We are looking each other in the eyes. His brown eyes are mesmerizing me and my heart is leaping out of my chest.
"Serious? Whatever I want?"
"Um, if you like."
"In that case..." And I'm silent for a long moment, then say something back.
"I want to hear you bark."
"Huh?"
"Be a dog."
We were silent. She raises her eyebrows in confusion.
"Why a dog?"
"Dogs have unconditional love."
"..."
"See? You were the one who said it would be what I wanted."
I tell her sensitively. Khun Sam sighs and shakes his head.
"All you want is unconditional love like a dog's?"
Despite the fact that I asked, I am ashamed of this strange desire and I don't even have time to prepare an explanation, she suddenly asks me:
"Then I will bark like a dog. What kind?"
"Hey? Are the barks different?"
"A Thai dog will bark 'honghong' but a foreign dog barks 'bowbow'. She coughs and then says, "Listen carefully bowwwwww."
"A dog like the Tiger,"
"I didn't see him grow up, just when he was a puppy. I heard him bark with a little voice like 'Awwww'... like that."
We changed the subject to barking dogs and I forgot about all the bad stuff. Now we are discussing the nature of Thai dogs compared to foreign dogs.
"I will be a dog. I will love you...unconditionally." She cracks her neck and looks at me thoughtfully... "Um, what can dogs do?"
"Play."
"Try."
"Khun Cham."
"Hmm."
"I called the dog. Saw? Khun Cham."
The pretty face looks at me dissatisfied.
"Who uses 'Khun' with a dog? Do you know the language level? Please don't tell anyone that you graduated from the same university as mine. What a shame."
She is so mean. I was just teasing.
I'm sitting sloppily and standing there while Khun Sam has her arms crossed.
"ChamCham."
"Yea."
"Call me 'ChamCham' and I'll be your dog. And I will love you unconditionally... Try."
"ChamCham."
"You have to touch my body too, when you play with a dog you need to touch gently."
I do what she asks. I touch her body gently. When she sees what I've done, she walks over to me and licks my lips, as if she's been waiting for this moment for a long time.
"There is?"
"When you play with a dog, he licks you."
"I see... I can see it's easy for you to be a dog."
"Your lips are strangling me."
"..."
"I want to do more... I've been missing those lips for a long time."
"Since Kate and her other friends found out, we haven't played anymore."
"All right. I have a reason to play with you. If they ask me again, I will answer that I am ChamCham." She sulks and pouts.
