Awhile ago, I made a date with a recent chat partner. He seemed like an alright guy, and I thought he was cute... Innocent maybe :-).
He liked to chat, was about my age (a year older: 30), and told me he had never had a boyfriend. That sounded nice to me. I kind of liked the idea of someone who hadn't been in a relationship before, even if he was 30 :). I'm still trying to figure that one out....
We ended up meeting at my house's nearest BTS Station, which is about 25 minutes away. Immediately, the first moment we saw each other, the guy didn't seem excited. He complained about the distance, the air, the sights in my area of downtown. The guy was from Bangkok so I'm not so sure why he had a problem with the sights and sounds of his own city...
So, I thought he was cute, but not the most personable guy. The conversation and the air of our taxi cab was thick with discomfort. Me trying to figure out what to say. Him furiously typing into his cell as we rode to our dinner date.
I asked him about his hobbies, what he likes to do. The first answer I got was one word (at least polysyllabic thought :): badminton. Badminton is the best sport, so he says, and I heard all about its virtues during our twenty minute taxi ride. Intermittent pauses in his conversations usually brought out a complaint about the distance and cost of the cab ride to our restaurant.
Anyway, from what I heard badminton is awesome and he plays every Saturday. "Cool," I remember saying, "I hear that is a really gay sport."
"What?!?!" he asked loudly.
"I meant that I heard that alot of gay people get together to play Badminton on Saturday. Do you?"
"That is the rudest thing I ever heard!" I almost heard him cry, and tried to apologize if I hurt his feelings.
The guy had none of it though. He wanted out of the taxi, and continued to insist that Badminton is a sport, and has nothing to do with gays.
I still had no idea that this would be such a hot-button topic. I just let him be, and he directed the taxi to our restaurant.
Once inside, we ate one of the most awkward and silence-filled meals I have ever had the privilege to partake in. The silence was so strong that I felt light-headed just sitting there in a restaurant full of people, staring at every move...
When we were finished eating, he asked if I wanted to get some ice cream. I politely declined, and told him about my job the next day.
I paid for dinner, and while waiting for the check I asked why he never had a boyfriend.
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nono, no fag would dare going on to play badminton on a saturday night....
ReplyDeleteI see it EVERY saturday at the courts...there are no gays:P
I know, I must have been mistaken lol :-P, and I learned this from you :-).
ReplyDeleteI also didn't know that Badminton was such a manly sport either. I should have just asked if he engaged in gay rugby or oil wrestling on the weekends. Maybe less rude.
The issue is a lot of Thai's have sex with guys but are never gay. But imagine HIM saying to his mom, "I'm going to play Badminton
ReplyDeletewith the guys"
How BUTCH!
not
There's probably some acceptance issues in his family circle. I can't imagine taking something so serious without there being some underlying conflict regarding his identity.
ReplyDeleteThen again, he might just be a really butch top. I don't know :-)
hmmm. do I detect a simplistic thai-style "top-bottom" distinction?
ReplyDeletemay I remind you that my post-man badminton friend, although extremely "sao" is actually an exclusive top. :)
maybe he was just trying to save face and get out of the situation. thais try to suggest you to do something by behaving in a certain way...I am sure you know that though:)
Lol, it's always a top-bottom distinction here :-). We both know that. I wonder if the guy though was trying to extricate himself. I know I wanted to find a way out :-)!!! Lol, I'm not sure he was that clever though :-). He really seemed generally upset about the badminton comment.
ReplyDeleteI was really surprised at the reaction because most Thai people would never be that emotionally overt. That could have been the idea, but then he asked me to have ice cream with him. Maybe because I paid for dinner :-)?
In a separate incident, this guy called me recently and asked about dinner again :-).?.?
ReplyDelete