a few blocks of a walk in Pattaya

The man walked down the sidewalk with a slight limp, we were headed in the same direction.

I covertly watched him reflected in the glass of the shops he strode by, his tanned face seemed expressionless, his eyes hidden behind sunglasses. His gate was intense rather than strong, he seemed to be balanced on the balls of his feet which gave the impression he was leaning forward, and the swing of his arms wasn’t quite natural, as if he was consciously doing it. In his left hand he held a water bottle. His right hand seemed to spasm in and out of a clenched fist. Though some what shorter than usual, he was obviously a western man.

The white t-shirt was not tight though perspiration had dampened it to the point where it clung to his chest. He wore faded blue jeans and black leather hiking boots, which might have been mistaken for military issue. The medium sized black back pack slung across his back looked half full. Occasionally his limp seemed to worsen; I caught a refection of a wince flash on his face.

Along the street one frequently encounters people sitting on the side walk or on the street facing the curb, in between parked cars. They may have an empty Styrofoam cup or bowl in front of them. Their hands usually pressed palm to palm in the Thai Y, their eyes looking up to catch the eye of the passerby in hopes of a donation. While there are occasionally men, mostly one sees women; some old, some with babies some suffering an obvious physical challenge.

Ahead beside the curb was an older woman sitting on a stool facing the side walk she held a bowl in one hand containing some coins and a folded 20 baht note. She almost appeared to be scowling at people walking past her, as if daring them not to contribute to her. The intense fellow with the back pack broke his stride long enough to offer the woman a respectful Y and bow slightly to her as his only offering to her before plugging on.

Every few streets there were three or four motorcycle taxi drivers either astride their bikes or sitting on the curb. They would call out offering their services as pedestrians walked by.

In front of a narrow alley up ahead on the left another older woman sat cross legged on a thin pillow. She looked up at the passers-by, her eyes bright and a friendly smile across her face. She held the two stumps where her forearms should have begun together making the Y. Several people quickly walked past her, they seemed to avert their vision from her as soon as she looked up to them. One man stopped and fumbled in the pockets of his shorts and dropped some change in her cup rather awkwardly and quickly moved on. She looked at him the whole time, her face cheerful and she bowed her head in thanks.

I stopped and took some money from my pocket and put it in her cup. As I bowed and returned her Y I looked in her eyes, she bowed her thanks and I moved on.

As the shop windows resumed I caught his reflection again. He stopped as if struck by something. He raised his left hand and looked at the water bottle as if just remembering it. He turned on his heel and walked back to the alley. Somewhat gingerly he got down on his right knee a few feet from the woman. He smiled at her, took off his sunglasses and hung them from the collar of his shirt. He gestured with the water bottle, offering it to her. She vigorously nodded her head and her smile broadened. He unscrewed the cap and held it to her outstretched arms, slightly unsure if she needed him to hold it or not. She braced the bottle between her stumps and seemed not to mind as he kept his hand on the bottle to help her balance it.

She drank as if it was her first taste of water all day. She lowered her arms and gestured for him to put the bottle beside her. She was saying something excitedly in Thai and waving her arms, he was sitting now to the side of her. He held the ends of her arms together with both of his hands as he bowed to her. Her eyes were still bright but I saw a tear run down her cheek. After bowing once more he pulled himself up replaced his sunglasses and turned back to his walk.

He still moved some what out of sync and the limp remained. When I glanced at his reflection in the glass, a crooked smile played across his lips and his cheeks were wet.