Written by Phong | Translated by Timothy Do Nguyen

Chapter 1 - My neighbor is Tay Tawan

Jumpol couldn't believe the newly arrival in his neighborhood he saw last night was actually Tay Tawan!

He and Tawan were in a group of close friends that, counting since their first meeting at that party, had known each other for probably two or three years. Tawan was a social butterfly; he could start a conversation and make friends with anyone. Jumpol wasn't an exception to this; one dinner party and they became fast friends. Tawan called him "pengyou", which according him fit well with Jumpol's Chinese family origin. Having very similar interests, they often get together, even meeting the other's other half. Jumpol knew Tawan's "housemate" was a Thitipoom with fair skin, lovely eyes and a sweet tooth. It seemed like fate as Jumpol's Atthaphan was the owner of an incredibly popular bakery cafe.

But that was just about it between Jumpol and Tawan, two very private men who wouldn't prod too deeply into each other's life. Their conversations usually revolved around their hobbies, work, a new movie, or surface-level anecdotes about the other halves. That was it. Not to mention, they bickered. A lot. It would take very little for their conversations to turn into playful sarcasm-fests that it never turned into anything philosophical or more personal. Any detail about how Tawan and Thitipoom met or their family situation was not known to Jumpol. On the other hand, Tawan knew nothing about the long years that Jumpol and Atthaphan had been together and that they were raising a kid together.

Until Tawan moved to Jumpol's neighborhood.

Actually, Jumpol had known that Tawan was moving since last month; it came up when they went to play badminton together. Tawan mentioned he was looking for a more convenient place for his daily commute to work, and that it would be closer to the boys' school and after school work. "Oh so they have sons", Jumpol thought but didn't ask further, and the moving story faded right away to the back of his mind. Until this morning at breakfast, Atthaphan told him that the pretty house two doors down from theirs had new owners, and the moving trucks arrived the night before. Jumpol gave a non-verbal acknowledgement of the news, and as he walked outside, briefcase in hand, ready to take his kid to school on the way to work, he looked over but found it completely still.

Around lunch, Jumpol got a call from Atthaphan.

"Papii!! It's P'Tay! Our neighbor is P'Tay!" - His voice was elated, like a warm energy that rings thousands little silver bells in Jumpol's heart, making him realize how much he had missed his special one despite just being away from each other for half a day.

But the news he brought has some shocking value to it.

"P'Tay who? You mean Tay Tawan?"

"That's him! After you left with Mon in the morning about an hour, he came by to say hello! I was really surprised!"

"..."

"Papii! P'Tay invited us to dinner to officially mark the occasion. He said he would bring his two sons."

"What?"

"Papii, I didn't know they have two sons! I have never heard you or them mention ever. Two! Can you imagine?"

"We also have one rascal of our own. Why are you admiring them?" - Jumpol himself was also stunned. He knew Tawan was just like himself and Atthaphan, taking care and raising kids; he remembered Tawan mentioning a boy named Pu-something, but couldn't imagine that he managed TWO of those. Look at him, one boy and his many needs had already made him feel so wilted.

"I am so surprised. I wouldn't think P'Tay and New could take care of kids, you know, looking at them. I am now curious about the two boys. Who knows, maybe they can be friends with our boy."

"I have my doubt about that Tawan's ability to raise them boys..."

"So can you pick me up at the cafe after picking up Mon? The reservation is at seven, and P'Tay has already sent me the address."

Jumpol leaned back in his chair, listening to the cacophony in the background and somebody calling out for Atthaphan. Must be the lunch rush. He sighed and said:

"Ok, I know. Make sure to take a break sometime. Don't overwork yourself."

"Papii is worrying about me?" - Atthaphan giggled. That sound was like a drop of water falling straight to the bottom of his never-calm gut. He felt a sudden rush of heat on his face.

"I will give you a call before heading your way. Please call the kid and tell him in advance. I always have to wait for him whenever I pick him up."

"He forgot his phone today, Papii. Just go straight to his club room to find him. I gotta go. See you later this afternoon. Mwah."

Hm. Just a beautiful mid-day, at an office building, an elegant, handsome, thirty-something Jumpol just sat there after a phone call with that someone, silently blushing.

Staff: ...
Secretary: ...
Assistant: ...

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"Papii!"

Jumpol stepped out of the car just as a small figure darted out from the cafe straight into him, slim-fingered hands still smell of freshly-baked cookies, pulled him down by the shoulder, planted a sweet delicate kiss on his neck. These were the things that, along time ago, would have made Jumpol so shy that he was unable to move; these were now the things that were so natural, so matter-of-act that if they hadn't happen, he would have felt like something big was missing from his life.

"Lil' Pap, you haven't changed."

Atthaphan broke away from Jumpol's embrace, looked at their little boy that had appeared next to them. The boy had opened his bright eyes, a slight curve on his lips, with a shade of blush on his face. He was simply easily flustered, yet the other two had, a long time ago, removed "shy" from their dictionary, treating everyone else as if they were potatoes in moments like these.

"I will just need to take off my apron. You two give a second to delegate some tasks to the staff. Then we'll go."

Atthaphan ruffled the boy's hair, smiled at Jumpol, went back inside the cafe for a moment and returned with a sparkling smile on his face. Jumpol blinked, feeling like the person in front of him must a the embodiment of a little sun, radiating warmth around him. The family of three got in the car. Fearing his son would feel unhappy having to sit all by himself, so instead of sitting in the passenger seat, Atthaphan gave Jumpol an apologetic smile and a kiss on the cheek, then pulled the kid to the backseat by the hand. Jumpol focused on the road, while at the back, two heads, one big one small, gathered to watch something on Atthaphan's phone, giggling every once in a while. Jumpol's heart softened in a flash. The two loves of his life as he wondered if there was just the one kid in the family and not two?

Arriving at the restaurant, a staff leaded them up a flight of stairs to the reserved table. Thitipoom was there, sipping on his water, with a boy around Jumpol's boy's age playing a game on his phone. After a few greetings, Jumpol asked of Tawan's whereabout, and Thitipoom smiled with a little bit of embarrassment.

"His car broke down. Again. For the I-don't-know-how-many time this month. He called saying he would take a taxi, and probably has to go pick our boy up at his school. They might be arriving soon."

"I see. This is one of your boys, right? He looks just like P'Tay!" - Atthaphan excitedly pointed toward the boy sitting next to Thitipoom. Jumpol silently observed the handsome boy. Thitipoom noded and gave the kid the signal to greet the adults.

"Hello uncles. My name is Frank."

Frank gave a big smile showing all his teeth. Atthaphan pulled his boy, who was standing behind Jumpol, to the front.

"This is Papii's and my kid. His name is Wachirawit, but you can call him Chimon. I think they might be around the same age."

The conversation turned very lively. Chimon and Frank were in fact the same age. They pulled each other to the side enthusiastically discussing games, while the adults chatted and waited for the patron-saint-of-the-misfortune Tawan to show up with the older son so they could start the dinner. Everybody was already quite hungry.

Tawan arrived about fifteen minutes later with a big hug ready for Jumpol.

"Penggggg, can you imagine my luck! I just got the car serviced last week, and here it is, not starting. T^T"

"Right. Don't need to flaunt your misfortune!" - Jumpol removed Tawan's arms from himself with an expression of distaste. Thitipoom looked around and raised his eyebrows.

"You're here. Where's our son?"

"Washing his hands. Everybody please sit and order. I'm starved."

The menus were brought out, and the table temporarily settled down into a silence while they chose their dinner. Not even a minute later, Chimon's elated voice broke out.

"P'Pluem!!!"

Jumpol and Atthaphan looked up at the same time, just in time to see their beloved boy stood up and rushed out to a bright-skinned boy who appeared with a smile as delicate as the wind in the Spring.

In that moment, seeing the glittering joy in his boy's eyes as if he had gathered the entire galaxy there, Jumpol couldn't help but think he saw his Atthaphan of a long time ago. That hurried excitement with a hint of bashfulness, with a flustered look in his eyes, and that unhidden soft smile... a persistent Atthaphan chasing after a stone-headed frigid Jumpol of some years ago.

"P'Pluem, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, I..."

"Pluem, you finished washing your hand? Come order your dinner. Oh, you two know each other?" - Tawan and Thitipoom quizzically looked at Purim and Chimon, while over where Jumpol was sitting, a storm seemed to have started brewing.

"Tay, didn't you say... I thought... Isn't your boy named Purim?"

"Right. Nicknamed Pluem. There he is, my boy, handsome and studious, exactly like me."

Tawan proudly said. Purim coyly smiled and greeted the adults at the table while one of his arms was still being hugged tightly by Chimon. Jumpol felt a headache coming; recently, his Chimon frequently mentioned some senior named Pluem he had met at his club. Looking at that Spring-a-coming flowers-a-blooming smile everytime that name "Pluem" was mentioned, which was almost all the time, Jumpol was already sensing something unpleasant. And now this? This did it. He was NOT happy.

The dinner passed by in rather good spirit not counting Jumpol's blazing glare at Purim then to Chimon and from Chimon back to Purim. That bright-skinned boy showed up and Frank and the game conversation soon were left in the dust when Chimon, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, has moved himself to sit right next to Purim. Their conversation never goes any further than photography and the club, but Chimon's sudden soft and docile demeanor was giving Jumpol all kinds of discomfort, not that Chimon has ever misbehaved at home. It seemed that the boys got to know each other when Chimon's club at his school travelled with Pluem's club at his school on a photography trip, as well as numerous get-togethers and exchanges since the schools were nearby each other. What a small world that their dads were also friends and, well, neighbors now.

Kismet is no joke.

The dinner finished at nine, and the two families are heading to their respective parking spots; Thitipoom had arrived earlier so he was able to park the car behind the restaurant, while Jumpol's family car was parked in the basement. As the family of three stepped into the elevator to the parking basement, Chimon turned around to bid farewell to Tawan's family and waved at Pluem.

"P'Pluem, bye bye ~"

Great, another sweet smile that irked Big Pap Jumpol. Young Purim returned the boy's wave with his own, enthusiastically and with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Bye bye ja ~"

Atthaphan smiled and pulled the boy, who was already a full head taller than him, into the elevator as he sensed the tropical depression around Jumpol.

"We are heading to the same neighborhood, don't you remember? Mon likes P'Purim a lot, huh?"

"... no krub. I was just saying bye to him, wasn't I?" - The boy studied his shoes while his ears turned crimson, which didn't go unnoticed by Jumpol who sighed and looked at Atthaphan. Apparently, ears turning red when feeling embarrassed was hereditary as well now?

"Papii... Gun is sleepy."

"Hm."

Jumpol lovingly put his arm around Atthaphan's shoulders and pulled him close. The shy little boy was soon ignored. Neighbors, friends, whatever... nobody messes with Jumpol's little human diamonds.

At the back of the restaurant, in the parking lot, just as Tawan sat into the passenger side seat, he gave a big sneeze. Thitipoom passed him a box of tissues and turned to check the two boys in the backseat. Frank had leaned his head on Purim's shoulder sleeping while Purim was silently playing with his phone.

"Frank is so good at eating and sleeping and that's all he is good at."

Thitipoom chuckled but then furrowed his brow.

"You know, uncles Off and Gun's Chimon is also Frank's age, but he is just so adorable."

"Oh Daddy, he is a lot more childish than our Frank."

"He seems to like you a lot." - Tawan, after blowing his nose, turned around smiling at Purim. In response to his dads, Purim calmly shook his head.

"He is always like that. Very cute krub."

Tawan and Thitipoom looked at each other for a few seconds and turned ahead. Wow... The first time hearing their son describing someone as else "cute" was a little difficult to absorb.
Two cars, one black one white, left the restaurant and headed east of the city. That night officialy marked the first day two best friends, Jumpol and Tawan, became neighbors.