Peter and Me

Yesterday was not a good day. Wanting to go over lesson plans for the last four evenings of class, I abandoned them to replenish food and kip supplies instead. Finding one of my favorite tuk tuk drivers at the corner, he said, "Nam Phou," I said, "Dii," fare was quickly agreed upon and we were off. Vientiane is full of falang (westerners) at this time of year as November's weather is usually the most agreeable. I am falang, too, but in my ban and for several bans around, I don't have to deal with them, so my attitude is one of reluctant acceptance and barely-concealed animosity. I think it's the attitude of entitlement that galls me. At any rate, we reached Nam Phou, parked at an agreed upon spot, and I said, "Sip-ha natii (fifteen minutes)." Just then a young French woman asked a policeman on the corner, in English, where the Morning Market was. He didn't seem to want to deal with her and shrugged. I stepped in to try to give directions. I said, "Talat Sao, Morning Market," just to make sure she knew the Lao if she needed it. Then I proceeded to point and explain. She was obviously uncomfortable with all my English and finally asked, "Can you go with me?" I was close to my tuk tuk driver and he was nodding when I said, snippily, "I'm not going that way." The driver looked momentarily taken aback (it would have taken, maybe, ten minutes), then resumed his usual protective impassivity. I headed for the ATM. Somewhere in Vientiane, a cock crowed. After finishing my run through the western grocery store for bread and milk, I headed back to the tuk tuk to return home, but not before a man with no lower legs crawled past me, a furtive expression on his face. I wanted to give him kip, but I was paralyzed. With Herculean effort, he vaulted himself onto his modified bicycle and the moment had passed. He was gone. I had the entire trip home to replay my missed opportunities. On this particular journey, the cardinal commandment is: Your mission (the task) shall not get in the way of your purpose (the people). Falang. That's me. Given my druthers, I would choose Ruth. Yesterday, I was far more like Peter.