I jump into the back of the red truck. A young, shoeless boy sits huddled in a corner. I great him, he stares, then mumbles his greeting before directing his attention to some cards in his hands. He places the cards on the bench seat, slapping the seat in an attempt to turn the cards over.
He glances at me from time to time. I smile, he looks away. This goes on for a bout 10 minutes until he slides over to the bench I am sitting on. He flashes me a smile before looking out the window.
I slide my sunglasses up on to my head and gesture towards the cards. I put out my hand as he extends them towards me, but he refuses to relinquish them. They appear to be some kind of animation characters, like the kind of trading cards found in bubblegum packages. He sets them on the seat between us and proceeds to slap the seat. He repeatedly hits it several times, looking up at me between every slap.
I turn my body, so I too can easily slap the bench. Two cards fall over. We play back and forth, the rules changing as we go- his smile constant. Another woman gets in, and seems bored as she watches.
I count the cards in Thai that turn over. He nods and smiles.
When the truck stops at my stop, the boy’s face falls as I wave goodbye. His hands are in his lap, sorting the cards. As I go to the front of the truck, he stares out the side window; his smile reaches from ear to ear. His parents in the front are all smiles too. I can feel three sets of eyes on me as I step into the near empty market, but it doesn’t make me shiver. Instead I turn back towards the truck and wave one last time.
