Sabaydii,

 

Here is the continuation of a series ‘Coming home’ entitled ‘On the way to Xekong’

 

Hakphaang,

 

 

Realizing that it was quite late

I rushed back to the hotel

Seeing the pick-up

Ready with the engine on

 

Yes it was 9 o’clock

Time to leave

 

The driver

Full of life as he was

Turned on the Moh Lam[1]

Tapping his fingers to the tune

 

Hearing for a while

I knew it was a Lam from Isan[2]

Full of bawdy language

And sex insinuating gestures

 

Life in Laos was great

For the ordinary people

You never lost touch with reality

You smile with what little you may have

And you laugh with what fate may bestow on you

 

 

Our driver

Once an employee at the Ministry of Agriculture

Hard to make ends meet

Decided to switch his job

From a stable but pitiful government position

To a precarious but lucrative cab like driver

 

At times

He made a big tip

From the ASEAN[3] businessmen

From the Lao overseas coming home for a visit

And from a soft-hearted fellow

Hearing his life story

For the first time

 

As I later came to know

Through his own words

He had a sickly baby daughter

And a dependable young wife

Waiting for him back in Vientiane

 

Wonder

If I am in his shoes

Won’t I do the same?

Won’t I embellish my life story?

Make it sentimental?

 

Life in Laos is hard

If you happen to be a lucky few

Good for you

If not

You’re not different

From an outcast

A human garbage

In your damned very own country

 

Whatever his failing may be

I understand him

 

Let the monsoon wind

Carrying our vehicle

Take away all the country’s failing

And let all the Boun[4] seekers

Coming from TakBaht[5]

Filing by the roadside

Turned Muang Lao into a better place

Or at least turn her into a corrupt-less place

Just for once

 

8.4.03