Chapter 4

The tall man was standing in Sakunthara Thai Desserts the next day. Today, he noticed that many employees were busy preparing desserts. His eyes scanned the space, looking for the woman with the sweet countenance and small figure from yesterday.

“Sawasdee ka. What would you like, Sir?” The sound of the sweet greeting made the corners of the young man’s mouth immediately lift as he spun around to look at the voice’s owner.

A woman with girlish features gave him a gentle smile. Around her neck was the same patterned pink apron he had seen yesterday, but the owner of the face was not the same person. His smile faded somewhat when he realized that it was not the smile he had wanted to see.

“I’ve come to pick up the desserts that Mrs. Warakun ordered.”

“Oh, yes…” The young woman exclaimed with a nod. She walked over to pick up the bag of desserts that had been prepared and handed it to the young man.

“This shop has quite a few employees. Yesterday, I met someone else.” The young man wanted to inquire after the young woman from the day before, but he decided to pose an indirect question.

“Yes, there are quite a few. You may not see the same ones because most are university students working to earn extra income. I myself only come to work on Saturday and Sunday. Some come to work in the afternoon, or if anyone is free in the mornings, they come in the mornings; we alternate. There are only a few regular employees,” the young woman explained in a friendly manner once the other party prompted the conversation.

Her explanation made him firmly believe that the woman yesterday was a university student working here to earn extra income, and he would likely not have a chance to see her again. However, he couldn’t help but admire her.

“Is that so? That’s commendable, making extra money to help out your parents,” the young man said with sincere admiration. He continued by asking about the desserts he wanted because he was still enamored with their sweet fragrance and flavor.

“Do you have Leum kleun and rose-shaped Khanom chan today?”

“Today we set up a booth at the municipality. There are only the desserts that have been ordered because some of the shop’s employees will have to go and man the booth. At this shop, we do not keep desserts overnight. Leum kleun and Khanom chan are items that are on the schedule for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday,” she replied politely.

Regular customers at the shop usually knew very well that the shop rotated its desserts and that there were daily specials. Many customers knew the shop’s dessert-making schedule and knew what days they had to come to the shop if they wanted to eat the desserts they had a special preference for.

“Thank you,” the young man said, but his eyes still looked for the young woman from yesterday.

“Are you looking for someone, Sir?” The young woman asked, seeing as he appeared to be searching for something.

“No, I’m not. How much for all of this?”

“Mrs. Warakun has already paid for everything. Would you like any additional desserts?” The young female employee answered his question and continued with her own because she noticed that his eyes were still roving around as though he was interested in something.

“I’ll come back another time,” he told her, as his eyes searched out another, even though he knew for certain she was not there, that she was likely an employee who only worked on the weekends. Yet, he didn’t understand what he was feeling at the moment. He didn’t know why her smile was still imprinted on his mind and dancing around non-stop inside his head.

The young man tried to stop his own thoughts. Was he an old bull that wanted a taste of new grass? Even now that he assumed that she was a university student and that they were probably nearly twenty years apart in age, he came to the sudden realization that these were feelings he could not cast off. Was he really so in love with a young girl that he was willing to abandon the many requirements he had for his ideal woman?

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Though many days passed, that sweet face still invaded his thoughts. No matter how hard he tried, it still entranced him, making him remember it over and over. His heart cried out for desserts like a blood vessel suffering a momentary lack of sugar.

The young man folded down the laptop computer screen on the desk after shutting it down. Then he stretched and leaned back in his chair, raising his arms above his head. He alternated twisting to the left and right to banish the cramps that had arisen due to a prolonged period of sitting. At the moment, it was several hours past regular working hours.

“Seems I’m getting old. My whole body aches. Every time I move, my bones crackle like pork rinds,” the young man grumbled laughingly to himself when he heard his bones making noise as he stretched himself.

He often worked late recently, so he would stay on at the house in Bangkok rather than driving to his mother’s house in Nonthaburi. Counting from today, there was only a little time left before he had to fly to Germany to take up his post. He felt slightly relieved that his mother had not spoken of that issue again. However, he was ready with a solution of his own for how he would give his mother a grandchild.

It was the last day of the workweek. The young man was thinking that tomorrow morning, he would drive back to the house in Nonthaburi. It had been almost a week that he had not returned there.

The smile of the young woman at that Thai dessert shop was still imprinted on his mind, even though he had not had another opportunity to see her.

He picked up the telephone and called his mother. It wasn’t long before the call was answered.

“Would you like to eat anything from Chinatown, Mother? Tomorrow, I’m returning to Nonthaburi,” he asked the moment he heard his mother pick up the call. He knew his mother liked Chinese food in particular, and there were many famous restaurants in Chinatown that his mother was fond of.

“That’s all right. I’ve been going to a lot of parties with Chinese food lately,” his mother replied.

“What about shark fin soup? I can buy it and you can keep it for tomorrow,” he offered again.

“Just you coming back to see me makes me happy.”

“Okay, Mother. I’ll see you then,” he said before hanging up. He put his personal belongings into his briefcase and carried them out of the room.

Pongket felt relieved that his mother had not brought up the topic of grandchildren or any other woman again after that day. It seemed he could do as he pleased now. He hoped his mother would also approve of this decision because she only wanted a grandchild to carry on the family name.

That was the reason why he didn’t feel any fear about returning to Nonthaburi. He felt comfortable returning to the house.

However, the person on the other end of the line had not understood things the same way the young man had. In this period of time, the madam and Mrs. Tipsakun had already finished preparing everything. Even Sakunthara didn’t know that her own wedding would be taking place in just a few days. The two elder ladies had also prepared reasons that the young man and the young woman would not be able to object to. After hanging up with her son, the madam had immediately telephoned Mrs. Tipsakun, the young woman’s mother.

Seeing as each party had their own plans, it would seem the end result was unlikely to be satisfactory.

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Sakunthara sat looking at herself in the mirror. She used a brush to carefully comb her hair from the roots to the ends in a gentle manner. The face of that young man was still impressed on her mind, along with the question of how exactly he was related to Madam Warakun.

After she finished preparing everything for making desserts the next day, she went upstairs and prepared to go to bed. This was the extent of her daily routine. Her home and the Thai dessert shop were in the same building. On the days that she did not have to set up booths at events or do catering, she barely took a step out of the shop to go anywhere.

Throughout her twenty-seven years, she had lived only within these narrow, familiar confines. It was only during her university studies and training that she had to live briefly away from home. Mrs. Tipsakun had never seen her daughter have a boyfriend or show special interest in anyone, even though there were many men of varying professions who came and went, seemingly expressing their interest in her.

Usually, Sakunthara was a person who spoke little and was good at concealing her emotions. Others would see her speaking sometimes when customers came to the shop and she wanted to explain things to make a sale. As for idle chatter or discussions about other people’s private matters, she would merely listen and smile slightly to show her acknowledgment.

After losing her father, the young woman had never made any vulnerability evident to her mother. She tried to make herself strong to be a pillar of strength for her mother to hold on to, and she had succeeded. That was despite the fact that when her father had fallen ill and passed away, she had still been at university, the family finances were rather unstable, and her mother had extensive debts from borrowing money to care for the head of the family.

Mrs. Tipsakun stood watching her daughter in a sympathetic manner. She thought back to when many years ago, out of the blue, Sakunthara’s father, the main breadwinner of the family, had fallen ill, even though he had always been in good health. She had had to use all of her savings to take her husband for thorough treatment. Eventually, the savings had decreased. They had started to miss payments on their home and this building, which were their only possessions. After a year, the interest on the payments had increased, surpassing the principal. A summons arrived informing them that the bank would be foreclosing on the building.

She had been at a complete loss, with no way out. She hadn’t known whom to turn to. Her husband had been very ill and had required funds for treatment. Her only daughter had been of university age and also in need of funds. At the same time, the place where they lived and the business, their only source of income, were about to be seized.

Yet, it seemed her family still had some good karma. Madam Warakun had stepped in and helped them out on that dark day. The madam had paid off all their debts, including those on their home, which was this four-story building that consisted of a two-room shophouse. She had also advanced payment on a portion of the hospital expenses. Overall, the sum was about ten million. Shortly after that, however, Mrs. Tipsakun’s husband, her companion through numerous hardships, passed away, leaving all the burdens on their only daughter, who had just graduated.

Sakunthara returned to start improving and reviving the shop. The profits from the dessert shop and its popularity steadily increased. She gradually paid off the money owed to Madam Warakun. Even though the madam did not charge any interest, ten million was too large of an amount to pay off in only a few years.

The debt of gratitude she owed to Madam Warakun in her time of need and her being a kind-hearted creditor made it so Mrs. Tipsakun could not refuse her request once it was uttered. It was why it was such a dilemma. Her love for her child was great, but their debt of gratitude was also great. It was the reason she had agreed to cooperate with Madam Warakun.

Madam Warakun wanted Sakunthara to have a wedding ceremony with her son. Her reason was that she wanted to pay Sakunthara the highest respect and protect her reputation as much as possible. In this neighborhood in Nonthaburi, where everyone knew everyone else, becoming pregnant without first holding a wedding ceremony would give rise to various rumors. It made it impossible for Mrs. Tipsakun to contest the plan.

All of these reasons were why she had to stand there with a heavy heart. After all, it was her daughter who had shouldered all of the burdens after her father passed away, and now, she would have to sacrifice her happiness and the freedom that was due to her in order to repay this debt of gratitude once more.

Mrs. Tipsakun lowered herself down to sit on her daughter’s bed. Her eyes looked at the person sitting at the dressing table with care and concern, with a mother’s love… There wasn’t any mother who wanted to force her daughter to drown in a pit of despair. Madam Warakun had firmly promised, however, that she adored Sakunthara as if she were her own daughter, and she genuinely wanted her to be her daughter-in-law. That made Mrs. Tipsakun’s anxiety dissipate and reduced some of her worries.

“Thara,” Mrs. Tipsakun said her daughter’s name softly.

Sakunthara turned back to look at her mother. “Yes, Mom?”

Mrs. Tipsakun patted the bed to indicate to her daughter that she should come over and sit next to her. Sakunthara gave her mother a smile, stood up from the dressing table, and walked over to her. She lowered herself into a sitting position and leaned over to hug her mother. Then, she lay down and placed her head on her mother’s lap as she stretched her legs out on the bed.

As it was only the two of them left, their bond had strengthened and become even closer. Sakunthara liked to lay down with her head in her mother’s lap to seek comfort when she was tired and in low spirits. Her mother’s gaze and her gentle touch on her hair gave her immense moral support; it was like a divine tonic. They helped to motivate her to stand up and fight against all the different obstacles once more.

Mrs. Tipsakun gazed down on her daughter without moving. She lifted her hand and gently stroked her daughter’s hair, as she had done every other time. No words passed her lips, but her eyes held clear signs of worry.

Sakunthara allowed some time to pass. Seeing as how her mother still remained quiet, she decided to say something. She could make a guess at what her mother’s behavior meant, and she could also guess that whatever was weighing on her mother’s mind was very likely to involve her.

“Is there something you needed from me, Mom?”

“I apologize for putting you through hardship, child,” Mrs. Tipsakun said quietly. Her voice quivered to the point where the person listening could detect it.

“What are you talking about, Mom? Just be direct with me,” the young woman said, surprised. She herself had forgotten what Madam Warakun had said. A month had passed in which no one had brought up the issue again.

“Do you remember what you promised Aunt Warakun, dear?” Mrs. Tipsakun asked her daughter softly.

“Yes,” the young woman answered, her voice low. This time, her eyes held clear signs of anxiety and tension. However, that look in her eyes disappeared after only a few seconds. She didn’t want to make her mother feel even more worried than she already was.

She let out a laugh to cover up her feelings. “I thought Aunt had already given up.”

“At the end of this month, we’re going to hold a wedding,” Mrs. Tipsakun blurted out.

Just that short sentence told the whole story. The young woman’s jaw dropped. She quickly sat up and put forth her question immediately.

“Why do I have to get married?”

Hearing this made her even more surprised. Before this, there had not been a single instance where marriage was mentioned. In addition, her mother’s mention of ‘the end of the month’ meant there were only a few days left. The realization that there was only a week left led to a great heaviness forming in the young woman’s heart.

“Aunt Warakun has repeatedly said she wants to show respect to you, Thara, because if you suddenly fall pregnant without being married, it will be a scandal that people around here could gossip about. But don’t worry. There won’t be any legal commitment if we don’t want one. To put it another way…Aunt is willing to fully accept you as her daughter-in-law if you want to sign a marriage certificate.”

The young woman turned to meet her mother’s gaze and asked her again, “Do you agree with this, Mom?”

“I think that the reasons Aunt told me are good. They want to protect your reputation, and a wedding ceremony would be the best shield for that,” her mother replied slowly.

“If you think it’s a good idea, I don’t have any objections.”

“I apologize to you again for putting you through hardship, Thara. I really can’t deny Aunt’s request. When we were at our worst, if Aunt Warakun hadn’t stepped in, we would certainly not be sitting here. I have no idea where the two of us would have had to flee to.”

Sakunthara nodded gently. “I understand, Mom.”

Mrs. Tipsakun gave a soft smile. She raised her hand to stroke her daughter’s head. “Thank you, child. No mother wants to force her child into this sort of situation.”

“Don’t worry, Mom. I’m still okay.” The young woman faked a smile to alleviate some of her mother’s anxiety, even though it felt like her heart was being burnt. She had no idea what she would be facing because she still hadn’t even had a chance to get to know the person she was meant to marry and have a child with.

“This was the only thing I wanted to tell you. I’m going to bed, dear.”

“About the wedding, do I have to do anything? Um…I mean, are there any preparations?”

“Aunt and I will handle everything ourselves. You just have to prepare yourself.”

“Yes, Mom,” the young woman replied. Yet, her eyes still held hesitation over asking about him, the person to whom she would be married, and with whom she would create a new life.

If one thought of it optimistically, a man of thirty-nine years would probably be a refined person, competent enough and old enough to have a family. Many young ladies likely had their eye on him. On the other hand, did the fact that he had maintained his single status up to this point meant he was a rotund man with a protruding belly or a receding hairline?

At last, the sentence that had been on her lips slipped out.

“And he…” she asked softly as her mother was about to step out of the room. Mrs. Tipsakun turned to look at her daughter again and satisfied her curiosity. She thought that her daughter knew him just like she did.

“I almost forgot to tell you. Tomorrow, Aunt has invited us to their house to get to know the young man before the wedding.”

“All right,” Sakunthara accepted. She probably couldn’t do anything more than this, as both filial piety and gratitude continually penned her in. She could only hope that that man was polite and showed her enough respect.

A marriage, though not begun with love, could nevertheless result in a happy life if both partners were aware of their duties and mutually respected and valued each other.