Sari's Story. Carina Zinkeisen

Actual she had no time at all fort that and her hands cramped. She had to dress herself, because time was running and to waste that time, to be annoyed by the cake, was not the thing she wanted to do just now.

The cake was already melting away, as if it was not made for cambodia's humid climate. Why are the cakes always so heavy, that they tend to melt away, Rani thought angrily. It was so frustrating, even more that it was not the first engagement cake, that perhaps melted away for nothing, but the third one.

Rani sighed. At least this cake was not bought for lot of money from Paris or Phnom Penh, cambodia's capital. It was made at Plue Pumpkin, a famous Cambodian Coffeeschop, which made the best ice cream in the city, tourist peoble liked as well as Cambodian ones. Unfortunately the cakes there much to heavy and tend to melt away.

Rani wiped the sweat from her forehead. It was really very humid. Pushing sultry and she had a terrible headache.

Two engagements and no wedding yet. And also with the third one she was not sure if it would work, not sure at all.

With Sari you always had to be prepared for all sorts of things.

Maybe it was a mistake to let Sari study in Pnom Penh instead of having her here in Siem Reap under her supervision.

But that was not true, Phnom Penh could not be that mistake. Sreykouch, her middle daughter, had also studied accounting in Phnom Penh and then obediently entered into an arranged marriage with Vichay,the oldest son of her neighbour.

Even the soothsayer, who was indispensable for such matters, she had accepted without complaint. But Vichay had been a good match and so had Sreykouch, after all both families owned many stores in Siem Reap, the old royal city of Cambodia.

Sari, on the other hand, was not particularly fond of arranged marriages or the indispensable fortune teller and the first two engagements with men of her own choice had been a fiasco. Rani had put an end to this and set her up with Jay, Vichay's cousin, who lived and worked in Phnom Penh.

Jay had a very good job, was nice and well-educated, unlike Vichay he was also a quite handsome young man, almost like an Indian movie actor. He would put Sari on the right path. He just had to, it couldn't go on so licentious with her oldest daughter.

Rani sighed deeply again and rubbed her aching temples. Sari's impossible behavior already rubbed off on her youngest sister Simay, who still went to highschool and liked to wear boys' clothes and short hair, which Rani disliked as much as her childish intention never to marry. This was only the unfortunate influence of Sari, who now already had three engagements and so far no wedding, and this at the age of almost 30.

But wait, up to now there were only 2 engagements and no wedding, the third simply had to lead to a wedding. It simply had to work.

But there was nothing easy about Sari, Rani knew that and, with a grim smile, took a sip of coffee with thick, sweetened condensed milk.

She loved this sweet, typically Cambodian drink, although she knew exactly that it was not good for her teeth, her figure or anything else. Her doctor always told her something about diabetes, but she only heard it with half an ear.

Sari took a deep breath as she stood at the banister, looking at her mother and the rather monstrous and a bit kitschy engagement cake that was in a state of disintegration and probably cost a fortune again. Blue Pumpkin was also quite expensive, but they had indeed the best ice cream in town.

Sari bent silently over the railing and smiled as grimly as her mother, if not a little more.

On quiet soles she crept into her room. A little shaky she lay down on her bed, closed her eyes for a moment and just lay there. It calmed her a bit, just lying there and listening to her own breath. For a moment it was just her and her breath.

No engagement, no wedding, no mother and no Jay.

No Jay, who pushed her, as nice as he was. Pushed her to sleep with him. To marry him. Sex with him was more of a duty than she felt anything about it. She didn't feel anything at all, if she was honest and she didn't get wet, not even a little bit. She was like ice in his arms. In his arms and also with all other men so far.

Reluctantly she opened her eyes. She didn't want to think about the sex with Jay, all those nights in his apartment in Phnom Penh or here in her old girl's room.

And

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