is no time to panic. I’ll check one more time, and if I don’t see anyone, I’ll just catch a cab back to the hotel and see Mia in the morning. She’s not the type to worry about the welfare of others if they wander off, so I won’t feel guilty about ruining her night. In fact, she’d probably prefer it this way.
I can’t call her, because she left her Aussie phone’s sim card at home and hasn’t yet bought a pre-paid one here—but if her phone is connected to wifi, she’ll see any message I write via Facebook. I quickly ty
pe up a note, asking where she is and letting her know I’ll head back to the hotel soon if I don’t hear from her.
I half-heartedly scan the crowds again, looking for my sister’s golden hair, or Ava’s red hair, with no luck. It’s probably for the best. I wasn’t really in the mood to tag along like an outcast anyway. It’s just a shame I’m heading back so early. It would have been nice to spend a bit more time exploring first. But I don’t want to stay out on my own for too long; it might not be safe.
I dawdle over the market stalls, checking out the watches and t-shirts, all sporting designer logos. I suspect they’re copies, judging by their unbelievably cheap prices.
I stop at a stand selling necklaces and buy one in turquoise. I then discover a satay vendor and get my hopes up, thinking I must be back near Mia. Until I come to my senses and remember I’m in Thailand, where satay stalls are a pretty common occurrence.
I buy some chicken skewers to ease my hunger and munch on them as I walk up to where the tuk-tuk dropped us off earlier. I get jostled quite a bit in the crowds, but I’m beyond caring. I have food in my belly and a mission to get back to my cool and quiet hotel room, where I can enjoy the solitude for a few hours before Mia returns.
The cabs are all lined up, ready to take people wherever they want to go next, and I’m grateful I’m holidaying in a country with such plentiful and cheap transport.
“Two hundred and fifty to the Shangri-La?” I say to the first driver.
He nods. I knew it. It’s a strange system here, paying on a sliding scale depending on the person you get. I read on a TripAdvisor forum about this kind of thing. But then maybe I look like I know the deal now, so I’m not worth arguing with. It could also be that peak hour is over, so the drive won’t take as long.
I sit in the back, gripping the flimsy metal rail beside me. It’s the only thing between me and the asphalt, and this driver seems particularly chaotic.
When we stop at a light, I go to get out my money so I can count the right change for my ride.
And that’s when I notice something is very, very wrong.
My handbag is empty. I frantically tip it upside down and discover a huge cut underneath where all the contents have fallen out.
Perfume Therapy Page 3