A Bracelet for Gift

By R.H. Newman

Ben had always kept away from girls until he meets Gift, a young girl who asks for help. As their friendship grows into love, her mother sends her away to keep them apart. How can they get back together and find happiness?

• Language: English
• Publisher: R.H. Newman
• Release date: Oct 24, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005179076

R.H. Newman

Nearing retirement, he is devoting more of his time to writing and working with a charity that helps the under privileged.

Book preview

A Bracelet for Gift

R. H. Newman

Published by Robert Newman at Smashwords

Copyright 2022 R. H. Newman

Discover other titles by R. H. Newman:

Gemma

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Table of Contents

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 1

As the sun sank towards the horizon, a tall thin figure wound his way through the bushes on the south-east coast of Thailand towards a single-story house hidden behind a wall of trees. Dressed in a black T-shirt and jeans, Ben’s awkward stride gave him an appearance of a tall wingless bird. Half a dozen dogs trotted at his side as he quickly crossed the ground.

Ben had moved to the coast of Thailand to get away from the crowds and noise of Bangkok. He had always had a problem with loud noises and crowds of people due to his suffering from Tourette syndrome. As a child, he had been bullied terribly at school for several reasons, not least his continuous twitching, both physical and oral. The girls, in particular, had been cruel to him. This had left him with an inferiority complex when dealing with the opposite sex. The teasing made him into a much more solitary person than nature intended. He much preferred his own company and that of animals. This led him to desire a quiet life in the country with an adopted pack of dogs as his companions.

Ben was the only child of an Englishman and a Thai lady. His father had returned to England after his mother became a Buddhist nun and left him and Ben to pursue her new life. However, before returning to England, his father had sold his business consultancy company to his friend and rival Andy. He had given Ben enough of the money so he could live without having to work or worry about his future. Being careful with his money, Ben had invested most of it wisely, so he had an annual income exceeding his needs. He lived a simple but comfortable life in a modest bungalow, which he had built on a plot of land overlooking the Gulf of Thailand. When designing his house, he had solar panels fitted on the roof; these provided most of his electricity.

His passion was nature. He spent most of his time keeping the environment around his home clean and as natural as possible. Every morning, like clockwork, he went out, clearing up the area of the trash Thai and foreign tourists had left on the beach and cliffs. He cared a great deal for the environment and wildlife. All the dogs in the area knew him and came running up to him, wagging their tails, knowing that they would be given a treat. He had names for all of them, and he spoke to them gently but firmly as he rubbed their ears and heads. They were playful and excited when with him; he saw them as individuals who needed care; other people considered them just a pack of wild dogs.

Ben loved to be creative. He combined his love of nature with his love of creating beautiful pieces of jewellery in his workshop. He had built one room in his house as a large workshop, where he made his jewellery, which he sold online and to selected retailers across the world. He made infrequent unenjoyable trips back to Bangkok to replenish his stock of silver, gold, stones and crystals. He always preferred to handpick what he bought, even though he didn’t like going into Bangkok. Ben always called ahead, and his suppliers arranged a private room so he could select what he wanted without being disturbed. They knew the quality he demanded and how much he disliked many people. Hence, they prepared everything for him in advance.

Ben liked his privacy and rarely had visitors. He found the occasional visitors he did get more of an annoying distraction than anything else. One day, however, in early March, a girl came to his house in tears. Her appearance brought back memories of school, and he was immediately on guard. In her hand was a broken bracelet. Please, She sobbed. You can repair it for me? Tears were running down her face, leaving damp lines in the dusty cheeks of her honey-brown skin.

The girl looked about sixteen or seventeen years old, 150cm tall, and a little plump still with puppy fat. Her beautiful, almond-shaped eyes were brimming with tears. Her dark brown hair was cut short in a bob, favoured by schoolgirls in government schools. She was wearing a pair of colourful shorts and a T-shirt. On her dusty feet were a pair of cheap rubber flip-flops.

Ben immediately felt sorry for her but was also wary. He didn't trust girls and had never met one he liked, and as far as he knew, none liked him. Come in. Let’s have a look, he said. He took her through to his workshop, and she gave him the bracelet. It was a simple, elasticated fake jade bead bracelet, not expensive, but he could see it was precious to the girl. Whose is this? He asked. She looked at him with a blank expression. So, he asked her in Thai. Kong krai krup?

My mother's, she answered in Thai. She will be angry if she knows that I broke it. She’s going to kill me. As they continued talking in Thai, Ben carefully restrung the beads. When he had finished, he returned the finished bracelet to the girl. As she looked at it, her face softened into a smile and her tears dried up. Thank you, she said as she took the bracelet from Ben. How much do I have to pay you?

Mai bhen rai, it doesn’t matter, Ben said in Thai then in English. He could see the girl was not wealthy, and he was in a generous mood.

As she moved towards the door, she kept thanking him all the way out of the house. When she got to the front door, she put the bracelet onto her wrist, looked at it, smiled, and said, with a little curtsey and wai, Thank you. one more time and left.

At the door, one of the dogs outside came and sniffed at the girl's legs. She jumped in alarm, obviously wary of a strange dog. Leave her, Dtam, Ben told the dog firmly. Dtam looked up at Ben, wagged his tail and quickly trotted away. Don't worry about the dogs, Ben said to the girl. They are just curious about who you are."

They are Ban-gaew, the girl said. They are cruel and bite.

Not these dogs. They protect me and the house, but they never bite anyone without cause. The girl didn’t look convinced but turned and walked away. When she got halfway to the trees, she turned and smiled at him, turned and ran off towards the town. It was only after she had gone that Ben realised he hadn't asked her name.

Over the next few weeks, he found himself thinking about the girl with the broken bracelet. There was something about her that he liked. He smiled as he remembered the way she had smiled as he returned her bracelet. She had given him such an uninhibited smile of gratitude. He felt a fondness towards her that he had never experienced before. This feeling felt alien. He had never felt this way towards any girl. Maybe it was because she was the first girl he had met that wasn’t cruel to him. All his past dealings with girls had been negative; they had been cruel and spiteful towards him at school. They had teased him terribly, and it had left mental scars that were still raw and painful.

***

One morning, at the beginning of April, Ben was in his workshop making a pair of silver and amethyst earrings when he heard a knocking on his front door. The girl with the bracelet was standing there. She was holding a basket of fruit in her arms. As she beamed a smile at him, she said, Thank you. He felt annoyed about being disturbed from his work, but he smiled back. Ben took the fruit basket and replied, remembering his manners. Thank you, please come in. They walked into the living room, where he placed the basket on the coffee table in front of the sofa. Would you like some water? Without waiting for a reply, he walked to the kitchen and came back with two glasses of cold water. He then sat down in one of the leather armchairs. The three-piece suite was a rich, dark red chesterfield. The room was nicely decorated, very much in a western style with a soft, deep pile rug and western furniture. A large bookcase filled with new and old books was against one wall, next to it was an old-fashioned writing desk. A large picture window allowed light in and showed off the well-cared garden outside.

The girl sat shyly, just perched on the edge of the cushion, in the other chair. I want you teach me. She said in broken English.

What do you want me to teach you? Replied Ben, looking at her carefully. She was better dressed than the first time they had met. Her hair had been brushed and smooth; it was shining darkly in the light. She was wearing jeans and a grey T-shirt, with a blue and gold parrot pattern on the front. Her bare toes curled and dug nervously into the pile of the rug.

She looked at him with big, pleading eyes. I want learn about make bracelet. Please, you teach me. Ben could not help smiling; he was torn by conflicting emotions. Although he liked her, he also wanted his privacy.

Why do you want to learn? He asked her trying to sound serious but failing.

You make beautiful. I want make too. I want work, make money for my family. This, he understood well. He had not always had money in the bank. There had been times when his father's business had struggled, and there had not been enough money to buy food. He appreciated the girl wanted to help her family. It was, after all, a very Thai cultural thing to do. Most of the Thais he knew aided their parents with household income. They felt an obligation to their parents to help them as they grew older. It was a part of being Thai he liked, the sense of family responsibility.

OK! I will teach you, he reluctantly agreed. You can come on Sunday mornings. I will help you learn how to make bracelets. But please tell me something. What is your name? You never told me before.

Me, Wichinart, she said with a smile. It was the same smile that had warmed Ben’s heart the first time he saw her. My name is Wichinart, but please, you can call me Gift, my nickname. My friends call me Gift.

OK, Gift, you can call me Ben. I will see you here on Sunday, at about nine o'clock. Do you agree with this?

Yes, yes, she quickly replied. I will be here and learn hard. I will be a good student. Thank you, thank you. But, Gift hesitated a moment, How can I pay you?

Don’t worry. I will teach you for free, as long as you have your mother’s or father’s permission to come here every week.

Yes, I already told my dad I was coming here. He said OK, but I shouldn’t disturb you. If it’s too much, please tell me I will stop, not come.

Let’s see how things go. What does your father do for work?

He works in the fishing docks. He helps unload the fish from the boats. Sometimes he drives to markets for customers. He’s a good dad. He only drinks a little and never hits my mum or me. She smiled, I don’t think he would dare hit my mum. She’s bigger than him and more fierce.

They talked for a few more minutes before Gift left. OK, Gift, Ben said at the door. I will see you on Sunday.

Yes. Thank you. Bye.

When Gift had gone, Ben sat down and thought to himself. What the hell have I agreed to do? He put his head in his hands and moaned gently to himself. But he was strangely happy. Gift had brought a ray of happiness into his life. Was there something missing in his life?

***

Sunday morning arrived. As usual, Ben got up early and cleared the litter in his area. Also, as usual, a group of dogs accompanied him. As he approached home, he was surprised to see a pack of dogs sitting around his front door. In amongst them, Gift sat with her back to his door. The dogs were nudging her arms as she fussed one of the other dogs. It seemed as though her fear of dogs had disappeared. The dogs that were with him ran ahead to investigate this stranger at their front door.

As Ben drew closer, Gift got to her feet. What are you doing here so early? Ben asked her. It’s only eight o’clock.

I couldn’t sleep, Gift said. I was too excited and didn’t want to be late.

OK, Ben opened the door. Let’s get started, shall we? You don’t seem so frightened of the dogs now.

No, they are sweet. I gave them some dried pork from home. They like it.

Ben laughed. If you give them food, they are your friend for life.

Over the next few months, Gift came every Sunday morning. Then, Sunday became Saturday and Sunday, and so their friendship grew. She learnt about stringing beads and making simple stretch bracelets, as well as more complex beadwork. Ben was pleased to see that she had an eye for colours and made some attractive combinations of stones and crystals. She was careful when she worked with silver, making sure not to work it too much.

The bracelets Gift made, Ben gave to her to sell and earn a little extra for her family. Gift became skilled at producing nice quality pieces. However, because they were making more items, his stock of stones, beads and gold and silver findings became a little depleted. He was forced to take a trip to Bangkok to get more supplies. Whilst he was there, he decided to get some higher quality stones to make into earrings and pendants. One of his suppliers has some really lovely garnets and sapphires. At another, they had some genuine star rubies, so he bought a nice selection. He wasn’t sure when he would use them, but he wanted to get them in readiness.

In addition to learning how to make bracelets, Gift's English improved greatly from talking with Ben. She was a quick learner and wanted to improve her language skills. Although he spoke Thai, he felt much more comfortable using English, and Gift desired to learn English. So, as their conversations became longer and more enjoyable for both of them, their friendship grew. They started talking about other subjects, and they found they both had the same interests and passion for nature. Gift, like Ben, wanted people to become more environmentally aware.

As their friendship grew, Gift started coming to see Ben after school. They would often go for walks to the beach. In early October, during the school holidays, when Gift came, she was not her usual happy self. She explained. My mum is sending me to stay with my aunt in Bangkok. I have to change schools and learn there. I do not want to go, but my mum is making me. She is horrible to me. She knows I like to come here, and I am selling to people on the market to help her make money. But she says that by finishing school in Bangkok, I will get into a better university. But how can she pay for me to go to university? We do not have enough money now. We need to pay off our debt before we think about me going to university. She is crazy! I have one and a half years left at school. What can I do?

Ben was shocked. He had come to enjoy Gift’s visits. What is she thinking? Is that she doesn’t like you coming here? He asked. When does she want you to go?

I think at the end of the month, before the start of the new term. Gift replied. "We still have time