{MXM} {COMPLETED}
"Please... kiss me, so I'd know what it is to feel alive when I die," his voice was a delicate whisper, like warm breeze on a rainy evening.
***
After swearing off men and vowing to remain single with his best friend, Kittisat i...
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THE PITCH
Jaran was not wrong about the Eco Thailand Pitch. It attracted all of Thailand's brightest architectural minds. Over two-hundred companies, vying for the golden contract of the year—worth over sixty-two-million Baht—to design what will become Thailand's newest eco village. It wasn't just about the money, it was also about the glory, the future opportunities that would follow after completing such an outstanding project.
Such opportunities scarcely came by for small architectural firms. The architectural industry was too nepotistic. You couldn't get a chance like that unless you had worked and clawed your way to the inner circle of the who is who in the industry, and even then, the chances were slim.
Everyone wanted in, but only fifty teams got invited to pitch in front of the panel from Japan. It was set to be a rigorous process. Out of the fifty, only ten companies would advance to the next level.
***
Nat, Varawut and I arrived right on time at the venue, our merry little band of three. We stood at the entrance, superman style, big smiles on our faces, excited by the greatness that awaited us. We could see the ray of sunshine, the light at the end of the tunnel, an end to the haggling we had endured from our landlords, the rain of contracts that would follow after we won, the end of the poverty that had befallen us—we were so sick of being broke.
That moment of euphoria didn't last long once other architectural firms began strolling past us. They had five to ten people on their teams, some with complete mock-ups, mood boards and much more. They looked like money, they looked prepared, dressed in expensive suits, high heels and sparkling smiles. It knocked us right out of our daydream and our confidence diminished.
"Hey, listen, we have a good pitch, a good plan, we've worked hard on it, let's do our best, the judges will see that too," I encouraged, trying to liven the mood. I didn't believe a single word. "Even if we don't get picked, we should take pride in the fact we tried." Their faces remained gloomy. "I'll buy chicken later." Those were the magic words because they lit up almost instantly.
We marched over to security, got our ID cards and booth number and made our way into the hall. It looked like a TEDx event. On the stage, seats were laid out for the panel and a big ECO THAILAND sign placed behind them. The rest of the hall was filled with mini booths for the companies pitching, and a slew of press by the corners. It was all so big, new and exciting.
We scrambled through the buzzing crowd in search of our booth numbered twenty-five. Finding it made us giggle with joy as we placed down our bags and took our seats. They had cute rotating chairs that made us feel important, like we were dreamers, achievers.
