Buhay Bangkok

Several days later, Lek told us an interesting story involving mai pen rai and the Thai’s capacity for patience even in trying situations. Nope, it’s not another wriggling roach story. Instead, it has all the elements of a good, hard-to-put-down tale: humor, human interest, cultural quirks, and, yes, sex. Read on.

Lek is one of the first of my officemates introduced to me when I joined our company. She and Nu, who is her friend from college (they’re both from Thammasat U) acted as my ‘minders’ during my first few days in the office, helping me get settled down, showing me around and acting as my guides to Thai food during lunchtime.

Anyway, Lek claims her grandfather is a Chinese who migrated to Thailand decades ago. But one of the senior staff  would always chide her, “But she doesn’t look like Chinese.” Indeed, Pick resembles more a Latina rather than a Chinese. For me, at least, she can pass herself off as a Latina, or even a Filipina, anywhere.

So, she was telling us that she took the Skytrain one day on her way to Siam Paragon. She noticed this Thai guy beside her who kept stealing glances at her. When the Skytrain stopped at the Siam Square station, she got off the coach. Suddenly, she felt somebody touch her lightly on one of her arms. When she turned, she saw that it was the same guy from the Skytrain.

He told her something like, “Is 2,000 Baht OK?”

The guy was clearly attracted to her. For some mysterious reason, this guy mistook Lek for a, well, a pick-up girl, and expressed his desire to spend a few hours with her somewhere private, for the sum of 2,000 Baht. And this is in broad daylight in one of the most crowded BTS stations in Bangkok. So, what was her reaction to this indecent proposal?

“I found it funny,” she replied.

Huh? Funny? Why? I asked her.

“Because at first, I thought he was asking me for directions to the G2000 Shop. I told him it’s in Siam Paragon. When he repeated his offer, that’s when I understood it.”

She was telling this story while we were having lunch at Tops. A senior staff was with us, along with a new staff member. So we asked the same question: How did you react to his proposition?

“I simply told him ‘No,’” she said.

Good girl! (Jay always said with pride that Lek is a nice, decent girl.).

“That’s all?” I asked her. “Didn’t you slap him? Or at least cuss him?” I added, “In the Philippines, a decent Filipina will cuss and scream if somebody offers her such a proposition.”

Lek stared at me, showing surprise on her face. “Slap him? Cuss him?”

“Yes,” I said. “Why not?”

“But that would be impolite.”