
One thing about this amazing city of Pattaya is that each day does not have to be the same as the next. Unless you become a hermit and lock yourself away from the outside world, there is a new adventure promised with every sunrise. Those of us who interact with the local population, both foreign and Thai, know there is a surprise around every corner. This is the story of two guys, Pat and Mike, who don’t know each other and, to my knowledge, have never even met. Each does, however, have a tale that links them inexorably together. Pat has a Thai girlfriend, Noi, who works in a massage parlour in town. She doesn’t live with Pat because he prefers to live alone, something he has done for the past thirty years. She does stay overnight with him, on average, four nights per week and that arrangement suits them both perfectly. One day Noi told Pat that an old school friend, Nok, was coming to Pattaya with the hope of getting a job doing massages as well. This was of no real concern for Pat as Nok would be staying with her, not him. Noi further mentioned that she would be training Nok in the massage art but she needed someone to practice on. Once Nok was ready and, if Pat was agreeable, could she use him as a live model? Pat could not agree fast enough. He liked oil massages and getting a freebie from new, young hands was too good a deal to pass up. On the arranged day, Noi turned up at Pat’s apartment and told him to strip off and lay face down on the towel she had placed on the bed. She folded another towel and laid it across his backside, saying that Nok was at the pharmacy buying her own bottle of scented oil. Pat closed his eyes and didn’t even stir when he heard the door open and some quiet Thai conversation. The next thing he remembers is feeling the cool oil fall onto his back and two soft hands rubbing it gently into his skin. He opened his eyes a little but all he could see was Nok’s beautiful legs, from her ankles up to the hem of her short skirt. What he saw was very attractive and, for the first time, he speculated whether the deal included a ‘happy ending’. With Noi continually giving instructions to her pupil, the towel was removed from across his backside and his cheeks were massaged with tender gusto. Then Noi instructed him to turn over and he smiled as he wondered how she would react once she noticed he was partially aroused. The girls giggled. Pat opened his eyes to see what the rest of Nok looked like. What he saw sent him into deep, immediate shock.
There was no mistake – Nok was a katoyee! Her legs may have been beautiful and feminine but her face and shoulders gave the game away. He tried to get up but Noi placed her hand on his chest, pushed him back onto the bed and told him to relax. Initially speechless as he tried to think of a way out of the rest of the massage, all he managed to say was, “No happy ending, OK?” The girls giggled. Mike, on the other hand, does have a live-in Thai wife and is perfectly happy with her. About six months ago Lek’s good friend Nut came to Pattaya and became a regular visitor to their apartment. She was stunningly beautiful, a little shorter in height than Lek and had the most gorgeous chest Mike had ever seen. And therein lay the problem. Mike became infatuated with her in the primal sense, wanting her desperately but knowing he loved Lek and did not want to jeopardise their relationship. Each time Nut paid a visit he tried not to show his desire but it must have been obvious to everyone how he felt. To make matters worse, Lek would describe Nut as Mike’s ‘mia noi’ [minor wife] and Nut would smile as she happily accepted the title.
Two months ago, Lek returned to her village for one night saying she would be back on the five o’clock bus the following afternoon. At midday, Mike took a shower and came out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel to hear knocking at the front door. It was Nut. Mike explained that Lek was not due back for several hours but Nut simply replied she would wait. She stepped close to Mike and gave him a hug, which was not unusual, except this time Mike was only wearing a towel. She giggled as she felt a bulge beneath his covering but, instead of pulling away, held him tighter. That was more than mortal man could bear and, wife’s best friend or not, Mike kissed her full on the lips. She reciprocated and, in full embrace, they edged nearer to the lounge. There, her clothes were quickly discarded and they fell onto the sofa in a flurry of pure lust. When it was over, they lay in each other’s arms for a while but not a word was spoken. Nut grabbed her clothing and went into the bathroom to take a shower. When she emerged she sat beside Mike saying, “You not tell Lek, na?” Mike confirmed that was the last thing he would ever do. She kissed him on the cheek and vanished out the door. From then on, Nut’s visits became less frequent. Eventually, when he hadn’t seen her for over a month, Mike asked Lek where she was. Lek replied that Nut had found a new farang boyfriend and had moved to Bangkok with him. She said this boyfriend was younger than her last farang boyfriend who had died while back in the US. The older guy had been Nut’s salvation because he had left her enough money in his Will to pay for her operation. Mike’s ears pricked up. “Operation? What operation?” “You know,” Lek replied. She then made a knife-like slashing motion with her hand across her groin. “To make lady.” Both Pat and Mike told me their stories in confidence and I promised not to tell anyone. I trust that you, dear reader, will keep the secret as well.