Lost in a Strange Land

Chapter 2 The Auction:

Claire followed the other people from the bus back into the main room of the building. She noticed that the chairs had been organized and arranged so that they all faced one side of the room. Most of the people were sitting down, although a few still remained standing in the back. The lighting was dark except for one end and it became clear that everyone's attention was focused on this area. This still seemed like just a bad dream. Certainly Mei had been exaggerating, but Claire's gut told her that Mei had indeed been truthful.

A girl at the front of the line was led to the center of the lighted area. She was met by a rather short balding man who was speaking in Thai. As much as Claire tried to understand what was being said, she quickly realized that he was speaking to fast for her. The girl in contrast seemed to understand every word that was spoken and she backed away from the man with a sign of revulsion. She was, however, pushed back toward by two taller men from the shadows.

The bald man pointed to the crowd, than back at the girl. There were occasional sounds from the crowd that Claire assumed were bids. It was difficult to hear or tell what was going on. The young girl stood stoically as the process continued. It appeared that in some way she had accepted her fate. Suddenly the man stopped talking and the girl was led away from him into the crowd. Claire was surprised to see that she was led to an Asian woman who looked to be perhaps 35. This shocked Claire. It was one thing for men to stoop to such levels, but how could a woman partake in something so horrific. Didn't these people have morals? This was shameful.

The process continued on in pretty much the same fashion for over an hour as each person was brought up to the front and then eventually led away. Claire had some idea what was going on, but for the most part things continued without her paying much attention. She seemed to drift in an out of the reality of the current situation as exhaustion, fear and loneliness overtook her.

Suddenly she was shocked back to reality as two men began pushing her up to the front of the room. She offered little resistance as she was frozen in fear. The lights were bright and warm as they shined on her. Claire found that they were bright enough that she could not see into the crowd. She found herself staring down at her feet in her simple white sneakers as the man next to her began to speak.

The people sitting in the crowd were relatively quiet except for the rapid bidding. Claire sensed that there was some excitement around her. She could almost feel the excitement within the room. It was thick against the air and clung to her body like the sweat that dripped down the side of her face. The auctioneer seemed thrilled about the bidding. He was talking extremely fast and continually pointing to different people within the room. It appeared as though he was making the best sale of his life and each new bid seemed to give him even more energy.

Things were moving in a frenzy now. Claire could only hope that Mei's father was in on the bids. She had no idea what was going to happen to her if they did not succeed. Although her family had been in Thailand for a few years, she suddenly realized just how strange and alien this world truly was. She did not know these people or understand their customs and culture. Her time here had been spent sheltered from this existence and now she was getting a crash course.

Suddenly the bidding stopped. There was silence in the room for a second and then the sound of clapping. It seemed like the entire process had been very exciting to the audience. Perhaps Claire was the first white woman that they had ever seen sold. Whatever the case, things seemed to freeze for a brief instant before Claire found herself getting pushed back into the crowd to her new owner…

Claire's eyes began to adjust to the darkness as she moved through the room. Her focus returned and in an instant she found herself looking into the face of Mei who was smiling. Mei spoke to her, “Claire we did it. My father was able to get you. I was really surprised. You went for much less than I expected and were still within out budget. Maybe people were scared to bid because you are white.”

For the first time since she had been in this building, Claire felt an overwhelming sense of relief. “Thank you Mei. Thank you…” She could barely contain herself as a tear rolled down her cheek. The nightmare was over. She followed Mei and her father out to a car where a driver was waiting. They hopped in and drove off down the road.

An hour or so later the car pulled up to a large house that was situated in the country. Claire seemed puzzled by this as she had assumed they were going back to Bangkok. She looked a Mei and said, “Where are we? I thought we were heading to the city.”

“Claire it is late. My family owns a farm and we will stay here for a few days.” Claire was puzzled by this but did not want to upset Mei. After all she felt like she owed her life. They got out of the car and Claire followed Mei into the house. Mei looked over at Claire as they walked, “Claire please remove your shoes.” Without hesitation, Claire removed her sneakers and followed Mei in. The tile was cold against her bare feet and sent a shiver up her spine. The two girls walked through the house back into a small room that was about 8 ft by 6 ft.

The rooms only furniture was a bed that sat in the corner with a small table next to it. The floor had black tile and it was cold to the touch. There was a small closet on one end of the room and on the opposite wall a small square window. “Jeez Mei, I thought your family was rich. No offense but this room is kind of crappy.”

“Claire it's the maid's room.”

Claire laughed a bit. “A hah hah, funny Mei. So your family buys me at the market today to work as a maid and now you have me sleeping in the maid's quarters. That is a great joke.”

“It is not a joke Claire, this is where you are staying.” Mei looked seriously at Claire. “I am sorry it is not up to your expectations but this is where you will be staying. You are the maid.”

“Okay Mei you have had your fun,” Claire looked annoyed. “I am the maid. Get over your power trip and come back to reality Mei.”

“I am talking about reality Claire. You were purchased by my father to work as a housemaid, and you will work as a housemaid. Legally you are the property of my family.”

“Mei this is not funny. You can't keep me here against my will. There is no way in this world that I am going to work for you as a housemaid. I would never live it down with our friends.”

“Claire I know you think this is a game, but it is not. You are not going back to your former life. You are staying here and working as a housemaid. You can either accept that fact or be beaten with a cane by my father's manservant, and I assure you that you will not like that one bit. You are, however, right about keeping you here. You are free to go, but I assure you that you will not reach Bangkok on foot and the odds are you will end up working in some dingy brothel”

Claire was thoroughly irritated, but did not know what to say. Could this actually be happening? She looked down at her feet unable to look Mei in the eyes. Mei, on the other hand, was smiling triumphantly. Claire always was a bit of a pushover. This had been too easy. Finally, Claire spoke, “What do you want from me Mei?” Her voice was a bit shaky as she fought back the tears.

“I want you to start acting like a proper maid. Stop calling me Mei. You should be calling me Miss. We are not equals, in fact we are far from equals. You are a slave. My father is not paying you, you work because you are property and nothing else. Is that clear?”

“Yes Miss, it is clear.”

“Good, I am glad you learn quickly. Now I want you to go to bed. At sunrise you will go to the closet and put on one of the uniforms. I hope you can figure it out. It is a skirt called a pha sin and a simple blouse. This is what we wear in Thailand. Yours I am afraid are not made of silk, but the cloth is more durable and will serve you well. Now thank me for giving you the rest of the evening off.”

“Thank you Miss,” Claire said sarcastically.

“Not like that,” Mei seemed annoyed as she grabbed Claire and pushed her down on the floor. “Kiss my feet, maid,” she spat out the words as Claire struggled up to her knees. Claire hesitated, but Mei pushed her head down. Claire was disgusted but her lips kissed each of Mei's small tan feet. They smelled a little, but Claire lingered by them as she was nervous that Mei may physically hurt her.

With that, Mei pushed her away and walked out of the room leaving Claire on the floor a few tears in her eyes. The taste and smell of Mei's feet was fresh in her memory as she got up and laid down on the cheap mattress that was to be her bed.