Thai Cruz
Reeks: Cruz
Robert Bell
- Simon
- arrives
- early
- in
- Manila
- to
- surprise
- Cruz
- and
- his
- friends,
- to
- find
- they
- have
- surprises
- of
- their
- own.
- But
- the
- reason
- for
- the
- visit
- is
- to
- get
- them
- away,
- get
- them
- to
- Thailand
- for
- a
- break
- and
- let
- them
- compare
- cultures.
- Simon
- hopes
- for
- culture
- shock,
- and
- succeeds
- with
- what
- he
- shows
- them.
- It
- helps
- them
- put
- Luke
- into
- perspective.
- In
- Nut
- they
- find
- a
- soul
- mate
- as
- they
- find
- the
- similarities
- between
- their
- lives.
- Thai
- Bars
- aren’t
- what
- the
- guys
- were
- expecting,
- and
- in
- many
- they
- aren’t
- comfortable
- as
- Simon
- starts
- at
- the
- rough
- end.Of
- course,
- Nut
- doesn’t
- have
- a
- ‘Luke’
- to
- deal
- with.
- As
- the
- holiday
- passes,
- Simon
- realizes
- that
- something
- has
- to
- be
- done
- about
- Luke.
- He
- devises
- a
- permanent
- solution
- if
- everyone
- agreesThe
- story
- concludes
- in
- Cruz
- Control
- when
- Simon
- and
- Nut
- arrive
- in
- Manila,
- and
- Luke
- is
- dealt
- with
- before
- the
- weddings.
- Or
- so
- they
- think.What
- happened
- in
- Filipino
- Cruz
- -Simon
- wants
- to
- put
- things
- right
- with
- Ace.
- Except
- Ace
- is
- really
- Cruz.
- Simon
- travels
- to
- Manila
- in
- the
- hope
- that
- he
- can
- meet
- Ace,
- and
- Leonardo.
- And
- Leonardo
- is
- really
- Matt.
- Welcome
- to
- the
- world
- of
- stage
- names.
- Simon
- wants
- to
- talk,
- and
- put
- aside
- the
- ill
- feelings;
- part
- as
- friends,
- or
- learn
- he
- had
- been
- right
- a
- year
- earlier
- and
- leave
- for
- ever.
- He
- wasn’t
- sure
- why,
- but
- it
- seemed
- the
- right
- thing
- to
- do.It
- was
- Ace
- who
- had
- kept
- him
- coming
- back
- to
- Manila.
- He
- had
- met
- him
- in
- a
- macho
- dancer
- bar.
- He
- was
- new,
- young,
- naive.
- Fresh
- from
- the
- provinces.
- Shy,
- always
- kept
- his
- underwear
- on.
- Maybe
- that’s
- what
- intrigued
- Simon.
- And
- with
- very
- little
- English.
- That’s
- where
- Rey
- had
- come
- in.
- The
- staff
- had
- brought
- Rey
- over
- to
- help
- translate.
- Simon
- had
- tried
- to
- ignore
- Rey,
- but
- he
- kept
- butting
- in,
- and
- asking
- for
- a
- drink.
- He
- was
- about
- to
- tell
- the
- staff
- to
- remove
- Rey
- when
- this
- other
- guy
- walked
- over.
- Tall,
- handsome.
- He
- introduced
- himself.
- He
- was
- Leonardo,
- Rey’s
- cousin.
- If
- he
- hadn’t
- found
- Ace,
- Simon
- would
- have
- gone
- for
- Leonardo.There
- had
- been
- something
- about
- Ace.
- Simon
- couldn’t
- place
- it.
- He
- tried
- a
- few
- times
- in
- the
- early
- days
- to
- get
- Ace
- alone,
- but
- he
- seemed
- too
- shy.
- But
- all
- that
- changed.Now,
- Simon’s
- return
- starts
- a
- chain
- reaction.
- Brothers
- and
- cousins,
- parents.
- All
- realise
- it’s
- time
- to
- be
- true
- to
- themselves,
- and
- find
- happiness.
- Except
- Rey.
- For
- Rey,
- there
- will
- be
- loneliness
- unless
- he
- can
- accept
- things.
- It
- turns
- out
- that
- he
- can’t
- and
- that
- despite
- having
- sex
- on
- stage
- with
- boys,
- he
- can’t
- accept
- that
- his
- brother
- and
- cousin
- are
- gay.
- Or
- that
- they
- have
- boyfriends.
- He
- hates
- that
- his
- attempts
- to
- cut
- Cruz
- out
- of
- the
- picture
- with
- Simon
- have
- failed,
- and
- that
- Cruz
- and
- Matt
- are
- now
- boyfriends,
- living
- together.
Rey,
- who
- is
- really
- Luke,
- can
- just
- about
- cope
- with
- the
- fact
- that
- his
- mother
- is
- remarrying,
- Tim
- isn’t
- that
- bad.
- But
- his
- brother
- John,
- and
- Cruz’s
- brother
- Paul
- as
- boyfriends.
- It’s
- all
- wrong.
- He
- can’t
- see
- that
- they
- are
- being
- honest,
- and
- true
- to
- their
- feelings.
- To
- him
- what
- he
- does
- to
- earn
- money,
- and
- what
- they
- do
- in
- their
- personal
- lives,
- however
- similar,
- are
- totally
- different.A
- series
- of
- battles
- follow
- as
- Luke
- sinks
- into
- the
- state
- where
- he’ll
- do
- almost
- anything,
- with
- just
- about
- anyone
- to
- repay
- his
- debts.
- Money
- he’d
- borrowed
- and
- frittered
- away.
- Debt
- that
- is
- mounting
- when
- he
- misses
- payments.
- In
- the
- process,
- he’d
- lost
- his
- family.
- But
- if
- they
- were
- going
- to
- against
- everything
- the
- bible
- taught,
- then
- he
- didn’t
- want
- them.
- He
- knew
- his
- work
- was
- wrong,
- but
- it
- was
- only
- until
- he
- got
- some
- money,
- and
- he
- did
- go
- to
- church
- every
- morning
- to
- ask
- forgiveness
- and
- make
- penance.The
- climax
- of
- Filipino
- Cruz
- is
- a
- meeting
- between
- Luke
- and
- the
- others,
- where
- Cruz
- and
- his
- friends
- take
- their
- pound
- of
- flesh,
- and
- Luke
- feels
- he
- walks
- away
- the
- stronger,
- even
- if
- a
- total outcast.
pro-mbooks3 : libris
