He was keeping them there that day because he wanted to
momentarily hand them over to airport authorities so they would not be
harmed in airport security. When she returned with an added bag that
the taxi driver plunked into the trunk the two men smiled at her and
she smiled back. After all, Thailand was the land of smiles and every
infant understood the advantages of smiling. To bypass his surly
temperament and increase friendly relations, Nawin offered more breath
fresheners or chewing gum for everyone. No Thai would refuse such
friendly gestures and the two of them took from his hand greedily like
tamed birds. Then he began his old contemplation of why 2 was greater
than 1 or why 3 was greater than 2. It was an old argument of his
wife. The first time she posed it to him they both were 16 years old.
He had made the mistake of asking her to a dance. "Why do two things
coming in close proximity to each other have greater value?" she
asked. His only response had been "A le nah?" meaning "What did you
say?" Neither one of them went to the dance but straight to their
bedrooms and their sullen thoughts.
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