Operation Cheer Up

On Saturday morning I went out as planned to Thaicraft as I thought it might cheer me up. It didn’t really so having bought two little Christmas tree decorations I set off for Starbucks a few sois further along Sukhumvit. I’d brought my book out (Girl, Missing by Sophie McKenzie) which unofficial Godless Daughter had recommended to Son and me back in the summer.

I took my grande English Breakfast tea upstairs and - okay, yes, and a muffin … I was still feeling sad, okay - and went to perch at the window. This was my view, so I didn’t come for that, did I?

However, if I looked through the window under the table down on to the pavement I got a really fascinating view of some of the street life in Bangkok. I’ve often noticed that there was a wide variety of people hanging around here but it was two years before I realised they weren’t all waiting for buses.

Yesterday there were two girls. The first one had the body of a teenager and the face and posture of a bad tempered, disappointed woman of indeterminate age. She was dressed cheaply in rubber flip flops, a pussy pelmet denim skirt and an orange spaghetti top which had an embroidered butterfly on it.

The second was her opposite. She was tall, beautiful and immaculately groomed. She worked really hard on her manner, smiling at all the guys that came past while she ran her hands coyly through straightened hair. She leaned on a lamp post (really) and hooked her gold sandaled foot up behind her. When one guy did come up to her they chatted for a while and then she squeezed his arm muscles playfully, before presenting him with her backside which he (equally) playfully smacked. All of a sudden her face changed – the flirtatious smile was gone – I think he must have told her he wasn’t interested because he moved off.

I’m not sure at what point I realised she really was the first girl’s opposite – she was a katoey - a ladyboy.