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and then take her home because her parents were strict about her not staying over at my place. I found this a bit over protective because she was 36 at the time.
Then the dreaded "M" word came up, and I explained that I was way too old for her, that I'd been married twice before and they were dismal failures, and that it would be a terrible choice for her. Six months later, we got married.
That was 13 years ago and they've been the best 13 years of my life. Jintana, like most Thai women, is a very strong person. I'll never forget one thing she said very early on. "If you're looking for a typical subservient Thai woman, you're a generation too late".
The other awesome thing about this relationship is Jintana's family. We eventually moved into the family home and lived with Jintana's mom, her sister and brother-in-law, two nieces, and Bo the housekeeper. I realized this family really had it together. I'd never seen such a balance between love and discipline, and the two nieces are by far the best kids I've ever been around. They are bright, cheerful, good students, and have great senses of humor. Oh sure, in the early years when I drove them to school, they tended to sing, "Itsy Bitsy Spider" endlessly because they knew it bugged me, but we had great fun.
About four years ago, Jintana's sister built a house 15 feet away from ours and now their family lives next door while Jintana, her mom and I rattle around in the big family home. But the kids still hang out with us and I still drive them to school.
Jintana's father was a hard-working man who loved his children. Their family story is a really, really good one.
Jintana's mom grew in the Omkoi district, in Chiangmai province but deep in the hills south of Chiangmai city. She was raised in a tiny village and her dad (Jintana's grandfather) owned elephants and had lots of people working for him in the jungle. When Jintana's mom was about 12 the family moved down from the village, past Chiangmai to the town of Fang. They put their belongings on elephants and her mom rode horseback while others walked or rode. The trip took a week.
Jintana's mom, Chan Ploy, lived in Fang and it was there she met Jintana's dad, Suwan, a farmer. They fell in love but didn't marry. Chan Ploy, when she was 22, tried to move back to her village with her cousins. Suwan, persistent, decided to follow her there. Chan Ploy's mom sent word she wanted her daughter to come back to Fang, and on her way back she met Suwan, coming up to find her. How romantic is that?
They made the trek back to Fang and Suwan and Chan Ploy got married. We have pictures of them when they were young and she was quite beautiful and he was quite handsome. Jintana and Maew, her older sister, were born in their house in Fang with a midwife delivering them.