CHAPTER TWENTY
Sang -
I have just been home for an hour when my phone rings. It's Juang.
“S: Juang? What's wrong?”
“Ju: P'Sang, ja. I have a favor to ask.”
I glance at the clock to look at the time. It's almost 8pm. What does she want at this hour?
“S: Spit it out Juang.”
“Ju: I need to borrow your car tonight.”
“S: No. I've seen how you drive. No.”
“Ju: P'Sang. It's my friend's bday party and we are going to celebrate the end of finals.”
“S: I'll take you there.”
“Ju: I want to stay there for a while and don't want you to have to wait for me.”
“S: I'll sleep in the car. That's fine.”
“Ju: You know what, fine! Keep your ugly car that smells like old people.!”
“S: Hey! That airfreshner costs me $15! Don't knock on it!”
“Ju: The seats are ugly too!”
“S: You...Hello? Juang?”
Goddamnit. I am not in the mood to play babysitter tonight. I drive over to her house anyway and parked the car out of view. At around 10:30pm, I saw another car pull up and see Juang get into it. I follow the car. What is she up too? I follow the car to a nightclub. When Juang steps out of the car I can see clearly what she is wearing. Better yet, what she is not wearing. What kind of father allows their daughter to go out looking like that. I do not want daughters. All boys for me. Thank you. I follow her into the club. As I am about to catch up, a figure blocks my way. It's a woman. She looks familiar.
“S: Uh, hi...”
“Pa: Pat..my name is Pat. Do you remember who I am?”
“S: Of course I remember you Pat. How are you doing?”
“Pa: I miss you. Haven't seen you in a while stranger.”
She puts her arms around my neck. I hate clingy girls. I try and get her claws out of me and look for Juang. I see her and she is staring right at me and Pat. Story of my life. Pat's arms are like vises. I can't escape. I try the charming approach.
“S: I'm sorry for not coming around more. Let me make it up to you by buying you a drink ok? Same poison?”
She nods her head. She's already halfway to drunk. She releases me and I walk away from her. Back to operation find Juang. I spot her doing shots with a bunch of girls and a couple of guys. If Pat was halfway drunk, Juang was knee deep in drunk. I don't know why she drinks when she knows she's a lightweight. Last time she passed out after half a bottle of wine cooler. I walk up to the group and introduce myself as Juang's brother.
“Ju: P'Khap!!!! When did you get bacckkkkkk?!!!”
I hate it when people talk in echos and exclamation marks. She throws her arms around me.
“Ju: Everybody!!!! He's my broootttherrrrr! He lookssss differenttttt tonight though!!!!!!!”
“S: Juang..Juang..Look at me. It's P'Sang, not P'Khap ok? Look at me?”
“Ju: P'Sanggggggg!!!! My next favorite personnnnnn!!!!”
Ok. Time to go. I grab her by the waist to guide her out of here. The two guys of the group block our paths. Seriously? I flash them my police badge. They cleared our way real quick. We got to the car and I gently placed her in the backseat. I elevated her head a bit so she doesn't choke if she vomits. I decided to take her to my place instead of hers. I don't want her father to find out, not that he even cares. We get to my place and I gently place her in my bed. She comes to and stares at me.
“S: You better not throw up in my...”
She kisses me. I respond back passionately until I visualize Khap bashing my head in. I hold her away from me until I regain my composure. She looks at me curiously. I pull her to me and give her the kiss of her life. I was not gentle. Dogs, cats, old people, baby poo.....I pull away from her. As much as it hurts, I had to. She was drunk. I can't take advantage of her. Juang begins to cry.
“Ju: Am I too ugly for you P'Sang?!! Am I not good enough for you?!!! Are my eyes to big?!!!!"
“S: Juang..it's not that....it's...”
She starts dry heaving and then throws up on me. I look at the clock. My shift starts in four hours. Fuck me.
Juang -
I wake up feeling like I was ran over a bus. Multiple times. It takes me a while to recognize the room I'm in. It's P'Sang's. How did I end up here? It's 9am. I look around for my purse. It was then that I notice I am in sweats and a t-shirt. I don't remember changing. That means....I grab my phone from my purse and dial the one person who would know.
“Ju: P'Sang. What happened last night? Why am I wearing sweats and t-shirt?”
“S: Because you threw up on yourself nongsao. Do you need to know anything else? I'm working.”
“Ju: Well, who changed me into these clothes?”
“S: I did.”
“Ju: So, did you see everything?”
“S: Of course.”
“Ju: P'Sang! Did anything happen last night?”
“S: A lot of things happened last night. You don't remember?”
“Ju: If I remembered, would I be asking you?”
“S: You think about it Juang. You were the aggressor. I just laid back and took it like a man. I have to go now. I made a hangover drink for you in the fridge. Drink up. I will see you when I get back.”
Laid back and took it like a man? What does he mean by that? What did I do? I don't feel any different so maybe nothing happened. Ahh. This is so frustrating!
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Fang -
I can't believe he kidnapped my sister. When I said I will support you, I didn't think kidnapping was going to be part of it. P'Feung is going to kill me when she finds out I've been helping the enemy. I better come up with excuses. I got it. Memory loss. Works in the movies all the time. My boss calls out for me.
“M: Fang, delivery!”
“Fa: Where to?”
“M: Pongsakorn Hotel.”
“Fa: Umm.. can you send someone else?”
“M: Am I the boss or are you the boss?”
“Fa: You are sir.”
“M: That's what I thought. Now get and hurry back.”
Get? Am I a dog? Pig. I need to find a new job. I get to the hotel and go in to make a delivery. Of course he's here. Maybe if I avoid eye contact, he won't see me.
“T: Fang..Fang..hold on. What are you doing here? You don't have classes today?”
“Fa: What are you the school police? Class let out early so I picked up a job for extra money. What's it to you?”
“T: Sorry. I was just wondering. How are Khap and Feung doing? Are the back together yet?”
Why is he so nice? The meaner I am to him the nicer he gets. What gives. I study his face. He still has a nasty cut right above his left eye. P'Khap got him good there. Thinking back to that day, I remembered that this man has no sense of self defense at all.
“Fa: My sister is none of your business. It looks like that cut above your eye is healing ok. “
“T: This? Yes, it is. It was really painful the first week. Thanks for helping tend to it.”
“Fa: I felt bad since I was the one who made you take me there. Are you mad at him?”
“T: Who Khap? No, I'm not. I understand where he is coming from. I would've done the same thing. “
“Fa: You beating up on someone? I can't imagine that. I'm surprised you didn't go into fetal position when he started beating on you. I really suggest you take some self defense class. Men should be able to defend themselves and fight back against an attacker.”
“T: Do you like men that can fight?”
“Fa: Well, yeah. It's always good to know that someone can back you up. I can take care of myself 99% of the time but I do know my limits.”
“T: You got it. I will go and take some self defense classes.”
It registered on me what he was thinking.
“Fa: Hey, I didn't mean that if you learned how to fight, I would like you.”
“T: I know what you meant. Thanking you for caring.”
He flashes me a smile and walks away. How annoying!
Thap -
What Fang doesn't know is that I do know how to fight and defend myself. I just didn't think it would resolve anything that day. Khap was out for blood. If it wasn't my blood, it would have been someone else's blood. So, I offered myself up as the sacrificial lamb. It was also a ploy so that Fang could tend to my injuries. It was quite a sacrifice. My parents and sister were horrified when they saw my face. Khap did a number on me but I knew it was a misunderstanding. I suddenly remembered that I needed to be in Bangkok to take care of paperwork for some land acquisitions. I have to ask for P'Sabai to cover for me again.
“T: P'Sabai, kap. Can you cover the Singburi site for me starting next week? I should only be gone for two weeks or so.”
“Sa: Thap, where are you going this time? Last time I covered for you when you went away, you came back looking like you were someone's punching bag!”
“T: I'm going to be in Bangkok this time. Last time, I was someone's punching bag...Literally. Think of it as your vacation. You said you liked it here. It's nice and quiet. Bring P'Jerd if you want.”
“Sa: Next week right?”
“T: Kap.
“Sa: I'll be there.”
I hang up the phone with my sister. My thoughts shift bacl to the girl with the razor sharp tongue.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Feung -
We've been driving for several hours now and he hasn't said anything else.
“Fe: Khun Khap.”
He turns and smiles at me.
“K: Ja, Mae Feung?”
“Fe: Why are we going to Phuket? I need you to take me back home. Who is going to care for the children?”
He grabs my hand and places a featherlight kiss on my knuckles. I remove my hand. He smiles again.
“K: It's all taken care of. P”Sinjai and Fang have everything under control.”
P'Sinjai and Fang? Why are they helping Khun Khap?
“Fe: Khun...”
“K: Don't worry about anything khon dii.”
I give up on asking him to take me back home. I rest my head on the window and fall asleep. A while later, I feel someone lightly shaking me awake.
“K: Mae Feung ja...we're here.”
Where is here? I wake up and look at my surroundings. It looks like a restaurant. He takes hold of my hand and whispers for me to stay close. We walk to the back of the restaurant and down a set of stairs. It looks like a kickboxing arena. We walk past the boxing area and I notice a lot of stares our way. Khun Khap holds me close and I stay as close as possible to him. We reach the back offices where there is a gentleman sitting down and doing some paperwork.
“K: P'Got.
“G: Khap, welcome back . Is this your Feung?”
He looks back at me and smiles.
“K: This is my Feung.”
“G: Good for you.”
“K: I am here to ask for a favor. You mentioned that you had some beach property for rent. I was wondering if it is not rented out, can you rent it to me for a few days?”
“G: Sure. Let me go get the keys.”
While we sit and wait, I take a look at the surrounding. The guys fighting outside are going at it without mercy. One is bleeding from the eye. So much violence.
“K: Does this place scare you Feung? This is where I came after I left Khai BangRajun.”
“Fe: You were here? Doing what?”
“K: I was one of P'Got's fighters? He paid me good money. I have a lot saved up from here. I have it in bank in your name. For when you are ready to buy the orphanage.”
At that moment, Khun Got comes back in with a worried look on his face.
“G: Khap, we have a problem. The two farangs you were supposed to fight that night are here and they say you walk in. They want to fight you. “
“K: P'Got, my fighting days are over.”
“G: Khap, they have group of guys out there who will not let you out if you don't agree to a rematch.”
Khun Khap looks at me and shakes his head.
“K: Can you get Feung out of here and to safety then? I'll do the rematch.”
I grab his arm.
“Fe: I'm not leaving you.”
“K: Feung, these guys are dangerous. I'll find you when I am done. I trust P'Got. He will take you to safety.”
“Fe: I want to be here with you here. I am not going to leave you.”
Khun Khap shakes his head.
“K: You stay in here though. I'm going to get ready.”
I wait for him in the office. The crowd outside is growing. The announcer introduces Khun Khap and the farang. The bell dings.
Khap -
I should have never walked with her in here. I'm putting her in danger again. It wasn't my intention to miss the last fight. P'Got told me that my replacement was knocked out in the first round and the farang felt like they didn't get their money's worth. I stepped into the ring. These guys are big. They 're fighters back in their country. MMA fighting. This one is bald and looks like he has 15 pounds of muscle on me. The bell dings and I'm in fighting position. He grabs and me and I avoid him easily. He is bigger but I am faster. I throw in a few jabs and kicks. I connect on a couple. He tries to grapple me again but misses. My roundhouse connects with his jaw. We dance around for a bit more and go into round two. He is starting to get pissed and become more aggressive. Some of his punches landed but so did mines. He got a good one in on my right brow. I think it's bleeding. I see the blood in the ring. It could be his too. His lips is busted. We are now in round three. It's time to end this. I throw in some quick jabs and punches. I kick, knee, and do a roundhouse. All my hits connect somewhere. He's tired out. Just when I think I'm home free, the other farang gets into the ring. It's two against one. I make eye contact with Feung and try to tell her not to worry. This is going to be bad, real bad. I'm already beat down from the first guy. Throw in a fresh fighter? I may not come out ahead in this one. Thirty minutes into the fight, I'm bloody and bruised. I think I have some broken ribs. I'm on my knees now. I can barely stand. Why isn't anyone throwing in the towel? A punch lands on my left ear. It's ringing. I can't hear anything out of my left ear. I can't get up. Everything just hurts. Then I hear her.
“Fe: P'Khap..get up. Please.. get up!”
P'Got is holding her back so she doesn't come near me. I have to get up. For Mae Feung. Luckily the bell dings. Signaling a break. P'Got comes to my corner with Feung next to him.
“K: Why are you here. Go back inside Feung.”
“Fe: Chan rak pee. Come back to me.”
The bell is about to signal for the fight to go into the next round again. I have all the strength that I need to win this fight. I wish I could say I won by a landslide but I didn't. I barely won the fight. If was I wasn't able to deflect that last punch from the second farang, I would have been a dead man. He was aiming for my vital points. Fucker. I was smart after we started the round. I finished off the first farang so that he would go down first. Once he was out, we were back to a one on one fight. The fight was more fair but my body was already worn out. I didn't even stay for them to announce me as the winner. I just wanted to go back to Mae Feung. P'Got felt guilty that he couldn't stop the fight so he let us stay at the beach house for free. He also gave us a good sum of money from the fight. He even drove us to the beach house. Even after getting cleaned up, I bet I was a sight for sore eyes. What made it worth it all? I was in the backseat with my head resting on Feung's lap. She was holding on to me and holding my hand. She said that she loved me. I would take a beating like this everyday if it meant hearing her say those words. When we got to the beach house, P'Got took a taxi back to the club. I was able to make it up the stairs even though I was sore everywhere. Feung helped support me and guided to the bed. She moved away but I grabbed her hand.
“Fe: I'm going to get a washcloth to tend to some of your injuries.”
She came back with a bowl of warm water and a rag.
“Fe: Take off your shirt.”
I took off my shirt slowly. Just lifting my arm hurts. She begins to wipe my body. It actually feels very soothing. I am about to shut my eyes when I hear her crying silently.
“K: Why are you crying?'
“Fe: I don't like seeing you hurt like this.”
“K: Feung, this will heal in time. Don't worry. The important thing is we are here together now.”
I kiss her forehead. I let the kiss linger a bit so I can inhale her scent.
“K: Were you worried about me Feung? Can you tell me that you love me again? I want to make sure I heard it right and it wasn't me hallucinating.”
She doesn't say anything. I take the rag and bowl of water from her and placed them on the table. My hands cup her face. My thumbs brushes her cheeks.
“K: Tell me Feung. Did I hear you wrong? Tell me what you said to me in that ring.”
“Fe: Chan rak pee.”
She looks me in the eyes. All the hurt we went through was worth this moment. Everything seems so insignificant compared to this moment.
“K: Pee rak Feung moht hua jai.”
I lean in to kiss her on her cheeks. I kiss her again on her lips. I pull back and look at her to ask for her permission with my eyes. I received my answer and kiss her again. I kiss her everywhere again and again. I become familiar with her body. I'm overwhelmed with emotions because she is giving herself to me. She is accepting my love and reciprocating it. We become one. I ignore the pain from the beating and focus on the pleasure. She's mine now. I wake up the next morning to an empty bed. Did I dream everything. I get up to go look for her. She's standing on the back porch looking at the ocean. I walk up and hug her from behind. I nuzzle her neck.
“K: Did you sleep well?”
“Fe: It was fine.”
“K: Fine? That's it?”
“Fe: Khun Khap..let me go cook something for you to eat.”
I pick her up. I ignore the pain coming from my body.
“K: I'm hungry but not for food.”
I take her back to bed and explore her body. I don't allow her to leave the bed for the rest of the day. I hold her close while we are in bed. I can't stop kissing her.
“Fe: Khun Khap..”
“K: Don't call me that anymore. You're my wife now and I'm your husband. Call me P'Khap like you did at the ring.”
“Fe: P'Khap..”
“K: Ja, Mae Feung?”
“Fe: We need to go buy clothes. We don't have anything to change into.”
I realized I didn't pack anything for her. I keep what I think about clothes to myself. I don't want to push her too far out her comfort zone.
“K: Ja, we can go to the store down the road here. We can walk there. We should buy some groceries too for the next couple of days.”
“Fe: How long are we staying here?”
“K: Until we are ready to go home. Let's go get ready to go to the store.”
I listen for her to start the shower before I call Fang to let her know that her sister is ok. I called Sang after to check in on P'Got to make sure the farangs didn't give him any problems. I called Juang to tell her that I love her. When I hung up, I went to join Feung in the shower.
“Fe: P'Khap!”
“K: We're husband and wife now. No need to be embarrassed. Can you shave my mustache and beard for me. It's been a while since I've shaved. Unless you like my beard scratching against you.
I rub my beard on her cheek to make a point. She squirms against me.
“Fe: What if I cut you?”
“K: Then it will blend in with the other cuts on my face from last night.”
I watch her apply the shaving cream on me. She shaves slowly, being careful now to nick me accidentally. After she finishes, she washes my face. She takes her hand and runs it along my jawline.
“K: Smooth?”
She nods. I kiss her neck.
“Fe: P'Khap. We have to get to the store before they close.”
“K: Ok, ja.”
We finish our shower and get dressed. We walk hand in hand to the store. My happily ever after is really beginning.
TBC
Sang -
I have just been home for an hour when my phone rings. It's Juang.
“S: Juang? What's wrong?”
“Ju: P'Sang, ja. I have a favor to ask.”
I glance at the clock to look at the time. It's almost 8pm. What does she want at this hour?
“S: Spit it out Juang.”
“Ju: I need to borrow your car tonight.”
“S: No. I've seen how you drive. No.”
“Ju: P'Sang. It's my friend's bday party and we are going to celebrate the end of finals.”
“S: I'll take you there.”
“Ju: I want to stay there for a while and don't want you to have to wait for me.”
“S: I'll sleep in the car. That's fine.”
“Ju: You know what, fine! Keep your ugly car that smells like old people.!”
“S: Hey! That airfreshner costs me $15! Don't knock on it!”
“Ju: The seats are ugly too!”
“S: You...Hello? Juang?”
Goddamnit. I am not in the mood to play babysitter tonight. I drive over to her house anyway and parked the car out of view. At around 10:30pm, I saw another car pull up and see Juang get into it. I follow the car. What is she up too? I follow the car to a nightclub. When Juang steps out of the car I can see clearly what she is wearing. Better yet, what she is not wearing. What kind of father allows their daughter to go out looking like that. I do not want daughters. All boys for me. Thank you. I follow her into the club. As I am about to catch up, a figure blocks my way. It's a woman. She looks familiar.
“S: Uh, hi...”
“Pa: Pat..my name is Pat. Do you remember who I am?”
“S: Of course I remember you Pat. How are you doing?”
“Pa: I miss you. Haven't seen you in a while stranger.”
She puts her arms around my neck. I hate clingy girls. I try and get her claws out of me and look for Juang. I see her and she is staring right at me and Pat. Story of my life. Pat's arms are like vises. I can't escape. I try the charming approach.
“S: I'm sorry for not coming around more. Let me make it up to you by buying you a drink ok? Same poison?”
She nods her head. She's already halfway to drunk. She releases me and I walk away from her. Back to operation find Juang. I spot her doing shots with a bunch of girls and a couple of guys. If Pat was halfway drunk, Juang was knee deep in drunk. I don't know why she drinks when she knows she's a lightweight. Last time she passed out after half a bottle of wine cooler. I walk up to the group and introduce myself as Juang's brother.
“Ju: P'Khap!!!! When did you get bacckkkkkk?!!!”
I hate it when people talk in echos and exclamation marks. She throws her arms around me.
“Ju: Everybody!!!! He's my broootttherrrrr! He lookssss differenttttt tonight though!!!!!!!”
“S: Juang..Juang..Look at me. It's P'Sang, not P'Khap ok? Look at me?”
“Ju: P'Sanggggggg!!!! My next favorite personnnnnn!!!!”
Ok. Time to go. I grab her by the waist to guide her out of here. The two guys of the group block our paths. Seriously? I flash them my police badge. They cleared our way real quick. We got to the car and I gently placed her in the backseat. I elevated her head a bit so she doesn't choke if she vomits. I decided to take her to my place instead of hers. I don't want her father to find out, not that he even cares. We get to my place and I gently place her in my bed. She comes to and stares at me.
“S: You better not throw up in my...”
She kisses me. I respond back passionately until I visualize Khap bashing my head in. I hold her away from me until I regain my composure. She looks at me curiously. I pull her to me and give her the kiss of her life. I was not gentle. Dogs, cats, old people, baby poo.....I pull away from her. As much as it hurts, I had to. She was drunk. I can't take advantage of her. Juang begins to cry.
“Ju: Am I too ugly for you P'Sang?!! Am I not good enough for you?!!! Are my eyes to big?!!!!"
“S: Juang..it's not that....it's...”
She starts dry heaving and then throws up on me. I look at the clock. My shift starts in four hours. Fuck me.
Juang -
I wake up feeling like I was ran over a bus. Multiple times. It takes me a while to recognize the room I'm in. It's P'Sang's. How did I end up here? It's 9am. I look around for my purse. It was then that I notice I am in sweats and a t-shirt. I don't remember changing. That means....I grab my phone from my purse and dial the one person who would know.
“Ju: P'Sang. What happened last night? Why am I wearing sweats and t-shirt?”
“S: Because you threw up on yourself nongsao. Do you need to know anything else? I'm working.”
“Ju: Well, who changed me into these clothes?”
“S: I did.”
“Ju: So, did you see everything?”
“S: Of course.”
“Ju: P'Sang! Did anything happen last night?”
“S: A lot of things happened last night. You don't remember?”
“Ju: If I remembered, would I be asking you?”
“S: You think about it Juang. You were the aggressor. I just laid back and took it like a man. I have to go now. I made a hangover drink for you in the fridge. Drink up. I will see you when I get back.”
Laid back and took it like a man? What does he mean by that? What did I do? I don't feel any different so maybe nothing happened. Ahh. This is so frustrating!
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Fang -
I can't believe he kidnapped my sister. When I said I will support you, I didn't think kidnapping was going to be part of it. P'Feung is going to kill me when she finds out I've been helping the enemy. I better come up with excuses. I got it. Memory loss. Works in the movies all the time. My boss calls out for me.
“M: Fang, delivery!”
“Fa: Where to?”
“M: Pongsakorn Hotel.”
“Fa: Umm.. can you send someone else?”
“M: Am I the boss or are you the boss?”
“Fa: You are sir.”
“M: That's what I thought. Now get and hurry back.”
Get? Am I a dog? Pig. I need to find a new job. I get to the hotel and go in to make a delivery. Of course he's here. Maybe if I avoid eye contact, he won't see me.
“T: Fang..Fang..hold on. What are you doing here? You don't have classes today?”
“Fa: What are you the school police? Class let out early so I picked up a job for extra money. What's it to you?”
“T: Sorry. I was just wondering. How are Khap and Feung doing? Are the back together yet?”
Why is he so nice? The meaner I am to him the nicer he gets. What gives. I study his face. He still has a nasty cut right above his left eye. P'Khap got him good there. Thinking back to that day, I remembered that this man has no sense of self defense at all.
“Fa: My sister is none of your business. It looks like that cut above your eye is healing ok. “
“T: This? Yes, it is. It was really painful the first week. Thanks for helping tend to it.”
“Fa: I felt bad since I was the one who made you take me there. Are you mad at him?”
“T: Who Khap? No, I'm not. I understand where he is coming from. I would've done the same thing. “
“Fa: You beating up on someone? I can't imagine that. I'm surprised you didn't go into fetal position when he started beating on you. I really suggest you take some self defense class. Men should be able to defend themselves and fight back against an attacker.”
“T: Do you like men that can fight?”
“Fa: Well, yeah. It's always good to know that someone can back you up. I can take care of myself 99% of the time but I do know my limits.”
“T: You got it. I will go and take some self defense classes.”
It registered on me what he was thinking.
“Fa: Hey, I didn't mean that if you learned how to fight, I would like you.”
“T: I know what you meant. Thanking you for caring.”
He flashes me a smile and walks away. How annoying!
Thap -
What Fang doesn't know is that I do know how to fight and defend myself. I just didn't think it would resolve anything that day. Khap was out for blood. If it wasn't my blood, it would have been someone else's blood. So, I offered myself up as the sacrificial lamb. It was also a ploy so that Fang could tend to my injuries. It was quite a sacrifice. My parents and sister were horrified when they saw my face. Khap did a number on me but I knew it was a misunderstanding. I suddenly remembered that I needed to be in Bangkok to take care of paperwork for some land acquisitions. I have to ask for P'Sabai to cover for me again.
“T: P'Sabai, kap. Can you cover the Singburi site for me starting next week? I should only be gone for two weeks or so.”
“Sa: Thap, where are you going this time? Last time I covered for you when you went away, you came back looking like you were someone's punching bag!”
“T: I'm going to be in Bangkok this time. Last time, I was someone's punching bag...Literally. Think of it as your vacation. You said you liked it here. It's nice and quiet. Bring P'Jerd if you want.”
“Sa: Next week right?”
“T: Kap.
“Sa: I'll be there.”
I hang up the phone with my sister. My thoughts shift bacl to the girl with the razor sharp tongue.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Feung -
We've been driving for several hours now and he hasn't said anything else.
“Fe: Khun Khap.”
He turns and smiles at me.
“K: Ja, Mae Feung?”
“Fe: Why are we going to Phuket? I need you to take me back home. Who is going to care for the children?”
He grabs my hand and places a featherlight kiss on my knuckles. I remove my hand. He smiles again.
“K: It's all taken care of. P”Sinjai and Fang have everything under control.”
P'Sinjai and Fang? Why are they helping Khun Khap?
“Fe: Khun...”
“K: Don't worry about anything khon dii.”
I give up on asking him to take me back home. I rest my head on the window and fall asleep. A while later, I feel someone lightly shaking me awake.
“K: Mae Feung ja...we're here.”
Where is here? I wake up and look at my surroundings. It looks like a restaurant. He takes hold of my hand and whispers for me to stay close. We walk to the back of the restaurant and down a set of stairs. It looks like a kickboxing arena. We walk past the boxing area and I notice a lot of stares our way. Khun Khap holds me close and I stay as close as possible to him. We reach the back offices where there is a gentleman sitting down and doing some paperwork.
“K: P'Got.
“G: Khap, welcome back . Is this your Feung?”
He looks back at me and smiles.
“K: This is my Feung.”
“G: Good for you.”
“K: I am here to ask for a favor. You mentioned that you had some beach property for rent. I was wondering if it is not rented out, can you rent it to me for a few days?”
“G: Sure. Let me go get the keys.”
While we sit and wait, I take a look at the surrounding. The guys fighting outside are going at it without mercy. One is bleeding from the eye. So much violence.
“K: Does this place scare you Feung? This is where I came after I left Khai BangRajun.”
“Fe: You were here? Doing what?”
“K: I was one of P'Got's fighters? He paid me good money. I have a lot saved up from here. I have it in bank in your name. For when you are ready to buy the orphanage.”
At that moment, Khun Got comes back in with a worried look on his face.
“G: Khap, we have a problem. The two farangs you were supposed to fight that night are here and they say you walk in. They want to fight you. “
“K: P'Got, my fighting days are over.”
“G: Khap, they have group of guys out there who will not let you out if you don't agree to a rematch.”
Khun Khap looks at me and shakes his head.
“K: Can you get Feung out of here and to safety then? I'll do the rematch.”
I grab his arm.
“Fe: I'm not leaving you.”
“K: Feung, these guys are dangerous. I'll find you when I am done. I trust P'Got. He will take you to safety.”
“Fe: I want to be here with you here. I am not going to leave you.”
Khun Khap shakes his head.
“K: You stay in here though. I'm going to get ready.”
I wait for him in the office. The crowd outside is growing. The announcer introduces Khun Khap and the farang. The bell dings.
Khap -
I should have never walked with her in here. I'm putting her in danger again. It wasn't my intention to miss the last fight. P'Got told me that my replacement was knocked out in the first round and the farang felt like they didn't get their money's worth. I stepped into the ring. These guys are big. They 're fighters back in their country. MMA fighting. This one is bald and looks like he has 15 pounds of muscle on me. The bell dings and I'm in fighting position. He grabs and me and I avoid him easily. He is bigger but I am faster. I throw in a few jabs and kicks. I connect on a couple. He tries to grapple me again but misses. My roundhouse connects with his jaw. We dance around for a bit more and go into round two. He is starting to get pissed and become more aggressive. Some of his punches landed but so did mines. He got a good one in on my right brow. I think it's bleeding. I see the blood in the ring. It could be his too. His lips is busted. We are now in round three. It's time to end this. I throw in some quick jabs and punches. I kick, knee, and do a roundhouse. All my hits connect somewhere. He's tired out. Just when I think I'm home free, the other farang gets into the ring. It's two against one. I make eye contact with Feung and try to tell her not to worry. This is going to be bad, real bad. I'm already beat down from the first guy. Throw in a fresh fighter? I may not come out ahead in this one. Thirty minutes into the fight, I'm bloody and bruised. I think I have some broken ribs. I'm on my knees now. I can barely stand. Why isn't anyone throwing in the towel? A punch lands on my left ear. It's ringing. I can't hear anything out of my left ear. I can't get up. Everything just hurts. Then I hear her.
“Fe: P'Khap..get up. Please.. get up!”
P'Got is holding her back so she doesn't come near me. I have to get up. For Mae Feung. Luckily the bell dings. Signaling a break. P'Got comes to my corner with Feung next to him.
“K: Why are you here. Go back inside Feung.”
“Fe: Chan rak pee. Come back to me.”
The bell is about to signal for the fight to go into the next round again. I have all the strength that I need to win this fight. I wish I could say I won by a landslide but I didn't. I barely won the fight. If was I wasn't able to deflect that last punch from the second farang, I would have been a dead man. He was aiming for my vital points. Fucker. I was smart after we started the round. I finished off the first farang so that he would go down first. Once he was out, we were back to a one on one fight. The fight was more fair but my body was already worn out. I didn't even stay for them to announce me as the winner. I just wanted to go back to Mae Feung. P'Got felt guilty that he couldn't stop the fight so he let us stay at the beach house for free. He also gave us a good sum of money from the fight. He even drove us to the beach house. Even after getting cleaned up, I bet I was a sight for sore eyes. What made it worth it all? I was in the backseat with my head resting on Feung's lap. She was holding on to me and holding my hand. She said that she loved me. I would take a beating like this everyday if it meant hearing her say those words. When we got to the beach house, P'Got took a taxi back to the club. I was able to make it up the stairs even though I was sore everywhere. Feung helped support me and guided to the bed. She moved away but I grabbed her hand.
“Fe: I'm going to get a washcloth to tend to some of your injuries.”
She came back with a bowl of warm water and a rag.
“Fe: Take off your shirt.”
I took off my shirt slowly. Just lifting my arm hurts. She begins to wipe my body. It actually feels very soothing. I am about to shut my eyes when I hear her crying silently.
“K: Why are you crying?'
“Fe: I don't like seeing you hurt like this.”
“K: Feung, this will heal in time. Don't worry. The important thing is we are here together now.”
I kiss her forehead. I let the kiss linger a bit so I can inhale her scent.
“K: Were you worried about me Feung? Can you tell me that you love me again? I want to make sure I heard it right and it wasn't me hallucinating.”
She doesn't say anything. I take the rag and bowl of water from her and placed them on the table. My hands cup her face. My thumbs brushes her cheeks.
“K: Tell me Feung. Did I hear you wrong? Tell me what you said to me in that ring.”
“Fe: Chan rak pee.”
She looks me in the eyes. All the hurt we went through was worth this moment. Everything seems so insignificant compared to this moment.
“K: Pee rak Feung moht hua jai.”
I lean in to kiss her on her cheeks. I kiss her again on her lips. I pull back and look at her to ask for her permission with my eyes. I received my answer and kiss her again. I kiss her everywhere again and again. I become familiar with her body. I'm overwhelmed with emotions because she is giving herself to me. She is accepting my love and reciprocating it. We become one. I ignore the pain from the beating and focus on the pleasure. She's mine now. I wake up the next morning to an empty bed. Did I dream everything. I get up to go look for her. She's standing on the back porch looking at the ocean. I walk up and hug her from behind. I nuzzle her neck.
“K: Did you sleep well?”
“Fe: It was fine.”
“K: Fine? That's it?”
“Fe: Khun Khap..let me go cook something for you to eat.”
I pick her up. I ignore the pain coming from my body.
“K: I'm hungry but not for food.”
I take her back to bed and explore her body. I don't allow her to leave the bed for the rest of the day. I hold her close while we are in bed. I can't stop kissing her.
“Fe: Khun Khap..”
“K: Don't call me that anymore. You're my wife now and I'm your husband. Call me P'Khap like you did at the ring.”
“Fe: P'Khap..”
“K: Ja, Mae Feung?”
“Fe: We need to go buy clothes. We don't have anything to change into.”
I realized I didn't pack anything for her. I keep what I think about clothes to myself. I don't want to push her too far out her comfort zone.
“K: Ja, we can go to the store down the road here. We can walk there. We should buy some groceries too for the next couple of days.”
“Fe: How long are we staying here?”
“K: Until we are ready to go home. Let's go get ready to go to the store.”
I listen for her to start the shower before I call Fang to let her know that her sister is ok. I called Sang after to check in on P'Got to make sure the farangs didn't give him any problems. I called Juang to tell her that I love her. When I hung up, I went to join Feung in the shower.
“Fe: P'Khap!”
“K: We're husband and wife now. No need to be embarrassed. Can you shave my mustache and beard for me. It's been a while since I've shaved. Unless you like my beard scratching against you.
I rub my beard on her cheek to make a point. She squirms against me.
“Fe: What if I cut you?”
“K: Then it will blend in with the other cuts on my face from last night.”
I watch her apply the shaving cream on me. She shaves slowly, being careful now to nick me accidentally. After she finishes, she washes my face. She takes her hand and runs it along my jawline.
“K: Smooth?”
She nods. I kiss her neck.
“Fe: P'Khap. We have to get to the store before they close.”
“K: Ok, ja.”
We finish our shower and get dressed. We walk hand in hand to the store. My happily ever after is really beginning.
TBC
thanks. Im still smiling. Hahaha