I quickly cut off my own personal affairs in favor of integrity. The next day, when Jao-Jom could no longer find me at the apartment, she came straight to meet me at home. I painfully severed our ties because our status was neither right nor proper.
“I will never forget you.”
Those were the words Jao-Jom left behind. They were deeply ingrained in my mind and heart. Even though this child was not my first love, it was the most intense feeling I had ever experienced. I left her crying and walked away without any attachment. I told Jao-Jom to forget me, but it turned out that I was the only one who could never forget.
A year have passed…
“Jom passed the exam. She asked me to report the news to you, Re.”
Two years have passed…
“Jom asked me to wish you a happy birthday.”
Six years have passed…
“Re, Jao-Jom graduated. She is a veterinarian now. She wanted me to tell you that she can vaccinate Viramarati by herself now, so there is no need to find someone else.’’
Ong would often email me to check on me, never forgetting to update me on Jao-Jom, even though I never asked.
Honestly, I was grateful to my younger brother for always keeping me informed about my determined student.
I ran away abroad to study, not because I wanted to earn a degree for my own honor. It felt more like I was running away. I just didn’t know what excuse to use to escape from someone else’s place to such a faraway place other than to study.
In six years, I earned a Ph.D. effortlessly.
If you ask me what special skill I have, it would probably be studying. I’ve always been good at it, even though I saw it as something ordinary.
But even after I graduated, I still hadn’t returned to Thailand for some reason. I wasn’t sure if I was afraid of something.
Fear... that everything would never be the same again.
"Re... we've known each other for a while..."
Today, 'Vichian', a childhood friend who studied in the same country, invited me to dinner. As we ate, he seemed hesitant, but he didn't say anything until he walked me to my apartment building. Before left, he said he had something important to discuss, and I could guess what it was. To be honest, we weren't exactly friends.
I always heard that men and women couldn't just be friends.
He was the son of a close friend of my father's, rich and from a good family. He wasn't bad-looking and graduated with a Ph.D. at the same time as me, because he was also a student enthusiast.
How could someone be so much like me...
“I like you,” my father’s friend’s son said, grabbing my hand. The air was getting colder as Christmas approached, and his breath was visible as he spoke. I was more interested in his breathing than in what he was saying.
Is it cold in Thailand? Come to think of it, I’ve never seen Joo-Jomus in a winter coat.
But that wasn’t surprising; I only taught for a period, not even during the winter. We only got together during the rainy season.
A pleasant rainy season…
"Please be my girlfriend."
While I was lost in other thoughts, I noticed that he was gently kissing the back of my hand. He confessed his love respectfully and tenderly, and I gave him a slightly awkward smile because I didn’t know how to react.
