When I was married to a Thai girl, Part 2
So here it goes then, I was starting to realise my marriage wasn't what it really was, we'd just been to Thailand for the wedding and returned, to a somewhat dusty flat, but we made it back. First thing was to excitedly go and get my cat back from the neighbours place and tell her all about my adventures as a husband. The cat was rather unenthusiastc, much like my wife was becoming.
One of the first instances of my realisation that a banana skin had been thrown in was when I withdrew some cash from an ATM at the Palmers Green branch of Abbey National using a Barclays card. The ATM charged me 30 pence for the privelege.
When I got back and gave her the ATM slip she hit the roof at the 30p charge, telling me how stupud I was and how I never "save money". She told everybody at the restaurant, well all the Thais anyway. Some of them were indifferent to her attitude. Where some agreed that I was a stupid carefree farang who throws money away, some took my side in the matter, ie the Thais who were there who had been educated and brought up in London. Surprise surprise.
That night as I lay on the sofa watching ...something to pass the time, I tried to cast my mind forward a year..what would I be doing? With whom? How much more would my current situation deteriorate? I had already envisaged a break up and had to accept it for real. I gave up having too much heart in the marriage after the Thailand trip and certain events that occurred, like when we were in a Bangkok sharks fin restaurant and she wanted to show her status to the staff, so she did it, by being rude and ignorant, and when I questioned her, she cast a sarcastic smile that said "So what can you do about it? this is my country", the same smile that she gave me when she was egging me on to hit her before she finally left not that long after. A smile she knew I f**king hated with a vengence.
Back in the UK, she started again. On the phone to Thailand with the cheap phonecard, lousy reception so she would talk very loudly, and to save money she'd talk very fast. If you could imagine that for a second, it annoyed the fuck out of me, especially when she started talking to different regional Thais and using "sawadee Ja" instead of "kaa". It sounded so fucking false. Then I realised, she was being false. I'd say 75% of her existence was being false. Her workmates must have hated her at the restaurant she worked at, she could be a real spiteful bitch at times.
I couldn't go to bed never mind sleep, I was insomniac, so I went to my neighbour, Anthony's place, and for the last time I was able to convince him that I was having a happy marriage with a girl who was "up for it" and never left me wanting sexually. How I fooled him, so I thought. I used to tell him bullshit tales of being at it all night and something to do with oysters, and he loved it, until now..
"Pat" he said to me one day "Tell me the truth man" (he's Jamaican) "You ain't gettin shit are ya?" He was good at getting straight to the point.
I may as well just tell him.
"Nope and I haven't since April when we were in Thailand, and that was like having sexual relations with a large leg of beef, you know the shit you see hangin' up at the butchers...."
"Ok Pat very funny....boy, you gotta sort that shit out, man, no bitch ain't gonna play that shit with me"
"What the fuck do you want me to say? Does it not occur to you that our marriage is a sexual sham?"
"Since when?"
"Honestly, about 4 months after the first wedding in London, so almost 18 months"
"Pat man you want out of that shit don't ya?"
"You mean the dreaded "D" word?" I pretended to appear more shocked than I was.
"Well if you wanna give it a name then yes, divorce"
He stormed into the kitchen and made a cup of tea, and then threw it away when one of the biscuits he dunked in it collapsed and went into his
steaming mug. He slammed it on the sideboard.
"What you so worked up about?" I asked
"No bitch fucks with my bro', you know what I'm sayin'?"
"Chill man we'll talk later, I gotta go to Safeways to get some bin bags and bog roll"
"Ok man, I'm coming with ya" And threw his coat on.
"You see Pat, in life, girls will always come and go, but man will always be sitting on the porch chattin' about the times back in the day"
"This ain't Boyz in the Hood man, be serious" I said half jokingly.
"I am serious, that Italian gal did that same shit to me and I fucked her off, she tried to get the flat and all that but I'm smart, I know what these bitches want in life, stability and to take someone to the cleaners, that's a womans goal in life, to get her revenge on Adam for givin it to Eve up the chocolate tunnel in the Garden of Eden, just before she sucked off the snake in return for an apple"
"You believe that?" I was forced to picture the scene he just envisaged.
"Adam was black you know" He nodded as if he knew it was gospel "Kind of like a black olive colour"
"Ok Spike Lee, spare me the sermon mate"
Three days later I bought my fist bag of grass for ages, I was determined to be selfish and give myself some comforts rather than be trapped in this godforsaken arrangement. She's enjoying her life, controls the money, enjoys that too, does she think I'm enjoying mine? I don't think she gives a shit.
I flew away that night with the aid of a few cans of beer and her cackling on the phone became a distant murmur as I flew away with the cat perched on my stomach as I lay on the sofa.
I was woken startled a few minutes later by my wife screaming the words "Gan-jaa" several times out loud hysterically. She whacked the lights full on and I squinted.
"Why you smoke? it's mai dee, for guy with 'jai dam' you know, it's no good, same same very bad"
"Because I am trying to relax and I can't"
"Why?"
What a fucking nerve, after all this time with her nocturnal phone habits she has the balls to ask me that.
"You won't let me shut the living room door and all I can hear is you screaming at Thailand all night"
"It's for business, for us together in Thailand, it's important, you want that right? Or you want girl from a go-go give you hiv?"
She was obsessed with that last statemant and I counted that as the 16th time of her saying it.
"Right now I wanna be happy, that's all, and when I say now, I mean now, as in now, at 1.47am, here in my living room, I wanna relax at home and be allowed to. what about Thai men? Are they allowed to relax? Hell yeah"
I slammed the living room door shut as she left to go back to the bedroom. A small victory for yours truely. 1-0 to me so far. What was next?
As it was now October and I was preparing for the annual december slog of gigs back to back day after day, she went to Chiang Mai for the wedding of a good Thai friend we had met when he studied at St. Martins Art School in London. We had helped him with small favours like storage and loans and he always siad he'd look after us in the future.
His best man at the wedding was Thaksin Shinawatra's brother, and my wife being the person she was, had her picture taken with Thaksin himself, and that picture still to this day hangs framed in her restaurant in Nakhon Pathom. It brings in hordes of customer, coupled with the fact that her father used to be the mayor, it makes for a very high status-looking position to be in.
I had a glorious ten days at home alone or with at my neighbours, getting out of it once again like kids and talking about women and what we think they'd make good uses as. "Someone to love who'll do a bit of ironing for you" was the verdict.
To be continued.
When I was married to a Thai girl, Part 3
So there we were, at Brent Cross shopping centre once again to purchase an industrial pack of mama noodles and pick up some cut price phone cards from the Chinese supermarket so she could continue with her moonlight mission of completely depriving me of any shuteye.
Anthony was waiting for us in the car park. It was the August bank holiday, and he had a day off, the reason why he was happily driving me and my wife back and forth to Brent Cross was that I had agreed to attend the last day of the Notting Hill carnival that evening, much to my wife's not knowing. I honestly couldn't give a shit either way, hell, she could even come with us and get seduced by a bajan steel drum player for all I cared. She had now become a thorn in my side, and was enjoying it.
I was constantly tired from late nights and getting out of bed 'when I could still roll over for another two hours'. It was taking its toll and one of my agents complained that I looked so miserable whilst playing on stage one night that she was considering placing me at the side of the stage behind a curtain at the following months event. I agreed to this.
Another work friend of mine said that I now posessed a permanent 'furrowed brow' and that he hadn't seen me smile since 1998. Thanks!
"So whats goin on later Pat are we bussin' down carnival or what?"
"Yeah course man, anyone else coming?"
My wife caught wind of this just like I thought she would "Where you go tonight? You not stay home and save money?"
"I want to have some fun with friends tonight, it's bank holiday and I'm not staying at home on a night off, I'll need some money too"
"How mutt?"
"Give me 60 quid"
"What? no way paeng mak mak, I give you 20" She sarcastically said
"F*cking hell it's my cash, if I want 60 give me 60" I raised my voice, Anthony winked at me.
"But this money for us to have business..huh..huh" She started her fake sobbing, tears came down her cheeks at the drop of a hat, she was great at that.
Same as when I had to raise my voice at Heathrow airport after she tried to get out of our agreement that I have 1000 Pounds for our ten day trip to Bangkok. She tried to palm me off with 400 that day and I vowed she'd never pull a fast one again.
Many people think or assume that raining ones voice is a step towards being violent, but I disagree. There the physical movement of bringing yourself to hit somebody that I find very difficult. For some it's easy, for some it's easy after a few drinks, I can't either way.
"Money for business bla bla bla" I said under my breath. Even Anthony sighed when he heard that.
I found that I was constantly trying to find a way out of this trap of a marriage, I knew it would be a big bombshell to drop and had to choose the correct time . It had to coincide with all the staff at the restaurant knowing about my situation, and 'something' happening to ignite it. But what?
The restaurant was easy work really, the deputy manager, Pablo, a Spaniard was great, he'd managed restaurants in Spain and Gran Canaria, and was the stereotypical Spanish waiter who was good with most customers and as a bonus was great at mixing the cocktails. I was great at the financial side of the restaurant, but not much else. Upsetting customers I was good at I suppose.
The waiting staff were a mixed bunch, which we did deliberately. A Thai restaurant with a relaxed setting. No Thai music and regular staff, but fabulous food. With relaxing music too. No wailing Isarn or crappy traditional music.
I finally had to tell my allies at the restaurant of my charade which they told me later on that they had suspected all along, that my 'wife' didn't really love me, but loved my ability for her to recieve indefinite leave to remain via my marriage. I had blacked out that last sentence deliberately from my mind for fears of believing it but it was slowly coming to light.
Anthony was fully aware of it and he now the first person to know when I had some new evidence of her activities. Funny thing was though, she didn't appear to be in contact with another man, there wasn't that air of dread that you feel when a loved one is going with another person. So that's why i was able to keep my head above water. My friends were vitally important to me. I was always miserable, stoned, drunk and depressed when alone at home in the living room at night.
It was time to increase the odds and I announced that I would be keeping all my DJ salary but she still got my restaurant money to pay the bills. She tried to use the Thai business excuse but she knew that I knew it was wearing thin.
When ever we spoke to eachother on the phone our conversations religiously ended with "Love you" wherever we were but up to about 6 months ago I'd changed this into a mumbled "lubb ooh" from the side of my mouth whenever I was in public or at the restaurant. It was a tiresome exercise that was getting so cliched it was almost ridiculous. Other couples were happy under more extreme circumstances so why hadn't ours worked?
I scratched my head and came up with one reason: She's Thai, and they have this ridiculous and illusioned outlook on the world, even worse when they get rich and leave the land of snides, they have virtues however and these outweighed the negatives. Never try and change a Thai though, it's nigh on impossible. that was my philosophy almost 7 years ago, and it's remained unchanged.
Anthony was having a road rage incident meanwhile when a lady driver in front didn't race off the second the green light showed and he beeped his horn furiously saying
"Hurry up yer damned woman, you can't drive, you should be at home cookin ya stupid bitch"
She leaned out and turned round, "At least I drive a car you prick" she retorted.
She had a point, Anthony was still driving an Italian plated Renault 19, over seven years old, and a left hand drive. It was his ex-wifes car.
"You need to get a new car man" I advised him
"Oh thanks man, wanna give me the loan clever?"
I looked at my wife in the mirror sitting in the back seat and said "Well that may be sooner than you think"
The carnival was pretty unspectacular, I stayed sober much to the temptation of drinking, there was the stereotypical policeman grooving to some reggae while a young singer called Craig David's voice boomed out of almost every two-step stage. Anthony did the rounds, recognising door staff from various west end clubs, shaking hands then chilling out with his old friend who was a DJ at Choice FM, a black music station based in London.
Walked into my flat at midnight and was greeted with the lights full on and my wife packing her bags. I was all excited inside.
She was moving most of her stuff to a friends and gearing herself up so she could leave completely in one go I worked out, though I knew, she thought I was too stupid to work that out so I left it at that. Playing stupid was proving useful, it made me find out that she was almost just as dumb.
I went to the front room and whacked the tv on, cracked a beer from the fridge, then kicked the living room door shut after hearing the familiar beeps of the phone digits as she was beginning to dial.
What a life I'm living, its all so false but at least deep down I'm winning in a way, all who think I'm stupid, ie the Thai restaurant staff and my wife, know f*ck all about what I can leave this relationship with, because there is nothing she can take. The furniture? Wouldn't be worth it. The carpets are expensive, but I can't imagine that. The kitchen stuff? Who cares, I never do much more that boil eggs in there anyway and feed the cat. The cat? No they hate one another. The cat often tries to be humane towards my wife, but my wife being Thai, typically doesn't have that 'depth' required to feel love.
Anthony came round unexpectedly, cursing the fact he'd run out of grass.
"I got that gals phone number you know" He beamed
"What girl's that?" I was baffled, I hadn't seen him talk to any girls tonight, just touch fists with his homies all evening.
"At Brent Cross, the one at the Yakult tasting booth"
I vaguely remembered, but was standing with my wife at the time, doing my best not to acknowledge Anthony playfully toying with a blond girl's emotions whilst easily obtaining her phone number. The reason being that I always wanted my wife to be as far removed from anything sexual as possible, it was my own personal obsession, don't know why, probably a legacy of when I did indeed love her, to stop her getting or starting to get any ideas about loving an alternative person than me. Looking back, what a ridiculous and stupid way to go.
"She's coming to dinner next friday, I'm cooking"
"You lucky bastard" I was jealous
"Well once she tries black, there'll be no turning back" He said whilst licking the gum of his rizla to stick his joint together
"And" he continued, "She's got a nice friend she said she'll bring to meet you"
"So that's why you came round tonight" I laughed
I had another, new game I played now. The phone plug was located in the living room and each time I got up to visit the toilet I pulled it out, cutting my wife off in mid-sentence in the bedroom next door.
To be continued, again.