The True Story Of A Sex Trade Worker That Fell In love With A John (Phuket Girl 4)

After watching the film "Bangkok Girl", a CBC Canadian television documentary, I decided to begin writing a series of articles about sex trade workers in Thailand. The reason the film inspired me to write my own stories, is that the film was such a one sided, distorted view of the sex trade in Thailand. I feel that the other side of the story needs to be told. Before I begin this story I want to be clear that I do not in any way advocate prostitution or the use of prostitutes. My goal is simply to report the facts, and offer accurate information and my experiences, in order to allow readers to draw their own conclusions.

Today I am going to tell you a story about a girl that goes by the nickname "Aam". I have known Aam since July of 2000, and the events of this story are not based on speculation and second hand information, but actual experiences that I witnessed first hand. This is one story about one girl, and is no way intended to suggest that this is the situation for any other woman working as a sex trade worker

In my previous articles titled "Phuket Girl", and "Phuket Girl 2", I have discussed meeting both Nicky and Natt in a massage parlor located in front of the Patong Beach Resort. It just so happens that Aam was one of their co-workers, one of the older ladies that worked in the shop. She did not engage in outings to nightclubs to work in the freelance scene as did many of the younger girls like Nicky and Natt. Aam would never give a straight answer about how old she was, but she appeared to be roughly 30. She was not overly attractive, she had bad skin and her face was horribly pock marked, although she was slim and fit, and she had a great personality.

Aam had a young son from a Thai father that had apparently abandoned her. She worked in the massage parlor, turning the occasional trick when the opportunity presented itself, and sending money back home to the village where her parents took care of her son. Because of her age and her looks, she was normally only able to attract the attention of much older men, although she didn't seem to mind, in fact I have never heard her complain about anything, she always had an upbeat positive attitude with a real zest for life.

Over the years, I did not know Aam to have many long term boyfriends, so when she introduced me to Antonio in 2003, I knew that she must be quite serious about him. Antonio was a tall, awkward, soft spoken Italian. No, you didn't read that incorrectly, in fact Antonio was Italian, and he was also soft spoken, without all the typical yelling and hand waving gestures. Antonio was roughly the same age as Aam, just a few years older than me, and we ended up becoming quite good friends. We would have dinner parties at my house, my wife and I would go on trips with them, and as often as twice per week we would go out for drinks and dinner with Aam and Antonio.

Antonio was not a typical sex tourist, he was more like a "hopeless romantic". Of course he came to Thailand to meet women, and certainly he wanted to sleep with them, but even more than that, he wanted to love them, and make love to them. This might sound absurd to some, but it really shouldn't, of course all women want to be loved, and they want to make love, even those women that work in the sex trade. Antonio was everything Aam was looking for, there was only one problem, he didn't have any money.

They lived together in her tiny little apartment that wasn't much better than a jail cell, just a small room with a toilet in the corner. For the next few years Antonio would spend as much time as he could travelling to Thailand to spend time with Aam, however when he returned to Italy to go back to work, she would have to go back to work as well. When Antonio was back in Italy, working to earn enough money for his next trip to Thailand, Aam would be spending time with other men. Antonio knew this, and he did his best to deal with it, as he knew he wasn't able to support her financially.

When Aam met another man in 2007, she was honest with Antonio, she told him that the older man from Sweden had plenty of money, and she needed to think of her future. Antonio was upset of course, but he knew this day might come, and he reluctantly accepted her decision. For the next year, Aam and Antonio would continue to spend time together, any chance she would get to slip away from her new boyfriend. In 2008 Aam moved to Sweden and eventually married the older Swede, settling down as a housewife, playing her part, even though in her heart she was in love with Antonio. The last news I heard, Aam had sent Antonio a little cash for a flight to Sweden, and they were again spending time together, right under the nose of her new husband.

Aam's story is actually quite typical, not just in Thailand but anywhere in the world. Some people marry for love, and many others marry for money, choosing an easier life and a more secure future. Some might say that she had no choice, but I disagree, she could still be staying with Antonio in that shabby little apartment, struggling to make ends meat. In the end she opted for the safe, secure choice, an older man with enough money to offer her anything she wanted. Does this sound like the story of a prostitute? I am sure everyone knows a woman that has a similar story, no matter what country you come from.