MYENGINEER, CHAPTER 8: You’re my baby
[Bohn]
“Clean as hell.” I scanned the condo room, which was spotless as if it were brand new. I hadn’t been back in so long I almost forgot which room was mine.
Before coming here, that pale fool scared me, what a crazy person, following me on a bike just to ask what kind of flower I wanted.
“You naive bastard, you’re crazy.”
Oh, I just remembered that my phone is full of pictures. Normally, I don’t like taking photos, the memory’s full because Boss played with my phone before, taking selfies that were the shame of my device. When I got my phone back, I was so shocked I almost kicked the culprit. He even set a picture of him picking his nose as the wallpaper…
“After thinking about it, I won’t delete it…I’ll put it on the computer to mock you, Boss, huh.” With that, I opened my computer and saved all the photos of the naughty wife into a new folder named ‘Boss the Bastard’. You’re in for it, Thanarit. When I browsed through the photos carefully, I was amazed. Damn, Boss managed to take 1,805 selfies within an hour, that’s brutal. With this many photos, he didn’t want me to use my storage for anything else? No wonder my computer was slowing down, when I tried to take a photo at work, it said, ‘Memory full.’
“You’ll see me on your face, Boss.” I, Bohn, muttered with anger, but then my eyes caught sight of someone’s photo…Duen’s picture, the one where he was sleeping by the pond.
I looked at the student in the photo with scrutiny…he does have a certain charm, though he probably doesn’t realize it himself, he’s so clueless. I don’t know what others see in him as a charm, but for me, it’s that very cluelessness that’s appealing…I moved his photo to a new folder named ‘Little Rascal’.
Ding
Speaking of the little rascal, here he comes…
DuenTheClumsyAndForgetfulLittleRascal: You saved my name without any shame, you bastard, Bohn.
And what’s this…’scream scream, Nong Duen likes this’?
“Did you see it? Huh.” If he saw how I saved his name, he’d definitely curse at me.
After that, we kept talking until I forgot I was going to post photos to tease Boss. I sent him a photo of my six-pack, and he cursed back, but do you believe how long it took him to reply? He must have been zooming in on the photo to check out my beautiful muscles, (self-absorbed much). The conversation got a bit more risqué at some point, he said his body was better than mine, so I challenged him to send a photo. Not that I wanted to see it, just wanted to have it in my new ‘Little Rascal’ folder.
DuenTheClumsyAndForgetfulLittleRascal: How’s this for handsome, sends photo
The photo he sent was of him lying on a carpet, all buttons of his pajamas undone, revealing white skin and a hint of abdominal muscles. The sunlight from the window made his abs look…
I was silent for a while until he messaged me again. Not because I was falling in love like in those sweet novels. I was just smiling, thinking about when to use this photo to tease Duen. Should I post it on his face? Oh wait, he doesn’t have a Facebook yet, I’ll find it later, you’re done for, you idiot, I’ll play with both you and
Boss, just watch. We chatted for another couple of sentences before Duen went back to studying. So, I returned to my own business, which was posting photos to tease Boss, heh heh.
Rrrrr
Who’s calling? Why does this naughty wife seem so lucky, bastard? Every time I try to post something to tease him, something comes up. I was about to curse at whoever was calling, good thing I checked the name first…’Mom.’
“Hello, Mom.”
(Bohn, are you staying at the condo tonight, son?)
“Yes, Dad told me to stay here sometimes, or he’ll give it to Bihn.”
(Haha, that’s just your Dad’s way of threatening you.)
“By the way, is there something mom?”
(Not really, just that I was surprised you haven’t come home in a while.)
“Sorry, I forgot to call, I’ve been pretty busy lately.”
(That’s okay. Oh, Ben will be moving in with us indefinitely, son.)
“Huh, that mischievous Ben, Aunt Pen’s son?” Aunt Pen is my mom’s younger sister; she moved to England ten years ago because she married a blue-eyed foreigner, and Ben, who we are talking about, is her son. He’s quite a handful. I’ve been chasing him around since we were little.
(Yeah, he’s already in grade one. He’s moved to school XXX. He’s grown up and is as handsome as his father.)
“Really? With that troublemaker here, I guess my condo will turn back into a playground.” I might look rough, but I love kids…just the ones related to me, the rest are just like little gold statues.
(Haha, help me take care of him properly. I want to try out some new recipes for Ben to taste.) Another reason I’m close with that rascal is because I feel sorry for him. I don’t want him to face harsh things from a young age. Whenever Mom wants Ben to try something, I act like a hero and take him away to play, saving him, haha.
“When will he come?”
(He’s already here. This morning, I took him to school.)
“Huh? Why didn’t I see him?”
(He came later in the morning. By that time, you had already left for uni, so you didn’t meet him.)
“Oh, and will you pick him up, or should I?”
(It’s okay, I haven’t picked up kids or grandchildren like this in a long time. I miss the old days when you kids were young. Sigh…you shouldn’t have grown up, my little Bohn and Bihn.)
“Oh, Mom, that makes me sad.”
(That’s your problem. I’m going to pick up the little one, see you later.) According to tradition, Mom should apologize to make it right.
“Please tell the rascal that I’ll buy him some toys.”
(Yeah, yeah, robots, right?)
“Yes, yes.”
Busy
Rrrrr
“I’m so in demand.” I, Bohn, muttered as soon as I hung up with my mom, and then someone else called. Seeing the name on the screen, I could only sigh; I didn’t want this kind of ‘hot’ attention…
“Hello, lady.” She’s one of my sleeping partners. You could say she’s the most beautiful among all the girls I’ve dated.
(Bohn, let’s meet at Phii Diao’s pub tonight, okay?) It sounds like we had planned this. I’m pretty sure we never talked about this.
“Tonight?”
(Yes, it’s my birthday.) Is it? If I forgot, it wouldn’t be surprising…I never remember unimportant things.
“Hmm…okay. Do you want something special? I’ll buy it for you.”
(Bohn, you haven’t bought anything yet…) Come on. I didn’t know it was your birthday, is that my fault?
“…”
(You haven’t bought anything yet?!)
“Yeah, I haven’t bought anything.” I answered in a normal voice, standing with my hands on my hips, looking out the window with boredom. This is why I don’t like such behavior, people who are self-centered, who like to complain, are boring.
(Why haven’t you bought anything yet?) Why do I have to deal with this?
“I forgot.”
(Forgot? Forgot my birthday?!)
“Yeah.”
(How could you do this? We’re a cou-)
“I think we’ve talked about what we are to each other.” I cut in before she could finish. I knew what she was going to say. If it were true, I wouldn’t mind, but it isn’t…
(…).
“We’ll meet at 9 PM. I’ll find a gift to buy. That’s it.”
(But-)
Click
“Sigh…I’ll bring Tang and the gang along.” I don’t want to sit in the middle of her friends’ circle. They always ask this and that…it’s annoying. Having Boss and the others there will help distract attention, and I’ll be more relaxed.
Bon Ss: Hey, are you guys free today?
Thangty: Always free, sir.
Megha: What’s up?
Bon Ss: Let’s have some drinks.
Phii Boss, Same Person Just Upgraded to Being Annoying: Sure, my liver hasn’t been feeling too lively lately.
Megha: Are you trying to get liver cirrhosis again?
Bon Ss: You in?
Thangty: Let’s go, I’m free.
Megha: +1
Thanthep King: Tee and Bom can’t go, we have to do the faculty’s fire walk show. Damn it, I want to go!
Oh, what a surprise, I thought everyone could make it. Now it won’t be a full gathering, what a pity. I like it when Bom gets drunk; he’s so fond of Bohn, it’s hilarious.
Thangty: Being on the fire show committee is tough, whenever there’s an event at uni, we have to participate and it’s free on top of that, oh well.
Tee Phattarawin: Yeah, if it weren’t for getting points…
Bon Ss: Tell them to switch to Civil Engineering.
Bom Boom: Engineering is the same everywhere, just as shitty. And don’t think I don’t know what you do in your department’s workshop.
Thangty: What, plastering walls by myself, haha.
Thanthep King: I’d rather connect circuits than plaster walls/prays.
Phii Boss, Same Person Just Upgraded to Being Annoying: Regarding the meeting, let Boss check the schedule first, it’s been pretty packed lately.
Bon Ss: It’s your problem, Boss. Today’s her birthday. As you know, each of her friends is a jaw-dropper.
Phii Boss Same Person Just Upgraded to Being Annoying: Deal, I’ll go.
Megha: But you said your schedule was packed gold.
Phii Boss, Same Person Just Upgraded to Being Annoying: Seeing as it’s Bohn’s friend, Boss will make an exception.
Bom Boom: You sly bastard. Just admit you want to hit on some girls.
Phii Boss, Same Person Just Upgraded to Being Annoying: That’s just a side benefit, I don’t really need it, seriously.
Bon Ss: Huh?
Tee Phattarawin: Huh!
Megha: Huh…
Bom Boom: Huuuuuh
Thanthep King: Huuuuuuh
Phii BossSameOldWithAnExtraEarringUpgrade: Yeah, you bastards, you already know but still ask to make it complicated.
Thangty: And what time are we going?
Bon Ss: 9 PM.
That was the end of our conversation. Boss said 9 PM was good since it would give him time to get ready. Wow…and here I thought it was just a side benefit.
[Duenhaw]
“Hello, Teacher Pang.” I bowed to my sister’s beautiful homeroom teacher.
“Hello, Duen, here to pick up Daonuea, right?”
“Yes, where’s Daonuea?”
“She’s at the playground with her friends.”
“Then I’ll go find Daonuea first.”
“Okay.”
“Daonuea.” I called out to my sister when I saw her playing with a group of her female friends, Wah, Khem, and then Jub and Jaeng, the last two being twins. My sister sure knows how to pick friends; they’re all good-looking. If they grow up a bit more, they could form a girl group, but then I thought…maybe not, I don’t want more people to like Daonuea. Daonuea having just me is enough; the rest can just disappear!
“Duenhaw!” Daonuea jumped off the swing she was sitting on and ran to me immediately. I picked her up and spun her around until she laughed cheerfully…this is the joy of life. Right now, I feel like there’s a pink, sparkly atmosphere between me and my sister, like a sweet cartoon full of floating hearts.
Having a little sister is so great, yay.
“Hello, Phii Duen.” The girls behind her bowed to me. Wow, kids these days are so cute.
“Hello, how are you kids getting home?”
“Mom’s here to pick us up, she’s arrived, so…we’ll go first, bye, Khem, Wa, Jub,
Jaeng.”
“Dad’s picking me up, Cheek. We’re at the school gate…oh, we’re leaving now, Dad!”
“And what about Wa?” I asked, squatting down, when I noticed Wa didn’t answer but was just holding her skirt tightly.
“Dad…but Dad said he’d be a little late because of work…” She answered in a whisper, her eyes red and pitiful. Of course, with the code of conduct for a handsome and kind future doctor like Phii Duen, I would volunteer to stay with this little girl.
“It’s okay, Phii Duen will stay with you.”
“Really?”
“Really, right, Daonuea?”
“Yes, I will stay with you so you won’t be lonely.” Daonuea went over to hug her best friend’s shoulder, and the other girl smiled, showing her teeth, nodding happily. Whose little sister is this with such a good nature? Must be well-raised by her brother, hehe.
“So cute.”
Whose voice was that? When I turned to look in the direction of the voice, I saw a woman who seemed to be about fifty. She looked kind, with a smile on her face, dressed in a manner that suggested good taste, holding a boy’s hand with her left.
Who might this be?
The boy seemed shy because he was hiding behind his mother’s legs (I think that’s what was happening), only his eyes peeking out. Could he be mixed-race?
With his fair skin, large brown eyes, and golden-brown hair.
“Um, yes?”
“You’re such a sweet brother.”
“Oh, haha, thank you.” I rubbed the back of my neck, embarrassed. She complimented me on being a sweet brother, something I’ve never been called before, only ‘siscon’ or something like that…
“Is this your little sister?” The aunt leaned down to ask Star, and I could see the boy behind her jump a little…probably startled at losing his shield.
“Yes, I am Daonuea and Duenhaw is my big brother.”
“Oh my, such cute names, and they rhyme with each other.”
“That auntie thinks our names are cute too.” Daonuea turned to tug at my student shirt, laughing cheerfully, making me want to take a picture to capture this moment, so cute…
“Thank you, haha.”
“And what’s your name, little one?”
“…Praewa.”
“Another cute name.” The auntie put her hands on her cheeks, showing how much she adores the kids. She seems to love children just like me, (Lolicon…:
Mother Princess).
“Thank you…”
“And what’s the name of the handsome boy behind you, Auntie?” I decided to ask back, looking at the kid I was referring to. He turned to meet my gaze before shyly hiding behind the auntie.
“Haha. He just moved here from England today. Normally, he’s quite mischievous, but he seems shy with new friends.”
“Hmm, what’s your name, young man? If you tell Phii Duen, the handsome one,
Phii Duen, the handsome one, will give you this.”
“Uh.”
I pulled out a small robot from my pocket as bait; it came with the snacks from this morning. It seems my plan to lure the kid with a robot is working, as he followed my hand with gleaming eyes. Boys are like this, indeed.
“Do you want it?”
The little boy nodded rapidly.
“Then…tell me, do you have friends to play with yet?” The one asked paused for a moment and then slowly shook his head, which was quite pitiful. I’ve been in the same situation, transferring schools mid-term. I had no friends at all during that time, which was like a dark age for me. So, I understand how he feels, especially since he looks foreign, which must make him stand out. Everyone has probably thought, ‘Hey! A foreigner!’ and ran away because they can’t speak English, making him feel even more isolated than I did.
“I’ll give you the robot if you become friends with these two…Introduce yourself to your new friends.” I turned to speak to Wa and Daonuea.
“I…my name is Wa, you can call me Praewa, or just Wa…” After saying that, Wa ran back to her spot behind Daonuea, she’s shy. She’s not very expressive, but having a friend like Daonuea will boost her confidence since my sister is very selfassured and loves her friends a lot, (seems like Dad’s genes are strong).
“And you, what’s your name?” I asked the young boy in front of me.
“Ben…my name’s Ben.”
“My name is Daonuea…What did Teacher Steve teach yesterday? Oh! My, name’s, Dawnuea.” Whose sister is this, beautiful and smart like her brother, yay.
“Not quite…”
Daonuea’s face fell the moment Ben said that, she was about to run to me but was stopped by the young boy holding her arm.
“Your name’s Honey, and you’re my baby.”
Kiss-kiss
“Oh my, Ben!”
“Hey!”
“Oh!”
You little foreign devil! I was kind enough to introduce you to new friends since you didn’t have any, but look what you’ve done! You betrayed me by doing this!
You won’t die well, you little Ben!
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