Gemsicuted

Written by Julian Robov


Fifty Seven


It was ten o’clock. Boonchu wasn’t surprised at all when he received the call from Marty. He was already in Bangkok, and staying at some hotel the name he forgot to mention. Marty really wanted to kill Chai, if he was still alive. Instead, Boonchu suggested that he come to his office so that he could explain the whole situation in a transparent way, before doing anything crazy. Bangkok was no Switzerland. Marty listened. Since it was a Monday, Boonchu had several stones to be tested for identification at a Gem Testing Laboratory, before clearing the checks. He had bought quite a few good rubies both, single pieces and parcels, during the weekend Chantaburi trip. This was his livelihood so he was careful with every decision. Incidents like the one Marty was going through were not uncommon in Bangkok, but the way Marty bought the piece is what really surprised Boonchu. Obviously he got carried away by its color or price and till Chai’s whereabouts were confirmed, Boonchu knew Marty would be thumbsucking for the rest of his life. This was no joke taking into account the amount involved.

So he waited for Marty to turn up to hear his side of the story, before suggesting a practical way out. Meanwhile, Marty was staying at the Monarch Lee Gardens hotel this time for a genuine reason. At times he was superstitious when things went wrong, and it did go wrong while staying at the Holiday Inn. He was quite tired from the jet lag, and all the events surrounding this quick trip to Bangkok. Pascal wasn’t in a mood to accompany him. She wanted him to settle the dispute by himself, and hated Bangkok. All the rubies that were bought from Boonchu were perfect and natural, after testing at a Swiss laboratory. They were happy with the results, even though Boonchu had those very same reports ready for them. But they either forgot or were not in the mood to collect them. Before he could call them, they were gone. Marty just didn’t have a clue what to do other than curse himself when he thought about that fateful day at Boonchu’s office with Chai. He wanted a genuine answer from Chai as to why on earth he had to do such a stupid thing as sell a synthetic flux ruby, instead of a natural one. He had no answers till he met the crook, Chai, in flesh. That’s what he was going to find out.

He decided to wear casual clothes and walked to the elevator. After reaching the ground floor, the door opened. There were several guests with their luggage waiting, as he came out. Je-ez! Then, he recognized a face. He wiped his eyes again to make sure he was not daydreaming. It was Pius, the Swiss crook who bluffed him many years ago. He was with an Asian-looking woman with his luggage waiting for someone. Then a bellhop slipped a piece of paper to him. Marty could not care less. He knew what to do.
“Pius!” Marty called. Pius turned around, and became oxidized after seeing Marty’s angry face. He didn’t know what to do. He quickly glanced at his girlfriend to say something.
Then it was quick. Marty leaped at Pius strangling his neck using all his remaining strength. This was really unexpected, as a lot of guests in the lounge were watching the fight. Marty was saying something so loud and unclear, no one understood except perhaps Pius. But Pius gave Marty a tough resistance. Before the security personnel arrived, Pius got out of Marty’s grip, and decided to run. He left his girlfriend and the luggage, and ran towards Silom Road. Marty followed him at the same speed. The guests enjoyed the fight for free, as they giggled and laughed, while his girlfriend slumped in a sofa not knowing what was going on.

She didn’t know whether to cry or laugh. The staff decided to cool her down with a plain glass of water if she decided to run. No one knew the reasons behind this sudden happening. Marty was calling Pius every dirty word he remembered aloud, while chasing him through the soi’s (lanes) Pius chose, not knowing his route. But the onlookers were having a good laugh with two farangs (foreigners) running in all directions. Now Pius was in Sathorn Road. He looked in all directions to avoid Marty. Then he saw a hospital. He read the name. Saint Louis Hospital! Marty was just behind him, as Pius ran over the bridge. The motorcycle taxi drivers who camped near the hospital seeing Pius and Marty running unnaturally thought they were thieves, and decided to take the law into their own hand. One fellow drove the bike in front of Pius, and hit him badly with his helmet. Pius fell to the ground immediately.

Before they tried the same on Marty, he hit back in a kung fu style felling the motorcycle intruder to the ground. His friends decided not to interfere with Marty by the way he looked. He was a really angry man. The traffic was bad on both lanes, and everyone watched the incident from their car for free. No one interfered. The police weren’t around. Having seen a church and a hospital close by, Marty decided to take things into his own hand. He hit Pius several times with his fist on his face and chest for having eluded and costing him a lot.

Later, commonsense prevailed on the day. He carried Pius, who was unconscious by now to Saint Louis Hospital. The nurses were quick in action after seeing two farangs (foreigners) badly bruised. Marty needed only a minor treatment. But Pius had some bad head injuries after being diagnosed by the resident docs. Marty couldn’t care less. He had several questions for Pius, once he was fit enough to talk.

Meanwhile the doctors wanted to know who was going to pay the bills after all the expensive tests they had conducted on Pius. After collecting Marty’s credit card the hospital staff left. Marty waited patiently at Pius’s bedside to make sure he didn’t run away from the hospital again. Then he thought about Boonchu. But he was too scared to let Pius get away. Then he saw a woman talking on her mobile nearby. Marty looked at Pius. He was asleep, and with all those stitches and bandages around his head and shoulder, he knew Pius wouldn’t be able to run that fast. Marty approached the woman and asked to call a friend on her mobile. Seeing him and his friend in such a pathetic state she called for him, and waited. The line was busy. He had to wait for another half an hour. After hearing of the incident, Boonchu promised Marty to be at the Saint Louis hospital in less than an hour, after he had cleared the transactions with some gem brokers.

Marty looked satisfied, and thanked the woman for the call. She in turn promised him that she was around, and if he needed to call anyone he could use her mobile. Marty thanked her and moved his attention to Pius the crook. He couldn’t believe his eyes about all that had happened in a short time. Marty had several questions for Pius, and he wasn’t sure Pius was going to remember all of them when he regained consciousness. He looked bad and Marty wondered what his girlfriend might be doing now. Of course, not running like her boyfriend. He didn’t know whom to thank.

GEMS AND CROOKS! Both operated side by side. He now realized that this business was not for everyone. Some did have a knack of surviving amongst the crooks, while others just disappeared in oblivion not wanting to return at all. He couldn’t figure out how complex the people and the transactions were till he had to go through an unforgettable experience back in Switzerland, and now in Bangkok. Then he thought for a second. How did all the big dealers and jewelers survive the difficult times?

Synthetic rubies were already in the market since 1885, and were sold as natural from a fictitious mine near Geneva. The infamous GENEVA RUBY! The ruby enthusiasts might have gone through a similar experience like him, but in a different way. With that thought, he moved his attention to the visiting doc and the nurse, who were doing some tests on Pius. After hearing from the docs that Pius’s head injury wasn’t that serious, Marty felt relieved. He wanted to know when Pius would wake up. As they were discussing these matters, Pius opened his eyes slowly to see and feel the surroundings. The place didn’t look like a five star hotel suite, and there were a lot of people in uniform talking strange languages. He blinked several times, and then saw Marty’s blurred face. Pius closed his eyes immediately, but Marty was a bit quicker. Marty opened Pius’s eyelid forcefully to say something. But the doctors reminded Marty that Pius needed rest.

Pius was conscious, but too weak to say anything. He knew the time had come to tell the truth, before taking more beatings from Marty. The way Marty had run puzzled Pius, and he was sure Marty wouldn’t spare his life if he walked away from the hospital like a free man. Now the difficulty was how to put the confession in a way Marty could understand. And then he thought of Corrine, his Malaysian girlfriend. This was his sixth collection in a matter of five months after he had promised her a fantastic vacation in Phuket for helping him during a sales pitch in Kuala Lumpur. Now that promise was ruined by this unexpected event, and he had no convincing answers for her.

Boonchu was shocked to see Marty and another foreigner in the intensive care unit of Saint Louis Hospital. He was relieved to see Marty back, but not the way he expected. After explaining to Boonchu what had happened, Marty said he was now after Chai. He couldn’t care less if he lost his life, but wanted to know the truth. Boonchu understood the situation better than anybodyelse. The way Marty had pinned Pius down in Sathorn Road, was a stark and painful reminder for Chai. Marty was determined, but he was playing a dangerous game in a country where justice always came late. And Boonchu knew it was not the right time to discuss business at the hospital. But he promised he would be back in less than two hours, since there was no one in his office.

Marty thanked Boonchu for coming and being a good listener and friend. And Marty reminded Boonchu that he was staying at Monarch Lee Garden’s hotel. He had one more request regarding Pius’s girlfriend. Marty wanted Boonchu to convey to the hotel personnel that Pius was safe in a hospital, and if possible wanted to know her full background. Boonchu promised to help Marty. At last, Marty discovered a really good friend.