Rough Diamonds Extract - From Confessions Of A Thai Boy

I tell you before, sometime I sleep snooker hall or beach.  One day I talking to Farang at a beer bar.  I see him many time in bar, we talked but he never off me.  Sometime he'd give me a small tip.  I tell him what happen.  He said he would buy me a drink and give me 100 Baht to eat, but nothing more, me too young.  I just seventeen.”

Rob watched Keng.  He could see that telling the story was painful.  He wondered where it was leading.

“One of the local mafia boys saw the Farang buy me a drink.  He came over and told me to pay him or get out.  I say no, why should I?  He said I cannot work there, only boy who paid him every day, and an extra 200 Baht if they were offed, could work.  I told him no.  I would do what I wanted.”

Rob refilled the glasses.

“He attacked me, pulled me off the chair and into the street.  He start to punch and kick me; another Thai boy come help him.  I struggle and I manage to get my knife from my bag, which was still round my neck.  I stick it in the Mafia boy.  He collapse and the other boy run away.  There blood everywhere.  He die.  Farang came over and he stayed with me until police come.  He told them what happened.  Police take me.  I go jail.  Because I young boy, he Mafia boy, and because Farang speak to police and say what happen, I only jail one year.  Now I think you no like me.”

He burst into tears

“No I not like you, I love you.  You are still the same Keng” was all Rob could manage to say as he hugged Keng tightly.

In tears, Keng continued.  “That where I met Sang.  He jail long time.  He help me when I first get there.  He help me survive.  Sang and I look after each other so we both safe.”