13
More than I thought
Dear you... who is loved
It's already rainy season. The weather changes very often during this period. Please put a blanket over yourself. And if you want this rainy season to be a little more romantic, please open the radio to 97.25 FM at 7 p.m. People call in to talk about love stories. Listening to them can make this rainy season unbelievably more meaningful.
Apple
Time flies, and it's already been six months since I got to know Aontakarn and became Apple, who sends the sweet-faced woman messages every single day. It's strange that Aontakarn never responds via Direct Message. But I know she reads me messages because I'm also her best friend, who talks to her three times a day (after every meal) and before we go to bed. As a result, I know all about Apple.
She's incredibly baffling...
Ern : Tomorrow is my birthday. If anyone doesn't show up, I will curse for your house to be bombed. More importantly,
Ern : You all have to pay for me on my birthday.
Yay.
It's become our tradition that if it's someone's birthday, everyone will meet up, even if we know that we will die the next day. If someone doesn't show up, we will go drag her out of her house. Natty was so attached to her boyfriend that she didn't come to my birthday once, claiming that she was sick. That made everyone at her house know that she went to spend the night with a guy.
Knowing that your daughter is a slut is probably very torturous for the parents...
And for a herendous event like that to not happen to anyone ever again, we who saw what punishment Natty faced for not showing up put in 500 Baht each and made sure to show up tomorrow.
What kind of tradition is this?
Meen : Is everyone listening to 97.25?
Nat : I am. It's so touching...
I am also listening to the radio, so I'm not really focusing on the conversation with my friends. Someone called in to talk about her love story. They are both women, and their age gap is 16 years. The caller calls herself A. She talked about how she met her lover and how they fell in love.
As of now... they are being separated by others because they got caught. Then the older woman confessed her love using her lover's real name.
"Auntie loves you, Nueng."
My heart pounds so hard when I hear that bold confession. It's so striking that I have to put my hand over my heart. I don't know what will happen next because the DJ cuts the story off there and leaves everyone listening wondering.
Like I said... listening to these stories in the rainy season is very romantic. But if you look at it from another angle, it's also very sad. Rain... symbolizes lushness. But it can also be used as a symbol for sadness, like tears.
I'm so sharp today.
Ern : Reminder. Everyone must come tomorrow. I will fabricate the story that she fled because she is pregnant and needs to travel to Korea for an abortion for anyone who fails to appear. The person who impregnated her is Kim Jong Un.
It's a very serious threat...
Everyone agreed to meet up and split up to do their own business. Yet... my business is not done until I say goodnight to the sweet-faced woman.
[Cough... Oh, it's 10 p.m. already? Karn was just taking a nap. Karn didn't think it's this late already.]
Aontakarn typically has a nasal tone of voice, but not this much. Also, she doesn't normally sound this exhausted. If I am right, it's because of the season change. How can someone that delicate not get sick?
"Are you sick? Have you taken any medicine
yet?"
[I was going to get a lot of rest, so the body heals itself. But I guess that didn't work. I don't even have the strength to go take a bath.]
She says that like someone out of strength. I want to go to her this instant, but I don't want to have to tell my family members where I'm going, especially Puth, who tends to tease that Aontakarn and I are dating even though I know he's just kidding.
"You don't have to take a bath. Just go to sleep."
[No. The bed will be dirty. I'm covered in dirt and sweat.]
"You can't even get up, but you want to take a bath? You can't do everything you want."
[I can if someone helps me.]
"Do you mean me? What do you want me to do?"
[Help me bathe.]
"Crazy."
I laugh embarrassingly. I don't think of continuing this line of discussion while the person who teased me also giggles at my response. It makes the environment less lonely, even though it is raining outside.
[Karn has been talking to you like this every day for almost three months. I can still remember how much we hated each other's guts at first.]
"Chris never hated Karn's gut."
[I misunderstood you. You made me feel that way.]
"I must have made you feel really uncomfortable at first."
[A lot.]
"What about now?"
[Now I can't sleep if we don't talk... You have made me addicted to you.]
Those are words that make the person listening, like me, not know what to do. But come to think of it... it's not just Aontakarn that feels that way. I'm also addicted to the petite woman on the other end of the line. You can barely separate us.
"I can't talk to you much tomorrow, though. I have to go to a party."
[Where?]
Aontakarn's stern voice makes me unconsciously sit up straight and hurriedly explain myself.
"Tomorrow is Ern's birthday. She's one of my best friends. If I don't go, she will lash out at me."
[Where are you going? What are you guys doing?]
"Probably drink and chat about when we were young as usual."
[Drink? You can't handle alcohol well.]
"I'm much better at it since I know you. Don't worry."
[..-]
"What's the matter? Why are you so quiet?"
[Can't you not go?]
"My friend will sulk until I have grandchildren."
[Right... I'm too addicted to you.]
The petite one sounds really lonely. It strangely makes me sad as well. Most people who see Aontakarn will think that the female announcer is the quiet and arrogant type who doesn't care about others. But me, who's been close to her for a while now, knows well that she's the lonely type.
She's probably very clingy to her mother, too.
[It's okay. Just call me some tomorrow. If I'm lonely, I'll find something to do... Maybe I'll listen to 97.25. Apple recommended that to me. It should help. I'll go to sleep now.]
"Sweet dreams."
[Sweet dreams.]
Why is celebrating with friends this boring? Everyone is talking about the past and laughing, but I keep looking at the time on my watch.
And Meen... who's been observing me all the time, says to me with a smile on the corner of her mouth.
"You're so rude. Others are laughing and having fun, but you, Chris, keep looking at the time, getting ready to leave. Is your wife calling to tell you to go home?"
And when Aontakarn is called a wife, I bare my teeth at my friend frustratingly.
"Stop using the word husband or wife with Aontakam and me."
"So your wife is Aontakarn?" Ern takes over from Meen. She winks at me merrily. So, I start to wriggle uncomfortably.
"Can you all stop teasing us like this?"
"If there's nothing between the two of you, just laugh with us. Or is there something?" Natty, who's been listening in quietly, interrupts. It makes me sweep my eyes at all my friends who don't understand how it feels to be teased like this.
"Happy Birthday, Ern. I'm leaving."
"What's this? You just got here, and you're leaving? It's your friend's birthday. You have to stay until the morning." Ern immediately whines. I put my money on the table to buy my time.
"I'll pitch in more, but I'm leaving. I have something I've got to do..." I admit that I don't sound that confident. And because of that, my friends can see right through me.
"Money can't buy us." Ern shakes her head and looks at everyone. "But our urge to butt in on other's business can."
Meen and Natty grab my arms and legs to prevent me from making any moves. Ern, the birthday girl who's always insisted that she likes to butt in more than others, grabs my phone and scans my face with it.
"Scanning, done... Okay. Where shall we snoop first... Facebook?"
"…"
"Instagram?"
"…"
"LINE?"
"Bitch..."
"Okay, LINE it is." My chubby friend goes into the green application and slides down to look for interesting messages before she stops at Aontakarn's name. No... She doesn't even have to slide because that sweet-faced woman is at the top of the list and is the person I talked to last. "I can't get up. I'm il... Christ will rush over. Give me some time to excuse myself from my friends. Geez. Idiot... Back Stabber."
Ern makes a noise in her throat. It causes me to not dare look her in the eye because I just got caught redhanded and was about to turn my back on them and excuse myself.
"It's my birthday. You prioritize someone who comes later over me?"
"You skipped your friend's birthday party to go be with your husband at his condo."
"That was my husband."
"This is..." And everything goes quiet. All my friends look at each other and smile, as if they already know what comes after that. It makes me feel even more uncomfortable. "Don't look at each other and make that face. There's nothing going on."
"You can be someone who doesn't accept the truth or lie through your teeth to anyone, but not us." Meen lets me go and sits down with her chin on her hand as she looks me in the eye.
"I said there's nothing going on."
"Fine."
"Fine what?"
"We are also worried about Aontakarn... Natty, get the car ready." Meen sends a signal, and everyone starts to play their part. "Ern... you tell Aontakam to send us her location; we will go visit her."
"Give me the phone. I will type to the beautiful woman."
And all my friends giggle with enthusiasm, especially Meen. When she sees what Natty typed, she laughs out loud. It makes me very afraid.
"What did you do?"
"We will go visit Aontakarn... Oh, she replied!"
I look at everyone's rushed reaction confusingly. I don't know how to handle this situation. I dashed in to grab my phone back to read the messages. And what I see gives me goosebumps.
Think Chris Kitkat : Do you know what Chris's real name is?
Aontakarn : Carissa?
Think Chris Kitkat : Nopeeeee
Aontakarn : Then, what is it? Are you drunk?
Think Chris Kitkat : Chris's full name is Cli-to-ris
"You, bitches..." I curse, my voice trailing off in the end. I'm very frustrated, but I can only scratch my head while my friends are still laughing merrily.
"She's blushing so hard... This is so cute, Clitoris." Natty pulls my cheeks, but I brush her hand off. "You're so meannnnnn."
"What would Aontakam think of me?"
"Whatever she thinks of you, she thinks you're cute." Meen doesn't seem at all bothered by all this. "Let's go. Let's go visit the sick woman according to the shared location."
"N... no."
"Why? We are going because we're concerned about her." Everyone makes a teasing face at me. I know they are trying to fake concern.
"I will go alone."
"Are you the only one who's allowed to be concerned about her?"
"I'm not con..."
"Let's go."
To not let things, get out of hand and to not bother Aontakam, who's resting, too much, I have to say what my friends want to hear.
"Okay. I'm concerned about her!"
"Why do you have to be this concerned?"
"We're friends."
"We are also your friends." Ern immediately objects. She also snaps her fingers. "Natty, action!"
"Oh... my stomach hurts." The friend who's assigned to play the sick role from the director immediately bends down, out of strength. But I don't even give her a side glance.
"Why is your action so different when it's Natty?" Meen laughs in her throat. The more my friends push me, the more my back is against the wall. I'm becoming more frustrated.
"Aontakam is not strong like you all. She's all alone. Her mother just died. And she's sick."
"If we're not happy with your answer, we will not let you leave easily." Ern picks her nose with her pinky nonchalantly. I'm infuriated.
"What do you all want? I already said that I'm concerned about her."
"Just concerned?"
"Yes!"
"Do you love her?"
"Yes!"
"…"
"I mean..."
"You can leave." Everyone is trying not to smile. When I open my mouth to say something, they all shake their heads. "Go before we change our minds and tie you to the chair, leaving Aontakarn sick and alone."
I press my lips together tightly in frustration. But I think that arguing is useless at this point. So I choose to remain silent as I grab my purse and leave.
"Hey."
Meen shouts after me, so I turn to look at her.
"What?"
"We are all right by your side. Take it to the end."
"Crazy."
I say this, but I cannot help but smile when I turn my back to them. My friends are so funny. They like to push the issue too far.
Did they forget that I'm a woman?
From Meen's room, which is our gathering point, it takes me 30 minutes to get to Aontakarn's place because Aontakam's house is on the outskirts of Bangkok. So now it is past 9 p.m. It is all quiet. There are only the sounds of crickets and voices on the televisions from her neighbors. But this is good... At least there are neighbors to accompany the sweet-faced lady.
Because I come and go often until it's a very normal routine, I have a key to her house. I can use it in an emergency, such as when I drop by very late at night.
I come here really often...
When I unlock the door, I see the petite woman sleeping in a bent position on the sofa. She's in a t-shirt and shorts. She has a pink blanket over her bottom half. When I see that she's deep asleep, I don't want to wake her up, so I just crawl over and look at her adoringly.
She's so deep asleep that she didn't even hear me come in.
Drip, drop, heavy rain...
I wasn't prepared for the rain to pour down outside. I hear droplets of rain on the roof, and then the rain suddenly pours down. I look out the window and feel relieved that I get here before the pourdown, or I'll be soaking wet. As I'm listening to the rain, Aontakarn mutters something in her sleep.
"I'm so cold."
Because I'm afraid that Aontakarn's fever will come back, I quickly pull her blanket up for her. Yet the person who was muttering slowly opened her eyes and looked straight at me.
"The blanket is not enough."
"Huh."'
"Please hug me."
I look around, not knowing what to do. Aontakarn continues to stare at me. She then reaches her hand out to pull me, though she doesn't have much strength left in her. "Come sleep on the sofa with me."
"Okay. Excuse me... It may be a bit uncomfortable because the space is tight."
"The tight space will make it warmer."
When Aontakarn gives me her permission, I lie down on the sofa behind the petite one. I put my arm under her neck. Aontakarn seeks more warmth by snuggling her back into my body. I don't know what to do with my other arm, so I wrap it around the sick person.
"It's so warm."
The nice aroma that eludes from Aontakarn's hair puts me in a dreamy state. You can say that I'm taking advantage of the situation because I smoothly bury my face into the nape of her neck.
"I thought that you wouldn't come. I was waiting for you here... There's no smell of alcohol from you."
"I didn't drink."
"What about the LINE message?"
When I think of that, I tighten my lips, still angry with my friends for what they did. But I don't want Aontakarn to find out that my friends snooped around about us because she may feel that my friends reading her LINE message are invading her privacy, so I change the topic.
"You can go to sleep. You don't have to wait for me. What if I couldn't come?"
"I knew you would come. You have to come."
"Why were you so sure?"
The petite woman pulls my arm in and hugs it tightly. She's adjusting her position so she can sleep comfortably. She mutters to me as she does that.
"Chris loves Karn a lot."
Damned... Everyone says that today. Is it only me who doesn't know anything about how I feel?
Maybe I love Aontakam more than I thought.