Landmarks: Asian Boys Volume 2
by Alfian Sa'at
Wee Kim - 53, a bathhouse customer
Alan - 20, a bathhouse customer
[The roof of a bathhouse. Evening. A young boy, Alan is sitting on a bench, smoking. An old man, Wee Kim sit next to him. Silence. Wee Kim takes a few glances at Alan. Silence.]
Wee Kim: What time did you reach here?
Alan: [Silent]
Wee Kim: [Smiles to himself. Looks at Alan] You...
Alan: What time did I reach here. did I come here alone, what time am I leaving, where do I live, how many rounds already...
Wee Kim: [Startled] Sorry?
Alan: Try something new.
Wee Kim: I...
Alan: Be direct. You want to have sex is it?
Wee Kim: Are you asking me?
Alan: I'm asking for you.
Wee Kim: But I wasn't going to ask that.
Alan: Then?
Wee Kim: I wanted to ask for the time.
Alan: That's nice. But I don't have a watch.
Wee Kim: Which is why I asked what time you reached here.
Alan: I don't know.
Wee Kim: So do you...
Alan: No.
Wee Kim: You don't know what I'm going to ask.
Alan: Whatever it is, the answer is no.
Wee Kim: OK.
Alan: So?
Wee Kim: So... what?
Alan: Aren't you going to leave me alone?
Wee Kim: If that;s what you want me to do.
Alan: OK.
[Wee Kim is about to leave. But he turns around an addresses Alan again.]
Wee Kim: Sorry.
Alan: [Irritated] Yah?
Wee Kim: I didn't get your name.
Alan: Why would you want to know my name?
Wee Kim: I'm Wee Kim. [He extends his hand to Alan]
Alan: Alvin. [He doesn't shake Wee Kim's hand]
Wee Kim: Real name?
Alan: No.
[An attracted Young Man enters the space. He starts to walk around the area, casting glances at both Wee Kim and Alan. Wee Kim smiles at him. Alan tries to look nonchalant. The Young Man leaves.]
Wee Kim: How old are you?
Alan: Look, I'm old enough to be your son, OK?
Wee Kim: You mean I'm old enough to be your father.
Alan: I'm really not into dirty old man. Please.
Wee Kim: That's good.
Alan: I mean it.
Wee Kim: I'm an old man. Sure. I'm 52. But where did the dirty part come from?
Alan: The only reason the management lets people like you in is because you have to ay higher prices than all of us. You walk around, trying to grope the people in the dark rooms. You take up the space in the cubicles for sleeping because you can't get anyone, and please don't deny it beceause I can hear all the snoring.
Wee Kim: Actually, it's my first time here.
Alan: You should make it your last.
Wee Kim: I don't know. The people here have too much attitude.
Alan: Please. It's something else if you looked like that guy just now.
Wee Kim: You like him? He's your type?
Alan: Why would you care if he's my type?
Wee Kim: He is, right?
Alan: Look. I'm 20. By definition that's young. You were young too. And you had your time. Now it's my time.
Wee Kim: If I told you that the boy looked like me when I was young, would you believe me?
Alan: You're asking me to imagine.
Wee Kim: Yes.
Alan: I didn't pay 10 dollars to come here to imagine. If something is there, it's there. If it's not, it's not.
Wee Kim: I had my time.
Alan: Yes.
Wee Kim: But during my time we didn't have places like these.
Alan: And is that my fault?
Wee Kim: Why do you sound so angry?
Alan: Because you don't seem to get the idea. As long as you're hanging around, nobody's going to come up to me. You saw that guy just now. He walked around, then he left.
Wee Kim: So why don't you go after him?
Alan: I don't do the chasing here.
Wee Kim: Well, you should pretend to chase him. And if he responds, you can pretend nothing happened. And then you let him chase you.
Alan: I know what I'm doing.
Wee Kim: You've all lost the art of playing the game.
Alan: Who?
Wee Kim: Your generation.
Alan: I don't like games where people don't understand what a 'no' means.
Wee Kim: During my time, we knew how to flirt.
Alan: You said there weren't places like these.
Wee Kim: Of course there weren't. But we had Pebble Bar. Treetops. At hotels along Orchard Road. A lot of Ang Moh's. They'd give us money and presents. At that time if you were gay, you could either be those at kwa's on Bugis Street, or you could be one of those boys at Orchard Road, who were more Westernised, who could speak English. They called us the Orchard Road Queens.
Alan: But being gay doesn't mean you have to be a queen.
Wee Kim: At that time, how we know? We just did whatever was the attractive in the eyes of the Ang Moh's. Shaved our legs. We went tanning. They liked dark-skinned boys. You know how much some of us can earn in one month? $200. That was a lot of money.
Alan: So, what, you all started out like some kind of... male prostitutes?
Wee Kim: The money was just a bonus. But we enjoyed what we were doing. And then later, in the 80s, there was Hong Lim Park, Fort Road. But at that time I wasn't too active. I got married. Got one son. And then my wife died.
Alan: Go and write a book.
Wee Kim: At that time, 30 already, not married, you just invite people to gossip. So, what to do, my Mother chose the bride, I just followed. Last time not like now. Cannot argue with your parents. Last time we respected people older than us.
Alan: Just because you respect people doesn't mean you have to sleep with them!
Wee Kim: I never asked if I could sleep with you.
Alan: Then why did you come up to me for?
Wee Kim: I just wanted to talk.
Alan: But at the end of the day, you're just going to ask me to go into some cubicle with you, right? But let me tell you something. My generation has self-respect. We don't have to package ourselves for any Ang Moh's. You can flash $200 in front of my face right now and I still won't sleep with you.
Wee Kim: Why are you getting so angry?
Alan: This is a spa. Everyone is here for sex. Nobody comes here just for the chance to walk around in towels, because you can do that at home! Don't give me that bullshit about getting to know me better, asking me the time, because I've heard it all already.
Wee Kim: So you're saying I'm not allowed to come here to talk to people?
Alan: I'm really wasting my time with you.
Wee Kim: So you're here just to look for sex?
Alan: If you really want to hear it, yes. Like that guy over there who;s been staring at you for the last few minutes.
Wee Kim: [Looks at where Alan is looking] He's looking at you.
Alan: No. Please. He's your age. He's staring at you.
Wee Kim: No, really. See? He's trying to smile at you.
Alan: Oh my God. Thanks to you I've now become a magnet for uncles.
Wee Kim: He just wants to talk to you.
Alan: I think talking to one uncle in one night is enough for me.
[Alan stands up to leave. He adjusts his towel.]
Wee Kim: Don't you want anything more?
Alan: More than what?
Wee Kim: Than sex.
Alan: Like what?
Wee Kim: You tell me. It's 30 years since I had my first encounter with another man. This Ang Moh tourist. In a hotel. I felt something for him. I even felt like going back to where he lived, but I knew he wouldn't ask me. It seemed at that time that if you wanted to follow your heart, you had to follow it to some other country. So the only thing we could have that was closest to a relationship was sex. It doesn't take long. Just one night. Because the next day they'll be gone.
[The attractive Young Man appears again. This time, Alan moves away from Wee Kim and parks himself at another spot. The young man cruises Alan, and then walks towards Wee Kim. He smiles at Wee Kim, and then he gestures to Wee Kim to indicate that he will be waiting 'downstairs'. The Young Man leaves.]
Alan: I don't believe this.
Wee Kim: It's been 30 years. And what has changed? Now you have places like this. It's so much easier to meet people like yourself. You deserve better. You have every right to demand something more than a one-night-stand.
Alan: Can you please stop talking?
Wee Kim: You don't like to hear what I'm saying.
Alan: I don't like to listen to you, and I don't like to look at you. Don't you understand? 30 years. 30 years from now and I'll be just like you.
Wee Kim: And you're scared of that?
Alan: An old man in a sauna? What kind of fate is that? Where's the dignity? And I see myself like this one day, wrapped in a towel, my stomach sticking out, a bald patch on my head, wrinkles... and liver spots... looking at all the young ones, my hands crawling near to them, begging for a chance...
Wee Kim: It doesn't have to be that way. You could settle down with someone.
Alan: Sometimes when I look at old men like you walking around me, I tell myself I want to die before I'm 40.
[The attractive Young Man appears. He looks at Wee Kim.]
Wee Kim: Five minutes and I'll join you, OK?
[The Young Man leaves.]
Alan: How much did you pay him?
Wee Kim: I just paid for his entrance.
Alan: 10 dollars? He must be pretty desperate.
Wee Kim: I pay for a lot of other things too. His school fees, his clothes, his food.
Alan: You're lucky then. You have money to support a young boy. But what if I get old, and earn barely enough to support myself? How do I find a lover young enough to make me forget how old I've become?
Wee Kim: Oh, that boy isn't my lover.
Alan: He's not?
Wee Kim: My lover is actually the other guy who smiled at you. We've been together for about 20 years now. I met him a year after my wife passed away.
Alan: And the boy?
Wee Kim: I told you my wife gave birth to a boy. That's him. Me and my lover raised him together. He's our son. Of course we never expected him to turn out gay. But since he did, so be it.
Alan: Your son?
Wee Kim: His name's Edwin. We're pretty proud of him. He entered OCS just last month. It was his idea to come here actually. As a kind of family outing. He's never been to such a place before.
Alan: I don't believe this. A family outing.
Wee Kim: Edwin's a bit shy. So just now he asked me to come and talk to you. You see, while you're here looking for your one-night-stand, I was here looking for a son-in-law. But you're right. This isn't the best place to look for someone to settle down with.
Alan: So you were going to introduce me to your son?
[The attractive Young Man appears.]
Young Man: Pa. Uncle Heng has dressed up already. He's waiting downstairs. he wants to take us for supper.
Wee Kim: I'm coming.
Alan: Wait, wait. [Pause] Can I give you my number?
Wee Kim: What for?
Alan: I know I might look really desperate now, but I didn't know where you were coming from, and...
Wee Kim: It's all right.
Alan: I'd never met a gay family before.
Wee Kim: [Smiles] You have all the time in the world to make your own. You're still young. [Turns to leave] It's nice meeting you. [Pause] Alvin.
[Alan watches Wee Kim leave. Alan sighs. He lights up a cigarette.]
by Alfian Sa'at
Wee Kim - 53, a bathhouse customer
Alan - 20, a bathhouse customer
[The roof of a bathhouse. Evening. A young boy, Alan is sitting on a bench, smoking. An old man, Wee Kim sit next to him. Silence. Wee Kim takes a few glances at Alan. Silence.]
Wee Kim: What time did you reach here?
Alan: [Silent]
Wee Kim: [Smiles to himself. Looks at Alan] You...
Alan: What time did I reach here. did I come here alone, what time am I leaving, where do I live, how many rounds already...
Wee Kim: [Startled] Sorry?
Alan: Try something new.
Wee Kim: I...
Alan: Be direct. You want to have sex is it?
Wee Kim: Are you asking me?
Alan: I'm asking for you.
Wee Kim: But I wasn't going to ask that.
Alan: Then?
Wee Kim: I wanted to ask for the time.
Alan: That's nice. But I don't have a watch.
Wee Kim: Which is why I asked what time you reached here.
Alan: I don't know.
Wee Kim: So do you...
Alan: No.
Wee Kim: You don't know what I'm going to ask.
Alan: Whatever it is, the answer is no.
Wee Kim: OK.
Alan: So?
Wee Kim: So... what?
Alan: Aren't you going to leave me alone?
Wee Kim: If that;s what you want me to do.
Alan: OK.
[Wee Kim is about to leave. But he turns around an addresses Alan again.]
Wee Kim: Sorry.
Alan: [Irritated] Yah?
Wee Kim: I didn't get your name.
Alan: Why would you want to know my name?
Wee Kim: I'm Wee Kim. [He extends his hand to Alan]
Alan: Alvin. [He doesn't shake Wee Kim's hand]
Wee Kim: Real name?
Alan: No.
[An attracted Young Man enters the space. He starts to walk around the area, casting glances at both Wee Kim and Alan. Wee Kim smiles at him. Alan tries to look nonchalant. The Young Man leaves.]
Wee Kim: How old are you?
Alan: Look, I'm old enough to be your son, OK?
Wee Kim: You mean I'm old enough to be your father.
Alan: I'm really not into dirty old man. Please.
Wee Kim: That's good.
Alan: I mean it.
Wee Kim: I'm an old man. Sure. I'm 52. But where did the dirty part come from?
Alan: The only reason the management lets people like you in is because you have to ay higher prices than all of us. You walk around, trying to grope the people in the dark rooms. You take up the space in the cubicles for sleeping because you can't get anyone, and please don't deny it beceause I can hear all the snoring.
Wee Kim: Actually, it's my first time here.
Alan: You should make it your last.
Wee Kim: I don't know. The people here have too much attitude.
Alan: Please. It's something else if you looked like that guy just now.
Wee Kim: You like him? He's your type?
Alan: Why would you care if he's my type?
Wee Kim: He is, right?
Alan: Look. I'm 20. By definition that's young. You were young too. And you had your time. Now it's my time.
Wee Kim: If I told you that the boy looked like me when I was young, would you believe me?
Alan: You're asking me to imagine.
Wee Kim: Yes.
Alan: I didn't pay 10 dollars to come here to imagine. If something is there, it's there. If it's not, it's not.
Wee Kim: I had my time.
Alan: Yes.
Wee Kim: But during my time we didn't have places like these.
Alan: And is that my fault?
Wee Kim: Why do you sound so angry?
Alan: Because you don't seem to get the idea. As long as you're hanging around, nobody's going to come up to me. You saw that guy just now. He walked around, then he left.
Wee Kim: So why don't you go after him?
Alan: I don't do the chasing here.
Wee Kim: Well, you should pretend to chase him. And if he responds, you can pretend nothing happened. And then you let him chase you.
Alan: I know what I'm doing.
Wee Kim: You've all lost the art of playing the game.
Alan: Who?
Wee Kim: Your generation.
Alan: I don't like games where people don't understand what a 'no' means.
Wee Kim: During my time, we knew how to flirt.
Alan: You said there weren't places like these.
Wee Kim: Of course there weren't. But we had Pebble Bar. Treetops. At hotels along Orchard Road. A lot of Ang Moh's. They'd give us money and presents. At that time if you were gay, you could either be those at kwa's on Bugis Street, or you could be one of those boys at Orchard Road, who were more Westernised, who could speak English. They called us the Orchard Road Queens.
Alan: But being gay doesn't mean you have to be a queen.
Wee Kim: At that time, how we know? We just did whatever was the attractive in the eyes of the Ang Moh's. Shaved our legs. We went tanning. They liked dark-skinned boys. You know how much some of us can earn in one month? $200. That was a lot of money.
Alan: So, what, you all started out like some kind of... male prostitutes?
Wee Kim: The money was just a bonus. But we enjoyed what we were doing. And then later, in the 80s, there was Hong Lim Park, Fort Road. But at that time I wasn't too active. I got married. Got one son. And then my wife died.
Alan: Go and write a book.
Wee Kim: At that time, 30 already, not married, you just invite people to gossip. So, what to do, my Mother chose the bride, I just followed. Last time not like now. Cannot argue with your parents. Last time we respected people older than us.
Alan: Just because you respect people doesn't mean you have to sleep with them!
Wee Kim: I never asked if I could sleep with you.
Alan: Then why did you come up to me for?
Wee Kim: I just wanted to talk.
Alan: But at the end of the day, you're just going to ask me to go into some cubicle with you, right? But let me tell you something. My generation has self-respect. We don't have to package ourselves for any Ang Moh's. You can flash $200 in front of my face right now and I still won't sleep with you.
Wee Kim: Why are you getting so angry?
Alan: This is a spa. Everyone is here for sex. Nobody comes here just for the chance to walk around in towels, because you can do that at home! Don't give me that bullshit about getting to know me better, asking me the time, because I've heard it all already.
Wee Kim: So you're saying I'm not allowed to come here to talk to people?
Alan: I'm really wasting my time with you.
Wee Kim: So you're here just to look for sex?
Alan: If you really want to hear it, yes. Like that guy over there who;s been staring at you for the last few minutes.
Wee Kim: [Looks at where Alan is looking] He's looking at you.
Alan: No. Please. He's your age. He's staring at you.
Wee Kim: No, really. See? He's trying to smile at you.
Alan: Oh my God. Thanks to you I've now become a magnet for uncles.
Wee Kim: He just wants to talk to you.
Alan: I think talking to one uncle in one night is enough for me.
[Alan stands up to leave. He adjusts his towel.]
Wee Kim: Don't you want anything more?
Alan: More than what?
Wee Kim: Than sex.
Alan: Like what?
Wee Kim: You tell me. It's 30 years since I had my first encounter with another man. This Ang Moh tourist. In a hotel. I felt something for him. I even felt like going back to where he lived, but I knew he wouldn't ask me. It seemed at that time that if you wanted to follow your heart, you had to follow it to some other country. So the only thing we could have that was closest to a relationship was sex. It doesn't take long. Just one night. Because the next day they'll be gone.
[The attractive Young Man appears again. This time, Alan moves away from Wee Kim and parks himself at another spot. The young man cruises Alan, and then walks towards Wee Kim. He smiles at Wee Kim, and then he gestures to Wee Kim to indicate that he will be waiting 'downstairs'. The Young Man leaves.]
Alan: I don't believe this.
Wee Kim: It's been 30 years. And what has changed? Now you have places like this. It's so much easier to meet people like yourself. You deserve better. You have every right to demand something more than a one-night-stand.
Alan: Can you please stop talking?
Wee Kim: You don't like to hear what I'm saying.
Alan: I don't like to listen to you, and I don't like to look at you. Don't you understand? 30 years. 30 years from now and I'll be just like you.
Wee Kim: And you're scared of that?
Alan: An old man in a sauna? What kind of fate is that? Where's the dignity? And I see myself like this one day, wrapped in a towel, my stomach sticking out, a bald patch on my head, wrinkles... and liver spots... looking at all the young ones, my hands crawling near to them, begging for a chance...
Wee Kim: It doesn't have to be that way. You could settle down with someone.
Alan: Sometimes when I look at old men like you walking around me, I tell myself I want to die before I'm 40.
[The attractive Young Man appears. He looks at Wee Kim.]
Wee Kim: Five minutes and I'll join you, OK?
[The Young Man leaves.]
Alan: How much did you pay him?
Wee Kim: I just paid for his entrance.
Alan: 10 dollars? He must be pretty desperate.
Wee Kim: I pay for a lot of other things too. His school fees, his clothes, his food.
Alan: You're lucky then. You have money to support a young boy. But what if I get old, and earn barely enough to support myself? How do I find a lover young enough to make me forget how old I've become?
Wee Kim: Oh, that boy isn't my lover.
Alan: He's not?
Wee Kim: My lover is actually the other guy who smiled at you. We've been together for about 20 years now. I met him a year after my wife passed away.
Alan: And the boy?
Wee Kim: I told you my wife gave birth to a boy. That's him. Me and my lover raised him together. He's our son. Of course we never expected him to turn out gay. But since he did, so be it.
Alan: Your son?
Wee Kim: His name's Edwin. We're pretty proud of him. He entered OCS just last month. It was his idea to come here actually. As a kind of family outing. He's never been to such a place before.
Alan: I don't believe this. A family outing.
Wee Kim: Edwin's a bit shy. So just now he asked me to come and talk to you. You see, while you're here looking for your one-night-stand, I was here looking for a son-in-law. But you're right. This isn't the best place to look for someone to settle down with.
Alan: So you were going to introduce me to your son?
[The attractive Young Man appears.]
Young Man: Pa. Uncle Heng has dressed up already. He's waiting downstairs. he wants to take us for supper.
Wee Kim: I'm coming.
Alan: Wait, wait. [Pause] Can I give you my number?
Wee Kim: What for?
Alan: I know I might look really desperate now, but I didn't know where you were coming from, and...
Wee Kim: It's all right.
Alan: I'd never met a gay family before.
Wee Kim: [Smiles] You have all the time in the world to make your own. You're still young. [Turns to leave] It's nice meeting you. [Pause] Alvin.
[Alan watches Wee Kim leave. Alan sighs. He lights up a cigarette.]
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