Nang Ch. 01

I live just north of Phuket on the southern peninsula of Thailand. Phuket is known as one of the 'sex capitals' of Thailand. Yeah, a lot of gringos come to Phuket on so-called Tiger Tours. Just to do some rutting and get their rocks off.

Believe me when I say that having sex with a bunch of Thai bar girls is just about the stupidest thing a guy can do. Some of them are HIV positive and some might have some sort of STD that is probably penicillin resistant. Those bar girls are just after the shortest route to the gringo's wallet. Taking on three or four johns a night is nothing new for them.

Why am I here? Came to Thailand in the early-90's. I was a contractor working out of Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai had been used during the Vietnam war as one of several staging areas for the US military for their bombing raids. It appears that a lot of US ordinance from the Vietnam conflict had been left behind in bunkers and in the field, and someone needed to get rid of them.

So the US government subbed it out to a couple of contractors and some of us got tasked to do the work of defusing and dismantling the stuff, then transporting them to a disposal unit that the army set up. It was dangerous enough to draw major league hazardous pay. And if you did things the smart way you did what you could to minimize the risks involved. If you weren't smart, ..... well ..... then you might not be around to collect your pay.

I worked on that Chiang Mai project for almost four years before we were done. I got paid every month like clock-work, however because of the pressure to get the job done and get it done safely, I hadn't had much time to spend any of it. As a result I had accumulated quite a nest egg, even after paying off all of the guys working for me and our living expenses.

So I decided to take a long vacation before returning to the states. There wasn't anything back in the states for me to return to or spend it on, as both of my parents were dead, and I just had one sister who was married and had a family of her own to deal with. And I wasn't that close to any of my other relatives. So I decided to take some time off for myself and see what Phuket was all about.

Good thing I went to Phuket with a friend who had been there before, done that, and "had the scars to prove it." He was one of the lucky ones and just came back with a bad case of gonorrhea after one of his R&R vacations to Phuket. He was the one who showed me the ropes so to speak, as in "stay away from the bar maids" and "keep your eye on your wallet". Not that Thai women are bad. Actually most of them are really nice and wonderful women. It's just the bar maids that you have to watch out for. So I was one of the lucky ones, knock on wood. I stayed away from the bar maids.

While I was in Chiang Mai doing the ordinance disposal work, I found that I really liked Thailand and its people. The country is beautiful and the people were unassuming and generous for the most part. But Phuket was another story. It's a fairly large city and there's a lot that goes on there. But a lot of it seemed to exist primarily to support the bar and sex trade.

You could bulldoze those parts of the city under and no one (except a bunch of horny guys) would miss it. Still, the country side around Phuket was beautiful and the people there gave me a sense of calm.

What also made me seriously consider living close to Phuket was that it was serviced by a lot of international and local airlines which made getting in and out easy.

Chiang Mai was a large city and its outskirts were pretty nice also. Lots of cultural and historical places. Lots of religious temples, restaurants, open markets, and other attractions. But it was land locked whereas Phuket was on the coast. There were a lot more things that one could do including spending the day at the beach or fishing or diving.

So I checked out the country side around Phuket and found a number of small villages along the coast. I ended up buying a really nice house about an hour's drive north of Phuket and inland a bit, for the princely sum of US$25,000. That comes out to about 750,000 Baht, which is the local currency. Doesn't seem like much but the local villagers all thought that I was stupid to pay so much, but everything's relative I guess. It sure isn't one of those ritzy villa's that you see in TV commercials and real estate ads. I just wanted something that would blend in with the rest of the area, but was comfortable and well appointed.

The house itself is a five bedroom affair with a large living room that merges with the kitchen and dining area. It's shaped loosely in the form of a 'U' with my bedroom and office on one end of the 'U' and three guest bedrooms on the other. I never bothered to furnish the three guest bedrooms and kind of use them as storage rooms. My kitchen, living room and dining room are all sort of in the middle section of the house. There are several nice features about the house. The first is that whomever built it took advantage of the daytime and evening wind patterns so the home was always cool without having to be air conditioned. Another nice feature is that all of the rooms had a very wide glass patio door that faced inwards towards the patio. In the back of my home is a large patio that is nestled in the middle of the "U", that runs from one side of the house to the other. It's partially covered and is a really nice place to relax or entertain friends.

Running from the patio towards the back of the property is a pool. It's not very deep as it's made to just get wet, cool off and swim in. I have a bunch of native fruit trees that bear me succulent treats year round. The trees surround my back yard and provide a natural fence or hedge of some sort. My backyard goes back quite a distance and ends at a stream.

The realtor told me that my lot is about one and a half hectares in size (a little more than 3 and a half acres). Never really knew where the property boundaries were exactly but then none of my neighbors cared. We kind of all got along with each other and shared our fruit and vegetable harvests often.

I'm kind of semi-retired at the ripe old age of 41. It doesn't take much to live in this area as long as you stay away from Phuket. And my four years in Chiang Mai doing the bomb disposal work left me fairly well off by American standards so you can guess how well that set me up in Phang-nga (that's the name of the village that I live in).

I keep busy by traveling when the urge strikes, and by occasionally taking on ordinance and explosive disposal consulting work in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam from time to time. Seems that Uncle Sam left a lot of unexploded ordinance laying around all over the place and I had earned something of a reputation for getting the work done safely during my stint at Chiang Mai.

I try not to do the actual work anymore; that is just too damn dangerous. And I don't need to get my ass blown off. Not my thing. No, I would just come in, take a look at the situation, ask a lot of embarrassing questions, then give them my recommendations. Then I would be frequently asked to stick around or come back and oversee the work. Turns out that I was one of Uncle Sam's favorite contractors when it came to disposing of unexploded ordinance. And that apparently counted for something. I didn't take unnecessary risks, no one got hurt, and the jobs usually got done in a reasonable amount of time.

Living close to Phuket meant that I could get to almost anywhere in the world within 24 hours. I am about 60 minutes away from Phuket International. And that accessibility is a convenience that gives me a lot of flexibility as far as work and lifestyle was concerned.

I often travel to Japan and Korea for 'R&R', but also return to the states from time to time to catch up with friends and family as my sister would pester me to no end unless I dropped in at least once or twice a year. I also tried to have a face to face with my investment advisor at least several times a year. Located in Tokyo, it was easy to fly in and meet, have a night or two on the town, then fly back.

I have a housekeeper to keep my home looking ok. Noy is a 50-something year old woman. Cleans my house twice a week, does my laundry also. Her husband comes over a couple of times a month to take care of the yard work. She cooks for me from time to time, but only because she takes pity on her stupid farang (foreigner) -- me.

Nang is my housekeeper's niece. Nang is a young beauty. I pegged her age to be in her mid-twenty's. Nang was slimly built and could have become a fashion model if she had the opportunity to be one. She was also much taller than most Thai women. Standing at close to 5' 7", she was just a couple of inches shorter than me. She was fair skinned and curvier than most Thai women. I recall Noy saying something about their family having a fair amount of Chinese blood in them. And Nang had a poise, grace and maturity that made her stand out from her peers.

According to Noy, Nang was too beautiful and too smart for her own good. All good girls should be married and have at least two or three kids by her age. Not Nang. Most guys were intimidated by her beauty or her intelligence.

So she went to Bangkok, the big city, to work and have a big city experience. She would come home frequently, and would come over to visit me and pester Noy every once in awhile. I suspect that she came over to visit whenever she was home and wanted to get away from her family. Noy told me that Nang's mother was very strict and all the kids wanted to get out of the house as soon as they could.

Nang and I used to talk about where I came from , the places I've seen and lived. Once when I had to travel to San Diego for business, she pestered me to take her. I didn't really trust myself enough around her to be responsible for her. So I made up a lot of excuses why I couldn't.

Now she's back for a visit after having worked in Bangkok for several years. And judging by her demeanor, she's grown up a lot.

"Sa wat dee, Paul." Nang greeted me in the traditional Thai manner with her hands clasped together in front of her as if in prayer. It's a sign of respect that is a trait of the Thai culture.

"Sa wat dee, Nang. Come in. Some ice tea for you?"

"Thank you. Please."

We sat in the patio on the side of my home.

"Is Sim (aunt) Noy coming today?" I asked.

"I not sure. I no see her yet. I just return from Bangkok this morning."

Nang looked troubled. She was quiet and cast her eyes down.

"Nang, tell me what is wrong."

"What?" I had surprised her.

"Something is bothering you. Please let me know if I can help."

"Oh, sorry Paul. No, nothing wrong. I ok." But I could see otherwise. Something was weighing heavily on her mind.

"Well, let me know if you need any help. I would be very happy to help or talk about whatever is bothering you."

We sat there in silence for perhaps ten or fifteen minutes before being interrupted by Noy's arrival. And she promptly began to berate Nang for not coming to her house and letting her know that she had returned. Nang's brief respite had disappeared.

Nang and Noy talked for a bit more before Nang decided that she needed to be somewhere and left. Noy began to clean up by taking our glasses back to the kitchen.

"Sa wat dee, Noy."

"Sa wat dee, Paul."

"I can take the glasses to the sink."

"Is ok. I do. Not problem."

"Nang seemed sad today."

"Yes . My sister say she broke up with boyfriend."

"Ok, I think I understand now."

"My sister say they have fight and he call her bad things. Now Nang sad."

"Too bad. She is a very nice woman and quite beautiful too."

Noy laughed, "Yes we say also, but she only hear what boy friend call her. Is part of growing up. No?"

I laughed as I replied, "Chai khrap, (yes). I think I know what she is going through." When I was growing up, I wasn't necessarily 'Mr. Popularity' either. Actually I was quite the nerd and had to practically beg girls for dates, so turn downs weren't something that I wasn't unaccustomed to. That is, until I got to college and some of the women began to realize that testosterone filled jocks didn't necessarily make the best boyfriends.

I was torn by my feelings for Nang. I was happy that Nang was free of her boyfriend. Over the years, she had become more than just Noy's niece to me. She was fun to be with and gorgeous to look at. And we had a very comfortable relationship; we talked about anything and everything without reservation. But because of our age difference and because she was Noy's niece, I refrained from making advances towards her. I hid my feelings towards Nang as best I could. Even though I was infatuated with her, I was so much older than her. I thought that it would be best for her to find someone closer in age.

Later that day after Noy had finished cleaning and left, Nang returned. I was out in the back yard, chopping up the remains of an old tree that had fallen the other month. It had dried a bit making it good firewood material.

She watched as I swung my axe and ran my chain saw through the bigger pieces. After about thirty minutes, I began to pile up the firewood and Nang got up to help me. We finished stacking the firewood in about ten minutes.

Retrieving my t-shirt I took my tools back to the equipment storage room and invited Nang to join me for an ice tea by the pool, in the shade of the house. She went into my kitchen and fixed us both up with ice teas. My door was rarely locked and she knew her way around my home from visiting me often. My home was more like her second home in many respects.

"Paul, please I ask question?"

"Sure. Don't know if I'll have the answer but I'll answer any question that I can."

"...... am I ugly?"

"What? No way. You are quite beautiful. Why do you ask that?"

"My boyfriend say I ugly. So ugly I cannot find any other boyfriend so I better do as he say."

"But you're not. You are actually very pretty. I'm sure you can have any man that you want. Why would he say that to you?"

"He want sex. But I say no unless we marry. He say I should live with him. I tell him no unless we marry. He mad and say I ugly cow no one want anyway and he not come back."

"Nang, you look at yourself every day in the mirror. What do you see?" "Me. Just me."

"Are you pretty? Or are you ugly?"

"You tell me. Paul, am I ugly?"

"You are beautiful. Just look at yourself. You have grown up to be a very beautiful woman."

"You think I'm beautiful? Do you want me as girl friend?"

I laughed, "Nang, if I was ten years younger, Noy and your mother would have to chase me away."

She smiled. "You just say to make me happy, yes? " "No. Really. I think you are quite a beautiful woman. I would be dangerous to you if I were younger."

She stood and walked over to me, then kissed me lightly on my lips. "I think you are handsome man. And most important to me, you have good heart." Then she hugged me and left.

--------------------

I hadn't seen Nang for about two weeks when I found her sitting on the lounger in my patio late one afternoon. Again, quiet and composed however with a sad look on her face.

"Sa wat dee, Nang."

She stood and without saying anything, walked over to me and hugged me.

"Looks like going back to see your boyfriend wasn't a good idea was it?"

"No. He had bar girl in bed with him when I went back. He say she is good fuck. He say he been fucking her many months. "

"I'm sorry that it turned out that way."

"Please don't be. I sad but maybe good that happen."

"Why do you say that?"

"After I leave, I cry. But later I think he not for me. I mean, he ok most of time, but he not right for me. I think he just want women for sex."

"I think I understand." I replied. "Would you like to stay for awhile?"

"Thank you Paul. Maybe I sit here. Ok?"

I smiled and led her to the lounger in the patio and she laid down on it. I grabbed a blanket from the house and covered her with it. She smiled and touched my hand, "please lay down with me?"

And I did. She was slimly built so we both fit comfortably on the lounger. She backed herself into me and drew my arm around her and rested my hand on her stomach. And she was soon asleep.

Noy popped her head in just before the sun went down. She had apparently heard of Nang's story and was concerned and had been out trying to find her. By that time, I had successfully extracted myself from Nang's embrace without waking her, and was busy trying to quietly put together a dinner of pad thai noodles and shrimp when Noy arrived.

"So Nang tell you story?"

"Yes. It wasn't very nice."

"No. Her mother tell me too."

"Tell her mother that I'll feed her dinner and send her home when she's ready."

Noy hugged me. "You good man Paul. Khaawp khoon khrap, (thank you)." Then she left.

The smells of the pad thai noodles must have wafted over to the patio as several minutes later Nang came in to the kitchen wrapped up in the blanket. She leaned up against my shoulder as I stood by the stove.

"Someone teach you good cook pad thai. Smell good."

"It was your aunt Noy. Please join me. I made more than enough for two." And she did.

We had a quiet dinner on my small dining table in the kitchen. Nang used to always tease me that only farangs (foreigners) had such a thing. Why not just have one big table where everyone always ate? Why did I have to have one in the dining room, another on the patio and a small one in the kitchen? Must be a gringo thing as she used to call it. The term "gringo" was a left over slang from the Vietnam war.

"Nang, do you feel like talking about it?"

"Maybe later Paul. I just want sit with you. Ok?"

"Ok." So we sat on my living room sofa watching a movie. Nang's head on my shoulder and my arm around her. It was as if all the energy had left her. But still, it felt good having her by my side.

I fell asleep at some point in time that evening. Nang had laid herself down on my sofa and used my lap as a pillow. I woke around two in the morning to find Nang curled up that way with her head on my lap, and my boner trying to rise to the occasion. Before it embarrassed me any further, I gently shook Nang awake.

"Nang, honey, we fell asleep. Do you want to spend the night here?"

"Where I sleep?"

"In my room."

"Where you sleep?"

"Here on the sofa."

"No, you sleep bed also. I trust you."

"I really don't think that would be a good idea."

"Paul, you trust me?"

"Yes, of course."

"And I trust you. So don't argue." With that, she took my hand and led us off to my bedroom.

When we got there, I told her to use the bathroom and that I would use it after her. She went in and I could hear her pee in the toilet, then flush, then the shower door open and close, and then the shower turned on. My erection returned with a vengeance, as my imagination conjured up the sight of a naked Nang bathing herself in my shower; her soapy hands moving over her breasts then washing and cleansing her intimate parts.

In no time she was done and a few minutes later she opened the bathroom door and stepped out with just a bath towel wrapped around her.

"Thank you Paul. I feel better. You use now." Then she saw the tent in my shorts and smiled. Her first smile of the evening. She came up to me and hugged me briefly before I went in to take a shower.

So I did my three S's before returning to the bedroom with just a pair of shorts on. I found Nang already snuggled in my bed, with the covers up to her chin. She had fallen asleep, for which I was grateful as it avoided a possibly uncomfortable question of how we would feel being in the same bed with each other.

I slid under the covers and settled in. I looked over at a sleeping Nang and I couldn't help but lean over and carefully give her lips a soft kiss before I lay down and fell asleep myself.