Editor : TofaRumman
The alarm clock sound was ringing loud in the room. But the person lying face down on the bed still did not wake up. When it was constantly disturbing, he finally managed to throw it to the wall. A clock made of elastic rubber was made for deep sleepers who liked to throw, bounced back, and lied on its stomach, and calmed down.
Palin went to sleep, smiling happily. Last night, he worked until almost midnight. This minute, even if the world collapsed, he would hug his pillow tight. For an early morning rainy day who would want to go through a traffic jam to the company? Let it be!
Less than five minutes later the mobile phone placed beside the bed trembled and started screaming.
'Wake up, Lin. Wake up, Lin.'
It was a separate alarm sound someone set up for him.
"Damn it," Palin cried out, throwing his head into a pillow before springing up.
'Wake up, Lin. Wake up, Lin.'
"I just want some quiet," Palin flinched and pressed the alarm to stop and rubbed his head with frustration.
He had a close friend who he had been together with since college years. He recorded it on his phone because he knew it would be difficult for him(Palin) to wake up. It was the last step in case he threw the clock away. At least there was still an alarm sound set up by his friend who was helping him wake up. But he was taking it to a whole new level.
Palin sat back and watched the drizzling rain from the window of the condo reluctantly. It's time to take a shower.
Palin sighed with exhaustion. He woke up seriously and in only ten minutes *'Synthetic alarm' would come up to the room because he did not want that person to wait for him every day.
*synthetic alarm - his friend.
"When will I win the lottery? Will I lay dead at home," he murmured, scratching his tummy and washing his face.
Palin had been living for thirty-five years. He graduated from a famous university in the country as 'Synthetics'. His friends knew since freshman. He's studying and working at the same time. He was working in a real estate company that was doing business in housing, townhomes, and various condos.
He is currently a single young man. He has parents to take care of and their two dogs and still has family home debt that has not been fully paid. Nowadays, he had to grit his teeth and struggled to earn money. He had to pay the debt and pay the rent of this downtown condo. He was too lazy to travel.
His days were all about waking up, going into the office, working until late at night. Sometimes he carried the project back home or ended up falling asleep at his office and had to go to wake up early to finish it. Again and again. His life has no destination.
To conclude, it went on like this, but it is in a very peaceful life. Let it be like that until he dies someday.
Palin was brushing his teeth until the toothpaste bubbled up in his mouth when he heard the doorbell. He walked up and opened the door with familiarity. He didn't have to tell who the guest was.
"Hi. God! wake up late again," a low voice greeted him.
He rinsed his mouth with water and filled the mouth with mouthwash, gargled, and glanced at his friend.
A tall and large figure stood in front of the bathroom, one hand on the waist and the other hand on the door frame, about a hundred and ninety-meter heights, almost hitting the top of the wall. Palin used to ask him if he had done something to himself or not to obtain this size. He just laughed.
"The clock doesn't wake you up." He pulled a towel over his face.
The dark eyes behind the frame turned to look at the alarm clock. That damned alarm clock was lying on the ground. He laughed and shook his head.
"When will you stop throwing away Pook .. huh?" The young man picked it up and put it next to his bed.
Palin made a crooked face. Pook was a cloud-shaped rubber clock. Thiti bought it for him because he(Thiti) knew his habit of throwing the alarm clock away in the morning. He had ruined many of them. He got Pook a birthday present. It was very flexible and resistant to all kinds of heavy impact.
"I don't know."
"Then when you hear my voice to wake you, why don't you accidentally throw your phone away?" Thiti asked, smiling, and walked over to pick up a long-sleeved white shirt from the closet and put it along with the dark blue tie that he had bought.
Palin took off his pajamas over his head and threw it at the end of the bed followed by shorts and underwear.
Thiti's eyes were brave enough to look at him for a minute before he turned around.
"I can't throw it. If I threw it when I can hear your voice it's like I'm throwing you on the ground, ”said Palin.
Thiti laughed and waited for the other party to finish wearing the clothes before turning around. But Palin seemed to have a little prioritization problem when dressing up. Because he put on the shirt first and then put on the socks. He left the bottom flare, only the hem of the shirt concealed the lower half.
"Where are the pants?" asked Thiti.
"Just a minute, it's wrinkled." And he tried to loosen his pants awkwardly a few times
"Go put on your underwear." The observer began to feel unable to endure this torture.
"You have to learn how to plan your life. If you know you will wake up late until you can't take a shower in time and you still have to wear wrinkled pants, you should have slept early and iron the clothes before. Isn't it? "
He put his underwear on and sat cross-legged, looking at his best friend smiling.
"I didn't prepare, didn't plan because I know that in the end, Khun Thiti will be the hero riding on a white horse."
Thiti remained silent for a moment. He sighed faintly and replied, "Yes, your majesty".
"Whoever gets you as husband is probably as lucky as the winner of the first prize of the lottery ten times in a row".
Thiti raised an eyebrow, laughed at the deep voice pleasantly. And Palin sat and looked happy.
"But, well... Let's just stay single. Let's go like this first. I still don't want to share this first prize with anyone.”
Palin raised his two arms and stretched until the hem of the shirt was over his waist.
Thiti looked at the white waist under that shade before turning his eyes low and sent work pants to Palin.
"Put it on," he mumbled and picked up his briefcase. "Come on quickly. I'll wait in the car."
"Khah Khah" Palin accepted the pants and mumbled that he would poach the eggs.
"What did you bring to me in a lunchbox today?"
"Salmon Steak and Tofu Salad" Thiti replied, repeating the menu that Plink requested. "Salad vegetables, no lettuce Green Oak, Red Coral Butterhead, No Onion, Purple Cabbage. And ask for a roasted pumpkin and lots of cherry tomatoes. Today's salad dressing is Italian dressing. "
"You're my number one wife, you damn bastard."
"Wear pants, you sluggish bastard," Thiti smiled, "In ten minutes I'll drive and wait for you in front of the condo. "
"Ok."
Thiti closed the door of his friend's room and walked lightly towards the elevator and hit the down button.
When alone he breathed out.
What is the number one wife? Huh...
You should learn to read other people's feelings. You good guy.
"Hey. Do you know that Khun Kanin has no father?"
"Huh? Khun Palin, the interior design department! "
Palin, who ate the salmon steak, still was not full and was now biting the sandwich with full mouths, came out of the canteen and almost choked. But he regretted throwing out the snacks that Thiti made, so he hurriedly swallowed it. His two feet led themselves to hide behind the wall and listen.
He didn't want to secretly listen. He was just shocked to hear his name in the girls' conversation.
"No, Khun Palin has been single since the company was founded."
"I mean Mr. Kanin, our head of HR," the same woman whispered. “Well, yesterday he asked me about the welfare program for pregnant employees. I told him about some benefits and requirements such as a marriage certificate. Hee listened quietly and asked if there is no spouse, what should he do?"
"Really? What time does he have a girlfriend? I only see him work "
"He was .. a while ago. He stuck with the son of the company owner who came to work with us, right?"
"I think it must be right. That child was only in his early twenties. But the rumor has that he is the top, isn't it? "
"Yeah, but I heard that, with two men together, it's not easy to get pregnant. "
“Some people have special genes, classified as a *'mutant'. You don't have to use hormones to have a baby. I don't think it can be prevented. It is considered to be bad. Unplanned pregnancy."
*Synthetics have to use hormones to get pregnant but mutants don't need hormones.
"How pitiful if he gets pregnant! Will it affect the job? "
Palin scratched his head. All in all, it was a nonsensical conversation with nothing interesting. It's not about him and so he decided to leave.
“No, the company has a lot of welfare support with compensation, and then there is also a free medical treatment for pregnant people. But he probably couldn't ask for a home because he is not married."
"Huh. Does it mean if there is a spouse then they have the right to receive a house if not they can receive welfare? "
"It is in the staff manual, page three hundred and sixty-eight. Have you ever read it? It's not an ordinary room. It's a two-story house with two bedrooms, two bathrooms. There is also a garden area. Importantly, it's free! But the conditions are very subtle. You must go and read by yourself "
Palin, who was about to walk away, stood and listened. He just realized that the company also provided free housing as welfare.
It's all right since he didn't know. He was always working. He never had any interest in reading company welfare manuals for married people because he had nobody and he did not care about anyone like that.
His hometown was in the north. When he came down to work in Bangkok, he bought a house outside the city for his parents to live together in retirement because the price there was cheaper than in the city. He rented a condo near the company. It's just a pity that he didn't have any benefits that would relieve the rent. None.
Palin picked up the mobile phone and clicked into the staff handbook, page three hundred and sixty-eight, just as the young lady said. The first condition that was outstanding? The person who could request an accommodation, he must be legally registered as married, certified by district officials and witnesses. He must have a domicile(hometown) far away from the city, with major liabilities or with the burden of raising parents by blood. He had to have been working with the company for a minimum of five years. He had to have a gross income with his spouse not more than the specified amount.
"Simply put, you have to be both poor and have someone at home to feed."
He's all in the scope except it's just one big thing.
He didn't have a person to feed!
"Really? Damn!" the young man shook his head and walked into the bathroom and rinsed his mouth.
When he was washing his hands, he suddenly heard the sound of vomiting from the inmost room. He was yet to react, the door opened. This was followed by the pale face of HR leader Khun Kanin, a third person in the conversation earlier.
Khun Kanin glanced at him a little before walking to wash his face and eyes.
"Well, what's wrong?" Palin pulled the tissue and handed it to him.
Kanin shook his head and smiled. "It's okay. Just a little bit sick. "
He automatically looked down at the other person's stomach. It seemed that he would be able to distinguish it. Therefore he chuckled. The news was going around already. But it was a little surprising.
He had thrown the used tissues in the trash and spoke smoothly.
"Have a health check in the future. It's better to do it as you are synthetic. It will not be difficult later".
Palin waved his hand around. "I don't have a partner." That thing might happen in the future.
"Is that so?" Kanin smiled. "I saw you were close to that guy from the engineering department. I thought he was your boyfriend."
Palin almost choked on his own saliva. Whoa! Someone thought he and Thiti were boyfriends.
"Close friend! We are close friends," Palin smiled.
"Uh. I think Khun Kanin has to take leave? You should be bedridden. It will be bad for ....”.He carelessly looked at his(Kanin) stomach again.
Kanin smiled bitterly and rubbed on his now flat abdomen with just two months of gestation(pregnancy).
"Thank you for worrying," he mumbled. "I intend to leave for a week. During this time, if there is any problem, I can solve it through the department. If there is an urgent issue, then have your subordinates call me directly".
Palin nodded his head and looked at the back of the person who slowly walked back to the office
"What are you doing, Lin?" Another voice sounded from the back.
He looked back and saw Thiti carrying the rice box in a cloth bag from the canteen. He's a spoiled man. Let his friends cook for him and still let it wash by himself again. But he's not a very conscious person.
"Talk to Khun Kanin," Palin said. "Oh, do you know that Khun Kanin thought we were boyfriends?"
Thiti laughed and pat the head of a smaller person wryly.
"Can we go to work now? At noon I will buy some rice just in case."
Palin accepted and said, "Don't leave for the job site today?"
"I will go out in the afternoon," Thiti smiled. "Where do you want to go for dinner tonight? What do you want?”
"Always eating outside is a waste of money." He scratched his cheeks.
"Then go to my house? I will make you what you want to eat".
"Yeah. The number one wife of Lin." Palin hugged Thiti's shoulder. "Come on, give me a kiss."
Thiti pushed the small shoulder lightly and said "Go to work".
"Khah Father! " Palin smiled. He started to walk away but remembered something, therefore turned to whisper "Oh, you know, I'm glad to be close to a good person like you. "
The other side seemed to be silent.
"Even if I don't want to let you go to be someone's groom because I'll be missing you. But I am sure that if you get someone pregnant, you will never leave him alone to take care of the baby."
Thiti was silent and looked at Palin who walked back to his department.
What are you saying?
After the meal, Palin sat back and relaxed in Thiti's condo as if it was his own place. He lied down on his stomachs on the sofa. One hand pressing the TV remote and on the other hand chewing a snack and enjoying himself.
"Stop eating useless things," Thiti put a fruit plate in front of him. "Eat fruit and make sure to remove the seeds and don't throw the rind randomly. Really young."
"Thirty-five, not young." He moved and sat down next to Thiti side by side.
Thiti pulled out the glasses and wiped them and put them back in. On the other hand, there were construction documents taken from the company. He brought them back to read. Right now, the job he was in charge, was a condominium project in a good location.
"So diligent," Palin worked till midnight yesterday. So, today was considered a free day. He held onto his motto to stop when necessary, too much determination would grow him up in vain. "Too stressfulness will shrink sperm. You won't have any children. It will be hard."
Thiti dropped a laugh. But he did not give up reading the project, he mumbled, "Since this morning what is the matter with you about having a lot of children? huh .. ?"
Looking head to toe at friends Palin became silent.
"Did you hear someone? What did he say?" Thiti asked quietly, knowing his friend's personality.
"About Khun Kanin .." He knew this part. But it was not a matter to continue talking about. He didn't like talking about other people's private matters behind their backs. Let's just say, what's more, interesting was the information in the employee handbook.
"Umm .." Thiti continued to read the document. "If not about us just let go".
“That's it.” Palin patted his chin, looked at the calculator under the table, picked it up, and started playing.
He calculated the expenses for this month.
Until a hundred and a half baht left. Ai Lin, why was it so little? He inwardly cursed at himself. He was tired of thinking further, so he put down the calculator, and ate watermelon instead. He had nothing to do ao he turned to look around.
Thiti lived in a condo. He was renting this room alone because he(T) was a single man like him. His father has passed away. He only had a wealthy mother in the south. She was doing a frozen seafood business. He would go to visit sometimes. He used to follow Thiti to the sea.
His condo and Thiti's were in different directions. But he(Thiti) was always picking him up and sending him off like a husband and wife. Thiti was a gentleman, soft as silk sugar, and had a car that could use the company's electric welfare fully. He probably thought that he had a heart for him.
Suddenly he remembered Khun Kanin's words.
"I saw that you were close to that engineering department guy. I thought he was your boyfriend."
Palin looked at the quiet man seated next to him. His face became a little more serious, watching him from the head to toe.
Alright, it looked like he had come up with some prank.
" Hey, bastard." He did not hold back.
Eyes behind the frame turned to look at him and Thiti's eyebrows raised a question.
"Called for fun. Called for fun." Palin panicked and picked the watermelon and put it into his mouth, chewing, grumbling, and smiling happily.
"Suppose you don't have a girlfriend and I don't have a boyfriend. "
Thiti laughed and put the project down, turned to look at his best friend, "Don't pretend because I don't have one."
" Yep," Palin jerked his head back and forth. "Okay. No. That's good. Well, if we both have no one, meaning that we are free in life. We can do anything, right? "
"What is it you want to say?"
"I'll ask if it's going to be okay," he glanced at, "if I was to invite you to marry."
The listener was stunned.
Palin waved his hand, "Like in a name. This morning I accidentally heard that certain benefits are only available for married couples."
Thiti sat back and listened to the person who started talking in a row.
"The front page employee handbook of three hundred...What was it? It said married employees had free housing benefits. The condition is to have a distant home or major debt, or with the burden of raising parents. Minimum five years of working at the company and the total salary with your spouse does not exceed this specific amount."
"That's…..." Thiti understood.
"Yes! Yes! You know I am renting a room, expensive, damn good to die and paying for it month after month. If we get this welfare accommodation for free it will only cost the water and electricity bills. Besides there are two bedrooms and two bathrooms, there is a gardening area and .... "
"OK "
"I calculated that you would say that I am absurd."
"I said ... ok."
Palin, who had just spit out a watermelon seed, turned around to look at Thiti, "Huh? " He picked up his ear.
"You asked me to marry you. I said OK." The tall man turned back to work.
"Next day we will pay homage to your parents. On Saturday, we will fly to my mother. Then next Monday we will get married, okay? "
"Ha? It's that easy." Palin blinked his eyes and asked, "Why didn't you take time to think or try to deny it?"
Thiti laughed, "I don't have any problems here. I just want the adults to know. Another thing, the easier, the faster. You can then submit documents for accommodation. "
"Yeah. Bastard. My friend." Palin said jokingly with a brittle mouth. But Thiti really came up and hugged his friend tightly. "If I get a room you can let go of this condo. I'll invite you to stay with me."
Thiti chuckled with fluttering cheeks.
"Nee Lin .."
Palin smiled with eyes almost closed. "Huh ?"
"When we marry, we must change the way we call each other."
"How ?"
Handsome smiling face drains it's color when he heard Thiti saying "Call me 'my husband'."
"Whoops! Damn bastard, who would call you that?"
Thiti laughed and noticed that Palin ate the watermelon until the plate was empty.
Palin thought that this was easy.
Yes. To start was easy.
But have you ever thought? That marriage was more than just a change in the word between each other.
Sharp eyes dared to stare at someone behind a clear lens.
The story of ' husband-wife '.
There must still be a lot of 'things' to do 'together'.
I'll know.