Jay wakes up feeling refreshed and cooled down. He thanks the cold comfort from the blankets, and also from the AC.
The AC?
Did he turn it on? He doesn't remember doing it, but it must've been because of his sunburn, that he barely feels the cold.
But now that he's rested and cooled down, he's grateful.
He stretches the knots running down his back, and on the sides of his body, and exhales loudly. He scrunches his face, forgetting his skin is burnt, he hisses when feels the stinging sensation when he did that. He grabs the tub of calming gel he was holding while asleep.
"Ahh. That feels good," he says. And he feels ready to face everything.
"AC, off!" he commands.
He remembers to smooth down any possible wrinkle on his shirt and pants, then heads down to the ground floor.
He looks around and takes a glance at the wall clock located by the TV. It says 2 PM.
2 PM
It means he slept through lunch. Which means he slept for 3 hours. Or he finished swimming at 12 PM and slept for 2 hours. Which doesn't make it any better.
He runs out of the house, barefoot, and rushes towards the staff building. He sees some of the older women washing dishes, and they turn around to look at him.
"Did you sleep well, Khun Jay?"
"How long was I- ahem. How long was I out?" Jay asks bashfully. He feels the heat surfacing on his skin, but he isn't sure whether it was the sunburn acting up or his embarrassment.
The staff in the area were giggling, and some were even outright squealing, Jay bows his head down, and one staff approaches him with a cold compress for him. He takes it with a smile and brings the compress to his warm face.
"Thank you. I'm sorry I overslept."
The staff were shaking their heads and kept telling him "No, it's alright, Khun Jay."
"It's good that you're having fun, Khun Jay,"
"You don't get to do this a lot in the city so it's perfectly fine,"
Jay smiles at all of them and heads towards the sink. "I'll do the dishes. please prepare some snacks for Khun Tan or something."
"He isn't here yet, Khun Jay. He came back here around noon, then he hasn't been back since."
Jay leans on the sink, his hand still under the tap. He continues to wash his hand as he answers, "I see. Well, why don't we all take a break this afternoon? I'll make something for all of us. As an apology. I haven't had my lunch yet, so I'm starving. " he says and chuckles lightly.
The present ones smiled and nodded. One walked out to call on the others, and Jay goes to the fridge and looks for ingredients he can use. There's a lot of produce and ingredients available. So he has a lot of options. But he has to cook for all of them, then-
"How many are we exactly? 10, 15?" Jay asks no one in particular and someone answers, "We're a total of 16 staff here in the resort, Khun Jay. But Ai' Grit is out with Khun Tan, and P'Bohn is driving for them, so we're only 14 here. 15 including you."
Jay smiles and thanks her.
"Alright. I can cook up a lot with what we have but is chicken, salad, and pasta okay? I don't know a lot of Thai cuisines yet, but these recipes are easier to cook and can feed a lot. Would that be okay?" Jay asks.
Everyone present nods their heads in unison, some more abruptly than others, and Jay smiles sweetly.
"We'll eat whatever you cook, Khun Jay. We're sure it'll be delicious," one answers,
YOU ARE READING
Like The Water That Sustains Me
Fiksi Penggemar"To be loved is to gain sustenance. Just like how we have water and food because Buddha loves us. We have air to breathe, we have light to see, cause Buddha loves us. We have support and love from family and friends because they love us. But to love...
