A New Day in the Adventures of Bonny: Faces

When I was young, and WWII was going, and gas and the food was rationed, my father and mother had more money than most of the folks that we knew. Because they ate out all the time, they gave their food ration coupons to my aunt and uncle who were tending me. My father got special gas ration stamps because he traveled for a living. We ate at the hotels or restaurants along the way.

When I was 6 and needed to start to go to school, it was just after the war and the military had priority for all the housing that was available. It was a very tight housing market since most of the wives had been living with family and wanted to have their own place with the returning husband. We found a large flat, but there was a cost. They did not want children living in the flat above. My father paid extra and convinced the Hungarian family that I was the quietest child alive and had no friends. Hence, I could not invite a friend to come to play at my house.

At about age 10, the Polish family that bought the house needed to have the flat for a son, so we needed to move. It was a very bad time for my father who had started his home study accounting system for small business and farmers, and it had not taken off. It was rather like QuickBooks with a pad and pencil. The men that invested with him withdrew one by one as they spent their extra funds on the project and my Dad kept going until there was very little left. However, we still needed to move.

There were two small houses being built not too far from when we lived. Small was not the word, a kitchen, living room, two bedrooms, and bath. The kitchen was an ok size, but my room in Thailand is about the size of the living room. Before we moved in, my father had two rooms built on the second floor for two bedrooms. My room was so small I could not have a full-size bed, and I opted for a trundle bed in case I had a friend over. The rooms were so close; I could hear my father snore at night.

Life never turned around for my father. His company made many changes, his territory got smaller, and there was less business. It was hard for him not to be the uncle with the money, so he used credit cards to keep up appearances. And my mother, who had been a young woman at the country club, learned to make every penny count but she also never let anyone know that she counted her pennies to but something new. I did not know what condition they were in except that the little house that was to be the temporary house was the house my father died in and my mother left at 90 post-stroke.

It was my task to go through the house and cull out what I thought I should save and put to the curb what I could not find anyone or any use. I am glad my Mother did not have to do that, for I am sure there were things that she saved her pennies for that were left on the curb for the trash man.

I have had some time to reflect on all of this, from riches to rags and I think it may have helped me to see the faces of the women at the market or on the street who are living hand to mouth in a little different way.

The market trade or the street vendor way is a hard way. At any given market there are 10- 20 mustard green salespeople who are selling little bundles of picked hours ago greens gathered together with a rubber band and for sale for 5- 10 baht or .03-.16 cents… a bunch of small bananas is 20 to 30 baht (.60-.90). At the Sunday market, they sell Thai scarfs for 100 baht $3.10 or the woman who worked all day to make my silver elephant piece and then sold it to me for 150 baht $4.60. They also are pinching and counting pennies.

Who are these people and what is the backstory?

This woman was selling the cooked frogs and the woman in blue was trying to decide which were the best. Many conversations was going on and finally, she bagged a few. It is very unusual for a Thai woman to let her grey hair show. I suspect she is using every penny for a cause outside her self. The shot at the left is my croped shot for the collage. You can also see her wedding ring and in the final crop, she is almost bitting her tongue with the fussy woman who was trying to get her to give her cooked frogs away.