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Unforgettable
Phuket is a friendly Island, south of Thailand. And so are the majority of it's population as they appeared to me laughing with each other while performing their daily work, that type of hard work that consumes the brain and body in a fast rate.
Based on a recommendation from the receptionist of my hotel in Kuala Lumpur, I made a reservation, through the net, in a hotel in Patong Beach area in Phuket, before I leave Malaysia.
When I arrived Phuket about 10 pm, after I checked into my hotel, I felt like having a walk by Patong Beach. I spent may be one hour walking to end up to a street full of restaurants and bars.
I felt that I was thirsty and in need to have a rest in a decent bar, or maybe I was inventing an excuse to go into a bar.
To my left and right, there were several bars but which of them is a decent? There was no criterion to enable a judgment. But, while weighing the options, I heard a classical song I heard long time ago " Unforgettable", so I followed the tones in order to lead me to a cozy bar. I found a vacant corner and had a seat there.
The pretty bartender came to politely say: sawatdee kha (good evening in Thai). What do you like to drink?
I: beer. What kinds of beers do you have?
She: we have Singah and Chang beers, which one you like?
I: both but let me start with the Singah
She brought me the beer and hit me with a question
She: did you come here with your wife?
I: I never had a wife
She: you came with your friends?
I: my friends are not as free as me to go in journeys like this. They are restricted by obligations to their wives and employers
She , pointing to the nice boys and girls operating the bar: no worry we are your friends
I: thanks. I appreciate that
I looked at my left to see a toy of a dog sitting and moving it's arm up and down and said to her: and this is my date tonight
Then stretched my arm to the toy saying: give me five dog.
She and the people around laughed. I felt happy. I like it when I make decent people laugh regardless of the anxieties I hide inside.
The kids working in the bar gathered around me in order to kid and shower me with too many questions about many things as if I was an alien that just came from the outer space.
One smart kid saved the situation when he invited me to play billiard (pool) with him.
We played 3 rounds. I win only once.
When I felt that my perception was starting to degrade, I went back to my corner to order vodka or scotch, I don't remember. But, I remember that a 7 or 8 years old skinny girl came to sell me a flower. I swear I have known this girl long time ago although I couldn't recall when did I see her.
She displayed smiles on her mouth and eyes while offering me a flower,
I: how much?
She: one hundled Baht (meaning: hundred)
a hundred Baht (about 3 USD), this is the standard price for tourists late at night. I didn't mind to pay it but since I wanted to keep her for some time, in order to saturate my mind with her smiles and try to recall where did I see her, I started to negotiate the price with her and she kept saying to me: one hundled Baht. As if this is the only statement she knew of English. I submitted to her innocent sweet smiles and paid one hundled Baht. She handed me the flower and printed a kiss right on my right cheek. I gave the flower to the nice girl behind the bar who treated me as a friend.
Four days later, I took a boat to nearby small Island called Phee Phee Island. I spent there more than a week. It was so pleasant escape.
In the boat back to Phuket, I saw a guy wearing a T-shirt written on it "The Wild Cats"!
Yeah, the WILD CATS, the foot ball team of the Universty of Arizona . U of A ,That is where I got my master's degree. Yeah, Tucson-Arizona there where I lived with my Mexican American girl friend Sandra , she liked to be called Sandi.
Now, I recall, where did I see the double smiles, now I recall. The flower girl is just a reincarnation of Sandra Buino. She came back to me in a form of a flower girl to tell me that loneliness is the price I pay for not accepting her proposal. She said: Fahad let's get married. I said: I came from an Islamic back ground and you came from Catholic back ground, if we get married, what would happen to our children? She got convinced. And we went separate ways.
But, whey the flower girl com to me when I am totally drunk?
Why she doesn't come when I am sober?
May be she never ever come at all! May be she was just the daughter of my Imagination, the alcohol inspiration!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uRtNMFfF-g
