3 years passed
1 year has 365 days. 3 years is more than 1000 days that I was outside of
Thailand. The world kept spinning. People lived their lives. They went to
work, listened to the news on TV,new Facebook, and phones as expensive
as gold. Today I was rich as always and now I know how to make money on
my own...I was a cartoonist and I didn't take the master's course. That was
the change of my life. Genlong, who had a perfect life. I was the best in
fashion, look, hairstyle, study. All my life I was perfect. But... that was me
in the past. I was no longer the same Genlong.
My new English name was Kate Wang. People there had an English name
and they called me Kate. It was an easy name.
My life changed a lot from what had happened 3 years before. After leaving
Aoey, I lived in Macau. My dad was rich as always. We just couldn't go
back to Thailand. I had just found out that my dad was a partner in a casino
in Macau. He was not the owner but a large shareholder. It was a guarantee
that he wouldn't starve me. Sometimes love needs money. But Money...
never needed Love. My dad always said that if you knew how to make
money, love would find you. Even though my pocket was so deep, I still
didn't want to spend money. I realized that one day I would not have my
father. I could be that poor Genlong again.
Now I was an Internet cartoonist. I made my living drawing novel covers.
The money wasn't much but at least I knew how to make money. I
remembered the first time I received the first payment for the work I did on
the internet, I cried and proudly showed it to my mother. My mom smiled
and looked at me with pride, not at the money.
"My daughter is grown up now."
That's what my mom said and it made me realize that I did grow up. I used
my Thai name with the cartoon I worked on online, but I used my English
name with the cover of the novel I drew. Why would I do that?...just so I
could draw a cover for someone without them knowing it was me. That was
my pseudonym in the drawing on the cover of the novel. I could ask for
more money using that trick. But my main job, drawing cartoons, at this
point was so busy that it prevented me from doing anything else.
"Gen."
Tod's voice called out to me as I was reading a tourism brochure upon
arrival at the airport.
"Tod!"
I shouted with excitement.
"Take it easy!"
I rushed to hug the handsome boy with excitement. I had missed him a lot.
He was as handsome as he was 3 years ago. But now he wore glasses that
made him look more mature.
"Are you afraid that people won't know that you're a doctor? Why do you
have to wear glasses?"
"Like you. Are you afraid that people won't know that you are an artist?
Why do you have to wear ripped jeans? You're not the same perfect
Genlong I met years ago."
Tod scanned me up and down, head to toe. Lately I realized that wearing an
artsy outfit helped my personality. I didn't
need expensive clothes, only casual shoes could make me look good. I wore
pretty expensive shoes back then.
"Let's catch up later. I have to check into the hotel first."
"A good woman wouldn't ask a man to go to a hotel together when they see
each other."
"If you weren't gay, I would ask you if you wanted to have a baby with
me."
Our relationship was very close, like that of brothers. In the past 3 years, we
kept in touch every day. No matter how busy we were, we would chat or
talk. He told me he was traveling to Hong Kong, so I had to urgently clear
my schedule for him. I flew from Macau to meet him in Hong Kong, so we
could hang out together because I missed him so much. He was my second
best friend, second after Aoey.... The handsome man paused slightly when
he saw my driver Jonathan or John. They smiled and greeted each other in
English.
"I'll take you to the hotel."
"Thank you."
John volunteered to drive for me, but it wasn't normal because he usually
had a high-level job with my father. He enthusiastically offered to do it once
he found out that a friend from Thailand was visiting me. He wanted to take
me even though I told him it was my personal business. He volunteered to
do this for free. I was so anxious.....
"Do we have to speak English when we speak? Is it considered rude if we
speak Thai?"
Tod asked from the back seat.
"You can speak Thai. John is not nosy. He knows we are Thai. If you want
to talk to him, you can switch to English."
I secretly looked at Tod from the mirror and smiled. I felt much happier
because I was finally with someone from the same country, besides my
family. Having a friend was so nice.
"He's your boyfriend?"
"You're getting right to the point."
I laughed and secretly looked at John.
"I'm not sure about the relationship. He keeps asking me to marry him."
"He is so handsome. You should marry him. It's the right time now. I can
feel the richness of it from here. He is our driver today, but I can feel that he
has a rich man aura."
"He's one of my dad's partners in the casino."
"He's fucking rich! But he doesn't look Chinese at all."
"It's a mix between Chinese and British."
"What are you waiting for? You just spread her legs. He is handsome and
rich. He just came out of a novel."
John was a man of power and wealth. We met when I moved there. It was a
disaster back then because I was very sad. I had to visit a psychiatrist. I was
depressed. Even though he was a busy man, he still took the time to visit me
and hang out with me. When he discovered that I loved to draw, he helped
me find my feet in drawing. He was the one who told me that he could be
an Internet cartoonist for a living. His kindness made me open up a little.
However, we had not agreed that we were dating. John was like a life jacket
thrown into the ocean when I was about to drown.
"I opened my legs once."
"I was too sensitive back then, so I went with the flow."
I told Tod what happened. At that time I was so depressed and sad that I
wanted to commit suicide. But John was someone who stood by me and
helped me until I got better... and now...John and I were in an ambiguous
relationship. He volunteered to take care of me, all he asked for was a
chance.
I was feeling lonely and was hoping that someone new could help me get
out of the depressed situation, so I had sex with him once. That's how we
ended up in an unclear situation. Not a boyfriend, but not just a friend
either. He was ready to be more than my friend, but I was the one who
wasn't ready.
It was the first and only time I would do that. No again....
Finally, John stopped in front of the hotel he owned. Tod explored the suite
room that he just registered in for free. He was impressed with the owner
before expressing his gratitude.
"Thank you but it doesn't have to be a suite."
"Just take it. His rich. This is nothing to him."
I laughed and sent John a smile as a thank you.
"Make yourself at home. Kate, if you need anything, let me know."
"Okay."
He left and now it was just me and the handsome guy alone. Tod walked
over to the couch and sat down comfortably. He looked at me, who was still
standing.
"Why did he leave you alone with me in the room? Aren't he worried that I
might rape you?"
"I told him you like men."
"Hey, don't tell other people."
"Well, it helps that I'm not jealous."
"He's not jealous, but he drove himself to the airport. I bet he wanted to
meet me first."
"Even if he's jealous, he can't do anything. It all depends on me."
I walked to the couch, sat near him and started chatting.
"Everything is alright?"
"Are you asking about me or Aoey?"
I straightened up, realizing he had trapped me. All the way from the airport,
I wanted to ask about it, but I didn't want to seem so desperate, so I had to
talk about something else.
"Whoever."
"I'm fine."
"Why are you silent? You're not curious about me,"
He continued, mocking me. I started to feel agitated.
"Just tell me. How is Aoey?"
He laughed when he saw that I was upset. Tod nodded and sighed.
"She is well and now she is famous, less than JK Rowling but she is very
well known."
"Some company bought her copyright for a television drama. Her life is
good now."
"That's good to hear."
"As I told you before in the chat, her fame also made me a kind of celebrity.
I owned a publishing house that made a lot of money. Oh! You have
something too!"
Tod handed me a check.
"Here it is for the largest shareholder."
I was taken aback and looked at the check he handed me.
"When did I become your partner?"
"When you gave Aoey your 100,000 baht for the book."
"But I gave her that money to make the book."
"She refused when I gave her the money, so I had to come up with a plan. I
pretended to be an editor and offered to print her novel. However, it was a
good thing because I got some benefits. But I can't take advantage of your
money. We must share it. Take it."
"You never told me anything and now you tell me that I own a publishing
house. Not only are you nosy but you keep secrets."
"The secret makes me more mysterious."
I looked at the check and didn't feel anything. Damn! Aoey should be richer.
She shouldn't have to share money with other people. This was annoying.
"Save it for Aoey."
"If we both share the money, and we still have a lot. Don't you think she's
richer? I told you that she is now very famous and very rich. Her life is on
the rise."
I once heard that I could smile. I was proud of my little friend who was now
successful after having to go through a lot in life.
"Thank you for keeping your promise that you would take good care of her.
Aoey grew up successfully today and you are a part of that."
"Is not for you."
We both remained silent because we were in our own thoughts. Tod sighed
before changing the subject.
"I came to Hong Kong this time not only to travel but also to talk to you
about something."
"What is it?"
"Your caricature, MATE."
I was surprised when he talked about my cartoon project that I had finished
two weeks ago. It was the cartoon I drew and posted on a website. I
received very good comments that placed me in the top 5. I never thought
my story would be a success. The story of Aoey and me.
"What's up with that?"
"Some reader sent an email to Aoey about your story on the Internet that
was very similar to her story on the Dekdee website. Aoey sent me here to
deal with the copyright violation... She thought the story artist copied her
work."
"AHA."
I leaned back comfortably in the chair. At first, I thought she might know I
was the artist.
"What do you want to do?"
"If she's not happy with it, I'll ask my website to remove it. I'll pay the fine,
or whatever."
"But you didn't copy it. Why would you remove it?"
"Whatever makes her feel better."
"You try to please her too much."
Tod rested his chin on the palm of her hand and looked at me with a loving
look.
"Genlong, who never gave up, but now you will easily erase your caricature
even though you did not commit any theft."
"If it looks the same, there's no point in being stubborn. Aoey asked you to
talk to the artist this way, which means that she is ready to start a legal
process. I'll give up to finish it."
"I think you should talk to Aoey. It was similar, but it's not the same
anyway. Gen you made drawings that tell your story from your point of
view. Aoey wrote a story from her point of view. It was the same story
about two women who look at each other and fall in love. There is a
bird...oh! And most importantly... some handcuffs."
I felt like someone was squeezing my heart until I was breathless. I tried to
forget it, but the handsome man only stirred the memory again.
"So you're here to travel or to ask me to delete my cartoon... or what?"
"I flew here to ask them to return to Bangkok together using travel and
copyright as excuses."
"Why would I come back?"
The handsome man looked at me and didn't say anything for a longtime. I
didn't like that quiet, but I waited for Tod's next comment.
"Attend Aoey's wedding again."
I felt numb like someone had hit me on the head with a club. I could faint at
that moment. At first, I thought he was joking, but on second thought, I
knew it was true.
"Does she...?"
"Yeah."
"Why is she in a hurry? Is her illness better?"
I asked her about her physical problem that no one can touch her. Todd
nodded.
"Better....I told you before in the chat."
"You didn't mention any details."
"She's much better now. She was almost cured. Why don't you look happy
for her? Don't you want her to get married?"
I tried to smile but I wasn't sure how I felt. It had been three years but I still
felt something... Possessiveness.... But what right did I have? I was the one
who left her. Tod looked at me and handed me a wedding invitation that he
had just taken out of his bag. I felt like a piece of paper in an envelope was
something hot. I could burn my hand if I touched it. But I had to be strong
and I took it from him. The blue card printed with golden characters looked
very luxurious. I could feel that she had a good life. The expensive wedding
invitation could say a lot about a beautiful married life. The groom could be
rich...
"Who is the groom?"
"A brother of Aoey's psychologist."
"Okay."
I looked at the card in my hand and put it down.
"I'll put some money for a gift in an envelope and ask you to give it to her."
"Don't you want to go together?"
"Don't you want to see with your own eyes that she is happy?"
Was he testing me? He wanted to know if I still had feelings for her. Lately
I had told him that I could get over it and that I could live my life normally.
Maybe I was trying to fool other people. And me too.... The wedding
invitation card in front of me seemed to shake me quite hard from head to
toe. I could barely smile. I didn't think I could attend the wedding...
"I don't think I should go. She may not be happy to see me. I hurt her quite
a bit."
"But from my point of view, you are a very important part that helps her
now. If it weren't you, she wouldn't have been cured. If it wasn't you, Aoey
wouldn't have money for school. If it weren't for you, she wouldn't be able
to publish her book. She won't be successful today."
"You have to go, Gen."
I leaned back on my couch and looked annoyed at the bossy boy in front of
me.
"You like to place an order. Three years ago, you visited me and told me to
leave Aoey. Today you ordered me to go to her wedding. Do you have good
intentions or are you doing it for fun?"
"Yeah, I'm not sure if I had good intentions or if I did it for fun."
Tod also leaned back and looked at me casually.
"I just want you to be part of this wedding. You play an important role in
Aoey's life, you even drew the cover of her famous novel."
"I also violated your copyright."
"You have everything to do with Aoey's life. You shouldn't miss her
wedding."
That was true. I played an important role in Aoey's life but attending her
wedding...
"She will get married because she has no one left. Don't you want to attend
the important day in her life?"
"What do you mean there's no one left?"
I looked at the handsome boy with surprise. I didn't like the tone of it.
"Where is Teacher Salee?"
"Aoey's mom married another new boy and moved to the other country. She
has to get married."
Todd shrugged.
"She is fed up with a life with a stepfather. She doesn't want to move in
with her mother. She is worried about not having anyone, so she decided to
get married."
"Is she getting married because she needs someone to depend on?"
I started to feel nervous after hearing the stupid reason.
"What's wrong with the boy? She loves?"
"I guess. He takes good care of her, but it seems like Aoey doesn't love him
back."
We both remain silent. We were both in our own thoughts. The handsome
boy looked at me and raised his eyebrows, mocking me.
"Do you want to go now?"
"No, I don't have a good reason to go."
"Copyright violation is a good reason. I found the best reason for you to
return to Thailand to clear things up with the owner of the novel."
"We can communicate by email or simply remove the cartoon. Now it's that
easy."
"It depends on you. I'm just here to give you the news."
"I'm not going."
"OK."
"Stop looking at me like that."
"AHA."
"No me aha! I told you I'm not going."
"I did not say anything."
"I do not go!"
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