NORTHHOWMUCHISYOURLOVE, Chapter 14 part 1
Chapter 14: Coffee Shop
@Marry Me!
13:12 PM
Stressed…
I’m almost twenty, and I’ve never been this stressed before…
“Sigh.” I let out a big sigh while rubbing my face with my hands. Right now, I’m at a coffee shop with Ter and Phii Tharn, taking a break. At Ter’s counter, I’m using this break time to ponder over my life problems.
“I’ve never seen you this stressed out before.” Ter said, reaching over to pat my shoulder and squeeze it gently.
“I’ve never been this stressed out either.”
“Tell you to ask Phii Joe.”
“No way.”
“Why?” Ter pressed.
“Can’t ask.”
“Why not?”
“Because I just can’t, you just don’t get it.”
“Who would get it then? Are you embarrassed in front of him? Don’t be, just consider it as your debt increasing.”
“That’s exactly why I can’t do it.”
“Why?”
“See, it’s you, Ter.” I sighed again to cut the conversation short. Absolutely not, I can’t ask Phii Joe, “What should I do? It’s almost due too, damn it. I shouldn’t have been born with such a forgetful memory.” I lamented to myself. “Are you ready to tell me what’s going on? I’m completely in the dark here.” Phii Tharn said, raising an eyebrow.
“North is going through a bit of a life storm, but really, if you ask Phii Joe, it’d solve everything easily, but he’s too stubborn to do it. He won’t budge an inch, and says if he’s embarrassed, I can talk to him.”
“No way, absolutely out of the question. I won’t discuss money matters with Phii Johan at all.”
“So it’s about money then?” Phii Tharn asked.
“Something like that.” I replied.
“Can I help with anything?”
“…”
“Can I borrow about forty to fifty thousand from you, Phii?”
“…”
“Are you crazy?” Phii Tharn said, giving me a light tap on the head. “Who would lend that much money easily? Normally, you’d need to sign a contract for a loan that big.”
“There you go, what should I do then? Or should I tell my mom?”
“Normally, that’s what you’d do. What can you do? Just accept the reality.”
“It’s definitely going to explode.”
“What?”
“My head, it’s definitely going to explode.” I said, rubbing my arms as I felt goosebumps thinking about my mom when she’s angry. Just the thought made my eyes water.
“And why do you need so much money?” Phii Tharn asked.
“It’s like this, Phii…” I began explaining, recalling the morning’s events.
Ding! Ding! 07:17 AM
North’s Mom: Sends a picture
North’s Mom: Good morning.
North’s Mom: Are you awake?
North♣: Mom
North♣: I hate your LINE name, LOL
North♣: Can you change it?
North’s Mom: I only have one son.
North’s Mom: Why?
North♣: Nothing, really.
North♣: I woke up early as always, Mom, today is Saturday.
North♣: Sleep a lot to look young and beautiful.
North’s Mom: Enough.
North♣: Enough what?
North’s Mom: I’m beautiful enough.
North’s Mom: At the market, people keep flirting with me.
North’s Mom: I told them my son is in university, but no one believes it.
North♣: Who’s flirting with you, mom?
North♣: That’s quite the audacity.
North’s Mom: Sweet talker.
North’s Mom: Are you working today?
North♣: Yes, today at the coffee shop.
North♣: Going in the afternoon, the owner isn’t available.
North’s Mom: My eyes hurt from texting, can I call?
North♣: Sure, go ahead.
Incoming call from: Mom’
I quickly answered the call. “Good morning, madam.” (Are you doing well, son?)
“I’m fine, Mom?”
(I am doing great. How’s school? Don’t overdo it, okay?)
“It’s tough, I’m super tired.”
(Should you drop out, then it would be over with.)
“Oh, Mom, relax, why would I drop out? Education is important, you know. I made so many vows just to get into this school.”
(I’m just kidding, keep going, dear. And about money, do you have enough? Manage it well, okay?)
“Yes.”
(Don’t go buying stuff behind my back again, or I’ll be waiting with a stick.)
“Yes.” I agreed, glancing at my new computer on the table, which I bought about two months ago without telling Mom. I told her I was buying a computer for work and study, but since I already bought it, I might as well make it worth it by decking it out, which ended up costing a pretty penny.
And I absolutely cannot tell Mom…If she finds out I bought a gaming computer, I’m a dead man, TT.
(So, you still have a lot of savings, right?)
“…Yes.”
No, actually, there’s almost nothing left…because of my dear computer, which is right here on the table.
(What I called to say was that your Aunt Nuch is about to give birth, son. North, you are going to have a niece or nephew.)
“Really?” I asked, my eyes wide in surprise. I just remembered my aunt, Aunt Nuch, is pregnant. She even asked me about names for the baby last time. I’ve been so busy I completely forgot. (Yes, would you like to talk to Aunt Nuch for a bit?)
“Yes.”
(What do you want to talk about, you troublemaker?)
“Auntie, why didn’t you tell me sooner? I totally forgot, sorry. I’ve been really busy lately.”
(Oh, it’s okay. University is tough, right? We’re doing well here.)
“Yes, how are you doing? Is the baby naughty?”
(She’s very naughty, definitely like you, kicking all day and night.)
“I can’t wait to meet the little one. When is the due date?”
(Next week…should be on schedule.)
“Congratulations! I’ll try to find time to come back around then.”
(Okay, and don’t forget what you promised.)
“Huh, promised? What did I promise?” I raised my eyebrows, puzzled by what the other person on the line was saying, and tried to remember what I had promised.
(The gold for the baby’s welcome gift, what North bragged about. Remember, from the last family reunion?)
“…”
Gold for the baby’s welcome…
Oh no.
Now I remember…
At the last family reunion, there were a lot of relatives gathered at home, everyone was chatting and boasting about this and that. When they found out my aunt was pregnant, there was a lot of talk about buying this and that for the baby.
I had gone and promised to buy gold as a welcoming gift for the newborn because back then, I had quite a bit of savings.
“Oh, I remember that. How much did I say he would buy?” (Two baht gold, that’s super impressive. At the time, your aunt and I were really shocked, and so were the other relatives. You’re still so young but so good at earning money.)
“Two baht of gold…oh.”
(Don’t forget, buy it when you come to visit after the birth. When the baby is born, I can just imagine the baby just say ‘Thank you, Phii North.’ )
“That’s a bit much.” I said, giving a dry laugh.
(Really, once the baby sees two baht of gold, from a newborn who can’t even open their eyes, they’ll be wide-eyed from birth.) After talking with my aunt-inlaw and mom for a while, I hung up, sitting there, clasping my hands with a bit of stress. Now, where am I going to get the money to buy gold for my niece or nephew?
“You look pale, what’s wrong? Are you sick?” Ter asked as he walked in after just having a shower.
“Ter, how much is one baht of gold?”
“I don’t know, let’s look it up.”
“Look it up for me.”
“Alright, here we go.” Ter said, pulling out his phone to check. Meanwhile, I was trying to gather my thoughts. Truthfully, I had a lot of savings, but half of it was already set aside for emergencies, then I bought the computer, and had my phone repaired. Now, I’ve got just over ten thousand baht to my name.
“It’s twenty thousand per baht.”
“Ter, you’re kidding.”
“Why would I kid? Look, here it is.” he said, showing me the screen, just over nineteen thousand…so about twenty thousand.
“Damn. I thought it was ten thousand per baht. Shit. I shouldn’t have spoken so quickly.” “Why?”
“I promised my aunt I’d buy gold for the baby, two baht, but then I forgot because I spent the money on the computer and phone repairs first.”
“Oh, and how much money do you have left now?”
“Just over ten thousand.”
“And you need forty thousand for the gold?”
“I’m done for…” I said, rubbing my face gently. “If I tell mom I don’t have the money to buy it, she’ll ask where all my money went.”
“Then tell her you bought a computer, that you got a computer specifically for gaming, and that the computer was insanely expensive, like fifty thousand.”
“I didn’t know I had to buy gold at the time. If I had remembered, I wouldn’t have bought a computer.” I said truthfully. Back then, I happened to see a computer, and I wasn’t planning to buy something so expensive initially. But Duennao, he’s the one who egged me on, saying this one’s good, that one’s smooth to play on, and here I am. But it does play well, better than the one at the shop. “If mom finds out, I’m definitely dead. I can’t tell her under any circumstances.”
“And where are you going to get forty thousand from?”
“That’s the question. Should I sell a kidney? I have two, one should be enough.”
“You’re an idiot, bastard.” Ter said, shaking his head. “But wait, you said you had over ten thousand left, right? Oh, and fixing your phone yesterday was pretty expensive.”
“Right.” I nodded, because my phone’s screen had cracked into a spider web, probably from when Phii Day did that. The touch screen started to fail, so I had to get it fixed. At first, I thought it wouldn’t be expensive, but…it was ten thousand.
“Your stuff is new, so you can’t use fake parts, you have to send it to the official service center, hence the cost. I’m still shocked.” “Tell me about it, but still, it had to be fixed, right? Insurance doesn’t cover it because we, and by we I mean, I broke the phone myself.” I said. Paying for the phone repair was a real teeth-gritting moment, literally, to the point where my gums hurt. And I have to thank my kind sponsor, Duennao, for lending me his old phone to use in the meantime. Otherwise, I would have been without a phone for nearly a week.
“When you buy expensive stuff, you don’t think about how much the repairs will cost.”
“I didn’t buy it, Phii Joe bought it for me.” and I didn’t think about having to pay for repairs myself.
“Why didn’t you let Phii Joe pay for the repairs?”
“No.”
“Are you too shy? He’s filthy rich, he might even buy you a new one.”
“It’s not about being shy.” it’s more than that, it’s about distrust, being wary. With Phii Johan, he’d probably expect something in return for free repairs, and my lip hasn’t even healed yet!!
“So, where are you going to get the money from?”
“That’s the question. I’ll wait to see my salary this month.”
“It won’t be enough to buy gold.”
“Can I buy the gold on an installment plan?”
“Ha. Who would let you buy gold on installments?” Ter said, shaking his head and making a face at me. “And have you paid the tuition yet?”
“…”
“No.”
“Watch out, your credits might get dropped.”
“Shit, I haven’t even paid the tuition yet. Damn, I shouldn’t have rushed to get the phone repaired.” “See, you’re so forgetful. We haven’t paid the dorm fees either, remember, it’s been two months. I bet in a few days, the dorm manager will cut off our water and electricity for sure.”
“Damn, Ter, do you still have the dorm fee?”
“I have it. I was waiting to pay with you.”
“Can you pay it now? I’ll pay you back later.”
“Are you insane? Do you think I’m that rich?”
“Ask Phii Hill then.” I suggested.
“You should ask Phii Johan, it’s easier. How many times do I have to remind you that he’s rich?”
“And how many times do I have to remind you that I don’t talk about money with Phii Johan?”
@Marry Me!
13:15 PM
“Oh, so to sum up, you forgot about the gold for the baby, spent the money on a computer, forgot to pay tuition and dorm fees, and used the money to repair your phone.” Phii Tharn recapped what I had just told him.
“Yes, something like that.”
“Well, there’s no helping it when someone forgets.” Phii Tharn said.
“Exactly, there’s really no helping it, right, Ter?”
“If you get kicked out of the dorm, there’s really no helping it, bastard. The dorm manager might kick me out too. If we go back to find no water or electricity, it’s all on you.”
“Why didn’t you remind me to pay the dorm fee? It’s the second month already.”
“I forgot, that’s why.”
“See, everyone forgets sometimes. Even you.” “So, what are you going to do? The cost of the gold, you might be able to negotiate with your mom. You’ll only get hit a few times. Just keep the computer purchase a secret.” Phii Tharn suggested.
“A few times is all it takes, Phii. Skin will peel off, I’m telling you, my mom’s slaps are the hardest in the market.” I said. My mom, Jee-Nitch, is the best in the market, it really hurts just thinking about it. No way, absolutely not, nooo. Being hit by my mom is a childhood nightmare that haunts me to this day, T^T.
“But tuition and rent are important, do you have enough money now?”
“I have over ten thousand.”
“How much is our faculty’s tuition?”
“About sixteen thousand, I think.”
“You’re not even done with tuition alone.”
“Alright, how much can I get for selling a kidney?”
“You’re still not over selling your kidney?”
“How much is our dorm rent, Ter?”
“Split between us, it’s about three thousand each, so six thousand for two months.”
“Oh, bastard, what should I do? Can I borrow some from you, Ter?”
“I have it, but I’m not lending it, it’s not a small amount.”
“Phii Tharn, what about my salary? We’re nearing the end of the month.” I turned to ask Phii Tharn. I was planning to chase down Phii Ya for my salary too, at least to cover tuition and rent first.
“Yeah, I was going to talk about that with you guys. The reason I was busy this morning was that someone wanted to buy the shop. Actually, this shop belongs to my sister, but I had to help look after it.”
“Buy the shop?” “Yes. At first, my sister wasn’t too keen on selling, but the buyers were very insistent. After some back and forth, they agreed on a sale. The offer was good.”
“Wow, so this shop is going to belong to someone else?” I said regretfully, why does it have to change hands when I’m in such a financial bind?
“Yes, yes, they’re sorting it out right now, but it’ll be finalized soon.”
“Who is it? The one coming to buy?” Ter asked in turn.
“I don’t know who really wants to buy it. They sent a representative to talk, a woman. I asked why they wanted to buy it, and she said she didn’t know the reason, just that her employer wanted this shop.”
“Wow, why would they want it? Do they like this place that much?” I asked.
“Exactly, I was wondering the same. They must really like it. The offer was really good, my sister couldn’t refuse. I was shocked when I heard the proposal, who would pay that much? They must be very wealthy. Not sure why they’d want such a small shop.”
“What was the offer, Phii?” I asked out of curiosity, “But this shop isn’t that small, I think.”
“That’s a secret.”
“Wow, you’re so stingy.”
“So, do we need to get to know the new owner?” Ter turned to ask me.
“Well, if they’re strict, what are we going to do? What if they get angry and kick us out? I’m too lazy to find a new job.” I said, feeling a bit down. I thought Phii Tharn was kind-hearted, and we could slack off a bit.
“They probably won’t kick us out. And what about our salary?”
“Phii will keep paying the salary according to the old rate, but the new owner just arrived, and they’re considering increasing our salary. Maybe talk to them about getting a daily increase. There’s still a lot of time left before the month ends.” “Oh, hey. That’s nice, they’re also increasing the salary. Maybe thirty thousand a month. Wow, if not now, then when would I be rich?” I said jokingly.
“Thirty thousand a month, and we only work on weekends, that’s amazing. If it were me, I’d be scared to even ask for that much.”
“Ter, you are always the dream crusher.” I said, pouting at him. Seriously, though, I was just kidding. Working weekends for thirty thousand is crazy.
“And now, I hear you mention Johan. Are you guys close now?” Phii Tharn asked. I felt a bit uncomfortable because of the tone he used, which sounded a bit reproachful.
“Well…it’s not that close yet, but we’ve gotten to know each other better.” I answered honestly.
“He’s flirting with you, right?”
“Uh…something like that.” I replied uncertainly. Phii Joe never said he was flirting with me, just that he likes me, but what he does, it’s more than flirting…
“North, I’ve warned you.” Phii Tharn said sternly. “Johan from the medical faculty, everyone knows him, he’s quite the playboy, I’ve told you before. Why do you still let him flirt with you? Be careful, you might get fooled.”
“…” I didn’t respond because I didn’t know what to say.
“There are plenty of good, beautiful people who like him. In the end, will he choose us? I’m not trying to criticize, just concerned. I want you to think carefully. It’s strange, isn’t it? You didn’t know each other before, maybe he’s just playing around.”
“Don’t get mad at me, I’m just worried. This guy doesn’t have a great reputation.”
“Uh…” I made a slightly troubled face before looking towards Ter. Ter also looked back with a troubled expression, why did the atmosphere suddenly become this uncomfortable? “But I heard Phii Joe has stopped flirting with other people.” Ter chimed in. “Still, you can’t be too sure, being a flirt is hard to change. You’ve just met each other, how much can you trust that? If it turns out he’s just playing you, it’ll be painful. It’s good to keep some guard up.” Phii Tharn said seriously. I could only smile in acknowledgment, saying anything now would seem like arguing.
“What I’m saying is, I mean well for you.” he added, lightly ruffling my hair as if I were a cat. I gave him a dry smile, and he didn’t take his hand away, just kept playing with my hair. Would it be rude if I shook him off?
The bell at the shop door rang.
“Welcome.” I said to greet the customer who had just entered.
Oh…
Phii Johan…
How did he get here?
Phii Joe was wearing his university uniform on a Saturday, with his shirt untucked, looking as moody as ever. I looked at the newcomer with confusion before he approached me.
And he brushed Phii Tharn’s hand away.
“Hey!” Phii Tharn said, clearly not pleased, but Phii Johan paid no heed.
“Phii Hill.” As soon as Phii Hill walked in, Ter called out to him and went over. Phii Hill was also in his university uniform. Do they have classes on Saturdays?
“Ah.” I exclaimed when Phii Johan suddenly pulled my arm to make me stand up, “Phii…wait.” I called out as he pulled me along, but Phii Tharn stopped us.
“Hold on, what’s your problem? Where are you taking my employee?” Phii Tharn said with a displeased tone. Phii Johan didn’t reply, just turned to look back.
“Your employee?”
“Yes, what about it?”
“He’s not.” “Huh? What’s not?” “He’s not your employee, you can go back now.” Phii Johan spoke in a calm tone, then dragged me up the stairs to the upper floor. I shook my head at Phii Tharn to indicate that everything was okay. Today, there were quite a few customers, but the top floor was reserved for pre-booked clients, so it was empty.
Phii Johan sat down on a hanging chair by the window, then pulled me to sit on his lap, hugged me, and rested his chin on my shoulder.
“Uh…what I mean is…”
“What’s going on?”
“I’m tired.”
“What?”
The last time we met was just two days ago, and it seems Phii Johan has been busy with urgent work, so we’ve only exchanged a few messages.
Not long after, Phii Hill and Ter also came upstairs, carrying some snacks and drinks. Ter paused slightly upon seeing Phii Johan holding me.
Sigh, I’m so embarrassed in front of Ter, T^T.
“Hello, Phii Hill.” I greeted Phii Hill, and both newcomers sat down in the lounging area nearby.
“Hello.” Phii Hill smiled back at my greeting.
“Hello, Phii Johan.” Ter greeted Phii Joe as well, to which he seemed to give a slight nod.
“Do you guys have classes on Saturdays too?”
“Yes, the professor scheduled it.” Phii Hill answered.
“Wow, you guys study a lot.”
“It’s pretty normal, the unusual part is that today Joe actually attended class.”
“Why?” Phii Johan asked. “The professor can barely remember your face anymore.” “I’m not going to attend even though the midterms are coming up.” “What about those two?”
“Fah went back to get some stuff for Sunday, we’re meeting for dinner.” Phii Joe answered with a weary tone. I really wanted to leave this situation, why isn’t Phii Joe embarrassed in front of his friends, T^T?
“Again?” Phii Hill said, shaking his head slightly. “Have you eaten?” he then turned to ask Ter who was sitting next to him.
“I’ve eaten here at the shop. Have you eaten, Phii?”
“Not yet, can you make something for me to eat?”
“Oh, for cooking, you’d need to talk to North.” Ter said. I looked confused by his words. Me? “Last time he baked a cake from a home economics class, he even brought some for me to taste, but it was so dry it was hard to swallow, I was confused.”
“A new taste dimension of eating cake, I told you.” I said with a hint of pride. That day, I split it with Nao, and Nao shared it with Tiger. Tiger called me boasting that Nao made him dessert…felt sorry for him, but it was also kind of funny, I don’t know why.
“Didn’t you share any with Joe?”
“I don’t eat sweets.” Phii Joe said.
“Oh…Phii Joe, North has something he wants to talk to you about.” Ter added as if he had just remembered.
“Hmm.”
“Hold on, talk about what?” I turned to look at Ter, confused.
“Well, about that. Don’t you have a problem with money for tuition?”
“Tuition?” Phii Johan asked. I looked at Ter and silently cursed him, you bastard, Ter. I told you not to say anything. “It’s nothing, Phii…it’s nothing.” “Tell me.” “Really, it’s nothing.”
“…”
“Phii…like Ter just said that. It’s really nothing.” I tried to make the other party believe that there was genuinely nothing, but it didn’t seem to work.
“Hill.”
“What?”
“Also, close your boyfriend’s eyes.”
“Huh?”
“Argh!”
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