YAY! first book!! Ok so muchas gracias to ForeverLovely101 for giving me so many ideas!!
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I sat on the ground thinking. Thinking about my amazing family, who provide as much as they can for me. I need to pay them back, working on the rice field isn't much. Lek and I love our parents so much, but we are so poor that we can't really buy anything but food. I want to give my family more. They give me so much.
My name's Nok. I'm 14 and belong to my amazing family of my mom, Ann, and Dad, Noi. I have a 10 year old sister, Lek, and we are best friends. We are a family of rice farmers in Nakorn Ratchasima, Thailand. I'm really athletic, I play soccer and takraw all the time with the neighborhood boys and girls. With what little money we have, it's how I entertain myself.
I have an interesting extended family. My mom's brother and his wife, Loong Thoi and Pa Noo, live down the lane from us. They help us farm. Loong Thoi was a Muay Thai fighter but got hit too hard in the ribs and had to quit. Pa Noo was a teacher but lost her job once she had my cousins, Chai and Chit. My dad's sister and her husband are both teachers, we don't see them much.. my dad had a troubled relationship with her. All my grandparents are alive. Yai Tho and Tha Daeng are in their 80s and they are so lively. They were rice farmers too, but now they live in Bangkok. My dad's parents, Ya Boon and Bpoo Dum, are in their 80s as well and they live close. They helped us farm until they got too old.
Lek walks up to me. "Hey Nok! What are you doing?" Goodness, I love Lek. She has always helped me and she's not an annoying little sister.
"Just thinking, Lek, how I can give back to Mom, Dad, and you."
"Nok, you're so sweet! But I've never done anything for you like Mom and Dad have."
"Lek, don't say that! You are my best friend, my secret keeper, and my little amazing sister." I smiled at her.
"Well, what are you planning on doing?" Lek asked. She looked at me with a sad face.
"See, I like to sing, but I'm not like Sunaree ( a famous singer from Nakorn). And soccer won't get me anywhere." I said.
"What about Loong Thoi? He did Muay Thai... you could be great at it!!! You could fight in Bangkok." Lek said.I considered that... see why I love Lek?! She just gave me an idea!
"Lek, you're a genius. Loong Thoi could be my trainer, and once I get good enough I may even could fight at Rachadamnen!! ( a major stadium in Bangkok). " I shouted. "But wait, girls really can't do Muay Thai by tradition, Lek. I can't mess up Thailand's greatest tradition."
"Sure you can! Just dress like a guy! Wear your hair long and try and disguise your face. You can do it, Nok. You can do anything." Lek said.
"Lek, you're amazing like that. I love you."
We went down to the soccer field (really just land with a makeshift goal) to meet with the neighborhood kids. While we played some soccer, I pondered on how I would do this.
"Hey Lek! Ay Pass it!" shouted Pai, my friend.
"Pai, I got you!" I shouted as I passed it to him. The ball went into the net.
"Nok! What aren't you good at girl!!" shouted Pai.
"Thanks, Pai. I'm really thinking about starting Muay Thai with Loong Thoi." I smiled at my friend who was like my brother.
"Really? But you're a girl! I mean, nothing wrong with that, but you know Muay Thai is like a man's thing." Mai said with a questioning face.
"Well, Lek gave me some ideas. She said I could disguise myself as a guy, and fight. Just train with Loong Thoi and I can find ways to disguise myself." I said.
"Man, Lek you're so smart!" Pai said.
Lek and I walked home. Mmmm! I thought. Mom just cooked Som Tum, a Thai dish made of green papaya and chili. Mom LITERALLY cooked the best Som Tum in Thailand. "Mom! You made me Som Tum! Thanks so much!" I told her.
"How did my little girl play today?" my dad asked.
"Oh dad, I'm not little!" I teased. "I assisted Pai. I told him about my future career in Muay Thai."
"Muay Thai?" my dad asked. "But that's a man's thing, how would you do it? Ooh my daughter is a fighter!" Oh, my dad loved me so much. I did too, how couldn't I? He's only farmed for 14 years to provide for me and Lek.
"Yeah, when I was done checking the rice fields I was thinking. Lek walks up to me and we start talking. Well, I wanted to provide for you guys since you do so much. I told Lek I really love to sing.But I'm no Sunaree. Lek said Loong Thoi does Muay thai, why can't you? Mom, your youngest daughter has your level of genius. Now I got stuck with Dad's level." I patted Dad on the back.
"Well, Nok, I will take you to Loong Thoi tomorrow and we shall see. I don't see why he wouldn't teach you, you're athletic and willing to learn. You really could make us some money." Mom said.
"Mom, Dad, Lek, I love you more than life!!!!" I gave them a major group hug.
Lek and I decided to walk down the lane and kick some rocks. We liked to do that after dinner. Of course, Kanom has to see me. Kanom and I aren't the best of friends. When we were little our parents didn't get along so we didn't either. She always teased me, whether it was my nose or my skin or my rice crop wasn't as big as hers (?). I never say anything.
"Ay Nok!! Hey I've never seen your nose that big!" she yelled.
"Well.I have NEVER seen your brain that small." I shouted. Was that a good comeback?
"Ay I'll see you around." Kanom yelled.
Hah. She didn't say anything. Lek and I laughed at her while we were walking home.
I couldn't wait to go to bed and see Loong Thoi tomorrow.
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Ok. This book has a lot of references to Thailand:
Nakorn Rachasima: a province in Thailand that grows a lot of rice!
All the names are in Thai, I used common names.
Thai families are really close. Sometimes 2-3 generations will live together. Everyone is uncle or aunt!
Kanom is actually one of Nok's enemies because their parents were enemies too :/
Rachadamnen is a huge muay thai stadium in Bangkok. People watch fighters and gamble there...
Ask any questions you have!
