Off the Market

It's official.  Laum is a married man.  It only took 2 1/2 years, a baby, living together, and a very persuasive mother to accomplish this task.  I called Laum the day before his wedding to ensure that it began at 11 a.m.  He said, "I don't know.  Maybe I postpone it until later.  I call you tomorrow."  Whatever.  It's only a wedding.  We ended up going at 4:00 pm, and Laum and Roam looked glamorous in their outfits.  Everything happened so fast that I didn't get a chance to take a photo of Roam, but hopefully, I can ask someone for one later.  The transformation the women undergo on their wedding day is astonishing.  Again, I wouldn't have recognized her on the street. 

Cynthia and I were honored to take part in the Buddhist blessing along with his family members.  Laum has a hard time sitting on the ground, so the monks gave him some of their pillows.  It was very special to witness this, and I was surprised that were included in this very intimate event.  There were five monks who chanted and talked.  Then, they tossed a bunch of flowers (jasmine, I think) at the guests.  The older ladies next to me gathered up a bunch and put them in their purses.  At one point, Laum took a phone call, and Cynthia and I looked at each other and rolled our eyes.  So typical.

Most of the teachers attended, along with some of the older students.  The kids insisted that we sit with them which was fine with me.  They served fish soup and brought out three vegetarian dishes for me.  It was a lot of food, so I kept trying to get the others to eat it, but this is a country of carnivores. 

I love this couple.  They live in our village and have attended many of the parties.  Since they speak English and seem to have more modern values, I enjoy our conversations.  I met some more of Laum's family.  His mother, of course, is a sweetheart.  His uncle lived in the States for a time, but I think he missed his homeland and now takes care of his parents at his ancestral home.  His sister lives in Maine, and is an intelligent and sophisticated woman. 

Although they still maintain their pretense as "friends," the entire village knows exactly what is going on with my friend, Bop, and the man who could be her grandfather.  After all the required eating, talking, and dancing, I went back to my hotel and slept for a long time.  It's exhausting just being a participant at weddings.  I couldn't imagine doing this for three days.