Mobile Bones

"Hello my beautiful lady.....good, good....I'll be home soon.....Yes i love you too...She said daddy today! wow I can't believe i'm not there...Ok, I miss you, i'll call you when i reach the airport...I love you, have a good night" I hung up my phone. My wife was worried again, she's all ways worrying. I wish i didn't have to go on these long overseas business trips. It's hard being away from her and our sweet baby daughter. I miss out on so much, my wife's birthday, our anniversary, valentines day, an my daughters first steps, first birthday. I was there for her first teeth, but My wife says she's talking now so there is yet another moment in her life without me. My wife doesn't sleep without me at home, especially now. She keeps having this recurring nightmare where a skeleton calls her on the mobile and tells her that he's coming back with my bones. I miss her so much, she's allot of fun and great in bed, it's so lonely in my empty rundown hotel room, all i can think about is her. But i'll see her in three days. I've spent the last three months organizing an engineering contract for a tiny village in a very hard to get to piece of Thailand. It's a 12hour buss ride from the airport to get even close, and then you have to take a four wheel drive through banana plantations 6hours east to get to this tiny little village in the mountains. The people have been fantastic and the food is wonderful. The French group who buy the bananas built the tiny hotel i'm in, about 20years ago for their business representatives to have somewhere to stay, but now it's open for tourists, not that they get many this far from the
city. I had one last meeting with a local land owner to sign off on the very last contract and i was done. It was with a light heart that i dressed in a clean white shirt and classic black suit. Soon i would be home with my wife and baby, soon my wife's warm body would be pressed against my skin, and her lips soft, gentle and hungry on mine. Soon, but not soon enough.
I packed up my suit case, ready to start for the airport as soon as i returned. Locked my hotel door and waited for the elevator. The Thai army had come out in force in the area during the last few days. A rebel militant group where supposed to be hiding just out of the village. The owner of the noodle stand where i usually ate my dinner, had tolled me of rummers a group of foreigners had been laundering them funds and ammunition. This put me a little at unease, and rightly so. The Thai police took extra care looking over my documents every time we me in the street, if i put one foot out of line, it would be very likely i would not see my wife and baby for a long long time. There is one pretty thick and fast rule i follow when i'm traveling. Don't mess with a man holding a gun. I got out of the elevator and stepped into the smoky lobby. The villages only karaoke bar was on the lobby floor of the hotel, and it was well used by the older men who love to smoke and drink while pretty Thai girls giggled along to bopy 80's style American pop music. Not that i could blame them, there was little else to distract them after a long humid day in the plantations. Outside the air was thick with dust, another humid sweaty day. The air was so close with the dust coming off the main road it was almost painful to breath. The monsoon season mustn't be far off, i was glad to be leaving before the rain. I hailed a motorbike driver for a lift. The last land owner was known as Mr Chin. Mr Chin had once been a very successful business man in Hong Kong but had got into some trouble with a few triads and had fled to Thailand. He had done very well for himself, and this last contract would only add to his already huge fortune. But he was still uncomfortable around the city's so he lived a reasonably simple existence on a large property about 20mins north of the village. This was the brief i was given by my manager before i had left Australia three months ago. Mr Chin was also very keen on the idea, a sure bet, so i had left him till last so i could hurry home. We where stopped three times on the roads by soldiers who wanted to check my papers. Things must have been tacking a turn fot the worse, i had never seen so much camouflage blocking the roads before. There was an extra man waiting to check my papers at Mr Chins gate.My motorcyclist was not allowed entry, so i paid him to wait while another security agent drove me on the back of a golf cart up the long paved driveway. The house was huge, it reminded me of an old plantation estate i had seen in Louisiana. Big regency style, white wash, with huge pillars holding up the front veranda, everything screaming of grandeur and old money. Though it looked only five or ten years old. I wondered what my manager thought was a simple existence, if this was supposed to be reasonably so. I was greeted at the door by a butler and led to a wonderfully furnished lounge area. Shortly Mr Chin arrived and greeted me with a cautious hand shake. He was taller that i'd have thought, with graying hair and rough pitted skin, he must have had some terrible acne in his youth. He spoke with an American accent, his voice strong and rough but with a brisk polite business manner. He wore a light cotton grey suit perfectly made for this humid climate. Tea was brought for us and we sat for a few hours discussing the finer points of the contract. His butler entered a few times bringing various drinks and removing empty glasses, he had a strange air about him, like he was uncomfortable, fidgety, and wishing me to leave. It put a chill down my spine to notice it, although i was completely at ease with Mr Chin. After being plied with drinks for so many hours i needed to use the men's room. I was directed along a white hallway to the third door on the left. I had been to eager to get home, and my wife was on my mind, i accidentally took the third door on the right. As i swung the door open i glanced upon 6 badly dressed Thais sitting around a table drinking a dark liquor and smoking moodily. I quickly excused myself and closed the door behind me, re-running the directions and opening the door on my left to a nice white tiled bathroom. I did not notice the sound of men running out of the other door to Mr Chin. I finished my toilet and opened the door to leave. Mr Chin was waiting in the hall. "I here you've met some friends of mine?" It took a moment for me to understand who he was talking about, certainly i had seen some men but we had not been introduced. "Oh, Not really, my mind was a little muddled with the directions, you see i'm eager to get home to my wife, I'm leaving for the airport this evening, i simply opened the wrong door." He looked quite satisfied with this answer, and why not he had been working with my company for years. But was still hesitant "I do not mean to be...impolite, but these friends of mine are not meant to be seen." came his measured reply. "Consider me blind." Was all i could think to answer. I had no notion of asking questions, it's not my job, and as far as i was concerned questions where dangers. Do not mess with a man holding a gun. That was enough, Mr Chin smiled "I am happy to do business with such a sensible man." He led me back to the lounge and without another word signed the contract at lit himself a huge Cuban cigar. I thanked him and filed the contract into my brief case. We shook hands politely and the butler led me out the front door to the security man waiting by the golf cart. When we got to the gate the motorcyclist was still there waiting. I jumped on the back and we headed back into the village. The road was clear for the first 10minuets on the way back. But then a huge truck roared by covered with militants waving guns, i saw the 6 men sitting in the back, they waved in recognition and i gestured back. I was not comfortable with this exchange at all, i thrust a handful of money at the motorcyclist and told him to go faster. We arrived at the hotel in good time. The Thai army had seemed to mobilize, they weren't walking the streets in ones and twos anymore, but in large groups. Tanks had arrived and where patrolling the streets. Thank god i was leaving. I rushed to my hotel room to nervous to take the slow elevator, i raced up the stairs to my room, unlocked it, grabbed my suitcase of the bed and raced back downstairs to the reception desk eager to check out. I settled my bill and gave a small tip. There was a man who would taxi me the six hour drive to the buss stop in a four wheel drive if i gave him enough money for a good time girl and a few beers when we arrived. I found him in his usual position, on his back under a rundown car. "Up for a good time girl Mano?" I don't know what his real name was, but everyone called him Mano, he seamed to like it. "Yes Mr Aussie, I go change, 5 minuets." "2 minuets and i'll pay for the petrol too." "Yes, very good." Was his reply as he hurtled into a nearby room stripping as he went. They all called me Mr. Aussie, they didn't see many Australians all the way up here and they thought my non American accent was very funny. A few local taxi drivers would imitate me whenever the picked me up. It was very strange to hear an Aussie accent played over broken Thai English, i must remember to try it out for my wife when i get home. We drove out of
town in good speed, the dust fell behind us the further way we got. We turned to head around a corner but where stopped by a road block set up by the Thai solders. I silently handed over my papers, frustrated at the delay. I needed to get home. The solder read through my papers then mumbled something in the local language. Mano's face went a little pale, my hear skipped a beat, what could it be, the police and solders have read those same papers often enough. An Officer came to examine my papers again mumbling something barely audible. This time Mano's face was green. "Excuse me sir." It was the Officer. "We should talk, please step out of the car." And so i did. "What seams to be the problem?" "Where are you going?" "I'm headed to the bus station to get to the airport." This seamed to be the wrong answer, i could feel it, i was in trouble, but for what? "Do you know sir, a Mr Chin." Ahh realization dawned on me. Defiantly big trouble. "Not really, his is a Landowner my engineering firm will be doing business with." "Is it true sir, that you met with him not 1 hour ago. "Well yes, i delivered a contract to him for my firm, he was the last land owner in this area i needed to sign." "And have you met him or his....friends
before?" "No, That was the first time i have seen him, and i have yet to meet any of his friends." Blood was rising to my face, please god i need to get home, i have done nothing. The Officer conferred with the solider beside him. "A local motorcyclist says he saw you wave to a group of militants known to Mr Chin upon leaving his residence?" "Well i did wave at some men who waved to me on the road on the way back to the village after meeting Mr Chin, but i have no notion of who they are." Dam Motorcyclist! The officer was not happy with that answer but he had nothing to rebut it he simply said "very well you may continue." And i got int he car with Mano who sped away as if the devil was lapping at the wheels. "What you do for that trouble, Mr Aussie?" "I have done nothing, it's just some misunderstanding." Mano turned to me, his face drawn in very serious "Thai soldiers don't have misunderstandings." It sounded like a threat, fear raked through my body. we did not speak again until we reached the buss station. "I hope you make it back to Australia, your a nice man with family, keep to you self, OK!" Was all Mano would say to me a paid him and unloaded my bags to wait for the next bus. I didn't have long to wait, the timing had worked out well even with the delay, the buss would be there in 15minuets. No one else was waiting yet, the locals always seamed to just appear at the same time as the buss. Five minuets after Mano disappeared into a bar two army jeeps laden with solders came crawling over the roads. I tried to make myself as inconspicuous as possible. One stopped right in front of me. I was tempted to run, but what would be the point. Three soldiers got out just a meter from where i was sitting. Suddenly the turd and grabbed me, i tried to fight but m ore solders got out and pinned my legs together dragging me into the jeep. The Officer i had met before blind folded me and tied me up as we drove away leaving my luggage by the road. Hopefully Mano would find them and somehow find someone to help me. We drove for hours until we came to a beach. I could smell the salty brine of the air and hear the waves on the sand. The pulled me out of the jeep hands and feet tied with plastic cords. They sat me down beside someone and removed my blindfold. I looked about me, on my left was Mr Chin and on his left was his butler. "I am sorry, i did not think they would hurt you, you are Australian and we have only some small business together." "I do not understand." Was all i could manage through my gritted teeth. Anger was burning my eyes, my heart seething with pain, what would become of my beautiful wife, my lovely little family. Surly this was not a legal situation, i was going to die here. "Why Me!" Came screeching out through my lungs. "I have done nothing!" The Officer leered at me. "You are financing this, you are providing Mr Chin with access to all he needs to help his friends overthrow the government. You will be made an example of, and no Australian consulate is here to plead for your guilty life." No i do not want to die. But it was too late the solders surrounded us and opened fire. They drove away leaving our corpses to rot on the sand. Many weeks passed, animal insects and great birds feasted on our rotting flesh. The sand and the sun bleaching our bones and the ties washing away our blood. One day a group of tours came
walking in the sad enjoying the sunlight. A small boy dug in the sand and let out a scream in horror. His mother came luckily for us she was an Archaeologist on a second honey moon with her husband and kids. She careful excavated the sand from our bones and the fragments of clothing tired around us. I had left all my id in my brief case next to the buss stop. But in anticipation i had but my mobile phone in my sunglasses case which had sealed it against the elements. She opened it carefully, many of the tourists watching by now. The battery was flat, so she removed the sim card and placed it in her own phone. My wife's number was saved to the sim as home and so she called. It was just as my wife had dreamed. She had been hospitalized with stress when i disappeared, crying endlessly and telling her visions to anyone who would listen. It just happened that the doctor attending her was looking after her incoming calls when who's number should show up on the caller id but mine. The doctor handed the phone to my wife, "Hello" "Ahh Hello, i just found this phone..um i was wondering to who it belonged to?"My Wife's eyes swelled with tears, "My husband, is he with you?" "Well......I think i have found his bones, we should really get them back to you...." My wife screamed with pain and the doctor took the phone while the nurses sedated her. And so it was my bones had called her on the phone to come home. She killed herself shortly afterwords. Overdosed on heart medication. My daughter was raised by my mother. We watch over her every day.