A new Isaan life (1)

Piak, in his mid-thirties, has adapted to married life after some effort. Formerly a loser, in the top three of the village drunks, hardly worked and lived on his status as the only male descendant in a family of four children. The mother paid his bills that he had scattered around, constantly trying to persuade him to work by buying all kinds of tools, often expensive such as welding equipment and other machines, but nothing helped.

The Inquisitor quickly realized that and could not respect Piak, on the contrary, it was often a fight when he came to take advantage of his eldest sister - the sweetheart of De Inquisitor.

Piak dared to come and claim a meal after drinking, he asked for cash and other nonsense. Before long it came to a huge confrontation in which some pawing was unavoidable, but the male, although in the prime of his life, was soon defeated - it happened in the garden of The Inquisitor and there were no other villagers around the neighbourhood. Arguing with love of course, in those days De Inquisitor was still fully engaged in empathizing with the Isan family norms. Fortunately, sweet and The Inquisitor were already sure of a future together, it was discussed, a few "farang rules" came together with a number of "Isaan habits" that set the boundaries to the satisfaction of both. Piak remained at the lao kao, but now understood that the Inquisitor's house could not understand this, let alone support. And that macho behavior resulted in nothing more than a sore chin and a swollen jaw.

The turning point came after two years, partly due to a rather controversial intervention by De Inquisitor. Once already described in detail in an old blog, but the bottom line is that De Inquisitor secretly pushed him free lao khao for a week. Bottles. And more bottles. Until Piak got deliriums, saw ghosts, roared at no one at night. He admitted total physical accommodation: to a temple where he made a vow to a monk not to consume any alcohol for two years. And behold, it worked - the respect for faith and a little fear of ghosts made him simply not dare to drink anymore.

Piak became more zealous, he took over the family rice fields because they were leased. He started small projects like growing vegetables, and he discovered that he liked to produce charcoal - he can wander through the woods looking for wood and immediately collect other things like mushrooms and bamboo shoots. And he wanted a wife. Quite a hassle, also described in previous blogs. And so he married Taai, a young Isan whose family could not make too high demands in terms of sinsod because she was divorced and already had a son, PiPi.

Last year the news came: Taai is expecting. Another upsurge for sweetheart's child's wish, The Inquisitor has to hoist all sails again to ward it off. Taai was still active for a few months, she helped with the rice, she grew vegetables for sale and sold them herself, she even made plans to set up a chicken stand. But strangely enough, from her fifth month of pregnancy she stops everything. This is in contrast to the custom here: women continue to work until the eighth month. Her story is not good for the little one because everyone can see that she is in top condition herself. She does absolutely nothing more than laze around. Come and sit in the shop all day long or settle down in the nearby sala, which now also has a hammock. Isaaners leave everyone alone with whatever they do or decide, but eventually even Piak gets a little angry about that laziness. Because Taai can go to the town with the moped to friends, she goes to the market every day because she likes to do that.
Intervene sweetly, she has adopted some farang behavior. Can't Taai easily take the cows to a grazing spot and pick them up again? And harvesting vegetables like the beans, isn't that a problem? Bringing and picking up PiPi from school with the moped, what's the point?
Taai realizes that she needs to be a little more active, but that doesn't last long.

Once PiPi comes home from school, she drops him at the sweetheart. The little guy is four years old and quite active, but this is still something crazy, thinks De Inquisitor. Especially when the kindergarten closes for two months because of the holidays. De Inquisitor believes that if you have children, you should take care of them yourself. Taking over the care for an hour or two is no problem, but a whole day, every day...? It even goes so far that PiPi has to go wherever we go. Shopping, a trip, PiPi along. When we sit at home on our terrace in the evening, PiPi comes to ask for attention.

Time to intervene again. That goes smoothly, Taai is a bit timid with The Inquisitor, she is a typical Isan woman with respect for people of higher status - and that is also De Inquisitor in her eyes. Still, The Inquisitor remains concerned. Because he is sure that once the new offspring will be there, which will also be dropped during the day with the love. Under the guise of 'I have to do something – will you take care of it?' And then he will have to pay to run the shop and he doesn't want that, an hour now and then is ok, but not a whole day. Well, take care of later.

And then the time has come. Taai has to give birth, the sweet is unstoppable in her urge to provide help and The Inquisitor is involved in it. Isan conditions: take to the hospital in the nearby town. Is Taai without a passport. Ole, go get it, another fast ride because without a passport they don't do anything there, contractions or not. There is also a lot of convenience in the car. Apparently you have to bring everything yourself: towels, laundry, food, drinks. Well, the hospital doesn't cost them anything either, in the region only a few give birth at home. And then it's waiting, sweetheart doesn't want to go home, she wants to stay. OK dear, but I'm not going to open the shop. The Inquisitor is gone then, just sitting in the hospital bored until… that can take hours.
Around eighteen hours a message arrives: it is a son. Two kilograms six hundred grams, forty-nine centimeters in size. And another ride: going to pick it up.

The next day De Inquisitor wakes up quite late, it is almost eight o'clock. And sees that the shop is closed. Liefje-sweet comes from Piak's house, she wants to go to the hospital again. Oh dear. "The whole day?' “Yeah, that's how we do it here.” “Where is Taai's family then, and why is Piak at home?” "Ah, they should work." "And you"?
The latter is too logical, love slams shut. A ride in silence and only towards evening the phone comes, cheerful and well, “can you come and get me?” The sweet tells a hundred, she is full of the baby. Don't you really want to ..., on top of that she is extra sweet in bed. Oh dear, look at the comics in her bedside table tomorrow morning, The Inquisitor thinks before letting himself go.

The third day the same scenario but De Inquisitor makes no more comments. And startles when he has to pick up sweetheart at noon. Damn, now he was just planning to have a beer in Kam Ta Kla and play some pool in the Australian's bar. Anyway, everything is back to normal The Inquisitor thinks and sits down with the love who opened the shop. Few people, the rains fall endlessly. Then the usual business, closing the shop early, feeding the dogs, eating together on the terrace. Take a shower around nineteen and go to bed, blissful, wonderful reading with the rustling rain in the background.
Just before XNUMXpm a phone call: Taai and the baby are allowed to leave the hospital…. Gadsammejee. Tomorrow morning yes? No, now, she wants to go home.

Pfff, dirty mood back in the clothes, dogs in their cage, car outside, dogs out of their cage and go ahead. Destroyed hospital. What a hassle with that baby.

Should The Inquisitor also go in, the personal items go back and, moreover, an extra person smiles sweetly. With a dark face, The Inquisitor puts out his cigarette and steps into the hospital with bent shoulders, up the stairs to the maternity ward.

Taai is already standing there with a beaming smile, the baby in her arms.

Such a little, carefree sweet thing. The Inquisitor was immediately sold. So beautiful.

Taai even hands him the baby, The Inquisitor like a helpless idiot trying to do it right because this was way too long ago. Fortunately, the love takes over the newborn because down the stairs because no, that won't work out with The Inquisitor who doesn't want any accidents.
He has never driven so slowly and carefully. There is new life in the car and he feels responsible, it is raining and the Isaaners are driving as if it were a race track. He doesn't mind spending a few more hours with Piak and Taai at home, snuggles down next to the baby, who is lying on a small blanket on the floor, with a dome of blue mosquito netting over it. He looks and looks, laughs when those oh-so-little feet start to kick in the bussel, which fortunately isn't too tight.

Back in bed, very late for us to do, it sweetly announces that tomorrow there will be plenty to do in the Piak house.
No objections whatsoever, just wake me up!