Dtock's waters broke at about three in the morning and we swiftly arrived at the hospital by taxi after fighting our way through the chaos caused by the taxi driving 'Where you go' parasites who group outside Lucky the misnomered disco/meat market at the top of our Soi.
The hospital admitted Dtock and sent me home, telling me to call at midday. I didn't call because I knew they wouldn't understand me on the phone and me them likewise. I asked my boss to call them for me instead but she couldn't get any information out of them because Dtock doesn't have a surname, Ajarn Kanokporn, my boss, bless her, gave them Dtock's only real name: Souvanney (the same and only name as in her passport), she's registered with the hospital as just Souvanney, how can they not find her?
I therefore decided to go in person just in just in case there's a mass surge of Laotion women giving birth to half English children. When I got there they said she still hadn't given birth and that I should call not come in person... I'm staying remarkably calm despite the retardedness one has to encounter in matters of life and death. I got a Thai person to call for me but they couldn't locate Souvanney because they wrote her name in English because she is Laotion and Laotions don't write in Thai, like they do in their records that they can't read properly, I know this because the lady at reception kept saying mai mee mai mee (no have, no have) and I could read her name upside down in their records book.
I asked could I see Dtock they said no, I said when should I come back for more news they said allai na (what?) I repeated, they muttered to each other sam sen which I know means three centimetres, they didn't have the gumption to tell me she was doing well or high as a kite on gas and air and/or anything really and after the prior confusion I hadn't the heart to ask.
They told me to go back at four, I've since learned from Ajarn Kanokporn's (my boss who I bumped into at the hospital again) daughter that it shouldn't be long now. But by the same token I keep looking at how big three centimetres is between my thumb and forefinger and thinking it doesn't look like much progress to me.
I called Dtock's Mum (Grandma Lao) in Laos this morning and she's on her way down on the bus, I'm collecting her at Mo Chit because she doesn't know Bangkok. Trying to work out what time she's due in is becoming a task she hasn't got a clue where she is, what time she left Udon and what the bloody hell I'm asking her. My Thai, her Lao and typical Asian 'awareness' of time and space are causing much confusion. At least we're having a laugh about it which is much more than can probably be said for Dtock right now.
Who knows by the time I wrote this blog I may have/had become a Dad!
Blog On
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment