Last Thursday my two-year son, Fenway, his mom, and older cousin hit the road early Thursday morning for a road trip from Sriracha to a small village near Ta Phyara on the Thai-Cambodian border. I had rented a Toyota Altis 1.6 with good AC. Mam wanted me to straight-line to see her two older kids, Noy and Fluke. 4 hours top. It was been over two years since I had last seen them.
I had a different route in mind.
The coastal route to Laem Mae Phim then north to Sakheo.
7 hours with a stop at the beach for a swim and a meal of fresh crab. Mam waived her choice and we stopped at a small restaurant on Cape Mae Phim. No one was on the beach. The full-moon tide was lapping at the sea grass.
Worrying high sea level.
Another sign of global warming, but I said nothing. The future was still another ten years away. Mam and her cousin ordered poo curry and fried oysters and I went swimming in the calm clear water. Fenway couldn’t join me. My two-year-old boy had a fever. The food was excellent and I was thankful to be with my son and Mam on such a lovely day.
I toasted my deceased father with two bottles of Leo beer and paid the bill.
800 baht.
Mam said it was time to go.
She had been good enough to allow my communion with the sea.
It was time to get back on the road.
We had a long way to go and I stepped on the gas