Bangkok II

There was an Ojii-chan travelling with two younger companions. I stared at him for quite some time, at his head of wavy hair that flowed past his broad shoulders, trying to discern whether he was indeed a man. As he hunched over to put his belongings on the floor, the fat around his chest, following the pull of gravity, seemed to sag further until I could see two distinct points forming beneath his pattern shirt.

"Ah, so he was a woman after all!" this is a blunder that anyone would make, I suppose.

I continued to observe this eldery being of a somewhat massive build that was seated diagonally across me two rows away, for lack of anything else to do while I wait the time to pass.

Then he spoke.

"Ah, so he is indeed a man!" I've just reconfirmed this fact with myself, because nobody else seemed to have noticed. Neither did they care, eyes glued to their phone screens.

I wanted to know more about Ojii-chan and his two companions, which dressed very differently. All three of them were travelling together yet their attire betrayed no hint of why they were together, as well as the purpose of their trip.

Ojii-chan looked as though he'd spent far too long out in the sun, living among tribal communities, while the potato seated next to him was in a proper long-sleeved shirt, buttoned right up to neck, complete with pointy leather shoes wrapping round his feet. The third man, one of a slim build, was in a simple black t-shirt which looked expensive to my semi-blind eyes. He most likely enjoyed baseball, beer, and soccer. But this all was none of my business.

As they continued to scroll through their phones, so did I, while keeping an eye on them still.

After they boarded, I didn't think I'd see them again but as I was walking down the aisle, there! The three of them were huddled together in three narrow seats. By the window, the thin one seemed to be enjoying the sunshine. Ojii-chan and the potato looked quite troubled as their layers of fat are coming close to overlapping, like unevenly kneaded dough.

It is rude to stare, so I kept walking, in case I should laugh.

I never saw them again after we landed, but I encountered different hordes of Japanese people at DMK airport all the same.

Bangkok sure is popular, huh?