Vintage Diaries.

6. Mimi

"Here we are." The butler's voice made Earn look up.

 "Holy crap!" he muttered to himself as he saw the sight in front of him. 

He was standing at the entrance to the 'Blue Dale' Mansion, the ancestral house of the Thanachart family. He had been there a few times with his father as a kid. But when Ped cut ties with the main branch of the Thanachart family after his grandmother died, the visits to the Blue Dale mansion also stopped.

"Follow me, Nong" Opas said clearing his throat to get Earn's attention.

"Khrab," Earn was a little embarrassed that the butler caught him staring at the mansion with an open mouth.

Earn followed the butler into the servant's quarters. He wasn't expecting Opas to lead him to the main mansion either. He was quiet along the way.

Opas called one of the male servants and instructed something to him that Earn couldn't hear.

It was already evening and the temperature was dropping. The wet clothes that clung to his body made Earn shiver. He hugged himself to keep warm.

A few minutes later, the male servant came back with a pair of clothes. Opas gestured for him to hand the clothes over to Earn.

The servant respectfully handed the clothes to Earn.

Earn who was already trembling from cold, gratefully took the clothes. "Thank you, khrab."

"You can change your clothes in there," Opas said pointing at a room.

Earn nodded and entered the room to change.

The room was a typical bedroom in the servant's quarters with minimal furniture including a bed, a cupboard, a table and a wooden chair.

Earn set the dry clothes on the bed and started stripping himself. It felt warm as the wet clothes came off his body.

As he unfolded the shirt that was handed to him by the servant, he clearly understood that those clothes belonged to one of the servants. It wasn't the branded kind he was used to wearing.

He sighed heavily. He didn't have a choice but to wear it. He was penniless. And beggars can never be choosers.

"You look good no matter what you wear, Earn." He praised himself for seeing his reflection in the mirror.

He neatly folded the wet clothes and walked out of the room with them.

A female servant was waiting for him outside the door. She handed him a polythene bag to carry the wet clothes.

Earn smiled and thanked the female servant and took the bag, carefully placing the clothes in it. They were the only possessions he currently had.

The female servant requested him to wait till the butler arrived to see him off.

Earn nodded and dismissed the servant. He was well aware of the security system in the Blue Dale mansion. No person without a pass will be allowed to enter the place and currently, he had no pass on him. 

So, if he had to leave without being questioned by the security, he would need someone from the mansion to show him the way out. Someone like Butler Opas.

As he was left alone, he walked around the room. He had never been to the servant quarters before and it was a bit fascinating to him.

He halted when he saw the tear-off calender on the wall. It said '30 April 1995.'

"30th April 1995?" Earn was actually shocked that he managed to reach the exact year he wanted to by the time machine. He mentally applauded Pakorn for his fabulous invention.

"What a minute! Then who is the girl I just saved?" Earn was puzzled. His father had been the only child of the main branch of the Thanachart family.

That was when he suddenly remembered that his father always used to visit the temple and make merits at the end of April month. He gasped in realisation. "So the girl whom I saved was my Aunt?"

Earn covered his mouth with his hands. He had heard stories from the servants when he visited the Blue Dale mansion once that there was a young miss in the Thanachart family, who was Ped's younger sister, who drowned to death at the young age of sixteen years.

He got nervous at the realisation. "Does that mean that I changed the course of history upon my arrival?" 

"Young man." Opas who had returned from the main mansion called out.

Earn faced the middle-aged man, trying to come up with the best question he could ask that would be helpful for him to stay in the mansion.

"The Master and the old madam would love to see you," Opas said in a professional tone.

"See me?" Earn pointed at himself. He could conclude that the Master that the butler mentioned was his very own grandfather, whom he had never met before. His grandfather had already died before his father had reached adulthood.

"Khrab" Opas said with a straight face.

Earn gulped down his nervousness. He was going to meet his Mimi (great-grandmother) after so many years. He had a lot of fond memories with her. But now he was meeting her as a stranger. He was worried that his Mimi might not be treating him the same way she treated him when he was her great-grandson. "Please lead the way."

As the butler led the way, Earn was lost in his thoughts. He wondered if he would get the chance to meet his father in his teenage in the main mansion. If he did, what should he do? Or what should he do so that he would be allowed to linger around his father?

Opas paused in front of a door. He opened the door for Earn to enter.

Earn thanked the butler and entered the room. As he walked in, he saw two people sitting on the European-style sofa. He identified his Mimi, who looked way younger than the last time he met her and a man next to her who he assumed was his grandfather.

"Swadee Khrab." He waited respectfully, holding back his tears. He had never even dreamed of meeting his Mimi again in his life.

The two people in front of him seemed to have frozen at their place. 

Prapha got up from her seat, walking to Earn with teary eyes. She stood in front of Earn and cupped his face. "Phon..." Her lips trembled when the name escaped them.

Earn was lost, not knowing why his Mimi was reacting like this when she saw him. 

Jear quickly snapped out of trace, realising what was going on. He walked up to his mother and held her. "Maa, he is not Phon." He tried to gently pull his mother away from the kid.

"No, he is Phon. My Phon." Prapha was a crying mess, reaching out for Earn. She looked at the face of the child in front of her. Her mind was a turmoil.

"Maa, he is someone else." Jear tried to convince his mother.

"I said no. He is Phon. He came back to me. He came back because he couldn't bear to leave me. He came back because he knew that I miss him so much." Prapha said stubbornly, hugging Earn tightly.