Sumalee

Singapore 5

Josele came up smiling to my desk.

“Guess what, guess what.”

“I don't know, do you have any brown ones to give me that you need to finish before the end of the week? I'm up to my ears trying to catch up on this, but I'll help you in any way I can.”

“No! Even better.”

“Tell me.”

“This Saturday we have a party at Avalon, one of the trendy nightclubs. The one I told you that it’s on the other side of the river, by the Museum of Arts and Sciences.”

“Well, not too surprising. I’m under the impression that every Saturday we have a party.”

“This one it’s special. It's a tribute to the Spanish expats. It’s going to be full of Spaniards and expats from other countries. This is your chance to meet people of all kinds and all places!”

“I already know you guys. I don't think I need to meet any more people for the next five years...” I smiled glad to be with them.

“Yes, but we need to get rid of you from time to time. You're like one of those hindrances that sharks carry. It's okay to take them out, but sometimes you need freedom. If you know what I mean.”

“If you want me to leave you alone, you just have to tell me, you bastards.”

“Just kidding! You know that. But it won't hurt to meet new people and get waisted.”

“Yes, man, I know. I'm tired of whining around the corners like a prick. Let's see if we find a trio of beautiful Australians in need of affection. Because of Spanish women I had enough for a long time. What I need is some pelvic exercise. You know what I mean,” I said, making an unobtrusive move back and forth.

“That’s my boy! Let’s tell Damaso and get organized.”

I got up and we went to tell Damaso about the plans. This Saturday we'd be tearing down Singapore.

The rest of the week seemed so long. Everyone around us was talking about that big party for Spaniards. Everyone made plans and laughed at the things they would do. The three of us and Diego went for a run a couple of afternoons in an intent to release tension and focus for a while on something else, but all the efforts were fruitless; and on top of it we pushed ourselves and our legs hurt the entire week. Even the corporate league basketball game was just an excuse to talk about the same thing.

Saturday finally arrived. The party was late at night. So, in the morning I got up early and went to the gym for a while. The legs were done, but there was plenty to work on the arms. Then I went with Diego to a morning movie at the Golden Village Cinema, just a fifteen minutes’ walk from the office. The movie theatre had large seats, plenty of room to stretch your legs and occasionally they had classic film. They were playing some of the best sci-fi movies ever, and Diego and I had bought a pass for all of them. Re-watching Alien, Star Wars, Dune or Blade Runner on a giant screen was priceless. We were both fans of the genre.

After the movie, that day it was the Matrix, we ate at a fast-food restaurant called Mos Burger, which, as the name suggests, specialized in burgers. It was Japanese burger week and they had some with very strange ingredients like soy sauce or miso. Anyway, I wasn’t too impressed. What happened to a good burger with barbecue sauce, cheese, tomato, and onion and not these rare experiments? Then we each went to our house to take a shower and get ready for the party, which was starting soon, at seven o'clock.

When I got home, Damaso and Josele were getting ready enthusiastically. Josele was glued to the bathroom mirror with his little toupee that gave him the air of the "King" and Damaso was analysing the clothes in his closet so focused that he seemed to be playing the most difficult chess game in history. I showered and choose a fancy attire, but not too fancy. I didn't want to look out of place, but I also didn't want to look like a dandy. When we were all ready, we went down to the street, where the taxi we had ordered was waiting for us and went to the party. In fifteen minutes, we were at the door.

The entrance was a glass structure with the words Avalon in fluorescent letters. It was right next to Marina Bay, so the view across the bay, including the skyscraper where we worked, was impressive, with all those tall buildings lit up. Not to say that it was better than the night views of Manhattan from Brooklyn, in New York. We arrived early, so there weren't yet too many people and we were able to choose a good place to sit. At parties, the same thing happens as in internet marketing. The three key factors were positioning, positioning, and positioning. Inside it had the air of an industrial ship and with all the lights and music reminded me of the cyberpunk movement, very similar to the setting of the film Blade Runner that Diego and I would go to see the following week. At the back, on a platform with lots of lights on the wall behind it which were randomly turning on and off, was the DJ plying electronic music or whatever they call it. His name didn't tell me anything, but music was not my forte. Better said, I had no clue. Anyway, he seemed well known here because when he was announced people went crazy.

We were supposed to meet with our co-workers which gradually arrived until we were over twenty. However, Spaniards only five: Teresa, Damaso, Josele, Diego and me. I found it strange to speak English to my Spanish friends, but I did so out of courtesy to the rest of the people who did not speak Spanish. We drank and danced, laughed, and told funny stories of things that happened to them in the place. At the party, more than 80% of us were expats or at least looked like Westerners. Many of the groups were speaking Spanish.

More Spaniards, that I did not know, joined our group. Two man and one woman. Damaso, of course, knew all of them and introduced them.

“David, this is Nacho. I don't know if you've ever heard of a photographer named Ignacio Insua.”

“No, but I'm not in the world of photography either.”

“Well, anyway. It’s him. Josele met him at a photo exhibition a few weeks ago. In Spain he exhibited in several museums and art galleries. A well-known local actress noticed him, and he came here to make her a portfolio. Since then, he became the photographer of Singapore's celebrities and major events. Besides being a good golfer, of course.”

“Delighted Nacho. I understand why you know Damaso. I hope to succeed here and that you can be my lead photographer, because in golf I don't think we will meet. I'm more of an action sports person.”

“Of course. That would be great. A Spanish customer who can afford my not so moderate rates. Nice to meet you, David.”

“You can always drive a boat for a photo shoot and get some extra money.”

“Are you for real?” “Yes. Sometimes we make portfolios and ads on boats. I need a driver once in a while.”

“Sure,” I said, smiling at the use of the word driver instead of pilot. “I have the Yacht Captain title. I love boating. You can count on me. I love everything that has to do with boats.”

“I won’t forget.”

Damaso continued with the presentations.

“These two beautiful brunettes are a couple, and their names are Elena and Rachel. They own a gluten-free pastry shop.”

“Hello, two kisses, right? What brings you to Singapore?”

“We wanted to experience another country and we saw that here they had the same celiac as everywhere, but it turned out that they didn't have many shops for them,” Elena explained as I was giving Rachel two kisses.

“I had a celiac friend in Madrid. Some of the sweets he ate were just as good as the normal ones. I couldn't tell them apart. I'll stop by your store one day to try them out.”

“Whenever you want,” Rachel said. “Here's a card for you!”

“Thanks. I see that you came prepared. I like that. And what's your name?” I said turning to the fourth. “I'm still David ...” I said smiling.

“My name is Pamos, Juan Pamos,” he said, imitating the James Bond style.

“Be careful with him, David,” Damaso warned me. “He's an opportunist. He is supposedly a stunt man, but I don’t know if he started his profession. His parents are wealthy entrepreneurs in the export field and he only parties and messes with as many girls as he can, whether they have a boyfriend or not. He only takes a break from the parties to golf with me and Nacho.”

“Golf? It's clear how you've made your friends. Well, I'm alone here, without a partner, and I'm not a girl, so I have nothing to worry about. Maybe you can introduce me to some beautiful friend of yours...” I laughed hard.

I chatted for some time with everyone, co-workers, and new acquaintances. Then, on a walk I took to the bathroom, a man with an English accent approached me and offered me some substance I was not familiar with but that was definitely some kind of drug. I rejected it sharply and went on my way. I had never taken drugs, even in my most rebellious days, nor did I want to start now. I did not like for anything to control my life and that was the typical path to becoming a slave to the daily dose. This was something I was firm about. I didn't smoke either, although I did start, but I had to quit because it was incompatible with the exercise I did, and even though I drank, I never let alcohol make me lose control. My friends sometimes teased me about it, especially Damaso, who was a champion in drinking, but I liked to feel in control. I was a little obsessive with it.

When I came back, I offered to get drinks for Tere and my co-worker, the crazy Jerome. While at the bar waiting for a waiter to see me, a beautiful Thai-looking girl came next to me. She had dark, long, curly hair in two endless ponytails that hung on both sides of her head over her chest. She was wearing a green, cloth cap and a strap top of the same colour. Her round face and a beautiful smile were highlighted by a very soft red lipstick. Her eyes were dark brown, a little oriental, but not too much. She was pretty tall, probably close to a meter seventy and was thin. I couldn't say that I fell in love at first sight, that would be silly, but my Iberian male hormones gave a triple mortal leap; especially when she turned to me and spoke to me in a perfect English with a sweet and musical voice that I could only hear because it coincided with a drop in the music volume.

“I'm sorry, did I cut in front of you?”

“No, no. It’s ok... Don't worry about it. I'm still waiting to be served. You can order first so that you don’t keep your companion waiting.”

“My companion? I am alone. I came with a friend, but she had to leave... wait! It was a strategy to find out just that, right?”

“Well, you got me,” I recognized smiling. “Although I find it hard to believe that such a beautiful woman doesn’t have company.”

My comment seemed to amuse her, and she began to laugh with a singing laugh that instantly enchanted me. We remained quiet and looked at each other for a few minutes.

“I'm sorry, I didn't introduce myself,” I said, reacting. “My name is David; I am one of the Spanish expats honoured at this party.”

“Spanish? From your English I thought you were American...” she said with a grimace.

“That's because my mother is American. From Boerne, a small town of ten thousand inhabitants in Texas, near San Antonio. A hiking paradise full of beautiful routes, though not as much as you, that I have never seen in my life. And what's your name? I think you forgot to tell me, or is it a secret?”

“No, no, it's not any secret. My name is Sumalee, Sumalee Sintawichai. In Thai, my name means beautiful flower.”

“Beautiful flower? I'll keep to myself the compliment, but it's obviously a perfect name for you. They say Thailand is the country of smiles. If everyone has it as pretty as yours, it must be paradise.”

“It's hard not to smile at a guy like you,” she replied.

I swear that her smile was worth a war. She was gorgeous. It was clear that this woman had caught my attention.

“Did you say Simalee Sintawachi?” I screamed trying to overcome the sound around us. “I will try to remember it.”

“No, Sumalee Sintawichai,” she repeated in my ear so that she wouldn’t have to scream, which gave me goosebumps. “Although I think Sumalee will do. I don't want your head to explode on the first day.”

First day? Did she want us to see each other again? Because I did, that was clear. As many times as I could. Such a pretty girl I would always want her by my side. I didn't say anything about her comment and offered her to join us. She accepted delighted on the condition that would not leave her alone at any time. There was no harm for me to agree to her terms, and once I ordered Jerome and Tere's drinks, and I offered her one, we headed toward the group. I introduced her to all my companions, and I was amazed at how comfortable she was among so many strangers. When it was Damaso’s turn, who was already under the spell of the alcohol, he started throwing compliments screaming and I had to stop him.

“Down boy! And you want to keep your hands off if you wanna keep them. Save your charms for another woman. Sumalee's with me tonight. We have a deal. Right?”

“Sure thing. Just for you,” she said, as she winked at me and grabbed my arm. “We agreed not to separate for a moment today.”

Damaso, Jerome, Josele and Diego looked at me amazed. They didn't know whether to think I'd been hit by the lottery or if there was a trap behind so much luck. I did not care; I just wanted the night to last forever. I was feeling euphoric. I had just arrived, and I had already linked. It was clear that my seven years with Cristina had not made me lose my legendary skill with women.

We spent the entire party talking non-stop. We felt very comfortable with each other, as if we knew each other all our lives. She told me that she worked for a travel agency organizing mostly trips to Thailand, her country, or from there to Singapore. She had to leave because her mother was sick, and she needed to make more money to pay for the treatment. In Thailand she had a good job, but salaries were very low, so she came to Singapore as advised by a friend. With what she saved, she could send enough money home for her mother's medication. She was from an area called Chiang Rai, in the north of the country, almost bordering Myanmar and Laos. Her family was poor, and she had to work hard to get a scholarship and study Marketing at Thammasat University. When she finished school, she got a good job with a big company, but the salaries were very low compared with what she needed and that pushed her to Singapore, where, fortunately for me, she was now.

We had many things in common. We both loved sport, travelling, reading, trying new things, adventure, everything related to space... As if we were soul mates. I couldn't believe my luck. The night seemed to be a success.

I don't know at which point in the night we got there, but next thing I knew we were talking with her right hand over mine and caressed by my left hand. Her skin was very soft and I noticed a tightness in my chest that made it difficult to breathe. Also, because the music was very loud and there were a lot of people screaming, we had to talk to each other's ear, which made the situation even more exciting when she said something to me and her breath was stroking my face. We seemed like two lovers confiding into one another. It was hard not to turn and kiss and caress her, unleashing the burning that I noticed all over my body, but I didn't know the customs of the place and didn't want to ruin the night.

We talked about my family, about what had brought me to Singapore... She asked me endless things of all kinds. How long I was going to be in Singapore, whether I liked to travel... She was very interested when I told her the whole story with my ex-girlfriend. She said she thought it was unbelievable that a girl could leave me for another. I was liking Sumalee more and more. She had definitely climbed positions to the top of my favourite people in Singapore.

We had such complicity and confidence that we seemed to have been together all our life. As she spoke to me, I could smell her hair, which had a very defined fragrance that she later told me was jasmine, and I noticed a strange feeling that I hadn't felt in a long time.

It felt as if I was falling in love, but I'm sure it wasn't that, but rather the sexual attraction of the first date. It seemed madness. I had just met her. She had a tragic story, but, although she seemed made to be my soul mate, it could have not been so easy.

Did it make any sense?

Singapore 6

The next morning, I had plans with Sumalee to spend the day together. She offered to show me the city and be my private guide, which I thought was a fantastic proposition. She was a travel professional and much prettier than Josele or Damaso. Besides, they had plans to play golf with the photographer and for me it was a sport that didn’t attract me much.

Despite the fact that the party went on until late, we planned to meet early at the door of Leong Nam Temple in the Geyland neighbourhood because she told me she wanted to show me something that looked better early. We exchanged numbers in case anything came up and the first thing I did as soon as I woke up was to look at my phone fearing that she might have cancelled the date; but there were no messages from her. When I arrived, she was already there, waiting. She was wearing a pair of blue shorts that didn't even reach halfway on her thigh, a turquoise strap top and a very thin sweater, also a shade of blue. She was beautiful, she was beautiful, and she knew how to highlight it. When she saw me at a distance her face drew an incredible smile, and she came running toward me. She hugged me and kisses me on the cheek.

“Hi, David! I couldn’t wait to see you.”

She pronounced the 'a' of my name with a delicious mix of 'a' and 'i'. Something like Daivid, which sounded like heavenly music.

“Hello. Me too. I couldn’t think of anything else since we said goodbye last night.”

“You are so silly! It’s not that big of a deal.”

“It is, believe me, it is. What are you going to show me today? You have me on fire!”

“This is Geylang. It is among the least developed in Singapore and maintains the traditional cuisine of the area. Here is the traditional Asian market, Geylang Serai. It’s full of fruit shops and other fresh produce, almost all run by Malays. Sunday mornings is filled with people and noise, but if you come early you have the entire market to yourself,” she said enthusiastically. “I love coming at dawn and wandering through the stalls with the bustle of the merchants getting ready and the incredible outpour of mixture of fresh fruit before it gets filled with people and fades with other odours. It's like walking through orchards. It reminds me of some parts of my country.”

You could see in her expression that she really enjoyed those walks.”

“Sounds really good. Or maybe you're just a great seller. Let’s go! Show me around.”

We began to wander among the greengrocers on the main streets and the lorong, which is what they call in Malay the side alleys. The houses were the same style like in the Indian neighbourhood, low, two stories and each one a different colour. We stopped in different spots and Sumalee explained to me the different typical fruits of the markets in this area: the longan, white on the inside, looked like a potato, the mango, which I already knew, the mangosteen, sweeter than the mango, and one that caught my attention, the durian, with spikes of greenish colour and the size of a small melon. When cut open it had a yellow pulp.

“The weird thing about this fruit,” Sumalee said, “is that it has a very strong odour and because of it is prohibited eating it in public transport and hotels to avoid bothering those around. It really smells.” She said putting a piece under my nose which forced me to move away quickly to get away from the smell.

“Is my nose dirty?”

“One second,” Sumalee said and pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped me carefully. I couldn’t stop staring at her while she was doing it. “Done.” Her gesture gave me a shiver.

There were also many stalls with dry fish, frogs, eels. All a Western could expect from an oriental market.

She was right. It was a relaxing walk with a mixture of sweet aromas that took you back to the countryside. As time passed it was filling up with people, very few of them westerners, and the noises and smells changed, losing all the original charm.

“So, what else can be done around here?”

“Depends what you like. To the south is what they call the red-light district of Singapore, like the one in Amsterdam.”

“No. Thanks. With a woman like you by my side I don’t think I could find anything even remotely similar in the red-light district or even in Singapore. Certainly not in entire Asia.”

For a moment she stood staring at me without saying anything. I felt as if she was peering into my mind through my eyes. I feared for a moment that I had offended her but said nothing.

“There are also many temples and Villa Cultural Malaya. A museum where you can see crafts, hear traditional music and taste local cuisine.”

“Since we are in a Malay area we could go to listen to some traditional music and eat something typical, right? I'm a book tourist. In fact, I read one on the way here.”

“Deal! Let's go there.”

With her right hand she took my left and yanked me to follow her. For a moment I squeezed her hand tightly to make sure she was there.

Shortly, we arrived at the museum. It was a complex of several low buildings with corrugated roofs, very oriental style. Inside there were typical objects and Malay waggons drawn by oxen as samples of crafts and all kinds of information about the culture and the cuisine. There was also a house you could visit, set in the traditional style. You could tell she liked to travel and experience new things besides working in the travel industry, because she looked at everything with the curiosity typical of a child, marvelling and getting excited about everything. I liked the visit, but really, I did not enjoy it as much as she did because I was focused only on the touch of my hand with hers and the fascinated expression on her face. She had an angelic face. I wanted to kiss her so badly!

When we finished, she said she was going to take me to eat something typical Singaporean and I let her without saying a word. Instead of going to the front door she took me in the back alley and knocked at the kitchen door. She had me intrigued. A big belly man with a dirty apron opened the door screaming angry, but when he saw Sumalee he stopped and went back inside, closing the door with a strong blow. A minute later the door reopened, and a very small girl appeared, who also looked Thai, who jumped into the arms of Sumalee and hugged her. They started talking Thai and then Sumalee motioned me to come over.

“This is David. David, this is my friend Kai-Mook of which I told you last night. She is also Thai and works in this restaurant. She will prepare something for us.”

“Nice to meet you. No need to worry, Sumalee didn’t say anything bad about you”, I said smiling.

“Nice to meet you too. Come in to choose for Swikee.” Her English was not too good.

“Choose for what?” I looked at Sumalee.

“Go in and you will see.”

I followed her into the kitchen and to a place where there was a giant bowl with a lid. Kai-Mook lifted the lid and inside were a dozen frogs leaping, trying to escape the plastic prison.

“Frogs?” I exclaimed looking at Sumalee.

“Yes, they are considered a typical delicacy here. They prepare a delicious frog soup, the Swikee.”

“If you say so... The truth is I have never had it.”

I was a little hesitant, but I did not want to seem too picky, so I chose the frogs I wanted, the ones that seemed nicer if there is such a thing, and I sat at the table assigned to us, waiting for the food and talking to Sumalee about what we would do next. Shortly, Kai-Mook appeared with a tureen in hand. When she opened it to served us the frog soup, I have to admit that it looked appetizing. With strips of red peppers, something that looked like cilantro, chili and other things that I was not able to identify.

I started to eat it with a little apprehension, but once I took the first spoon all my fears vanished. It was so tasty. I devoured the rest of the frog greedily. I raised my head and saw that Sumalee was watching me amused.

“It’s delicious, right?”

“I must admit, this is a delicacy. I have to bring my friends here. They will be amazed!”

“I knew you’d like it. The chef of this restaurant prepares the best frog soup in the city. If you come with them ask for Kai-Mook and you will receive special treatment. Now she knows you and she will take care of you as if you were me.”

I looked into her eyes as she took a breath. I didn’t know what madness I was about to do, but I was going to tell her what I was beginning to feel when Kai-Mook interrupted approaching us to ask how the soup was. I said the same thing as Sumalee, that it was delicious, and she happily went back to the kitchen. The rest of the food was also dishes I was not familiar with, very tasty, but none like the soup. We laughed telling funny stories from our travels.

When we finished, Kai-Mook gave her a bag. She would not say what it was. She also did not let me pay insisting that it was her day as a guide, and she would take care of the expenses. I grabbed her face and looking at her intently, gave her a soft kiss on the forehead while my fingers caressed her temples. I noticed she trembled, but I did not know whether it was emotion or rejection. The important thing was that she did not pull away. A shiver of excitement ran through my body as I touched her skin. At that moment, I felt an almost uncontrollable desire to throw myself over her and kiss her, but I managed to restrain myself. I not only loved being with her and felt very comfortable, but it excited me greatly.

We went out into the street. She went straight to a small park on the other side and gave the bag to a woman that looked homeless. The woman took something from inside and I saw it was food. They chatted for a moment as if they had known each other their entire life and then continued on our way.

“She is a struggling woman. I met her when I came to see Kai-Mook. I always give her some hot food to eat well for the day.”

“Not only beautiful, but also a good person. You do not stop surprising me.”

I’ve put my arm around her shoulders, and we took the bus to the East Coast Park in the southeast side of the island. We decided to change completely the air and I wanted to see some water and there were beaches, palm trees and sea. A perfect place to get to know Sumalee a little more.

When we arrived, we went toward the park. Sumalee was deep in thought for a moment and then she asked me.

“Can you rollerblade?”

“No, I never tried it. When I was a child, I tried a bit the skateboard, but my balance wasn’t great, so I gave up.”

“Well, then we’ll leave that for another day. What about riding a bicycle?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Well, let's rent a bicycle to see the park. Do you want?”

“Perfect!”

Said and done. We headed to the rentals and although they had tandem bicycles and carts with a roof, we decided on two single red ones for the remainder of the day. It seemed to be a popular activity because the park was full of people cycling and rollerblading. There was a two-way lane clearly marked. Sumalee was telling me everything I needed to know while we pedalled quietly.

“The park is divided into different areas. With different activities. In Singapore they are very organized, as you will find out.”

“Yes, I'm starting to see that.”

“Here on the right is the barbecue area. Many families and groups of friends come, especially on weekends. There are also many restaurants and cafes if you prefer not to cook. To use them you have to reserve them. It can be done online.”

“As you said,” I said smiling, “very organized. And this?”

“That's the water sports area. You can rent kayaks, do water skiing, scuba diving and much more. Do you like these kinds of activities?”

“I love them. What about you?”

“I haven’t tried them too much, but we could try together.”

“Of course! I have it in my plans since I knew I was coming.”

“Now we are arriving to the area where you can play in the sand. It is very typical that people build castles. Look!”

We stopped for a moment to watch how a group of young people finished building a huge sand temple. It must have been almost two meters high and four meters wide. Neither one of us recognized the building, but Sumalee told me that the style was very similar to the temples of Angkor in Cambodia. There were quite a few people taking pictures. Sumalee told me that another typical activity in the park was photography. Another thing that abounded were people running. It was like the Retiro Park in Madrid, but almost twice as large, with sea and more variety of activities. Yes, very organized with everything in its designated area. Even too artificial. We got back on the bikes and keep moving. We passed a building with the Burger King logo. That gave me a sarcastic smile. As far as one believes to be from their environment, the supposed "civilization" had arrived earlier.

“Sumalee, and that, what is it? A campsite?”

“Yes, there are a few designated areas for camping. You can also book them online ...” she said laughing.