Rosaline

There is a river runs through the border towns of Burma and Thailand names Thachileik and Mae Sai. The two border towns are full with restaurants along the river and millions of vendors. A particular noodle shop located right next to the bridge in Thai side is the one I love to eat "Kow Sein". As a northern point of Thailand and the border town of Burma, lots of tourists are visiting there also who like to go visit to Keng Tung, Shan State.

Can't remember the exact day, lets say one day I was eating "Kow Sein" while waiting somebody by the bridge. Then... a woman about 30 years old walked in. She is about 4' 9" tall and looks like more man than woman, hard body with full of muscle too. I can say she is a weight lifter!

The 99% of girls are slim and pretty there so I can spotted out that woman like an elephants among the goats!! On top of that later she was sitting next to the table of mine. I spoke to her in Shan Language, of course with my normal huge smile..., "Do you work out??" and she answered to me, "Yes, in the jail!" She has that very irritated voice, sound even like an ugly bird twitting. In my mind went like this..."Hummmmmmmm scary!"

One thing made me OK was...... She looks happy! she was smiling and whistling! Say........, She is a Happy Woman but not the Pretty Woman!

When I heard the "Jail" word, I was so curious!! I continued the conversation with "Do you live here?". From that question and then many questions then I leaded to the question that I die to ask, "Why you go to Jail? How long? and Where?"

This is I found out about her. She lives in the Burma side. Both parent die when she was 9 and left her a huge land in town. Her two brothers are dead but she did not know how they die as she was the youngest. She told me "Just disappeared!" You have to understand one thing, on that part of the world people do disappear often because of many drug dealers!. The Mafia Pa Pa, I guess he rewards and also he kills.

Anyway she is no read and no write but this girl can speak Shan, Lahu, Kaw and Chinese. 12 years ago a Burmese man asked her to be a translator in Thai side. He told her that "A Business Dealing!" She thought, "Well, for a one day translating, he paid me well so I will help." She went with this Burmese man! Suddenly the other dealer who is a Thai man, he arrested both of them. The Thai man was a under cover Thai police. She realized that she was hired for a drug dealing business by the Burmese Man who did not speak Thai. The man got 28 years in prison and she served 10 years in Bangkok Jail!! Just came back home for almost 1 year only!

This woman, obviously lonely but was happy to talk with me who is dress well, kind, not ugly and speaks Shan Language and interesting about her. The following are what I gathered about her more...,

1. She was jailed not even her 20 yet!
2. Her jail roommate was a black American woman who is already very rich in California. Of course I asked about the black lady too. she got caught on her last dealing trip from Bangkok Airport after many trips who said after this trip, her focus will be only on her family.
3. She said, this black lady was very kind to her as she was at her 40++ and hers was only 18!
4. She told me that there are lots of women killers in the jail and some are professional killer that people can hire.
5. She also said that the Thai jail the one she went is very clean and treated the jailers good. As people said dirty and ugly are not TRUE. She was well fed and women are well under control.
6. There are so many women from different countries and many blonded in the drug case unites.
7. In lunch time She over heard many stories about how the women killed their cheated husbands and very satisfied on their acts.

After all the questions, in the end I found out that she speaks perfect American English (may be the only one in Thachileik), as her roommate was an American woman.

Here is the best part of her life.........................

One day the jail woman officer called her. OK lets give her a name! How a bout "Rosaline". The officer was calling with very loud voice....."Rosaline, Rosaline who is Rosaline you have a visitor!" She went out and there was a White American Pastor waiting. She said to me, " I never met this white man in my life!"

Rosaline told him, "I think they call the wrong person and not me!".

The Pastor said, " Are you Rosaline? You do not have relative don't you?"

She said, "Yes I am Rosaline and I have no relative!"

The Pastor said, "Then you are the one I am looking for!"

From that moment Rosaline got a true friend who came with other regular visistors. On Christmas day Rosaline got presents from the people who she never saw till today. This Christian Pastor like to share his free time with the prisoners who do not have visitors or family!

Looking at the way Rosaline talking about the pastor, seen to me that she is so thankful to this pastor. Guess what? The Rosaline's roomate, the black woman was the one enrolled the Rosaline name in the pastor's visting lists. Life you never know who you are going to meet!

"Will you share your time with the prisoners??"

Honestly I answered, I never been visiting to a prisoner in my life! I learn something from talking with Rosaline on my last holiday trip. Here is what I learn.......... I need to share my time to someone who need me, may be not in the Jail but may be in my family or your family members, in my friends or your friends life, in the church or in the malls, even someone you meet on holiday???

Rosaline shock my hands like a man and said..... "You are beautiful!" in English and walked out on me.

I am glad that you are free Rosaline!!!