Bad Boy Loves Me ➿

Chapter 34

Dad and I sighed in relief when Andrea finally finished getting dressed.

"Shotgun!" I yell racing to the car.

I slid into the passenger seat with a satisfied smile. When Andrea and Dad got closer to the car, Andrea rolled her eyes at me.

"Seriously, Adriana? I wanted to sit there."

I shrug. Andrea huffed and glanced at dad as if she expected him to say something. I gave her a smug smile as she stood there in shock. She so used to mom immediately taking her side that I don't think she knew what to do.

"Are you just going to stand there?"

Andrea's head snapped back to me so I could see that oh so beautiful glare of hers. She quickly got into the car and shoved her earphones in. I talked to Dad the whole ride. I asked him about his work and if he liked it in Chang Rai. I loved all of our conversations, and I missed having them regularly. Face to Face. I missed him even more than I thought I did.

"Where to first?"

"I figured we could go to the temple first and then have a picnic in the garden."

"Nice! When did you have time to make food for a picnic?"

Dad smiled over at me. "Woke up early."

I continued asking him about Chang Rai. From what I'd seen, it looked like a really peaceful place.

"'We're here."

I gasped in awe when I saw the magnitude of the beauty of the temple. It was pure white and had artwork everywhere. Even Andrea was up and alert. We were greeted by red and white ghoulish traffic cones, skulls etched into them. As we began walking, dad began telling us about the history of the temple.

"Chalermchai chose to construct the temple in white symbolizing the purity of Lord Buddha."

Dad pointed to several gleaming lights on the side of the temple, and I quickly realized that they were actually mirrors.

"The mirrors embedded in the structure reflect light, representing the Buddha's wisdom shining out across the Earth and the Universe. Most of the temples messages refer to escaping desire, greed, passion, and moving through the heavenly through Buddhist teachings."

"You really know a lot about this," Andrea commented.

Dad shrugged sheepishly, "I was a bit obsessed with this place when I first got here. I would visit whenever I had free time. Now I could probably be a tour guide."

"Tell me more!" I demanded, feeling excited.

Dad chuckled. "To reach the main temple hall, you cross a threshold guarded by demons and traverse a bridge of ghostly hands reaching up from the cycle of death and rebirth. The temple building symbolizes the realm of the Buddhist and rising to a state of nirvana."

"Wow." Andrea breathed as we made our way over the intricate bridge.

I've never seen anything this beautiful. There were sculptures of the Kinnon, a mythical creature and of the Buddha. Ghostly heads were hanging from trees in the temple gardens. The dark yet complex building left me mind blown.

Dad nudged me. "Wait until you see the inside. It's pretty weird for a temple."

On the opposite wall, there were paintings of burning Twin Towers, Spiderman, Freddy Kruger, Michael Jackson, and even characters from Avatar. Dad let us take it all in before he spoke again.

"Chalermchai's idea was to show the good and the bad using images from the popular culture of the west and unfortunate events such as 9/11. Some say they are placed opposite of the Buddha's to show that people should cleanse their minds of ill intentions and wrong ideas and that all the popular culture with violence, greed, and hedonism is the wrong way in life."

"Is that Elvis Presley?" Andrea asked in disbelief.

Dad chuckled and nodded. I thank him as we get ready to leave the temple. That was probably one of the strangest and coolest things I've ever seen. Dad threw an arm around me and squeezed me tight.

"I'm glad you liked it, peanut. Did you enjoy yourself, Andy?"

Andrea nodded. "It was really cool, dad."

It was weird having my sister around, and she not act like a complete bitch.

"Although I would recommend leaving Adri home next time. She was in my presence far too long today."

Whelp, the bitch is back.

"Why don't you guys take a nap? The ride to Doi Tung isn't a short one.

Dad nudged us awake, "Wake up."

"Wow." I breathed as I took in my surroundings. I thought we were going to the garden? This looks like a palace."

"I guess that's because it is. I probably should have been a little more specific. The garden, Mae Fah Luang is in the Doi Tung Royal Villa."

"Are you serious? How much did it cost for you to get us in here?!"

Dad waved off my concerns.

"The lab is covering it. Don't worry about it. But, before we go, you guys have to change."

"Why do we have to change? We don't even have clothes."

"Remember the garden is on royal ground. They'll provide clothes for you. It won't be anything too fancy."

Two women beckoned us and took us to the dressing room. We were given simple black pants and a long-sleeved shirt with intricate designs. We met back up with dad and headed towards the garden. It was absolutely gorgeous. There were glittering leaves, damp from being watered and an infinite amount of flowers. There were sparkling fountains and beautifully made paths. You could smell the sweet scent of flowers surrounding you.

It was, indeed a magnificent sight. Dad found a spot for our picnic and laid the blanket down. Dad took the sandwiches and passed them to us. We all ate in a comfortable silence admiring the beauty before us. Only breaking the silence to ask for fruit or napkins.