His breath was heavy, and his feet was aching. He looked at her face and panic was written all over it. He is tired of running. She is tired too. But they cannot stop running, they have to. Or else it would mean the end for both of them.
This is a street in which he would have been having so much fun on ordinary days. The smell of Thai food in the air, the aroma of incense burning, and that distinct aura of Bangkok that has always drawn him to the city. The noisy tuk-tuks and motorcycle taxis, and the constant tugging by vendors selling anything from trinkets to the services of bargirls and barboys, depending on one’s taste. This is a city that is so commercialized that a taxi or tuk-tuk driver already has an array of promotional materials in glossy laminated cardboards of restaurants, jewelry shops, massage bars and go-go shows. This last one shocked him the first time a taxi driver talked him into visiting one of the bars, where he recited to him a menu of things that awaited him – egg show, candle show, eggplant show – things which he had no idea about at first. When he said he is not interested, he magically produced another laminated sheet showing the same menu but this time it featured men.
Earlier tonight he eventually relented. He was terribly bored, and tired from visiting Ayutthaya and he wanted to do something other than getting a Thai massage. And he got the shock of his life, and never imagined what that part of the female human body is actually capable of doing, or accommodating other than babies. These are things that can nowhere be found in Manila, at least publicly.
And then he saw her again, that face that was full of sad innocence. Number 39. Sitting in a dark corner, alone. He can readily tell that she was not herself, and that something heavy was burdening her. It was written all over her face.
This is not the first time he saw her. Earlier that day while he was marveling at the head of a Buddha encased in the roots of a tree in Wat Phra Mahatthat in Ayutthaya was when he first laid an eye on her. What made her stand out was that while the tourists were busy taking pictures of, or staring at, the Buddha head, she was looking over the horizon in a strange, sad way as if the entire world were on her shoulders. What drew him to her was that in a way he couldn’t explain, her face looked so familiar, as if she met her somewhere.
And then she saw her again, sitting by her lonesome in a corner of the river boat he took back to Bangkok from Ayutthaya, a face that magically appeared on the horizon as the boat passed by Wat Arun along the Chao Phraya river as the sun was setting. Her hair was gracefully waving with the gentle wind, and again, she was lost as if in a deep trance, almost like yearning for something that can take her away from the heaviness she was feeling.
He has been living in Bangkok for a month now. Certainly this was not the first, as there have been many short visits before, but this time he was poised to stay longer, both for work and for living his life that he somewhat felt would complete him.
His multinational company based in Manila needed someone to assist the Bangkok office in setting up its IT infrastructure, and he readily volunteered. After all, he is single without any wife or children to worry about. His parents and siblings were all in Cateel in Davao Oriental where he is from. And foremost of all, Thailand has always had this magical effect on him. He loves Thai food. Yet there is more to it than its cuisine that has drawn him to this country. He felt that every time he wanders around its streets, and take boat rides in its klongs, and visit its temples, that he is transported back to a place that has been his home. Unlike other people who would prefer Koreanovelas, he is an avid fan of Thai Lakorns or TV dramas. He has a tremendous crush on Yaya Urassaya Sperbund, who is one of the top Thai celebrities.
Sometime while in College he found out the reason why he felt so strongly about Thailand, as if he was from there.
He enrolled in a class in psychology and met this professor who became his favorite because she taught, among others, non-conventional psychology. One of the things that aroused his curiosity is her application of past life regression, which is based on the reincarnation hypothesis, and used hypnosis. While mainstream psychology considers it as unethical and is not supported by evidence, he nevertheless subscribed to it. His interest in the method made him volunteer to become a subject for a research study conducted by the Professor.
He cannot forget what the Professor, who did not know anything about him, said when he came out from his hypnosis. It was so powerful that it forever changed his life. She told him that he is actually a Thai prince in his past life, a warrior during the Ayutthaya period and he lived during the 18th century. He died just around the year the city was sacked and burned to the ground by the Burmese invaders in 1767.
And there and then he knew. That explained everything. This is why he is drawn to anything Thai, that even before visiting Bangkok he was already dreaming about it. That when given the chance to travel, that it was always Bangkok, and nothing else. This is why the first time he went to Ayutthaya, he felt that he was in a familiar place. He felt it was a homecoming, even as he felt a kind of sadness and pain that he can't explain.
Bangkok is a city, and Thailand is a country, he would never get tired of. He even took special lessons with a Thai from the embassy in Manila to learn the language, which he can actually now speak, even if he has yet to learn how to read and write. He is pleased every time Thais commend his speaking to them in their language. They say he is almost natural and he sounds like he is Thai.
He wanted to learn how to read and write in Thai. This was something he planned of doing soon, more so now that he is assigned in the Bangkok branch of his company. His tour of duty is for at least a year so he would have plenty of time. Who knows, he may just decide to find a Thai woman to marry, and for him to eventually reside in Bangkok, or anywhere in Thailand.
Working in Thailand made him feel like he was finally home. He felt a little bit guilty that he was more at home in this place than in Manila, or even in Cateel. He couldn’t help it. It is a feeling that simply is so natural. And whatever problem scientists have about past life regression as a pseudo-science, he would always be grateful to that psychology professor he had in college for opening in his memory that door that eventually explained his very being.
He rarely visited Patpong even if he lived in the Silom area. But on that night after his day trip to Ayutthaya when he wanted to do something different, he thought that perhaps it is time for him to take a look at what an egg show, or eggplant show, or bottle show would look like, that he saw her again, for the third time that day. Number 39. That is the number stapled to her underwear, like all the other girls working on that go-go bar. She could not forget her face as the one who looked the other way while others were busy staring at or taking pictures of the Buddha head enclosed in the roots of a tree in Wat Phra Mahatthat in Ayutthaya.
He motioned the katoey who was managing the bar floor, and he whispered to him her number. He nodded, left, and when he came back, he already had Number 39 with him. The bar was so noisy that he decided to just pay the bar-fine, take the girl out somewhere. He just wanted to talk, and know her more.
The girl disappeared behind the heavy curtains beside the stage, as a performer was now actually doing the candle show to the tune of "One Night in Bangkok," and when she came out, she was already wearing denims and a pink blouse. As they went out, she saw her perform the wai in front of the Buddha at an altar at the top of the exit door. She took an orchid bloom from a base beside the door and tucked it in her left ear.
As they stepped out of the bar, she asked in broken English where he is from, and he answered back in simple Thai that he is from the Philippines. She felt somewhat relieved that he can speak Thai, and he assured her that he can speak and understand as long as she would be gentle and not speak fast.
She was a bit shocked when he asked her to take him to the nearest ran ahaan, or restaurant since he was already hungry. He thought she expected him to be the usual costumer who would hurriedly take her to the nearest cheap short-time motels that dotted Patpong to do a quickie. He assured her that he is not that kind of man, and that he just wanted to be a friend. He didn’t tell her about seeing her in Ayutthaya and in the boat, as he thought it may make her uncomfortable.
Their friendship blossomed that night. They somewhat felt an unexplainable closeness except that he felt that she was holding back a lot. He only knew that she is from Nakhon Si Thammarat, and that her parents are farmers, and that she is working in the bar to send money to his family. Her father is ill, and her brothers and sisters are all in school and her mother’s earnings making Thai sweets are not enough. She started college but decided to stop. She however still dream of becoming a teacher someday, and would like to go back studying to finish a degree.
He asked her why she had to perform the wai to the Buddha before she left the bar. She told him that bar girls always do that to pray to the Buddha for safety and protection. She assured him though that she obviously didn’t need to pray in his case, since he was the first customer who took her out who did not want sex, and who even treated her to dinner. He responded by telling her that he find it amusing that Thai sex workers would pray for protection and safety before their tour of duties, while back in the Philippines, sex workers would pray for forgiveness only after their tour of duties. This made her break into laughter for the first time, in stark contrast to that sad face he always saw her wearing. She thanked him for making her laugh, as she needed it, badly.
He really wanted to ask her what was bothering her, and why the sad face. But he decided there would be time for that. Now, he just want to savor this moment with a newfound friend. He offered to take her home, and he was intrigued that when she said no, that there is somewhat fear in her voice. She can find her way. She kissed him on the cheek and told him he knows where to find her. He, on the other hand, took her phone to key in his number, as he also encoded in the directory his address in Bangkok. And when he saw a flower stand with red orchids, he took one and put it in the left ear of the woman, to add to the one that was already there. She thanked him, telling him that orchids are her favorite among the flowers.
He entered his rented apartment in one of the side sois in Silom, which is actually not far from Patpong. He was so happy that he found her. He was full of this satisfying feeling that somehow, he found someone whom he felt he knew, and was a part of his life. She would be her soul mate, and fate found a way for them to meet. He probably was part of his past life. After all, he was a Thai prince, a warrior. He thought that probably, he died in a battle with the Burmese invaders defending Ayutthaya, and she was his princess. Maybe this is why she looked familiar. And maybe, they have been both reincarnated to finally consummate their love and have closure.
He has been watching too many Thai Lakorns that it would not have been farfetched that somewhat this would be a plausible scenario for a modern-day completion of an uncompleted love story in his past.
His musing was suddenly interrupted by a loud knock in his door. When he opened it, he saw her. Hair disheveled. Tears flowing in her face. She was in panic. What she told him left him dizzy and numb. And in that moment the narrative of her entire tragic life became like a Thai Lakorn that came alive. She is a regular sex partner of a powerful Bangkok politician, who is as sadistic as he is cruel. He makes her suffer every time they have sex. He does unspeakable things to her. She wanted to break it off with him, but he threatened that he would hurt not only her but her family in the province. He is a jealous, dangerous, powerful man.
Apparently, one of the politician’s bodyguards saw them in Patpong and reported them to his boss. The politician, the jealous man that he is, was enraged. He ordered his men to find them and bring them to him. She was lucky that she was able to elude them.
She begged him that they should run and hide. He cannot believe what he just heard. Things happened so fast. He needed to think but she told him there is not enough time.
He quickly got his passport, and he thought that the best place to go would be to the Philippine embassy in Sukhumvit. It would probably be closed but there may be guards there who would take him in as a Filipino national in distress. He can easily tell them that she is his girlfriend, or even his wife.
They ran quickly downstairs and while they were waiting for a taxi meter, they saw them riding in motorcycles, four of them, the politicians men. Menacing, dangerous. They ran towards Patpong, and through the busy areas going to the night bazaar. But out of nowhere they saw another set of men on motorcycles. They are trapped. He saw a side street and with her in tow dashed quickly towards it, while the motorcycle riders were behind them. And they ran, only to face a dead end. They have nowhere to go.
And as they faced the approaching motorcycle riders, they saw a black BMW behind them with headlights on that blinded both of them. The door of the car opened, and someone wearing white shoes, pants and jacket came out with a menacing look, and a face that for some reason looked familiar, as if he also came back alive from his past.
Somewhere in Manila, in a Malate Condominium, retired psychology professor Carina Lee woke up. She just had nightmare. She dreamt of death. Of number 39, and of an orchid flower soaked in blood. She hurriedly opened the night lamp, stood up, and opened her computer and searched for her files under the folder entitled “past life regression study.” She went through the files and found what she was looking for. She dialed a number that was in the file, the number of her former student who was a subject of her study.
In Bangkok, that former student is now the man cornered in a dark alley somewhere in Silom, with his Thai woman friend. He couldn’t have heard the call from Manila, as the ringing was drowned by the noise made by the revving up of the motorcycle engines.
Professor Lee frantically wanted to tell her former student something she failed to tell him during their regression session some years back. She wanted to tell him to stay away from Thai women and not fall in love with anyone of them, particularly those who love wearing red orchids in their left ears. She wanted to tell him to stay away from anything associated with Number 39.
She wanted to tell her former student he did not die in his past life fighting the Burmese when they sacked Ayutthaya.
She wanted to tell him that, in fact, he was tortured and executed upon orders of a powerful general who was jealous and accused him of having an affair with the general’s wife, who was also ordered killed. Both of them suffered a brutal, horrible death in the hands of the general’s men.
The next day, in Bangkok, two bodies were found by the police, one of a man and another of a woman, floating in the Chao Phraya river. Both bore marks of torture and a gunshot wound at the back of their heads. The woman was holding a bloodied orchid flower in her left hand.
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