Lotus Blood

Lotus Blood Part 3

Chapter Two

I picked myself up, forgetting I was only wearing flip flops and kicked a stone after the disappearing pick-up.

"Ow, ow, crap!"

I hopped around pinging the elastic band on my wrist very hard.

"Ping, sting, breathe. Ping sting breathe." That's what the lady in the blue knitted dress with the huge hair-do had told me, after the time I'd smashed that boy's head through a plaster board wall.

"Ping, sting, and breath, Nam. It's much better than losing control."

A cloud of screeching birds flew over, heading for the hills and away from the sea.

Bob whined and looked up at me.

"She'll be back, Bob, she will."

Why do I feel I've just lost everything?

Even my smart-arse inner bitch had nothing to say. The cloud cleared the sun and the heat settled on my head like a stone. More birds flew over.

Bob stood panting at me.

"Okay, boy. Let's go and get cool."

We wandered back into the building site that was pretending to be a hotel. The drills were silent, the blue shirts on a break, drinking water and eating something out of plastic bags. Dad was in Reception, waving his arms around, pretending to be in charge.

Junior was stood with a pretty Thai girl, our friend Ploy, under the huge gnarled tree between the bungalows and the Ugly Block.

Bob stood stiff-legged, sniffing the air as more birds flew over.

"It's okay, Bob," I told him and scratched his back.

The shade under the tree looked good, even with my brother arsing around under it. Ploy stood posing for him to take her photo with his new smart-phone. Our birthday presents had been identical. Only difference was, his hadn't been smashed into a wall.

Ploy looked up and smiled, placed her hands together, like she was praying. "Sawat dee ka, Nam."

"Yeah hi, morning, Ploy," I replied and waved my hand lamely.

"No, sis, not 'Hi.' You say 'Sawatdee ka!' And wai." Junior put his hands together and bowed his head.

"Whatever, bro."

Ploy was burning some sticks, sweet incense smoke curling up. Junior picked at a wicker basket of fruit full of pineapples, bananas and something spiky and pink.

"Sis?" He passed me a banana. It was small and plump, a perfect yellow. I hated it when they went brown and mushy.

"Thanks." I pulled back the waxy skins and bit into the soft white fruit. Tender and ...

"Sweet?" Junior said and grinned at me.

"Yeah, Junior, sweet."

I reached for another.

"Did you find Mum?"

"Yes."

"And?"

I peeled another banana.

"And what, bro?"

"And, did you kiss and make up? You two really went at it last night."

"Yeah well, she's changed."