Jai glaa (ใจกล้า – brave heart)

Twenty-Three

John, aka Pappy Paisley, and Rufus, aka Grandpa Olander, have become best buddies. Both claim Lilly, Seebhabee, Bobby III and Leanna as their grand kids. They finish each other's sentences. Each will be found in olive-green t-shirts and bib . Their stares, sneers and smirks were alike. One could not keep from planting a smile on her or his face when noticing the boys and men in the village dressed in green t-shirts and denim bibs.

Add one more grandson to the mix. Dog is a grandson in his own way. He nuzzles your hand to get attention or to rub the bottom of his neck. He pants and wags his tail bringing a grin to everyone within view. He showers your face with his floppy tongue giving feelings of acceptance and a ritual of indoctrination. He will protect the ones he loves with his life. The long looks that linger while John and Rufus are near is because they constantly slip him a treat or a scrap.

The village elevated Pappy to second in charge. There was no vote. It just happened. The men in the village gravitated to the same garb as Pappy and Grandpa. John had purchased a small Fordson tractor similar to the one Rufus had bought. It permitted the community to double productivity without working any harder.

The tractor workers rotate shifts every four hours. Those running equipment sat taller and presented themselves as operational engineers. Workers from the community were recognized through their attire in the Chiang Mai Province on the same level as a professor at the university. The way their production increased affected their income proportionally.

The local Fordson dealer and a factory training team from England were demonstrating new equipment on a weekly basis. The Olander farm became a training center. Local farmers and university instructors came to the classes. The training sessions resulted in an extra half dozen new tractor sales a month. The third month, the Fordson Corporation presented Rufus with a new tractor. The pristine work horse possessed an enclosed cab and air conditioning. It did use a little more fuel a month, but the comfort was worth it.

Education students were coming two evenings a week to teach English and business to the whole community. Women from the Regal Garments Coop were teaching the women and girls to sew their families clothing. The corporate vehicle instructors taught the men and older teenagers to drive the three Fordson F-100 lite-weight pick-ups with four wheel lock-in drive.

General John stopped by the Paisley's. It was a Sunday after church. The kids and Dog were with Rufus enjoying feeding the fish. Angie, Beverly, John, Martha and I were keeping watch over the mango cobbler in the oven. We had the important job of testing the warm delightful regal biscuits. It was a significant task to make sure these wonderful baked morsels were fit for human consumption. General John was invited to help judge the quality of these pieces of the finished product. Each bite was savored and produced a mouth-watering smile on all of our faces. Mango Marmalade was available to entice the palate.

The General said, "I have important news about Doug and Sangdoaw." Angie's jaw sank and her color went pale. Everyone's stare was frozen. My thoughts were cramped with unspoken questions. The silence was tense.

"They live in a sparsely populated area of Thailand along where the La Un and Kra Buri Rivers meet. The middle of the Kra Buri is where the Thai border meets the Southern Burma border. The village of sixty is not on a map. The only electricity is from a generator purchased by Doug and Sangdoaw. Water is carried by jugs or buckets from the La Un river, and boiled before drinking or bathing.

Sangdoaw and Doug's son is two months old. Doug's Thai name is Pudd Fi ( – light son.) Sangdoaw rules the home-front. It is hard to believe that the former crime boss that totally disrespected women is now subjected to one!

Pudd Fi is a sergeant in the Royal Thai Frontline Border Guard. The fourteen men in his platoon are all illegal immigrants from America, France, Germany or England married to Thai women in the community. Most like Doug have criminal records. Their wives were former bar girls in Phuket. If the men serve the Frontline Border Guard for five years they become Thai citizens. The Frontline volunteers in that area have a better survival rate than their Northern counter-parts.

Like soldiers in the regular Army they are always in combat training. The training includes MDCC. They are required to learn Thai, Chinese and the Burmese language."

Beverly asked, "How do they live?"

"A sergeant like Pudd Fi makes twelve hundred Baht ($60.00) a month. The community has a cooperative truck farm like John and Rufus. The produce is sold at the Farmers market in Phuket. Each family receives a share of the profit.

Pudd Fi bought a Fordson Tractor with an air conditioned cab for the community. Sangdoaw's father is patriarch of the village, and it appears that Doug is his heir apparent. He works harder than anyone on the farm. He is like a big brother in the area. In my estimation he is trying to make amends for all the harm he did."

"You mean I have a grandson?"

"You have a grandson who seems to be in good health. His Momma and Daddy love him very much. His maternal grandparents walk taller in the town because of their grandbaby. I believe that Doug is a better person because of his wife and baby."

"Would it be possible for us to visit them?"

"They asked me a similar question. They want both sets of grand-parents to know their grandson. Sangdoaw is pushing for him to do the right thing concerning his family. He has extreme fear that she will disown him, if he does not."

Angie said, "Mom, if you want to visit them, or have them visit you that is okay with me. However, I do not think I can forgive him for what he did to me!"

The General gave Beverly the work number and address where Doug can be reached between midnight and 0400. There is no phone or address where he lives.