BLACKmail

5

***

2 flights later, I finally arrive at Bangkok. I check in to a 5 star hotel for one night before my next flight to my work location. Again, I stay there for one night then at 8am, I take a helicopter ride to the drilling rig.

The weather is pretty bad considering it's monsoon season. I should be scared when the heavy rain hits the helicopter wall so hard I swear I feel it shakes a little but again, I've been riding this bird since the past 12 years so I'm not that terrified.

The helicopter, or as we call it, chopper, lands on the helideck 75 minutes later. I was worried if the pilot will turn around to the base but luckily, he braved through the weather and landed as per scheduled.

"You Charlie Lee?" I heard a voice from behind. I turn around to find a guy in orange coverall asking another guy who's on the chopper ride with me just now.

"I am," I raise my hand only to get a gasp from him. Yeah I get that a lot.

"You Charlie? Charlie Lee?"

"Yes I'm Charlie."

"But Charlie boy name?" His thick Thailand accent is already funny but the way his face is, along with his question, and the broken English, makes me giggle.

"Yeah my dad wanted a boy." He laughs so loud that the rest of the guys laugh as well.

"So Charlie, I'm Kun the HSE Officer." He stretches his hand towards me. I take it and smile, "Nice to meet you, Kun."

"Let's go to the briefing room for a briefing."

I follow him to a big room that already houses the rest of the guys riding the same chopper with me. All of them look Asian so I guess for the first time in my life, I'm blending in.

Before this I'm always assigned on the rigs in US or Europe, sometimes in Australia so this is pretty exciting. I'm going back to my motherland.

Except I'm not a Thai. Nor I speak any Thai.

"Sawadeekrab. Welcome to Chrome-3 rig, I'm Kun, HSE officer. Anyone first time here in Thailand, welcome kaa!" God how am I going to survive 5 weeks with these people. I can barely understand them; either it's really in Thai or broken English in thick, thick Thai accent.

"Miss Boss, you want me help your bag? I can carry to your room." He offers me once the briefing is over. I laugh again at his broken English as I shake my head, "No it's okay. I can carry them."

Just because I'm 5ft tall, and a girl, people always see me as a fragile little human being. Until a problem happens then they'll shit their pants out from the hell I'm giving them. That's when they know I'm not so little anymore with my cunning attitude.

Just like any other rigs, the rooms are shared between 2 to 4 people. However, I have a single room since I'm the boss of this place. I work on 12 hours shift from 6am to 6pm, but I always work more than that.

Once I drop my bag to my room I move to my office. Two guys in orange coverall are sitting there which I believe one of them is a materials coordinator. We always share the same office.

"Hi I'm Charlie," I approach the first guy who sits behind a desk. He smiles and shakes my hand, "Harlowww, I'm Kit. The MatCo." See, I'm right. He's the materials coordinator indeed.