'The Houseboy's Second Trap'; a short story by Watcharawan
House servant Ploi
'Ploi! Plop!'……. 'Ploi? Hello, someone has to open the gate! The car is here!'
The lady of the house called out to Ploi when the honking stopped. Ploi dropped the garden shears on the lawn and ran to the garden gate. A pack of domestic dogs preceded him. The lead dog reached the gate first before the common dogs; he belonged to the European race and was tall and strong. The little Thai dogs trudged after to greet their master.
They wanted to show how happy they were that the owner was back, that they had done their dog duty in his absence and that they had kept the house well guarded. Ploi opened the gate and closed it directly behind the car so that mutts couldn't come into contact with the genteel dogs inside.
The master of the house got out, greeted the sheepdog as always, and then the excited other dogs who waited impatiently for their part in the petting. Then he asked Ploi, as he did every day, "Did you prepare the sheepdog's dinner properly?" "Certainly, sir," replied Ploi, at times convinced, at times hesitant as to the quality of the meat set aside for the dog. The meat was sometimes so good that Ploi ate it himself….
'Get the manure ready for my orchids, Ploi!' Mister hadn't said it yet and you heard Mrs calling from the kitchen 'Ploi, Ploi, come here quickly…' Mister made it clear with a hand gesture that Ploi had to hurry. The children were already washed and dressed after school and played in the garden. The nursemaid Rose had the youngest member of the family on her arm and went to play with him in the garden. Ploi secretly and longingly looked at her and dreamed of…..
Rose
Rose was 14 years old but grew into a charming girl. Ploi was also young: 17 years old. He hurried to do the work the landlady assigned him. And he had not finished it when the master of the house called him to the orchids. Ploi had to spray water with fertilizer on all plants, including very expensive ones. And then the house servant had to open the gate very quickly to let in the landlady's sister who came to visit with her car.
Soon after, 'Her Highness' entered the garden and discovered the garden shears on the lawn; and she began to lash out at Ploi. She had previously told the house servant loud and clear that he was a danger to the smallest. Ploi had bowed low when it was pointed out to him. Because maybe the children could have been injured and got tetanus….
Yes, the working atmosphere was hectic. You had to serve a lot of people at the same time, and then they make such a racket. It made him so angry that he thought about canceling. But Rose's clear look, full lips and sweet nose calmed him down. Because of Rose, he would grit his teeth and persevere.
The cook Somnuk
When Ploi walked past the kitchen with the garden shears, cook Somnoek gave him very friendly nods that clearly expressed her feelings for the house servant. That made Ploi shy. "What kind of soup are we having today?" he asks kindly but somewhat distantly. “I'll set aside a full plate for you. You get extra, but only you,' she said very politely.
Don't push yourself like that, Ploi thought. He looked with disgust at the sunken little face with bulging frog eyes of the burly 25-year-old Somnuk. She always rustled first-class food for him.
Ploi comes from the northeast of Thailand. His parents are farmers and he has seven siblings. He is sixth at home. Came to Bangkok to become a driver. At the brokerage office they asked how long he had been driving a car. When he answered honestly that he had never driven a car, they laughed at him and placed him as a house servant and gardener with this family. No, driving was not allowed, but he was allowed to wash the cars and he fulfilled this assignment very precisely. You have to work your way up slowly, right?
After three months of service, he was still a house servant, gardener and car wash, but ... he was occasionally allowed to hold Rose's hands and she closed her eyes charmingly. Ah, the first step was taken!
Ploi never had any money. His 300 baht salary was spent on clothes and he could not save anything. On the contrary, he had to borrow money from Rose and for extra food he tried to curry favor with Somnuk. He got extra food and dessert from her and Somnoek showed that he wanted more with him, but that scared him a bit….
Those folk songs...
That night Somnuk walked in her bath towel to the bathroom in the servants' quarters. But for reasons that are not clear, she passed that door and entered the servant's house. Ploi lay on the bed and whistled a folk song. The big, burly Somnuk complimented him excessively on his songs and Ploi whistled another and another and….
The next morning Rose cried and didn't look at Ploi again. Somnuk, on the other hand, hummed yesterday's last song and packed all their things into a suitcase. Without consulting, she went to Mrs. and Mr. and also resigned on behalf of Ploi to go back to their home in the northeast.
To the Isan
On the way Ploi said to Somnuk 'Have you lost your mind now? I didn't want to cancel at all. Why do you do that? I don't have a red cent. What should we live on?' Somnuk smiled proudly. "I have more money than Rose, look, two thousand baht." She showed it to him. And Ploi became happy again. Ha, now we're rich! How lucky, I don't have to work as a house servant anymore. Two thousand baht; a power!
Ploi looked at Somnuk and considered their future together. Somnuk had only one brother and he had recently died. Her parents were both old so they didn't have to take care of anyone for a long time. Everything they earned they could keep for themselves. Somnuk was happy and she looked pretty pretty. You can, if you're happy.
'Father! Mother!' Somnuk called from afar and ran to meet her parents. The old parents were peeling bamboo stalks. Somnuk crouched down to greet them. Ploi remained somewhat shy and timid at a distance.
"This is my guy!" This is how Somnuk introduced her Ploi to her parents. 'And isn't he a handsome fellow? Good, isn't it? He can take my brother's place in the rice field so that we can pay our rent debts sooner.'
Source: Kurzgeschichten aus Thailand. Translation and editing Erik Kuijpers.
Author Watcharawan; pseudonym for Dr Sitha Pinitpuwadol, 1932. Professor/lecturer/translator French at Ramkamhaeng University in Bangkok. She writes short stories, especially in the 60s. Her stories are about people from the Isaan who go to Bangkok for work and often fall victim to their gullibility.