Will sits on the top step of three concrete steps leading to a closed club, reading a book and writing on his iPod. A man pulls up on a motorbike, walks over and sits behind him.
S: Hello
W: Hi
A few beats, perhaps four.
S: Where you from?
W: England
S: [instantly smiling] Good
W: You like England? English people? Why?
S: They speak English good, not like the other.
W: We invented it.
Two beats. Will doesn’t break the silence, sensing sales patter.
S: I English teacher.
W: Yeah, where do you teach, and who?
S: School over there [he points], I teach old people, like maybe sixteen, seventeen.
W: Good for you. And are your students good? Are they interested in learning?
S: Yes yes. Learn lots. But not many teacher here, not enough.
Three beats.
S: That an iPod?
W: It is, yeah-
S: Where you get this, home?
W: I did, before I came.
S: How much you pay?
W: This one’s second hand, I paid £95, so maybe [Will calculates slowly] $150.
S: Here you get it eighty.
W: Oh. Right. Ok.
Three beats. To break the uncomfortable pause, Will closes the blog post he is writing and brings up a ‘Labyrinth’ game. He passes the iPod over.
S: Ok, ok, [he chuckles, and begins to figure out the game. He tries to navigate the ball around the course four times, then gives up.] It’s good. I like it.
W: Me too. I can get Internet on this too, like my emails.
S: Internet great. I use it lots.
W: You’ve got your own computer.
S: No. I got this [he shows Will a battered old Nokia with evident pride.] I have all the network; Beeline, Hello, Metnet, Camtel, Baynet.
W: And you get good signal here in Cambodia? There are masts everywhere, look, there are three right here in front of us.
S: This one new, that one old, it’s on the post office. Good network.
W: It certainly seems it.
Four uncomfortable beats. Will begins to reopen his book.
S: Where you go?
W: When?
S: Where you go Kampot?
W: Oh, tomorrow. I’m taking the bus to Phnom Penh.
S: You want ticket?
W: There’s already one in my pocket thanks.
S: You see mountain castle here?
W: No I haven’t, and I’m not sure I’ll have ti-
S: I take you.
W: I’m getting a boat at four, so no time.
S: You need boat ticket?
W: No.
S: Oh ok. So you go Phnom Penh. You want bus ticket?
W: I bought one this morning, thank you.
Two beats, before the driver rises.
W: Well it was nice to meet you, what is your name?
S: I’m Sammy.
W: Nice to meet you, Sammy, I’m Will.
S: Werrl?
W: You got it.
Sammy walks off. He doesn’t show the disappointment he surely feels, but instead settles in the back of a friend’s Tuktuk for a nap. Will returns to his book.
Conflicting modification on 26 November 2010 20:34:54:
Will sits on the top step of three concrete steps leading to a closed club, reading a book and writing on his iPod. A man pulls up on a motorbike, walks over and sits behind him.
S: Hello
W: Hi
A few beats, perhaps four.
S: Where you from?
W: England
S: [instantly smiling] Good
W: You like England? English people? Why?
S: They speak English good, not like the other.
W: We invented it.
Two beats. Will doesn’t break the silence, sensing sales patter.
S: I English teacher.
W: Yeah, where do you teach, and who?
S: School over there [he points], I teach old people, like maybe sixteen, seventeen.
W: Good for you. And are your students good? Are they interested in learning?
S: Yes yes. Learn lots. But not many teacher here, not enough.
Three beats.
S: That an iPod?
W: It is, yeah-
S: Where you get this, home?
W: I did, before I came.
S: How much you pay?
W: This one’s second hand, I paid £95, so maybe [Will calculates slowly] $150.
S: Here you get it eighty.
W: Oh. Right. Ok.
Three beats. To break the uncomfortable pause, Will closes the blog post he is writing and brings up a ‘Labyrinth’ game. He passes the iPod over.
S: Ok, ok, [he chuckles, and begins to figure out the game. He tries to navigate the ball around the course four times, then gives up.] It’s good. I like it.
W: Me too. I can get Internet on this too, like my emails.
S: Internet great. I use it lots.
W: You’ve got your own computer.
S: No. I got this [he shows Will a battered old Nokia with evident pride.] I have all the network; Beeline, Hello, Metnet, Camtel, Baynet.
W: And you get good signal here in Cambodia? There are masts everywhere, look, there are three right here in front of us.
S: This one new, that one old, it’s on the post office. Good network.
W: It certainly seems it.
Four uncomfortable beats. Will begins to reopen his book.
S: Where you go?
W: When?
S: Where you go Kampot?
W: Oh, tomorrow. I’m taking the bus to Phnom Penh.
S: You want ticket?
W: There’s already one in my pocket thanks.
S: You see mountain castle here?
W: No I haven’t, and I’m not sure I’ll have ti-
S: I take you.
W: I’m getting a boat at four, so no time.
S: You need boat ticket?
W: No.
S: Oh ok. So you go Phnom Penh. You want bus ticket?
W: I bought one this morning, thank you.
Two beats, before the driver rises.
W: Well it was nice to meet you, what is your name?
S: I’m Sammy.
W: Nice to meet you, Sammy, I’m Will.
S: Werrl?
W: You got it.
Sammy walks off. He doesn’t show the disappointment he surely feels, but instead settles in the back of a friend’s Tuktuk for a nap. Will returns to his book.
