"In other words, you wanted to move over here and now that we are
over here you are raising objections as if now we should just get back
into the car and go back. That is crazy."
"I was in a daze. I admit it. I let you lead us around. We don't
even know anyone here."
"That isn't entirely true; but even if it turns out that he
doesn't help us any at least we are in a large city where there are
more opportunities than working in restaurants like this one."
" I want that money-or a share of it at anyway."
"For what?"
"So that I won't have to beg for a bowl of soup in places like
this-so that if you and Natenapa take off somewhere" (Kumpee's
girlfriend, who was listening to them, now looked away and reached for
the pitcher of water that was at the table) "that the money doesn't go
with you." She poured water into her glass, sipped it once, and
reached into her purse for her makeup.
"It is Thai tradition that the eldest brother is supposed to keep
the inheritance for the younger ones. If you question that you don't
have any sense of right and wrong. If you have a problem with that you
have a problem with the way things are and have always been. But even
if I were to run away tomorrow you wouldn't have lost much. None of it
was worth anything. Look at these jeans with the holes in the knees
and the pockets. If I want to start spending everything for myself I
would have started with some new clothes and instead of dragging you to
Bangkok with me I would have left all of you in Ayutthaya, wouldn't I?"
"You buy jeans and cut out the areas around the knees so that
doesn't prove much. Just see to it that the money doesn't fall from
the holes and that you keep remembering the duties of an elder brother
to the younger ones."