The heaviness was such that I didn't even want to leave my room.
City life staying cooped up in a house, doing the family business, resting inside concrete walls felt oppressively suffocating in a way I'd never known before…
I missed the markets of the countryside, with simple treats made from flour, coconut milk, and sugar. Passing from house to house, being invited to eat, tasting fiery curries with
fresh vegetables…every bite lingered on my tongue, and I longed for those textures and flavors.
Casual conversations about lottery and children became a simple kind of entertainment. Helping villagers harvest vegetables and fruit, sweating with flushed cheeks, somehow felt
more satisfying than a session at the
gym.
CCXXII
Encountering the quirks of rural children like little Teng, experiencing
raw, unfiltered moments with a rough-around-the-edges person like Tod… those memories poured in unceasingly, impossible to replace. Days blurred into one another as I sat idly at the gold shop, staring at my phone, unable to sell anything because I was too distracted. Time and again, Dad would tell me to go sit and reflect on myself, to improve.
Improve… but how much better could it really be?
Since coming home, I'd tried to listen to my parents, but…It's torturous.
Or maybe I wasn't really "good" enough for my parents to be proud of. I was just someone who loved intense experiences, the diversity of people, and the freedom of wide-open countryside… or perhaps the city was simply not the secure, stable place everyone expected it to be.
CCXXIII
Why do I keep thinking about him?
Why do I wonder how he's doing?
Why am I this confused over someone else?
Why does doing what's "right" feel so joyless…?
"Luktan, there's some paperwork for you. I left it on the dining table, okay?"
"Yes, Mom."
Stamps on the documents? These were the school transfer request two envelopes in total, one from the principal of Wat Sra Si School, and the other from the Yaowarat district
kindergarten.
"…Both denied? What does that even
mean?!"
I thought Dad said a friend working here could help… And Wat Sra Si Kindergarten, which supposedly didn't have a teacher, seemed fine before…
CCXXIV
"Why were they denied?"
"Why did you decide to do this, Dad? You were so firm and resolute just a moment ago."
Behind the door of his son's room,
two elders grandfather and grandmother stood watching, their faces a mix of shock and curiosity, murmuring softly to each other.
"I'm not sure I understand my child like I used to, Mom… If keeping him within the boundaries I think are best
leaves him like a lifeless zombie… he
could really end up dead…"
I have to teach him in the old ways first…
Oh no… is he really going to be buried at Wat Sra Si? This is it.
CCXXV
"Why is Teacher Luktan wearing glasses and a hat? Are your eyes hurting? Are you cold? Well… it is a bit chilly today, but… it's the first day of term and you look… different. Thinner,
fidgety… looking around left and right like that, what's going on?"
Teacher Wanlapa, the senior female teacher at Wat Sra Si, carrying a cup of iced coffee, greeted the little kindergarten teacher who had been lurking around the school grounds for some time before cautiously entering.
"Uh… hello, Teacher Wanlapa… um, you remember me?"
Luktan slowly removed his hat and glasses. His pale face was beaded with sweat, a sign that the air wasn't cold at all.
"That's a funny question you're standing right behind me and I still recognized you. How was your break?
You must've been happy going home, spending time with your parents. Don't tell me you've gotten this thin because you got used to countryside food and can't handle city meals. Well… I suppose anyone would fall in love with life out in the fields
and paddies. Ho ho ho!"
The teacher, her lips painted bright red, laughed proudly at her rustic background. Luktan could only nod, murmuring agreement, unsure how to argue with her truth.
BRRUUUM!
The screeching of a car outside the school made Luktan bolt into the
classroom, legs moving faster than
ever.
"Uh… whoa, Teacher, where are you running off to? Got an upset stomach or something?"
"Hello, Teacher Wanlapa."
"Hey there, little Teng! I heard you're living with your dad now so happy for you. By the way, what day is it today? Is the lottery about to be drawn? Any numbers in mind, little dealer?"
"66."
"Are you sure this one's coming?"
"No, Teacher. The iced coffee in your hand is about to spill on your new
outfit."
"Eeek!!"
CCXXVIII
Huff… huff… huff..
The young teacher ran recklessly into the classroom, bursting out through the back by the garden. Gasping and staggering, he was completely out of breath he hadn't left the house in ages and never exercised. Running fast again made him feel dizzy.
He just wanted to avoid one person…
No, make that two!
Little Teng had come to school with Tod. How was that even possible? That wild man showing up to drop off a
child at seven-thirty in the morning! This was scarier than a ghost… how was he supposed to face Teng? Who knew what the father would say to his son?
CCXXIX
By eight o'clock, the disguised kindergarten teacher was still sitting alone in the back of the classroom,
picking at the dirt.
The fear he felt didn't compare to the challenge of explaining things to a smart kid like Teng. He was afraid the boy would be disappointed, rebel again, and act strange… He really didn't want to teach today.
"Teacher, what are you doing sitting here all alone?"
A small hand plopped on his shoulder, and a little voice complained. He had been curled up into a tight ball, hugging his knees.
"Whoa! Somying, when did you get here? You scared me!"
"I've been here a while, but you weren't teaching," she replied.
CCXXX
"Well… um… well…" The little teacher
hesitated, and the girl smiled slyly, inching closer.
"Teacher, do you have a boyfriend? You seem different."
The small girl pressed her messy hair against the little teacher's head as she sat nearby, her eyes narrowing in suspicion he wasn't cheerful and lively like before.
"Somying…"
The little teacher tried to pull his head away, but her tiny arms wrapped around his neck, preventing him from moving. She was like a second version of Teng, just a little more talkative but equally intimidating.
"You don't need to be shy. Tell me, I won't tell anyone. It'll be our secret forever."
CCXXXI
The soft voice whispered to the beloved teacher, rubbing her small head against his. She was slightly older now, but somehow, something inside her had grown along with her.
Scritch… scratch…
"Somying… still have lice, right?"
"Oh! I forgot! My head touched yours, and you scratched so much… it must have spread! Hehe."
"Huh?!"
The shoulder-length-haired
kindergarten teacher scratched uncontrollably, realizing he had messed
up…
Great, I blew it!
"Today I'll be teaching instead of your homeroom teacher. Looks like your teacher has lice, so the lesson's postponed until tomorrow."
CCXXXII
(Huff) Teng smirked. Hiding, huh? Such an excuse… lice? No wonder the
teacher was silly.
The mushroom-headed boy glanced at the messy-haired girl beside him, calmly coloring as she scratched her head clearly the culprit behind the teacher not showing up. Her tiny hand dragged a doll to sit between herself and her animal-loving friend.
Since coming to this school, Somying had never been lice-free. Why was she so attached to the critters on her head… Both teacher and student were
equally crazy.
Honestly, he was grateful to Somying for giving him an excuse to survive the gaze of the most intimidating person, little Teng… even if only for a day.
Now he wandered to the village general store to buy lice medicine. Yesterday, he hadn't
had time to look around, arriving as it was already dark. He had avoided attention
Today, with the whole day free, he wanted to ride his bike, enjoy the gardens and fields, buy some powder to mark the lottery tree by the temple, and gossip with the grandmas who traded lottery numbers just to feel a little less homesick.
Let's go!
The small figure, dressed in a carefully planned new look, thinking no one would recognize him, bought lice medicine and a tin of powder, then hopped on his motorcycle. The familiar countryside air and scenery relaxed him, making him forget that he wasn't only hiding from little Teng…
Someone else was staring intensely. A familiar figure, the one who was the worst at disguises, drove past without glancing left or right.
CCXXXIV
Coming back?, Tod said
Not only that, he was riding smugly as if nothing had happened.The kindergarten teacher was really pushing his luck with the lottery dealer!!
Damn it. Hung around chatting with Grandma Mean for too long and it got dark. To make matters worse, he
forgot to fill up the gas.
Out of fuel, he had to push the bike for several kilometers just to get back to the teacher's house. Earlier,
scratching lottery numbers had been fun, but now at night, it was seriously eerie.
Clack, clack, clack, clack!
"Wait… what's that sound? It echoes!"
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
CCXXXV
"Sounds like footsteps behind me… but I don't dare look back. What do I
do?"
Thud, thud, thud!
"The footsteps are getting closer… holy crap, my skin's crawling!"
"W-w-where are you going?!"
A cold voice sneered from behind, and
the wind brushed past, freezing the feet that were pushing the bike in place. Thoughts raced: had he offended
some tree while scratching lottery numbers earlier?
"I-I-I'm heading to the teacher's house! I'm… an… a kindergarten teacher! Please don't scare me! If I win
the lottery this round, I'll make merit