The fairy tale of a barmaid (final)

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In continuation to part 1 en part 2

The holiday of the farang is over. Nit accompanies him to the airport. Saying goodbye is hard for both of them. They had a great time together. Nit goes back to Pattaya. She wants to complete this month in the bar. She gets number one next month's salary.

Nit has asked the farang to call her every evening after work. The bar usually closes at midnight, customers are rarely there anyway. Nit then walks to the 'FamilyMart' to get some food. Once in her room, she is happy when the farang calls. They chat with each other for more than an hour. Despite her limited English, she manages quite well.

From bar life

The mamasan in the bar is sad that Nit is quitting. Nit and her friend are the only two she trusts. After work they go neatly to their room. The two other girls from the bar then walk down Beach Road to Walking Street in the hope of finding another customer. This is usually successful because the customers then do not have to pay 'barfine'. Mamasan suspects one of them even meeting customers from the bar there to avoid the 'barfine'. Mamasan likes Nit because she behaves normally and doesn't cause trouble.

In the phone conversations with the farang, Nit keeps hinting that she is going back to Isaan for him. It's her way of reminding him of his commitments and responsibility. The farang finds those remarks rather strange. He assumes that she is happy that she can leave work and return to her daughter and family.

He notices that Nit is very jealous. It doesn't matter that she goes with customers, he thinks, that's just work. The farang finds it hard to digest the idea of ​​her going with other men, although he understands that it's just 'business' for Nit. He is glad that the month is almost up and Nit is getting out of bar life.

This farang is different

Nit's sister came especially from Isaan to pick her up. Nit has gathered her things, given up the room and they are on their way to the bus station. Together they wait at the station for the bus to Isaan. The farang calls to give them a pleasant visit travel to wish. He calls again around midnight. Nit stayed awake especially for it. Almost everyone on the bus is already asleep. She talks softly to the farang. The phone conversations are always fun and they laugh a lot with each other. The farang lets it be known that he loves her. Nit is happy, she in turn feels love for the farang.

Nit thinks he can be a good man for her. Despite this, the other girls in the bar have warned her about a farang often enough. They have a sweet mouth. They say nice and sweet things, they promise you everything. Don't believe it. Most farang are 'Butterflyman', they cheat and put you aside for a prettier or younger bargirl. Or they transfer money for a few months and then suddenly stop. You can't trust them. But according to her, this farang is different. He has a good heart. And she wanted a relationship with a farang for that she went to Pattaya. So far everything is going according to plan.

Thai slut

Now that he is back in his country, the farang tries to sort out his feelings and reason. He discusses his relationship with Nit with some of his closest friends. That will be a disappointment. They laugh right in his face. All clichés and prejudices fly over the table. What do you want with a Thai slut like that? Those Thais are only after your money. You get the whole family there. And then the age difference of 20 years. Have you gone crazy? She could have been your daughter, hahaha.

The farang can't help laughing. They don't get it! What do they know about her? Have they been there? They don't even know her! He is deeply annoyed by the preconceived opinions. Nit is also a flesh and blood human being. There's no harm in that girl. She's just trying to support her family. They should respect that. Kees, his best friend, has to shut up completely. His mother is in a nursing home. He reluctantly visits her twice a year. And he of all people has a big mouth about Nit, who sacrifices herself for her family. The farang is angry and sad at the same time because of so much misunderstanding.

Complicated

The reaction of his friends has made him think. He asks himself whether a future with Nit is a realistic option? The thought of only seeing her for three weeks once a year doesn't cheer him up. He doesn't like bringing it to his country. It is winter and cold here now, she will be very bored. He has to work all day and then she is alone in his house.

He also doesn't feel like all the nagging from his family, friends and acquaintances. They will judge it. There will be a lot of gossip in the village where he lives. No one at work is allowed to know. He sighs deeply. He misses her. He would like to crawl back on his knees. Damn, he thinks. Why does it all have to be so complicated?

Nit has arrived in her village. It is weekend. The farang is free and calls Nit. The conversation is going smoothly. The connection is bad, the farang understands little of it. He suspects that the village has poor coverage. That too, the farang thinks. Nit doesn't sound happy. She must be tired from the journey, he thinks. Also the next day Nit sounds anything but cheerful. “Why are you not happy?” asks the farang. “I am scared,” says Nit. She is afraid that the farang will not keep his promises and will not send her money. The farang reassures Nit. 'I love you and I will take care of you,' he promises her.

Boredom in Isan

Nit has been home for two weeks now. She struggles with many questions. Nit has to wait almost a year for the farang to return. She realizes that a lot can happen in a year. His feelings and the memories of the fun vacation will fade. He may meet a woman in his own country. Dependence on the farang is oppressive. Nit feels that she has lost control of her life.

She has to get used to being home again. Nit has been gone for so many years. She has no privacy at home. In Pattaya she had a small room to herself. In addition, she is quite bored. Her daughter goes to school during the day. There is nothing to do in the village. She spends all day in front of the TV. Of course she helps her family with cleaning and cooking, but that's not a day job. Actually, she misses Pattaya. Not the fact that she had to go with farang for paid sex, but the atmosphere in the bar. She had a girlfriend there. Sometimes they went dancing in a disco on Walking Street. At least Pattaya is alive. The transition to the village in Isaan is very big.

Financial problems

The telephone conversations with the farang have become less pleasant. He only calls in the morning before he goes to work. He doesn't get home from work until 19.00:XNUMX PM. In Thailand is it six hours later. She goes to bed at 22.00 p.m. She sleeps in a room with her sister and three children. It is therefore not possible to make telephone calls in the evening.

Only on weekends they have the opportunity to chat a little longer. But because Nit doesn't have to speak English in Isaan, her speaking skills are deteriorating rapidly. That together with the poor connection makes communication extremely difficult. The farang has less and less desire to call her. She doesn't experience anything so there is little to discuss. The same tune every time. He increasingly comes up with an excuse not to have to call her. Nit notices that. She is worried.

Four months have now passed since the end of the holiday. The distance and the difficult communication has not done the relationship any good. Especially among the farang, feelings for Nit have leveled off somewhat. She has become more of a nice memory. In addition, he has financial problems. An expensive repair to his car plus an unexpected additional tax assessment meant that he had to use his savings. The jar for Thailand.

As a result, it will take at least two years before he has saved enough money for a next holiday. He can no longer miss the 220 euros that he sends to Nit every month. A reorganization and a different position at his employer have led to his earning less. The thought that he will have to transfer more than 5.280 euros to her in the next two years before he sees her again, is starting to bother him. Also because it won't stop after that. The farang is only 42 years old and cannot go to live in Thailand. “Why keep paying for years for a woman I rarely see. She's just a holiday fling. I look crazy,” he thinks.

Car accident

The farang makes a radical decision. He stops transferring money. He calls Nit to let her know the bad news. Nit doesn't understand and is inconsolable. The farang tries to explain and tells about his financial situation. Nit doesn't believe him. She feels cheated. “You promised to take care of me”, Nit sobs on the phone. The farang feels like shit. He realizes the consequences of his decision. "There's no point in going back on it, the confidence is gone now anyway," he thinks. He tries to calm Nit down. He promises to send her money for at least another two months.

Nit is at his wits end. She had finally found her feet at home. She was part of the family again. The bond with her daughter had been restored, she is no longer a stranger to her. Nit had her life in order. The farang's monthly contribution was spent wisely. Clothes for the children, school fees, seeds for her father. The TV broke, a new one was bought. They can't go back now. They desperately need the money.

Nit tells her sister what happened. Together they decide to tell her parents a different story. Nit informs her parents that the farang was in a car accident and died. With this lie she prevents loss of face and gossip in the village.

The farang feels guilty and rotten. Nit hasn't been heard from again. He calls her every day, but she doesn't answer. He misses her anyway. The feelings for her ran deeper than he thought. The knowledge that he will never see or speak to her again makes him sad. It is a constant battle between the mind and its feelings. The fact that Nit was dependent on him makes it even more difficult, he still feels responsible for her. Nevertheless, he still stands by his decision.

End of the fairy tale

A week after the ominous announcement, Nit decided to leave for Pattaya again. The farang had agreed to pay for another two months, but Nit is on the safe side. She gathers her things. Pon, Nit's daughter, doesn't understand and starts crying loudly. Mama is going to leave her again, maybe for a very long time. The whole family is upset.

The next day, Nit is on the bus on his way to Pattaya. She has to find a room there. She doesn't know if she can go back to the previous bar. All kinds of gloomy thoughts run through her head. The uncertain future gnaws at her. She sighs and feels empty. The other barmaids had warned her about the pranks of a farang.

Nit looks out the window of the bus. It rains. Time crawls by. She looks at the display of her phone. No more text messages from the farang. She deleted all old text messages. He would come back for her. They would vacation together. Go to the beach again and eat by candlelight. Big tears roll down her cheeks. Her fairytale is over and out. She wipes away her tears and vows never to trust a farang again.…