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Siem Reap: The cutest couple in Cambodia

You’re a waiter, a Cambodian waiter, working on the tourist strip in Siem Reap. Pub Street. You work on Pub Street, and every day you see this girl, the hostess at another restaurant just down the block, on the other side of the street. Most days you pass her restaurant on your way to work, and she’s already there by then because her shift starts an hour before yours does. She smiles, always smiles — and you smile back. You see each other in other places, too, and always the same shy smile. Sometimes you look up from the table you are serving out in front of your restaurant, and you make eye contact with her across the distance. You smile and she smiles back, and then you continue distributing beers to tourists.

And always you say nothing to each other.

This goes on and on, for one month or maybe two. Shy, smiling, seeing each other a few meters away, every day — but neither saying anything to the other. No one breaks the ice.

Until, one day, you are serving a table of tourists, and you burst into a fit of laughter. You had looked up and seen her, like you always do — only this time she was holding her hands up, open palms, with her thumbs on her temples, waving her fingers at you. And this was just too much. She definitely wanted you to notice her. This was no more bashfulness, no more silent shy eye-contact from afar. This was for real.

Was it for real? What did she want? Did she like you — did she… love… you?

This was just too much. Open signs of endearment in your culture are rare and surprising. You can’t stop giggling. The tourists at your table wonder what’s making you laugh so much. One endeavors to ask, “What’s so funny?”

So you tell them the story. The girl at the other restaurant — no, don’t look! — the restaurant down the street, you and she have been flirting for some time. But don’t call it flirting! You just see each other and smile and now, now you wonder… does she like you? Maybe she has a crush on you? What should you say to her? Oh, the embarassment! The nervousness! What do you do? Oh, this is just too much!

The tourists suggest you go and talk to her. Oh, no! You can’t do that. You can’t leave your job, and besides — everyone will see you! But… will they send her a message from you? Will the tourists go and talk to her and ask her a question for you? Ask her, ask her — why does she wave her fingers at you? Ask her: does she like you, is that why? Ask her: does she… love you… maybe?

The tourists, fascinated with this coy romantic scene, agree to relay the question. Two get up from the table and traverse the few feet down the street to the girl’s restaurant (she’s the one in the black top, standing next to the menu), and they ask her why she waved her fingers at you, and does she like you — and does she maybe even love you.

And she says, “Yes. I like him. I even love him. You can tell him this, please, from me. Tell him, yes, I like him.”

And the tourists return with her message. And you giggle — oh, you can’t stop giggling! Your whole body is tingling, your heart is beating so fast, you can’t think straight — oh, what to do, what to do? She likes you, even loves you — and maybe you love her too!

Is this for real? This is amazing, astounding! You can’t believe it. Does she really like you — and you like her too? This can’t be — what should you do? The tourists, smiling and laughing, give you advice. Ask her out for a drink after she gets off work, or for some food the next day. Ask her out, they say.

Okay, you think. But you cannot leave your work! Can they send her another message from you? Is this okay with them? Of course, they agree, even if they feel sort of like sixth-grade note passers. You tell them to ask her if she can meet, maybe tomorrow before work at 3 p.m., and if they would give her this flower that you quickly snatch from a flowerpot.

They walk across the street and down, and ask, and she says yes. Yes, she can meet tomorrow before work. And she also gives them a note, from her to you. A real love letter! It is addressed “My Dearest Love” — it has many drawings of hearts on it, and in a long letter in Khmer script, she talks of how she knows you are a sweet, kind man, how you look so handsome, and every day she dreams of how she wants to be with you. It is signed “Love Forever” — in English.

Oh, this is too good to be true. Or is it? She seems a little crazy in love, with this note. She must have known for so long that she was going to give it to you! She must have thought about it, and planned for it. And now it is happening! Is this good?

What should you do?

Well, you know that she can meet up with you, at 3 p.m. the next day. But where? You will find each other at that time, near Pub Street. Because the tourists cannot keep going to her to speak for you. You are a man, you must do this for yourself, when the time comes. But you cannot leave work! And she will leave her job before you can speak to her. The tourists tried to tell her to stop by your restaurant before she leaves, but you know she will not.

It’s okay, though — you think you know where she likes to eat before she comes to work. You have seen her there many times. You will go there, and look for her, at 3 p.m. And if not, you will see her at her restaurant. You will talk to her — you must! You like her! But you have never spoken to her, never said a word.

What will you say? What will you talk about? The tourists offer advice — you will know what to say when the time comes, they say. Talk about your work and your family and your life, and ask her about her work and her family and her life, they say.

And you do. You find her, and you talk to her, and you have a date. A real date! And it is so good, and so fun, and your heart feels like it is the size of a papaya in your chest. It is bursting with happiness.

The same tourists return the following night to see what happened — and you tell them. You tell them that you shared some food, and that you went for a walk, and that you will maybe go to the cinema sometime soon — but, wait, what movie to see? Don’t worry, they tell you. You will go with her, and you will decide together. You think maybe, maybe now she is your girlfriend. Your first girlfriend!

But what is the best — besides the feeling of how your skin is just always tingling, how you feel so light and you cannot stand still — besides the fact that you can’t help but dance when you are standing there, when you look over at her and you see her, and you smile and giggle, and she smiles and giggles. No, what is the best is that you are just so happy to have met her, and you thank the tourists many times for their help with talking to her.

And you are just so happy, you tell them, because she even kissed you.

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0 responses to “Siem Reap: The cutest couple in Cambodia”

  1. Sharif says:

    Matt,

    That is so awesome that you not only got a waiter job, but that you met someone too. Very smart of you to follow the customs over there. Just playin…great story man, glad to hear from you

  2. Jshock says:

    Nice job, Matt! I think I get it… So, the tourist represents racism, right? And “Cambodia” is a metaphor for internal struggle within the mind. I’m not sure what the papaya had to do with anything, though. Was it supposed to represent fruit?

  3. JB says:

    Alternative ending 1:
    Thinks the waiter, “This is great. The mean spiritied cafe owner asked me to find a way to get the tourists who tip so well to keep coming back. My sister seemed only too happy to oblige. How long can we keep this going on? Will they stick around for the mock wedding in a week?”

    Alternative ending 2:
    And to think true love could blossom when they were only 11.

    Alternative ending 3:
    And they lived happily ever after.

  4. Ken says:

    no, no. the papaya represents dignity. and the flowerpot represents racism. either racism or the harvest – i’m not exactly sure. but it’s one of those two. but the entire tale is a parable for the antiquated role of diplomacy in a post-nuclear world of xenophobia and global warming. also, i liked the girl character.

  5. Phoebe says:

    That is the nicest story ever. What a great way to start my day. Thanks Matt! 🙂

  6. Jshock says:

    Does html work in here?

    What about hyperlinks?

  7. Jshock says:

    O.K… so you can bold, underline and hyperlink, but you can’t post images of monkeys dressed up in clothes, apparently…

    Font size test

  8. Lupo says:

    I see you’ve discovered the cafe where they serve the magic mushroom tea I’ve heard so much about.

  9. Duke of Nam says:

    Matt – did you just pimp out a Cambodian girl to a poor waiter who can barely afford such a high priced courtesan. Clearly you are the white devil. What was your take?

    When are you headed to the pho capital of the world? Pho-shizzle!

    Doh Maaa My!

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