My Hometown
I left Nam Jai to start a new life.
The other reason was because there wasn’t much to do in our sleepy town.
It was isolated and cut-off that we were lucky if the tourists came to explore the island.
We needed money and my grandmother’s business wasn’t earning much or anything at all.
I had to find a way to help her.
But there was always a part of me that craved the familiar -- the white beach, the broken-down house I called home, the warmth of the people who knew me since I was young and of course, my grandmother.
She took care of us when our parents died from a car accident.
I would always be grateful for that.
Whenever I finished an assignment, I would come home to see her.
It also gave me a chance to get myself together and stay sane.
My job with Dark Skies Securities was dangerous.
I was assigned the elite clients because of my military background.
I didn’t tell my grandmother about what my job entailed.
She thought that when I left the island, it was to study as an accountant.
She should know better.
The reason was not plausible.
I wasn’t good with school.
Math was not my forte.
Heck.
I wasn’t good with any subject.
But it made my grandmother happy to know that I was finally doing something good with my life.
I felt guilty for lying but I excelled in the military.
If it weren’t for anxiety and claustrophobia, I wouldn’t have been discharged.
We were sent on a mission and was ambushed on the way to the mountains.
I was trapped inside the vehicle with dead bodies around me.
The incident set off a series of nightmarish episodes until I was medically discharged.
I ended up working for DSS based on a recommendation from one of my colleagues who was already working for the company.
As long as I’m not trapped or if I don’t forget to take my medications, I’m good.
Elevators weren’t scary places anymore.
My suggestion to hide May at Nam Jai was not a spontaneous decision.
It gave me the opportunity to come home and see my grandmother at May’s expense.
When I called the last time, I learned that my grandmother was hospitalized.
I couldn’t see her then because I was in Hong Kong.
The anticipation to finally go home and retire was quickly extinguished when my boss gave me this assignment.
***
The Hong Kong job was uneventful.
My duty was to protect the heiress of a mining conglomerate.
She closed the merger without a hitch.
I went back to Thailand in one piece.
What happened with May hasn’t happened in a long time.
The adrenaline kicked in when I saw the motorcycles tailing us.
I trusted my instincts and was proven right.
Keeping someone safe and alive had to be one of the hardest jobs in the world.
***
“Is it true?” May and I were in line, waiting to board the plane.
“What?”
“We have to take a boat to get to our location?”
“Yes.”
“How long is the trip?”
“An hour if the conditions are good.”
“If it’s not?”
“It’s longer. The trip depends on the weather.
“Crap.”
“Is there a problem?
“Nothing.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
My instinct told me she was lying but I didn’t push it because May kept quiet.
***
She worked during the entire flight, responding to emails, fingers flying on the keyboard.
May didn’t take off her hat and sunglasses just like what we agreed on.
After what happened, she had to be unrecognizable.
That proved to be a challenge after the coverage of the trial with the guy the people dubbed as Batman.
Suddenly, she was this lawyer who was hated by the nation.
Reporters hounded her after the verdict was passed.
I shared her theory that the initial attack and when we were together were all connected.
The cops knew it too.
They were just being careful to jump to conclusions.
But we all knew the truth.
***
The sky was clear and a vibrant blue when we reached the port.
I unbuttoned the black suit and loosened the skinny tie because it was so hot.
May was in a light shirt and linen pants and looked comfortable.
The medium-sized boat reached us and a short, pudgy man with scattered white hairs nodded at me.
I told him our destination.
He hopped out of the boat to take May’s luggage.
“This is our ride?” She pointed to the blue and white boat with the peeling paint and black plastic tarp.
“We’re you expecting a yacht?”
“Are you sure it would make it to where we’re going?”
We heard creaking sounds coming from inside the boat.
“Don’t worry. The people here are experts at what they do. Now, give me your hand. We don’t want to keep them waiting,” I jerked my head towards the old man loading her suitcase in the boat.
May sat on the wooden bench while I took the spot across from her.
When the engine roared and we left the port, I noticed that she was holding tightly to the edge of the bench.
***
We were five minutes into the trip when I heard May’s shallow breathing.
“Are you okay?” I moved and sat beside her.
Her face was pale and sweaty.
I thought it was because of the heat.
Instead of answering, she threw up on the water.
“Are you seasick?”
The retching sound was the reply.
I reached for my backpack and took out a first aid kit.
There was a small bottle of peppermint oil and I took out the cap and gave it to her.
“How much longer?” She asked after inhaling the potent liquid.
“Asking about it won’t make the trip go any faster.”
“I’m going to die.”
“No, you won’t. Not on my watch.”
She smiled at that.
“Why didn’t you tell me that you get seasick?”
“Would you change your plan if you knew?”
“We could go somewhere that doesn’t need a boat.”
“Like where?”
“I have no idea.”
She chuckled.
“Tell me a story,” May’s eyes were half closed, hands clutching the edge of her seat.
“What kind of story?”
“Anything to get me distracted from the bobbing of the boat and all this water.”
I thought for an answer and came up with something I hold dear.
“I like fireflies.”
“You do?”
“Yes. We have a lot of those. I hope you get to see it while we’re at Nam Jai.”
“Why do you like them?”
“Because they light up?” I grinned.
“That’s it? It’s not because fireflies are magical creatures?”
“It is. I mean how many insects have butts that light up?”
May laughed, her beautiful round eyes disappearing and the dimples on her cheeks getting deeper when she did.
When I learned that she was a lawyer, I expected someone stern or harsh.
But she was warm and easy to talk to.
She was one of the few clients who actually talked to me about stuff other than what I do.
I was wary of her type.
It was easier when the clients were just about the business.
No conversations, no questions about who I am and no request to tell them random stories.
But here I was sharing one of my cherished memories as a child.
“What’s on your mind?”
I blinked and May was staring at me.
“Nothing.”
“What else do you like aside from fireflies?”
“Why don’t you tell me about what you like?”
“I love to read novels.”
“What kind?”
“Romance. Love stories.”
“What do you like about them?”
“I like that there’s a possibility of a happy ending.”
“Do you want one for yourself?”
“Don’t you?”
“I’m not into novels or love stories.”
“What do you like?”
I shrugged.
“Come on, Ai. Indulge me. It helps to talk.”
“Fine. I like walking along the shore and watching the sunset. To me, it felt like the sun’s final hoorah of the day. Splashes of gold, silver, pink or red all over the sky and then the sun hides behind the cloud to say good night. That’s what I like.”
“You’re good.”
“Huh?”
“I said you’re good. The way you describe the sunset made me feel like I was watching it with you.”
My cheeks suddenly felt hot.
I looked away and from a distance saw that we were almost at our destination.
“We’re close,” I said.
“Thank God,” She sniffed the bottle again.
“Are you feeling better?”
“Yes.”
“Any minute now and we will be in Nam Jai.”
***
We had to take a Tuk-Tuk to get to my grandmother’s place.
It would be a fifteen minute ride from the port.
When May saw our transport, she didn’t get on.
Instead, she had a quizzical look.
“This is our ride?” She pointed to the colorful yellow and green aluminum sidecar with red upholstered seats.
“Yes.”
“Is this safe?”
“As far as I know. Why don’t you go in first? I’ll take the seat closest to the entrance.”
“Isn’t there an Uber or something?”
I looked at the driver who was listening to our conversation.
He didn’t look pleased.
“We are in Nam Jai. An Uber is from the future.”
“You’re joking, right?”
“No.”
She let out a sharp exhale and then bent down to get inside.
I took the seat beside her.
May crossed her arms in front of her chest clearly annoyed.
“Just sit tight. Or you can hold on to me if that makes you feel better?”
She didn’t move.
“Suit yourself.”
The driver pushed on the pedal and drove away.
The sudden jolt made May grab my arm.
***
My part of town had unpaved roads and endless rows of palm trees.
If it rained, it would be muddy and harder for the vehicles to traverse.
When the Tuk-Tuk gets stuck, we would all get out to help the driver lift the vehicle out of the mud.
If it was sunny like today, the roads were dusty.
May covered her face when dust swirled all around us.
When I said Nam Jai was the land before time minus the dinosaurs roaming around, I wasn’t kidding.
I could have given her more information to prepare her for what to expect but it was too late now.
My grandmother’s bed and breakfast was at the end of the road.
The driver stopped in front of the two-story wood and concrete house.
Even if Nam Jai was a bustling tourist town, the visitors wouldn’t be attracted to the ramshackle house.
It would literally be the last resort for them.
They had to look inside to be enticed to stay with us.
I paid the fare and took May’s suitcase out of the vehicle while she dusted off her arms and clothes.
“Welcome,” I said while pulling the suitcase behind me.
She scowled.
I ignored her reaction and reached my arm to unlatch the lock of the wooden gate.
The hinges creaked when I pushed it open.
My grandmother’s place had rows of orchids hanging on the concrete wall.
May couldn’t help but say wow when she saw the beautiful flowers.
This would be the main attraction if I ever had to pitch the B & B to a tourist.
There was a wind chime hanging by the front door.
I flicked the aluminum tube and the tinny sound floated in the air.
That was how I announced my arrival.
It bothered Oom a lot.
She used to asked why I couldn’t knock like a normal person but where was the fun in that?
The door opened and I put on a big smile to greet my grandmother.
But when I saw who answered the door, the smile on my face disappeared.