Thursday night was a night
of victories. Lindsay and Stacy ended up going one way, and I went
the other with Drea. It was the last night of ministry for the I
Squad girls who were working with us, and they had taken Rose, a
woman who works at SHE and can explain to the girls who don’t speak
as much English what SHE is all about. Lindsay asked to borrow her
to talk to Lan, our friend who spoke very limited English.
Drea and I were playing
Jenga with a girl on Soi Gonzo when Lindsay came up to check in on
us.
Jenga with a girl on Soi Gonzo when Lindsay came up to check in on
us.
“Oh,” she added, “by
the way, Rose is a rockstar. Lan is coming to lunch tomorrow.”
the way, Rose is a rockstar. Lan is coming to lunch tomorrow.”
To give you an idea of how
much of a commitment lunch at SHE is, let me lay out a bar girl’s
daily schedule. She’ll start work around 6 or 7 in the evening, and
she’ll work until around 3 am, or later if she has a client. She’ll
head home and sleep through most of the morning. Most girls don’t
think about waking up before noon. Usually they’ll start their day
around 2 pm. SHE makes calls to girls around 10 am. For girls to
come to lunch, they sacrifice sleep. One girl confessed to getting
an hour of sleep before coming to lunch.
much of a commitment lunch at SHE is, let me lay out a bar girl’s
daily schedule. She’ll start work around 6 or 7 in the evening, and
she’ll work until around 3 am, or later if she has a client. She’ll
head home and sleep through most of the morning. Most girls don’t
think about waking up before noon. Usually they’ll start their day
around 2 pm. SHE makes calls to girls around 10 am. For girls to
come to lunch, they sacrifice sleep. One girl confessed to getting
an hour of sleep before coming to lunch.
And Lan was coming.
We celebrated, and then went
to see our friend Ang on Soi Sea Dragon to wish her a happy pre-birthday, and promise her that we would see her the next night.
to see our friend Ang on Soi Sea Dragon to wish her a happy pre-birthday, and promise her that we would see her the next night.
On Friday, before lunch, Stacy went to town to meet Lan and bring her back to SHE. I was just finishing my soup when she walked in, saying, “Look who’s here!” Lan rounded the corner, grinning.
I hope that before we leave on Friday that we can go back to Lan’s bar, only to find that the manager is looking for new hires.
