Gemsicuted

Written by Julian Robov


Thirty Eight


It was taking him nowhere and for Lam the 37carat ruby experience was leading him to such a hell, he lost all interest in his family and in himself. In two days time he was going to know his fate whether he had a job with Rubyhall. But he had already made up his mind. He wanted to flee Bangkok, whichever way he could.

Once a loyal parent and a strong advocate of family values and ethics, all those positive qualities seemed sucked out of his brain. A devilish character began to take root in him. He wanted to destroy everything in front of him. Coming home late became a norm, even though Marla tried her best to reconcile with him in all ways she could. He was going nowhere, and she had no one else to blame other than Jay and Rubyhall.

Tuna’s Club & Restaurant became a refuge for Lam, and gradually drinking became habitual. She couldn’t understand the sudden shift in his behavior. Yet, she tolerated him in her restaurant. He was nonviolent.

It was Friday, and as usual the crowd began to throng the place for a good time. There was the samba music because of world cup soccer, and the food followed by the arrival of new friends swapping tables for convenience and intimacy cheered up the environment.

Harry Takashi had just arrived from Hong Kong, after losing his job in a finance company from the anticipated meltdown of the regional economies. He became one among the several casualties, when one by one the finance companies began to close down. An American by birth with a Japanese root, he decided to flee Hong Kong for Bangkok. He had known from his friends that Thailand was a cheap place to stay till he found another job or any job if he liked. But there wasn’t any, and as days went by the prospect of finding one became obviously bleak. After hearing from other travelers that Tuna’s place had a lot of information on trips to the upcountry and the region, he decided to stop by. He had not told his parents that he had lost his job, because saying so meant breaking their heart and creating more worries. They had known his moonlighting with jobs before, and at least hoped the present one made him stay permanent. But they had no clue of the real economic factors in Southeast Asia, and going back home meant losing his face in front of his family, relatives, and friends.

The introduction was casual, as Takashi approached Jay at his table during one of the several drinking sessions. For him, Jay Lam had something very similar to him. But he didn’t know what to ask, instead left it that way. Lam liked Takashi. They talked about jobs, economy, women, travel, money, the list of topics were unending. There was a chemical match between them, as the talk progressed. One thing led to another.

It was like two born losers meeting for the first time in their lives. They had nothing more to lose other than talk about it, and enjoyed soaking up each other’s misery. The only difference between Takashi and Lam was their nationality and marital status. Though Takashi was staying at a guesthouse in Khao San Road, Lam took the liberty to invite Takashi to his condo at the President Park. But, Takashi politely refused the friendly gesture. He wanted to make it some other day.
After a noted hesitation, Lam accepted Takashi’s stand. Both were drunk, but Takashi was more conscious and alert than Lam. Meanwhile, Tuna was watching them from a distance. She felt sorry for both, but again that was life. No one was perfect.

The world cup fever had captivated everyone’s interest, as France played Croatia in the semi-finals. At one corner, there was betting going on, as the match began to warm up after the first half. Tuna and her loyal staff made sure everything was under control because the police were against betting and were on a search with their special squad in and around the entertainment facilities of Bangkok.

After a friendly reminder, the guys left the restaurant. There was a sigh of relief. Takashi had already gone, and Jay remained at his table pondering whom to talk to next. His eyes looked blurred from the excessive drinks, and he was too weak to talk.
“Jay, are you okay? You know what time it is now?” she said, watching his mood. Instead, he glanced at her with a smile and then focused his attention elsewhere. She knew he had gone a bit too far, and sending him off in a taxi remained the only alternative, before it was too late.

There was a sudden reaction from the viewers when France missed an opportunity to net another goal. They were now drinking too much, as the play became tense. Everyone was rushing to the lavatory in a dash, and coming back to stay put. It was a sight to watch.

Tuna decided to send Jay home. She called one of her male assistants to hail a taxi, as she herded him to a sidewalk. In a few moments, he was put in a taxi, and as a friendly gesture, she asked her assistant, Jack, to accompany Lam to his condo at the President Park.

When she returned to her counter, Takashi was waiting for her. She was taken aback first, as she saw him leave after paying the bills, and now wondered at the reason for his abrupt return.
“Hi, I saw you sending Jay off. Nice of you,” Takashi continued. “I’m Harry Takashi. Do you know him very well?”
“Yeah! He is a friend of mine,” she said, “and at present, he is not doing well at his work. He is a bit disturbed.” She didn’t wanted to talk too much about Lam and the fact was she had no idea why he was taking an interest in Jay in the first place.
“He did talk about it briefly, but got too drunk,” said Takashi. He hesitated again, but decided to go further. “Do you have any information on trips to Chantaburi and Trat? I read in a newspaper in Hong Kong that there are a lot of gems in those areas. Is that true?”
“Yep. It’s true. Chantaburi is probably the only open ruby market in the world. You can see it for yourself. In fact, you can take an air-conditioned bus from Ekamai. Roughly, three hours journey, and another one hour for Trat. Nothing much to see in Trat, if you are looking for gems. But, Chantaburi is the place where the action is,” she said.
Tuna saw the excitement in his eyes, as he took note of the information, and then left the place trigger-happy with some plans.