The pawnshop is the salvation for temple teens. If we are short, we will pawn something. Yet! Although there are many pawnshops on the road nearby, we don't like to go in there. We play hide and seek behind the bamboo curtain in front of the door, afraid that we will be seen by someone we know.
Yet there is nothing about the pawn shop to be ashamed of. Even the guys who are well in the slack sometimes come there. But I prefer to go to the pawn shop a little further away. The chance that someone sees me there is very small.
Don't forget your thumb…
That's what a student told me. At first I didn't understand that, but now I know that you have to sign at the pawnshop with a print of your thumb. That's what I asked the long chu, the pawnbroker. I ask if I can't put my signature because otherwise I have to get that ink off my thumb again.
But no, the pawnbroker demands that I sign with my thumb. A finger is also not allowed. I do not understand that. But that's the way it is; without a thumb you can't pawn anything. And I pawn quite a bit! My watch goes back and forth regularly. Also pants. They don't care about the brand, but they do care that it is clean and undamaged.
Now I'm out of money again; I have one baht in my pocket. I sold my watch and pawned my good pants. I have nothing to wear to school except my pha-khaaw-ma (*), the sarong I wear at home. But wait! Under my bed is a suitcase with notebooks, photos and books and maybe there is something of value in there!
And yes, I like the gold medal I won because of the basketball championship! One thing with a ball and it looks like gold. The box is included and something like this must be worth something, I think. I walk out of the temple; Hold the box tight because I'm sure I'll get money for it.
This medal is valuable to me. Really earned in the sweat of your brow. I have always resolved to save all prizes and medals in order to prove to my children later that I am a great sportsman. I would never sell it if someone offered me a thousand baht!
Walk into the pawn shop and hand it over. "Well, what have we got here… A diamond ring?" “No, a gold medal…” The pawnbroker takes it out of the box. 'What do you have with you now? I've never seen this before.' "It's a gold medal." I say.
He smiles. 'You call it gold, but it's gilded. I don't accept that.' 'Come on, sir, please take it. I only ask for 30 baht. Am a poor student and when the money comes from home I will pick it up again.' 'No not at all. If you don't show up, I lose on this.'
The boss shows no interest. Deeply disappointed, I take the medal back from him. How is it possible that something so valuable has absolutely no value to anyone else?
Living in the Temple; adaptation of stories from the last century. In addition to monks and novices, studying teenage boys from poor families live in the temple. They have their own room but depend on money from home or a snack for their food. On holidays and when schools are closed, they eat with monks and novices. The "I" person is a teenager who lives in the temple. (*) Sarong, loincloth, loincloth, in Thai more (pha-khaaw-ma). Also in Thai ผ้าโสร่ง (pha-sa-rong).