25 October
Today Mina and I returned from Koh Phi Phi after having spent 2 days more than we had originally intended. I met my friend Duen from the bookshop. She was now working in the massage shop. I asked her how it was.

“It’s good,” she said. “I get to keep half of what I earn and today I got a hundred baht tip. Today a farang asked if I would do special massage but I said no. Go to shop over there.”

And she pointed to the massage shop across the road.

“How much does a special massage cost?” I asked curiously.

“One thousand up. Maybe two thousand. And the massage girl keeps it all because she can’t special massage in shop. Must go to customer’s room.”

“Have you ever been tempted to do “special massage”?”

“No, the girls over there earn more money but they like to use more money so it’s the same.”

I went to see Sally and Poon at Top Charoen, the opticians. Sally is manager and was busy going over the accounts. Poon is assistant manager and was busy texting on her phone. Both looked up as I entered.

“Pi Ben, has your brother seen my picture yet?” asked Poon earnestly.

“Yes,” I said. She brightened.

“Oh good! Does he want to be my boyfriend?”

“He says that you look sweet but that he isn’t rich.”

“Pi Ben! No problem! He can get rich! You must send him another picture of me! A more beautiful picture…I will put make up on and you can take another picture of me…”

She went to a mirror and started putting on whitening powder. Sally got up.

“Pi Ben, don’t touch me, ok?”

“What?”

“I’m going to pray – Muslim must pray five times a day. So don’t touch me before I pray. Just a moment, na. Afterwards, you can touch me where ever you like…”