Chapter 1:
Déjà Vu
PORSCHE
ACHOO!
“Dang… Who’s talking about me behind my back? I’ve been sneezing nonstop since last night,” Jom complained as he set his coffee down on a marble table in front of the Sports Science building.
I looked at him, apologizing internally. Last night, I lied and gave out Jom’s name instead of my own. But who in their right mind would give out their real name in that situation? I took that guy’s watch. What if he changed his mind one day and came after me to get it back? There would be nothing I could do; I’d already sold the watch to a pawn shop that morning.
I could have told him my name was Boy, Noom, Sommai, anything—but Jom had messaged me just then and I’d seen his name pop up on my phone screen, so it just slipped out… I’m sorry, man. If something happens to you, blame it on bad luck.
“Why the hell are you looking at me like that?” Jom asked when he caught me staring at him.
I shrugged and turned my attention to Tem, who was engrossed in correcting the group report our professor had returned.
These two guys were my best friends. Jom was notoriously loud, and Tem was a bit of a weirdo who did not live up to his name, which meant ‘wholesome.’ And then there was me, someone people usually tried to avoid due to my intimidating appearance. My face usually didn’t show much emotion, so people could take me for cold and heartless. The full-sleeve tattoo of Japanese-style clouds and cherry blossoms covering my left arm didn’t help, either. No one wanted to get involved with me except for these two.
We were in our second year at one of the most prestigious universities in the country. I would never have been able to afford to study here if I hadn’t been offered an athletic scholarship. My national championship title in judo got me my full ride.
“If we finish our report, do you wanna go to Porsche’s club tonight?” Jom asked while playing games on his cell phone.
“You should try helping me with the report before thinking about going out!” Tem replied.
He was right. Tem was the only one who’d been consistently working on the group report. Although I wasn’t being as annoying as Jom, I wasn’t helping, either. I just kept staring blankly at the assignment.
“Come on! After we finish, let’s go,” Jom insisted. He loved hanging out at the club where I worked. Both he and Tem came around pretty often, and they’d become good friends with the bar’s owner like I was.
“Fine! We’ll go,” Tem said, exasperated.
Jom and I rushed Tem to finish correcting our group report. Jom kept asking every three minutes if he was done. Meanwhile, I fixed him with an intense stare, urging him to hurry up with no intention of actually helping him.
Finally, we ended up at The Root Club, owned by my boss, Madam Yok. As my two friends relaxed by the bar, I was in my uniform serving drinks. I came around to chat with them occasionally.
“Porsche, dear, can you fix me another drink?” a middle-aged woman chirped at me.
I gave her a polite smile and quickly mixed a drink for her. I was pretty good at bartending and mixing drinks, and I was popular among our female clientele. They loved giving me fat tips. Some even came here every day just to see me.
I’d hook up with customers occasionally, and we’d end up at some hotel. But they had to really catch my eye, like the woman I was about to serve a cocktail to. She had arrived with two other friends, and she was quite the looker. All the male patrons were ogling her, but—not to brag—she only had eyes for me.
“I’m Vivi. Give me a call?”
As I expected, she handed me a small piece of paper with her number on it. I grinned and stuffed the note in my pocket.
“Looks like little Chay is gonna be home alone tonight,” Jom drawled. Tem handed me my drink as I came to sit next to him.
I was very close to the owner of this place, Madam Yok. She didn’t mind that my friends came here occasionally.
Madam Yok was a trans woman who loved to dress as if every day was New Year’s Day. The color of her qipao changed daily, which I found amusing. She was a bit flamboyant, but she had always been very kind to me. When she knew I wasn’t making enough to pay my brother’s expensive tuition fee, she always lent me money. She was the only adult figure in my life that I really respected.
“What’s this? So early in the night, and someone’s already trying to steal my precious boy?” Madam Yok purred as she sidled up to me, her arm intertwining with mine.
If this had been any other trans woman, I would’ve felt pretty uncomfortable. I wasn’t grossed out by them, and I didn’t have anything against them; I just wasn’t used to being around them. I initially felt the same way about Madam Yok, but I’d worked for her for several years and I was comfortable with her now.
Although I’d only turned twenty2 a couple months ago, I’d been helping out at the bar for a long time now. I would come here after class to prepare the place for opening. I eventually got promoted to waiter, and the pay was better. Madam Yok said that the regulars loved me, and I could help attract more customers by showing up more often.
“You better keep a close watch on your precious boy,” Tem said. “All the women here look like they want to devour him.”
Madam Yok pursed her lips disapprovingly and rested her head gently on my shoulder. I just smiled leisurely and tipped back my drink.
The night was still young, so the club was quiet, with only a few customers scattered around. I’d worked here long enough that Madam Yok entrusted me to supervise all the waiters, even though some of them were older than me. She was a friend of my uncle, so I’d known her since I was a kid. She often came to our house when my uncle hosted parties. Then, disaster struck my family.
My family used to be very wealthy. My father owned several businesses, including a showroom for imported cars. But eight years ago, my parents were in a tragic car accident that killed them on the spot. We lost my parents’ assets—our house, cars, everything—to bank forfeiture. One of my dad’s corrupt business partners almost drained us dry.
All my brother and I had left was a ramshackle three-story townhouse. We scrounged together whatever we had left just to get by. We also had Uncle Thee, my father’s younger brother. He always supported us despite his gambling problem. He and Madam Yok were the two people who had always cared for us…
“Are you really planning on being Madam’s sugar baby?” Jom asked out of the blue. “I’ve never seen you with a girlfriend.”
“He already has me. There’s no place for other women,” Madam Yok teased lightheartedly.
“I can’t even take care of myself. How could I take care of a girlfriend?” I chuckled, taking another sip of my drink. I was happy having occasional flings with no strings attached.
“Well, look for someone who can take care of you, then,” Tem said. He cocked his head, eyeing a table in the corner occupied by several good-looking men. He leaned closer and whispered, “They’ve been checking you out for a while.”
“The fuck, man?!” I raised my foot to kick him for talking nonsense, but that fucker just dodged me.
“Or they might be checking me out.” Madam Yok fluttered her eyelashes at them flirtatiously. Tem and Jom cracked up when the guys hurriedly looked away.
“Well, you kinda look like the type,” Tem went on. “Y’know, the macho top with tattoos and pristine clothes…” I whacked him on the head with my ice tongs.
“You’re nuts! If someone like Porsche turned gay, a buffalo would give birth to a dog with Madam Yok’s face,” Jom interjected, earning a smack to the head from said Madam.
“Are you low-key insulting me? You guys are no fun!” Madam Yok hushed Jom before leaving the boys to talk to other customers.
“Look! They’re not paying attention to our Madam at all. They’re totally into Porsche!” Tem said.