Part One; Chapter One.4
As the midday sun’s rays warmed the rural Bangkok neighborhood, more locals flocked to the small eatery, eliminating vacancy of all its six tables. Aloof to the curious eyes in the packed shack-turned-lunch-spot, Nathan and Neil continued to bicker with each other—Chris’s attention sealed to the newspaper. He had unusually been attracted to the details of a particularly tragic story reaching out towards him.
Though he had become quite fluent in Thai the last six years, he still struggled with some of the newspaper jargon. With context, he could eventually get the general idea of the account, even if meant rereading a few rounds. Every new line of the column on page thirteen unfolded an intoxicating account; synchronized details accumulated into butterflies within his gut. The names of two victims appeared halfway through, validating Chris’s worries and suspicions. A cold realization germinated in his veins initiating a surge of adrenaline through his chest. Squinting in disbelief, cringing the particle of denial, the cloud of shock begin to hover
Three dishes were placed on the table, neutralizing Neil and Nathan instantly as they indulged their lunch. Chris had lost his appetite now, rapidly blinking his eyes at the picture of twisted metal with a sub shot of two unrecognizable corpses that were pulled out from the wreckage. He can only begin to imagine how distorted human flesh could be beyond the censor pixel blocks.
“Why aren’t you eating mate?” Nathan had just finished inhaling his dish, Neil gracefully chewing every bite.
Chris was speechless, an increasing pulse with every intake of air. He slid the plate towards Nathan, bringing both hands to sooth the marching band within his temples. Neil and Nathan shrugged at each other and continued to feast.
Chris turned the newspaper page to page 13 to read the full story again. He had to be sure.
As Nathan cleaned the last grain from the second plate, Neil picked at his teeth with a toothpick, still several spoon-fulls of rice on his plate. “Summer break officially starts Thursday. What’s the plan guys?” Neil examined a fiber of meet at the end of his toothpick.
Nathan emptied his bottle of pepsi. “I’m thinking Pattaya for a week, than maybe swing on down to Koh Samet and Koh Chang afterwards.” Nathan topped his plans with an enormous burp, which turned the eyes of the cook and a dozen frowning diners, except for Chris who was diligently rereading the story again.
Neil reached into his pocket, pulling out a red pack and yellow lighter. “Animals like you were made for Pattaya,” pausing to light a cigarette, he continued, “A sophisticated human like me, on the other hand, yearns to take the bike for a spin up north: Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Golden Triangle–the whole spill.” Turning to his right, he snatched the paper from Chris and tossed it to his left, just out of Chris’s reach. “What’s with you today, kid? I thought you were hungry, all you’ve been doing since we got here is fiddling with this. So what sounds better for the break adventure, East or North?
With wide-open, shock filled eyes, Chris stood up firmly, looking down at his comrades, “There’s some buried skeletons I’ve got to unearth,” pointing to the newspaper, “I’m heading south.”
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By Rhyta B., July 17, 2009 @ 10:53 am
i think u r going to write about my story eiei
By admin, July 20, 2009 @ 6:28 am
in fact, i did base a certain character on certain aspects of you when we met back in 2003, but her character isn’t really in detail till later chapters na… can you guess who?