Chapter 4

If one passed Mrs. Ratana Thanawat on the street, one would dismiss her as any other average loving old woman. But this woman was anything but that. The matriarch commanded the entire household and the vast business empire created by her late husband. The woman's knowledge and power were greater than what anyone could ever dream of. She ordered thousands of people, influential people at that, with a flick of her fingers. Her ability to be sweet and polite when the occasion demanded and to transform into this boss of a lady who never took no for an answer, was what made this woman what she was. Her chubby face and stodgy frame were misleading. The emotions in her golden-brown eyes changed according what she wanted to convey. Although she lacked a few inches when it came to average height of women in the country, she easily towered over both women and men in stature and command. However, many who met her at her party easily mistook her as only a friendly hostess.

But now as she sat in the wooden chair behind the mahogany table, with determined eyes, her salt-and-pepper hair pulled back in a tight bun, her hands folded over her lap, no one could mistake this woman as some harmless old-lady. Her piercing eyes looked through Siri and the young man was squirming, nervousness bubbling within his stomach. Siri had always thought his grandma was not actually against his relationship with Pai, but this discussion didn’t give a positive vibe. Maybe it’s the fact that he is married that had triggered his grandma. But Siri had already made it clear that him marrying was just a formality.

“What did he say?”

The sudden question without any preamble startled Siri. He didn’t understand what his grandma was asking. He looked up and frowned. His grandma stood and walked around the table slowly, just taking a step closer to Siri with each word.

“He, your bitch..”

No sooner had the insult left the woman’s lips than Siri was up, furious, “NANA!”

“What? What will you do, huh? And am I wrong? What else do you call a person who willingly lays with a married man? You are here all miserable and defending a piece of trash, while he…just..”

“Nana! What are you saying?”

The woman snorted, “Tell me first, what did the man say when you went there tonight? I bet he welcomed you with open arms, right? He must have been ecstatic in his heart that he still had a hold on you.”

Siri rushed forward, “No! No nana! He ..he asked me to leave. He looked exhausted and pitiful, like he had not eaten anything or had a wink of sleep, in days. He was all over the place..”

The woman just shook her head, “He sounds like a great actor, but then no one can be that good. Maybe he’s just the biggest coward there is.”

Siri looked at his grandma incredulously. Since the day that Siri had told his dad and his grandma about Pai almost a year ago, this woman had never once said anything bad about his lover. She might have talked about the position that Siri was in and that his relationship with Pai might ruin the company’s reputation, but never once insulted Pai. This was really new.

Siri looked into his grandma’s eyes, “You know his name is Pai, and he is the bravest man I have known..”

“Pairat! Yeah, the teacher! i can see what hes taught you!”

Siri shook his head even as his grandma continued. ‘Don’t you say he’s your happiness, your heart even? Your life?” Siri nodded.

The woman turned away taking a step back towards the chair, “But tell me Siri, can you say for sure you are his?”

Siri held his grandma by the shoulders, turned her back towards him, meeting her eyes straight on, he answered, “Yes. I know for sure I am his everything.”

The old woman swallowed hard, her eyes still stormy with rage as she challenged her grandson in a rather frighteningly calm tone, “Then why didn’t he fight for you?”