Problems Ahead
KEV WANDERED INTO THE office at his usual 10 am. Not being one to dash about early in the day, he turned on the kettle for coffee. Offered Nick one, the language that greeted him would make a soldier blush.
'That man, that bloody Dutch miserable git, I need to thump him. I would feel so much better.'
'Whatever the problem is, it can't be that bad.'
Kev thought Jan had not offered Nick any cheese for his biscuits.
'Yeah, well, you ask for his rent then.'
'Okay, okay, I will get it, cash box in hand,' said Kev, overconfident.
Janʼs store was laid out neatly. He had three large ceiling-to-floor fridges showing off his range of cheeses, one fair-sized chiller, and shelves stocked with various brews of beer. They are mainly produced in Germany. Unopened boxes of beer are stacked up at the back of the room, all ready for delivery. That everything was full of produce meant, he was a good manager of his stock, or sales were not good.
'Morning Jan, how are things going? I popped in to collect the rent money.' He opened the small red strongbox and wiggled the lid.
'No, you cannot collect anything.'
'And why is that?' asked Kev.
'Because I donʼt have to pay, and Iʼm not going to.'
A determined Dutchman glared at his landlord.
'I donʼt understand. What is the problem? And why are your dogs here? We donʼt allow pets in the building.'
The snapping hounds sounded their disagreement too near to Kev's ankles. Chains straining and stretched to their limit. Kev hopped away from the dogs, and Jan.
Kev sheepishly returned to his desk. 'What are we going to do now?' Kev asked Nick. Both had asked nicely. Well, Nick had at first, then he asked not so nicely. Either way, their request had been refused, which was also not so nice. 'What is his problem?' Nick asked.
'I've seen Jan's beer on the shelves in a few bars, but thinking about it, I've seen nobody drinking it.'
'More to the point, what will we do about it?'
They decided they would not get any cash. They had more chance of being bitten by Janʼs ferocious dogs, so Jan would have to go. They will need more office space soon. A desk for Dam and a particular young lady who would quickly open Hua Hin's first Thai language school. Thais to learn English and falangs to learn Thai. 'We will need another desk for translations and advice?' said Kev.
'Who will tell Jan to move out then, you or me?' Kev continued.
'Better be you. I will lose my cool.'
Kev wandered into Janʼs store, looking more confident than he felt.
'Hi Jan, it's me again. Forget the rent, but you will have to move out. I will give you two days to get your stock organised.'
'No!'
'What do you mean no?'
'I am not going anywhere. That is final.' he shouted.
This was not good. It was terrible; they had heard Jan had some dangerous friends based in Pattaya. People he had worked with before in the shipping business both in Holland and Thailand. Also, it was rumoured that he dealt with smugglers. Deadly people who needed and wanted their craft running smoothly. These boats had to outpace the craft of the customs men. Those people trusted Jan and were happy to do him a favour if needed. Jan had been a ship's engineer, a good one before he retired. He always had plenty of work and contacts on both sides of the law. He owned a four-bedroom house in town and had enough cash to open his wholesale business. Something had gone wrong, and it appeared his money was running out. Falling in love with a young and attractive "bar girl" would not have helped the cash flow. Only the outflow.
The only answer was to drown their worries at their friend Yingʼs bar. She was a lively lass who ran a fun place. The bar was a square, with four sides to sit around. It had plenty of room to walk behind the seating, with the serving staff in the middle of the seating area. When Kev and Nick arrived, the front and the left-hand sides of the square were full of drinkers. All were enjoying an early evening glass or two. The right-hand side had two seats left. Kev and Nick grabbed them, plonked themselves down, and ordered two beer bottles. The fourth side of the square, the back, was empty.
They waved to a few people and passed the time of day with a few more.
Nick said, 'Look out, here comes Jan with a Thai guy. Do you know him?'
'No, never seen him. I hope he is not one of the Pattaya mob we heard about?'
Jan and the Thai man entered the bar; as they walked past Nick, Jan punched Kev on the back of his head without warning. Kev stood bolt upright, knocking his stool over. He said to Nick, 'Stand behind me. You watch the Thai guy, and let me deal with this.'
The Thai chap raised his hands and said in a pure English accent, 'This has nothing to do with me.'
He left the bar.
There was no holding Kev. Not that anyone tried. He hit Jan once, splitting his cheek and knocking him right off his feet. The surprise was evident. It shocked Jan and the guests that such a small man could hit with explosive power. Jan was not out but wobbly. His knees pointed outwards for a whole minute while he regained his balance. He grabbed the bar while his strength returned. Instead of moving in and finishing Jan, Kev stood and waited. Jan recovered his senses; shaking his head, he grabbed one of the bar stools and prepared to use it. Ying moved quicker than anyone else. She grabbed Jan by the ear and threw him into the street before he could damage her stool.
The following day, the lads entered the office.
'Well, Nick. Got any bright ideas?'
He did. He had more than an idea and got on with it. Nick, while doing the refurbishment, had forethought. He had wired the two areas of the ground floor on separate fuses. So it was simple: Turn off the electric supply to Janʼs part of the building while their power still worked. Janʼs stock would soon be ruined without the fridges and chillers performing their jobs, so Jan must move everything quickly.
Or not, as the case was.
Jan had armed himself with a meat cleaver. Not to attack people but to attack the main electrical cables outside the front door. He sliced straight through the inch-thick rubber cabling. They were no longer attached to a concrete column next to the building. The whole building was now powerless, as were Kev and Nick.
The electric company, "Electricity" as they were known, soon arrived in their van. They did not cure the problem. Jan and his dogs refused to allow the workers anywhere near the stricken cable. The Electricity men told Kev that the cable and the pole belonged to the King. Only trained electrical officers could touch them. Also, they were not paid enough to risk their lives. Especially with a "ba-ba falang", let alone a hazardous electrical situation. Kev decided that a quick visit to the police station should sort it out.
By now, Kev had a rudimentary grasp of Thai and was learning fast. He explained what had happened to the police. They listened, looking disinterested and offering no help. Finally, the police officer in charge hoped that he understood. 'Khun Jan has a powerful friend; the local police could not help.'
'Now what?' asked Nick, looking lost.
'Let me think.'
Kev cast his mind back to the terrible day when his old friend passed. It sounded like help could be nearer than they realised.
'Where is Dam? I need to talk to him,' Kev was thinking back to his mentor, Khun Daa.
Half an hour later, three men arrived, and a few minutes after, the same three Thais and one European left.
They told Nick and Kev that Jan would not be back and they could have his stock. The local Catholic Salesian school was very grateful for all the cheese. The previously unhelpful police were happy to sample German beer. They could assist if they needed help in the future.