3 nights ago, my first night doing minstry at the bars, I met a woman named Lee*.
She was drunk as a skunk, and she could barely
hold a conversation. Whiskey breath that hit you like a wave of nausea- you
could almost feel the impending hangover for her. Her friend Jung* was holding a sign that read
“GIRLS FOR SALE“.
Both in tight
black dresses that would be considered a shirt on most and 3 inch heels their
intoxication barely let them walk in.
We ordered our coke lights and started up a game of Jenga with
our new friends (the bars provide games to fill the time for their male
customers between the drinks and the sex… jenga, connect 4, ect. Works well for
us too- gives us space to strike up decent conversation.) She was relentless to
get us on the stage and pole dance with her, we were just as relentless to to
know her story and love on her instead.
We found out it was her birthday in a few days and we promised
to come back with a present to celebrate her. We arrived last night with a
cookie and a beautiful necklace made from fragrant flowers. She was so
surprised we remembered and so excited to see us. She was jumping up and down,
laughing like a little girl. We sat to have a soda with her and asked her about
her day. She slept most of her birthday because she had a “client” the night
before and was very tired she said. We invited Lee and Jung to lunch today and
they agreed to come!
We met them around 1:00 at the Starbucks down the street from her
bar (which she also lives above- its their ‘salary’ – they make no money unless
purchased by the men). They arrived in the same clothes they wore the night
before- hungover and lookin a hot mess, but beautiful to me. Vulnerable,
innocent little girls in my eyes that were so hungry for friendship and real
love. Lee had new brusies on her arms and when I asked about them, she only
replied with, “My client was very drunk last night….”
last night, on her birthday, and then beat her up in his drunken stupor.
My heart shattered into a thousand pieces as I looked at her across the table….
We asked about her family- she has a 4 year old son that her
ex-husband has and will not allow her to see. She cried as she talked about how
badly she missed her child and wished she could be with him, that’s when I
started explaining why we were in Thailand. I told them all about S.H.E. I told
them their options and what was available to them. I told them I loved them and
that they deserved to be treated as princess’s. Tears welled up as I told them
how I prayed for them when we got home last night. I prayed that they would
come today so I could tell them how much I cared about them and how desperately
I wanted to see them free to pursue the desires of their hearts.
They agreed to come and see the center on Monday! I told them
that they never had to be with another client again and they never had to work
another night at the bar if they wanted to come home with us tonight. I sware
she was on the verge of caving in and saying yes- but then her and Jung began
babbling in Thai. She said that Monday would be great…
Then the phone rang. Jung began yelling in Thai and Lee exploded in sobbing. Their friend was killed last night. This Italian man was once a client. A man that
bought them for sex has now become a ‘friend’ because of how often he frequents
the island and their bar. He was killed last night by a Lady Boy (a man dressed
and acting as a woman, but in Thailand it is almost its own gender alongside
male and female.) The Lady boy broke a bottle and sliced his throat. That’s all
the information we got through the tears, broken English and screaming in Thai.
Daina and I held them as they cried and talked. We offered to go with them to
the hospital, but they had to go back and clean the bar before they could go. These
women were grieving the death of a man that had purchased them for years as
though he were family.
What a distorted version of love they know.
What a demented
perception of friendship.
A few hours later, I am sitting at the same table where all of
this occurred, writing out the tragedy of Lee’s last 48 hours. My heart is
scattered all of this corner of the coffee shop. All I wanna do is go back to
her bar tonight and take her and Jang home with me. All I wanna do is protect
my friend, hold while she grieves, and love her right where she’s at.
But it will have to wait because they have a bar to run tonight and
clients to appease. The grieving will have to wait til the morning. But you
better believe I’ll be there tomorrow when their ready to go scream and cry on
the beach….
*Names have been changed.
