Everyone must have something which they dream about. For me, it is a motorcycle. I have been dreaming about it since I was about 13 years old. The only problem is that my parents don’t have much money. I sometimes thought about buying a stolen one like one of my friends. Now I am happy I didn't do anything stupid, because my dream is gonna come true.

For the past six months I have been working hard building a virtual shop on the internet. My old school, Sriwittayapaknam School in Samut Prakan, has a web site where their students and teachers can set up shops on the internet. I built a shop selling books that are printed in English and Thai. Business is good and I am now earning nearly as much as my mother. After waiting for more than three years, it's time for me to go and buy a motorcycle. I hope nothing will happen to stop me buying one.

Right now, I am sitting at a kuti queueing up to meet a monk. I want to ask him if it will be OK for me to buy a motorcycle. The reason I am asking him is because he is a fortune teller and my family respect him very much. Also, my mum told me to come to talk to him first. He is always right every time he told us not to do something. For example: there was one time he told me to be careful about transport. Better not to ride or drive. I didn't really believe him then. Not long after that, I had an accident on my Dad's motorcycle while I was on my way to my friend's house. I was hurt for weeks. After that I believed everything he told me not to do. But not this time. I won't listen to him if he says that I shouldn't get it. I will still buy it even if he said I might break my legs or I might die a few days after I buy it.

I was sitting there waiting for quite a long time. Longer than half an hour. There were two more groups in front of me. One came with a big board. I saw the words "Beauty Salon" written on it. They must have brought it here for the monk to bless. I heard that they also asked him for good luck for their beauty shop. Another group was big. There were about seven or eight people. I saw a baby there. They must have come here because of the baby. But I didn't know why. Then I saw the monk cutting the baby's hair. Now I knew why the whole family came to visit the monk. Their baby is having it’s first haircut; we called it "Fire Hair Shaving" in Thai. I wrote a story about this on my Thailand Life web site.

Now it is my turn. I walked politely up to the monk and then he said to me "How are you naughty boy?" He has known me for a long time. I used to be a novice monk at this temple. I said to him that I was very well and then I asked him about the motorcycle. He asked me for my date of birth and also for the time I was born. Then he opened a book and I saw him counting something. It was going on for a few minutes. Then he told me that it's not the right time for me to buy a motorcycle. He said I don't have any good luck with transport. Better to wait until I am eighteen. He said that I always get angry quickly, too quickly, and that it is very easy for me to have an accident. I told him that I really wanted to have it and I would buy it anyway. So he gave me a suggestion that it is better to buy a car than a motorcycle because a car can protect me more than a motorcycle. I said to him that I wanted a car too but not now, later. I only had enough money to buy a motorcycle. Before I left, he told me to be careful, don't get angry too quickly and relax more. I said thank you and told him I would be careful.

The day after seeing the monk something happened to me. I was in a car and on my way to Seacon Square to watch a movie. Suddenly, I heard a strange noise and saw a motorcycle with a rider sliding across the road. I realised a second later that the strange noise came from our car. That means we were hit by a motorcycle. We stopped and got out to take a look at the back of the car. I found out that the mud guard on my side was bent into the wheel and that was where the strange noise had come from. Someone had already helped the motorcyclist. I went to ask him if he is alright. He said he was fine. I saw some scratches on his hands and arms. He was lucky he was wearing a helmet. Now I realize that the monk was right again. But it won't stop me buying a motorcycle. I won't give up. I will get it. I have been waiting for many years and I don't want to wait anymore. I don't know what will happen next but one thing for sure, I will get a motorcycle. Sorry monk.

---------------------------------------------------------
This is the uncut version of Panrit's article that first appeared in his Gor's World column in the Bangkok Post when he was 16 years old. We will be posting his full versions every Sunday for him while he is still in prison. Read more about Gor at his website www.ThailandLife.com.