Manipulative or honest?

[mattwasp]

A true story - apologies for length (said the vicar to the actress, etc.)

 

I'm sure that the cinics will rubberstamp my story with the word 'novice' in big letters on my forehead, but there's nothing on TV and I can't sleep.

 

Right..

 

Last year I met a girl (petite, dark hair - you probably know the one ) outside Nana Disco. My assumption at the time was that she was part of the normal 2am scenery. My drinking buddy had wandered off to receive a bollocking from someone for not calling or some-such, so I started chatting. She looked uninterested at first, as many genuine girls do when I speak to them, so I knew I was onto a winner! Indeed it transpired that the car she was leaning on was hers, inside which - it turned out - was her maid from up country. Her nonplussed state was apparently due to being in the carpark rather than the club. The doormen weren't fooled by the Khao San ID and this 19 year old was relegated to the street while her friend partied indoors. I suggested we go and get a drink and a bite to eat, which cheered her up a bit, so I whistled my friend away from his brawl and we all got into the city-car. Wow, what a scary driver. Out of Nana Hotel and down Soi 4 on the wrong side of the road... flying over a bump in some nondescript Soi and towards a string of stopped traffic while the wheels scrabbled for grip on the soaking wet ground. It was funny in a 'full of alcohol and fearing for your life' kind of way, but I was glad when we stopped at the hotel. I was staying at the Rex - a tired looking place which is plucked from obscurity by the calibre of staff who work there. That and the round the clock coffee house. To cut a long story short, she stayed in my room, and with us for a few days of sightseeing and shopping. I went with her to collect some things from her parents' apartment in lower sukhumvit - the spoils of her mother's productive re-marrying up in Issan, she said. Nothing pointed to a 'bargirl' photofit. In fact nothing was remotely odd. I didn't think for a moment that any of it was untrue. Why would it be, its not like she's a hooker and I'm old enough to be her grandfather! I'm only 6 years her senior, maybe she just likes me!

 

Two days later she left. She wasn't staying long in Bangkok, she had said, so it wasn't a great surprise when I awoke to find her gone. Not brilliant, but not surprising. My friend was already at Morning Night - it was early afternoon - and told me later that he'd seen her go into Nana Plaza briefly.

 

Either way, I didn't see her again that trip.

 

6 months later I was back in Thailand and decided to call her. Yes, she was in Bangkok, and I was to come to Gullivers to see her immediately. There she was, beamimg, full of life as before. Different haircut, but otherwise the same as I remembered her. We chatted and drank for a while, and then she became very serious and the conversation came to 'something I have to tell you' - she was working in Nana Plaza. I was actually choked. But why?? What happened to miss mummy's girl? She went to on explain about her family giving her a hard time, and that she didn't want to take their money any more. So she had decided to work in the bar. It was only temporary, to save enough money to open a hair salon in Cantrememburi, or somewhere. The old script, so well rehearsed by girls before her, grated on my ears as she said it. Though I ignore it - I'm not going to judge - it certainly sounds better than 'got kicked out, and hooking is all I can do' and I would have said the same in her position! Anyway, she says she wanted to tell me so that I know. That's OK. I wanted to wrap her up in cotton wool and rock her to sleep.

We went back to my hotel and had some fun. At 1am she said she had to leave, and brought up her current employment status again. Ah. I see. I gave her a thousand baht and she wai'd and left silently.

 

I knew she had changed, and saw the situation for what it was. I was the customer, nothing more. Fine if you understand it, but why the change?

 

I saw her that night at the bar in the Plaza - she looked pleased to see me, and in that bra and pants combo I was pretty pleased to see her too! She bounded over and thanked me for coming to see her. She called the mamasan over.. Some conversation passed and she turned to me and announced that I was exempt from barfines for her, then went off to boast to her colleagues. I was totally lost - the stories of con artist academy nominees bounced around in my head and I couldn't fit it together. A few glasses of JD and coke put that to rest, and then we left. Bed Supperclub weren't so thorough with her ID as Angels Disco had been before, and we had a good time dancing and drinking until the lights came on.

 

The next few days were a similar pattern - though she moved more into the girlfriend role, and had stopped asking for money. She insisted I came and visited her at her home, about 2 hours from the hotel in Sukhumvit it turned out - over near the Airport and left a bit I think.. She spoke to the taxi driver through my mobile phone to command directions, and it was 350 baht or thereabouts on the meter, that's all I remember. There weren't any other farangs for miles, and I remember thinking that if they wanted to bury me under the floor my family wouldn't know where to start looking!

 

It was actually really nice - her cousins and friends came round and she made a feast fit for royalty for everyone. Her cousin was sent to the 7-11 by Moped to keep Khun Shrollski stocked up on Heineken and cigarettes, and my worries melted away. I had forgotten the lower Sukhumvit apartment, and contemplated mentioning it.. this certainly was a fair commute away from Soi 4. Oh well - have another beer and relax.

 

The next day followed a night of annoying un-airconditioned sleep. Her birthday it transpired! We and her cousin and friend drove over to Siam Dreamworld (in the same city-car she had before, by the way) and I spent the day feeling particularly soluable. I am not built for Bangkok heat without bars and aircon, and I think I lost about a stone that day. Never mind, it was a nice excursion - and birthday girl was having fun.

 

She drove me back to Sukhumvit around mid afternoon, and said she was going to order a cake and get her hair done - and that there would be a big party at the bar in her honour around 8pm. I showered, changed and ate in the hotel, then went to Morning Night for a beer.

I passed the time until around 8, then wandered round the corner to the bar. She wasn't there, but that was OK - she was probably getting her hair done still. I waited for a while and drank and chatted in broken Thai with the mamasan to pass the time.

 

9pm rolled around and she arrived. She was not alone though.. a tall, gangly looking westerner was with her. She sat with him and her gogo-chums and started ordering drinks. What was going on? Who is this guy?? A few minutes pass. She acknowledged me, and brought a drink over from her stash of bottles. I asked her who he was. She replied to the tune of 'friend - who she had to meet at Gullivers because he didn't know she worked in the bar'.

Right. My head was full of fire.

'He wanted to give me a present, and didn't know where this bar was'

Really? Not hard to find though, is it. Implausible comment followed implausible comment, then she left to sit with her friends and the mystery guy. I was boiling up. I downed the drink I had bought, left hers, and left the bar.

 

I went straight back to the Morning Night, where as luck should have it my old friends Poo and Wee (names changed) were there. I recounted the whole evening, and they didn't look surprised. She is notorious in these parts, they said. "Everybody knows her." "She have husband already" "She working in Nana for about 2 years"

What? So the girl I met 6 months ago was lying to me then? The flat, the car, the money, the lifestyle - this wasn't a mummy's girl!

By now a small group had gathered. I was less annoyed and less sad the more I was comforted... Jack Daniels was the life and soul of this party, and everyone was invited.

 

Not for long though.. I had to go back, like a moth to a light, I couldn't help it. 'loss of face' kept nagging at me. I went back to the bar, and sat in view but a good distance from Birthday girl. The mamasan came to talk to me. We agreed that Birthday Girl was a bad girl, that I would have a JD and coke and the mamasan would have a whiskey. I tried to ignore the party, and Mr Noname.

 

She came over, I asked her how long she had been working in the bar. She didn't answer, or maybe I didn't give her time to.. She left and went back to the party.

I was angry. I spent baht on anyone who came to talk to me. Drinks racked up on the ledge in front of me, as the mamasan brought girls over one by one, and each got a drink and a compliment.

 

My travelling buddy turned up a while later, and asked what I was doing so far away from birthday girl - Then spotted the foot long receipt in my cheque pot and other-guy sitting with the party. 'Say no more.'

 

I left with my friend, and went back to the hotel with the girl from Morning Night for some company.

 

How had I been so blind? None of it made sense though - the girl 6 months ago. Ah yes, the mysterious trip to Nana Plaza before she left. Maybe some of it did make sense.

 

The next night I partied in Q bar and its associated after-hours counterpart, and returned late to the hotel. A flower and a letter of apology and love were awaiting me at reception.

[Old Hippie]

This sounds familiar...so, what next?

[mattwasp]

Well from that point on I was torn between:

 

A. She had to lie to me to juggle a complex life that I don't really understand, and maybe she does feel something for me that goes beyond the comments other people made..

 

and

 

B. A lie isn't the best foundation for a relationship, especially when you live that far apart.

 

I went with B.. eventually.

[Old Hippie]

ok. Was her name "Jen" by chance?

[sanddawg1]

Some of these girls should be in Hollywood the way they can act. My favorite BG looks me in the eye and tells me stories that would break your heart. Says she does not lie you know yada-yada. But from what I've seen and read I can't allow myself to beliebe. There will be no ball-busting from S1.

 

S1

 

 

[mattwasp]

No.. Though in terms of details, I have left out the real clincher(s). Who's she then?

[Old Hippie]

Just a girl with a similar story...

[asiafun]

Dude, there are those who have and those who will. If you spend a significant amount of time in the LOS, sooner or later your going to get burned.

 

I have and probably just about every other senior member of the board with the guts and integrity to admit it has been played as well.

 

Jack, Jim and Mr. Walker are indeed among the many friends that can help along with the tens of thousands of young ladies who are eager to replace a less-deserving bar wench!

[Central Scrutinizer]

Schrollski,

 

I'd say she is honestly manipulative! :smirk:

 

Cent

[ChristianTroy]

Without reading the other replies Khun Shrollski,

 

why in gods name you assume she is a good girl when you can pick her up on the street just like that???

 

A really good girl wouldn't do that, you would have gotten her phone number at best!

 

With all due respect,

that is the typical case of what men would like to believe and make it become their reality! No offense intended, I am just trying to be honest here!

 

You said you could be her grandfather, how are you supposed to believe she is not a hooker when she goes with you after a minor chat?

 

She was 100% Manipulative