"Hey," I say and give John another nudge. "That's how it all started, right?"
From his drunken stupor, he only manages to give me a grunt of acknowledgement. I give up and leave him alone.
I turn back to the Thai barmaid. She smiles at me and I'm awestruck. I stare at her, taking in every perfect feature on her face. She obviously hasn't worked in these parts for long; her face is fresh and her spirit looks unbroken. Maybe because I've lived in Asia for a few years, I don't think I see her as exotic; she's just a naturally beautiful girl. Then, I sense that she's getting a little uncomfortable with my staring, so I point to her and give her two thumbs up in a bid to take the edge of my drunken weirdness. A smile re-emerges on her face. I'm not sure how much is getting through to her but it feels good to get things off my chest.
