This was the first time Jao Pat and I had ever traveled abroad. The airport was teeming with people of all nationalities. My stepmother told me that the Minister refused to stay in the hotel arranged by the government and insisted on paying for everything himself. He booked สองห้องส่วนตัว (two private rooms). It's not hard to guess who would be staying with whom, right?
I had never seen him care about any woman before. There was only the Prime Minister's daughter who had been tirelessly chasing him for the longest time, though it clearly hadn't led anywhere.
"Good evening, Sir. I am Net-Apsorn. I've been assigned to assist you during your conference here." A polished, beautiful woman stood there to welcome us along with two other men. I didn't know exactly what she did, but I assumed it was related to Dad's work.
"Pleased to meet you. Actually, you didn't need to go through the trouble of coming to meet us. I'm not a difficult person to please," my Dad said. He's someone who gets quite irritated by excessive formalities.
"I couldn't skip this, Sir. The Prime Minister personally insisted that I take the best care of you and your family. If you need anything at all, please let me know. I will attend to your every need."
She shifted her tone to sound more intimate. I could see it in her eyes—she was quite taken with my Dad's personality and looks. "And these must be your niece and nephews, right? Hello there."
The three 'niblings,' including myself, pressed our palms together in a wai to greet her. She gave us a broad smile. It was hard to tell if this Ms. Net-Apsorn was hoping for something more.
"She's not a niece. She's a maid," Jao Pat teased Dad's wife.
Look at my teacher—she was staring at Ms. Net-Apsorn so hard she could have burned a hole through her. Well, of course; the other woman was many times more beautiful.
"Really? Why does your maid look so..."
"He's just joking. Ms. Net-Apsorn, is there anything else you need to inform me? If not, I'd like to take them to rest," Dad said.
Consider that a life-saver from Dad. As for Jao Pat, he got a standard stomach-pinch from Ms. Kawinthida as punishment.
"Here is tomorrow's schedule. I will pick you up at the hotel lobby at seven-thirty. Please get some rest; I won't disturb you any further," she said in the sweetest tone imaginable. You wouldn't find a hint of that sweetness in the woman standing next to Dad.
After parting from the welcoming committee, the four of us went to check into our rooms. When the elevator reached our floor, Dad grabbed his wife's hand to stop her from stepping out with us.
"Our room is on a higher floor. The twins' room has two beds."
"It's okay, I can sleep on the floor! Or... Jao Peem, Jao Pat, do you guys want to stay with your Dad for a night?" My teacher winked, signaling for help again.
Looking at Dad's dead-serious expression, she didn't stand a chance.
"I'm not separating from Jao Peem," Jao Pat shrugged. We had already agreed to leave her with Dad.
"In that case, I'll go down and book another room. You should go rest, Sir. Don't you have to leave early tomorrow?" She insisted on not sharing a room with Dad, her eyes pleading desperately.
"You two go and relax. Wait for me at the food court at six-thirty tomorrow morning."
After giving the order, Dad pressed the button to close the elevator. Jao Pat and I caught a glimpse of our teacher's face—she looked like she was about to cry.
"What now?" Jao Pat asked for my opinion.
"It's clearly a honeymoon. I heard Dad when he checked in—the floor above is a suite. Let's not ruin his luck, or we'll be the ones suffering when we don't get any shopping money tomorrow. Besides, Dad asked, so let's just give him what he wants."
Let me be selfish just this once. I plan on shopping until I drop. Sorry about that, Teacher.