Fairy

Sometimes, when you meet people, it just feel like you've known them for years. It was like this with Fairy, even before I travelled north to go visit her. We had met at a concert the previous year, but never remained in contact. Over the course of the year we would sometimes randomly bump into each other in Bangkok, but the exchange would not last for more than a few minutes.

After Songkran I saw her on Facebook and added her, and everything just became so easy. Looking back at the dialogue over the last three months, I can clearly see my intentions were there from the first day, the text littered with subtle flirtings. It started out slow but we gradually began to message each other more and more, and it just wasn't enough anymore, eventually turning to Skype. I remember sleepless work nights, lying down on the couch at 4am, with neither of us wanting to go to bed, idly chatting and joking. There was so much to say, and so much to learn about each other.

Now that she was in front of me, there was a nervous air about, and I was unsure of myself for the first time. Since I had arrived so late, the hotel I was meant to stay at had been fully booked, so we set out to find alternate accommodation for me. It was late, and we were hungry, so the plan was to make a quick stop at the hotel and head out for dinner.

She had an idea of where to go, so it wasn't long before I checked into a hotel on the outskirts of town - tired, hot and sweaty, I needed a shower before going anywhere. She fired up her laptop to continue working while I went to go clean-up.

I emerged refreshed and feeling like a new person. I lay down on the bed beside her, heart racing, and we started to talk. It felt strange, and weird, and she even joked about pretending there was a Skype window around my face. I knew there was only one way to get rid of this feeling, so I kissed her. All that strangeness melted away with a kiss that had received two weeks of anticipation. Her entire body shuddered and the hours melted away as I explored her body for the elusive tattoo she had mentioned during one of our previous conversations.

I grabbed a Leo from the fridge and settled onto the porch while she recuperated her energy, and a short while later we departed for the night market, where I was to be sacrificed to some ancient mosquito God as we enjoyed dinner on one of Phitsanulok's river-front restaurants whilst listening to the smooth sounds of classic rock rolling down the river.

She began to laugh and grabbed my arm, motioning to the other side of the restaurant. An old Thai granny had gotten up and started to do the twist. It wasn't long before her family joined her. She seemed so alive and full of energy.

It was getting late, and her own grandmother was waiting up for her at home, so we made our way back to the hotel, stopping at a Tesco so I could get some essential supplies. I walked up to the counter and asked "ao condom haaw yai na khrap". I always laugh a little at how nervous the Tesco girls become when you ask that, so I didn't pay attention to what she was doing. I paid her and grabbed the Tesco bag with my dirty little secrets inside.

We got back to the hotel and I insisted that I couldn't quite remember where that tattoo was, I needed another look - she agreed. At a pivotal moment I grabbed the bag from the Tesco as it's contents fell out.

Sometimes I just really hate this country. She laughed, I cried and cursed the Tesco girl.