After the Football Game ✓

On a Table Top

Tin Medthanan was bored.

He was sitting on his leather chair behind a huge office table laden with stacks of neatly labeled files that described how prosperous their business was. Not a few of those files carried the signatures of some of the most influential men and women of Thailand.

But Tin was not feeling up to the task of reading through the reports, signing numerous proposals and requests, invitations and on one side was an equally neatly stacked pile of greeting cards and several expensively wrapped gifts from their business partners. It was Tin's birthday, and he was not feeling up to the task of acknowledging the day. He got a phone call from his father earlier asking if he wanted to have dinner with the family, but he promptly declined, saying he had a bunch of things to do at the office. His mother had sent one of the gifts that was on the table but he was not in the mood to open even one of them. He was thinking about Can; more than he usually did. He remembered the first birthday with the red ribbons and could not help feel a little stirring inside his pants, but then he remembered the next year, what could have been a normal birthday party. Except it was organized by Can and his nephew, Phu, both thinking that they were in charge and it somehow became a total disaster; the hardening in his pants deflated but a small smile crept into the bored young master's face.

He never really cared about his birthday. Not like when he was a child and it was just him and Tul, before everything became complicated between the brothers. Then it was just a day on the calendar when he always dreaded. Because it was a day that people in the Medthanan house remembered him when all he really wanted then was to be invisible. Until Cantaloupe came into the picture.

So it was the surprise birthday gift with red ribbons involved, the disastrous party with Phu the next year, the third year was when Can wanted to surprise Tin with a pathway of blooms, it was most definitely Lemon's suggestion as Tin was pretty sure Can forgets Tin's birthday every year unless Ley reminds him which was all the time, the only thing Ley forgot was to tell her brother to use petals, instead Cantaloupe used the entire blooms. The year after that was a disaster. Cantaloupe thought of creating a romantic ambiance using scented candles, except he used so many that the foggy smoke triggered the fire alarm, putting out the candles, drenching both of them, a warning from the apartment landlord and a wet, splashy and squeaky tryst for the two of them in the middle of Tin's ruined living room.

Tin warmly smiled at the thought. Then burst out laughing like a madman when he remembered what happened last year. They went on a late night movie date, Lemon must have forgotten to remind Can because he was totally clueless as to Tin's birthday until the young business man mentioned when they were walking towards the car, "Thank you Can, for spending my birthday with me."

Then all hell broke loose. Can squealed like a mouse and ran from bakery to bakery, all of which were closed for the night. Can was on the verge of crying when they found a small bistro that was closing. The young fitness trainer ran inside, begged the owner to sell him even their leftover ice cream or a small cake so that the day would not end without him celebrating Tin's birthday. Tin was touched, as much as he wanted to laugh at the desperate antics of his lover, he felt that though Can forgot his special day, it was enough that they were together. He could not get the image of Can pleading with the storeowner, his eyes tearing up.

"P' please sell me even a small cake or ice cream or something. Today is my boyfriend's birthday but I forgot. I am very stupid so please, please, sell me just a little cake so I can make him blow. The candle I mean, please I'm begging you."

Tin laughed out loud in the security of his office, remembering Can's desperation. He did get to blow the candle of the little cake the storeowner sold Can, the cake that was much to expensive for the gym trainer but one he really wanted to buy. Of course, Can managed to blow something else after that, in fact, he was downright hungry. Tin laughed some more.