I had just completed a hard day . . . driving along the Mekong River
from Nong Khai to Nakorn Phanom. All that touring is hard work, stopping
off at the villages along the river, walking around markets, drinking
coffee, eating lunch, and practicing my seven words of Thai.
Evening found me at a three star hotel just outside Nakorn Phanom staring at the jagged mountains across the river in Laos. I watched the lights in Tha Kek begin to twinkle on in the rapidly approaching darkness. The river was a ribbon of silver and velvet in the moonlight.
As they walked across the coffee shop papa was carrying a boy of toddler age while a girl of maybe four followed. The kid in papa's arms took one look at me and reached, leaning toward where I was sitting.
Papa and mama looked totally surprised and a bit embarrassed. I reached out and took the kid then sat him on my lap. He smiled, but the real reason for wanting to sit at my table became obvious. Very carefully and slowly, he reached out and took one peanut. Then he squirmed out of my lap and toddled away.
Mama and papa still incredulous apologized and I just laughed and told them, "Never mind." But that wasn't the end of the peanut raids.
About every five minutes, the boy would toddle over, climb up into my lap and very carefully take one peanut, then leave. After the fourth of fifth time he got bold and just went strait for the peanut, not bothering to climb onto my lap.
Then big sister got into the act. But she was more wary. She would walk up to the table, look at the plate of peanuts and then look up at me. I would nod and she would take her one peanut then scurry away. But big sister's ulterior motives soon became obvious. She was in it for much more than .. peanuts.
After lulling me into a false sense of security she went for the big score. She wanted to play. The kids have a game like tag where they will touch someone then run away. So big sister would walk up and touch my arm then disappear.
Between the two of them I had plenty of chuckles that evening. They were unbelievably pleasant kids. What surprised me was their stealth. They never yelled, squealed, or talked. I could often see questions forming behind those small dark eyes .. perhaps wondering what matter of aliens had invaded their land.
As mama and papa left they apologized again and I tried to tell them it was more fun for me than for the kids. And even though it cost me sixteen peanuts, I got a great bye-bye wave from both "wise guys".
