Lost Innocence: The Accused. Part One (4 page)

Handcuffed and shackled, I was
driven to the Court where I was held in a hot holding-cell that
smelt of sour milk. There were a few others waiting, mainly Thai,
but nobody talked to me. I sat on the floor and waited in fear;
what was I doing here?

I was finally called
up and taken to the courtroom that was like any other courtroom
back home, except they had prints of Thai royalty on the walls. It
all smelt woody and the whole thing felt unreal, but once the three
judges arrived, reality hit hard; this was really
happening.

All the proceedings
were in Thai. I didn’t have a lawyer or translator and I just stood
there listening while several men talked and occasionally glanced
back. I wasn’t even allowed a phone call.

Once the hearing was
over, I was brought straight here. I still don’t know what’s going
on. I’m just waiting for this to be over. I’ve tried speaking to
the guards but they don’t seem to speak English.”

“
Some do,” John
stated, “especially when they want money. Have you called
home?”

“
Not yet. I didn’t
want to worry my family. Do you have any idea how these things
work?”

“
They have twelve
days to collect evidence and build a case against you. If they’re
ready within that time, they’ll take you to Court and charge you
with a crime. If they don’t have enough to make a case, they’ll
have to let you go. You were framed. It happens, but now you should
pay. Didn’t you say your dad’s a lawyer?”

“
Yeah and my
grandfather was as well.”

“
Then call
home.”

“
Thanks, but I can’t
plead guilty to a crime I didn’t commit. I’d rather do the twelve
days.”

“
I hope you know what
you’re doing.”

“
This is just
something I have to do.”

I set my mind on the
twelve days. I would wait it out; they’d have to let me
go.

As the sun set, we
were taken inside. John spoke to my neighbour and a little space
was given. Once we settled, John turned to me and asked. “Do you
still want to know why I’m here?”

“
I do but only if
you’re ready to share.”

“
It’s a long
story.”

“
We’re not going
anywhere.”

FIVE

“
HAVING NEVER
taken a decent holiday before, I decided on a
trip to Thailand, booked a flight and flew out the following week.
Mate, I loved it. The friendly people, the food, the females! The
‘working girls’ weren’t like prostitutes that I’d seen before. Here
they seemed like regular girls; some even had day jobs and came out
at night for some extra cash.

I met some
local
farang
teachers over here and it wasn’t long before I was offered a
job. I returned home, said my goodbyes, moved here and the next few
years flew by. I loved my job and after flings with several
females, I finally found my soul mate, Nui.

She taught Thai at
the school where I worked and I fancied her. Her perky breasts
pushed out against the tight, bright blouses she wore and her bum
was firm and rounded like a ripe peach. It wasn’t only sexual
though, I mean it was at first, but then it was more. She was
smart, sensual - she was the one.

We went out for a
while and it wasn’t long before we fell in love. I proposed as we
kissed off the coast of Pattaya. It was real romantic until she saw
a used condom floating nearby. She still accepted though and later
that year, fell pregnant. I couldn’t have been happier. We shared
our savings and put down a deposit on a house in On
Nuch.

Our wedding day
arrived and many of her friends showed up, but no one from her
family. My mum made the trip over and the guys from school were
there; it was an amazing day.

Life was going great
until one morning I heard her scream. I rushed to the kitchen and
found her staring at a man at the door. He had bottle-black hair,
round, crooked eyes and stank of whisky.

‘
What you want?’ She
asked him in Thai.

‘
I want only to be a
part of your life again.’

It was obvious she
knew him and I knew she could take care of herself. I was about to
give them some privacy, when she started laying into him. He stood
there and listened with his head bowed. I couldn’t help feeling
sorry for him. She paused then turned to me. ‘This is my
father.’

He raised his eyes to
mine. ‘I am Somchai. It is nice to meet you.’

‘
It’s a pleasure to
meet you, sir. I am John.’

‘
I not be good
father. I want second chance.’

I glanced over at
Nui. She nodded - we invited him in. Over tea, we sat down with the
wedding album.

‘
Look
beautiful,’
he stated at almost every
picture of Nui. She never grew tired of hearing it.

I excused myself and
popped out to the local shop. I wanted a beer with my father-in-law
and we were running low. When I returned, my potential drinking
partner had gone and Nui was in tears.

‘
What happened,
honey?’ I asked, rubbing her shoulders and wondering when I’d have
the chance to crack open a beer.

‘
My father is ...son
of bitch. He not come to see me. He in trouble and need money. It
is always same with fucking guy. We not help. He left my family
many time, he better dead.’

She stormed off. I
took her a hot chocolate, had a sneaky beer then went out to look
for her father. I found him sitting alone in a bar.

‘
Why you
come?’ he asked, surprised.

‘
I wanted a beer with
my father-in-law.’

‘
I want a beer with
you too, John.’

He ordered me a
Chang. We drank.

‘
Nui tell you why she
upset with me?’

I nodded.

‘
I know it look bad
that I ask. She only family I have. Sorry if my English not
good.’

‘
Why do you need
money?’

‘
I have company; have
hard time with economy. I borrow from Japan guy, pay interest, make
business better, but not get better. Now I can’t pay back. If lose
business, lose everything.’

‘
How much do you
owe?’

‘
Over two hundred
thousand baht. Can you help? When company better, I pay you back
and more.’

‘
We just put a
deposit on the house and with a child on the way we don’t have any
spare cash.’

‘
I understand. Sorry
to ask.’

‘
I’m sorry I can’t
help.’

‘
That okay. I find
another way.’

The following
morning he rolled up
at the door and stumbled in with torn clothes and blood on his
chin. ‘Sorry John, I had nowhere to go.’

I handed him some
tissues. ‘What happened?’

‘
The sharks came this
morning. I have two weeks to pay or they kill me. Then they come
after Nui.’

‘
Nui! How do they
know about her?’

‘
She put something in
paper about wedding. They see her name and know who she is. You
better leave Bangkok, I’ll be all right.’

‘
There may be a way I
can borrow the money.’

‘
Thank you John. I
promise I pay back.’

‘
Don’t thank me yet,
this may not work out.’

I helped him into the
living room, laid him on the sofa then stepped upstairs. It had
been a while since I’d spoken to my old boss, Briggs but if anyone
could stump up some cash at short notice, he could.

He was a
dodgy geezer but he’d always paid cash and had a
few quid lying around. I’d worked for him before, delivering
packages around Melbourne. He’d never told me what was in them –
I’d never asked.

I took a phone card
and called him. ‘Mr Briggs?’

‘
Is that you
John?’

‘
Yes, how are
you?’

‘
Still rocking and
rolling. How are you?’

‘
I’m good, but I need
to ask a favour.’

‘
So much for the
foreplay, what do you need?’

‘
I need two hundred
thousand Thai baht.’

‘…
What
for?’

‘
My father-in-law ran
into some debt.’

‘
You’re married now?
My invitation must have got lost in the post.’

‘
It was a small
do.’

‘
Two hundred thousand
isn’t much.’

‘
I’ve just put a
deposit down on a house.’

‘
I see. You want me
to sort you out?’

‘
I’d appreciate it
but I’m not sure when I can pay you back.’

‘
Maybe there’s
something you can do for me.’

‘
What’s
that?’

‘
I need a package
bringing back from Bangkok.’

‘
What’s in the
package?’

‘…
.You calling on a
card?’

‘
Of
course.’

‘
It’s five kilos of
junk.’

I was shocked, yet
didn’t hang up; I feared for Nui’s life. I couldn’t handle the
thought of losing her and was actually considering this.

‘
What are you
thinking, John?’

‘
Can’t you just loan
me the money. I’m not a drug smuggler. I don’t want to
be.’

‘
The way I see it is
we both need a favour.’

The phone started
shaking in my hand. ‘How would it work?’

‘
You pick a package
up from a guy over there, he straps it on real tight and you get on
the flight. My usual guy’s done this a million times but this time
he’s not available.’

‘
What if they search
me at the airport?’

‘
They won’t unless
the alarm goes off. You have to make sure you don’t have any metal
on you.”

‘
What if something
does go wrong?’

‘
Then you sit tight.
I take care of it.’

‘
How would you
know?’

‘
You text me on the
plane before you take off – tell me the flight is on time, but make
sure you do or I’ll be onto my guy to bail you out.’

‘
Who’s your
guy?’

‘
He’s a big Japanese
boss out there.’

‘
I wouldn’t get
caught?’

‘
Everybody gets paid,
nothing goes wrong.’

I closed my eyes as I
realized I was about to take the biggest risk of my life. ‘Okay I’m
in.’

‘
You got a
pen?’

I took down the
details of who to meet and where then ended the call. Later
over
dinner, I told Nui my mum needed to
see me and I had to fly home.

‘
I come with you,’
she said with a firm frown.

‘
You don’t have a
visa for Australia.’

‘
Why you need to see
her now?”

‘
She has a
problem.’

‘
What
problem?’

‘
It’s
personal.’

‘
You tell me John, or
I’ll call her.’

‘
She’s drinking
again.’

‘
I not know her
drinking before.’

‘
I never told you
because it’s personal. So don’t call her, you hear?’

‘
We’re family now
John. Not have personal. I not call her, but I’m coming to the
airport.’

‘
Let’s see how you
feel on the day.’

‘
You leave when I’m
pregnant. I want a dog.’

‘
Not that old
chestnut again.’

‘
I want for when you
away.’

‘
I’m never
away.’

She walked off, but
at least the die had been cast. I felt guilty for lying but didn’t
see another way. I would get in, get out and our lives would be
back on track. The departure date soon arrived. I was in the
bedroom saying goodbye.

‘
Don’t go,’ Nui
begged with tears in her eyes.

‘
I have to go. We’ve
already been over this.’

She scowled then
pulled up the bed-sheet.

‘
How you stop your
mum from drinking?’

‘
I’ll think of
something.’

I wiped away one of
her tears, kissed her forehead then backed away. Leaving her this
way was one of the hardest things I’d ever had to do and lying made
it even worse. I thought about her father, about the loan-sharks
and knew if I’d told her the truth, she’d never have let me
go.

‘
Wait!’ she screamed.
‘The baby’s kicking.’

I stepped back, sat
on the bed and felt him kick. This wasn’t the first time but it was
strange he was doing it now.

‘
He not want you
go.’

‘
I have to
go.’

‘
Then go,’ she hissed
with angry eyes.