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| Christ Church, Bangkok |
An English guy, I had never met but knew of through a good friend, had died suddenly a week earlier of a heart attack at the age of 79. His name was Geoffrey. I discover he had come as a teacher, spending half his life in Bangkok as is the way of many single, western guys coming to Thailand. They come; they stay.
Here he found love and meaning that sustained him in life. He was obviously a good teacher but more than that he was a good and kind man who sought out to help those he mat in need.
My good friend's partner was very close to Geoffrey. He so felt this death of a dear friend. As my friend was now away, I happily stood in and went with his partner to the funeral so as to offer needed support at this time. On the day, the chief mourners featured Geoffrey's still legal Thai wife, his past boyfriend, plus his present one. As my good friend's partner was Geoffrey's past boyfriend, I ended up in the front row.
The whole story sounds complicated but it is not really. Such is my Bangkok which seems so complex but really is very basic, even if at times messy. It is a place where I find myself in the midst of many seemingly complex or exotic webs but really they are just part of human life lived in its many intricate possibilities. My Bangkok teaches me that Geoffrey's is yet another human story that mirrors choices made by ordinary citizens as they endeavour to live life as they know and experience it and as best they can. There is no one straight path for all. With all three loves, present and ex, gathered, the message of the day at Christ Church was clear. Geoffrey was a gifted teacher, a kind and generous soul with a great sense of humour, loved by many.
My Bangkok puts me in touch with the goodness and absurdities of humanity in ways I never imagined back home. That is one of its gifts. It may be amazing Thailand but it surely is that life is amazing and to be deeply treasured in all its manifestations.
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