Xavier ZimbardoLadies

"1976, September 1rst - Brigitte and I, suffocating in the humid fumes of gasoline, garbage, and incense, trudged along in the gray-yellow late afternoon. Wading through filthy water up to our knees, lost in a storm of blaring horns, we tried to make our way up Sukhumvit Road, where young Boy Scouts, their faces serious, were assisting a police force overwhelmed by apocalyptic traffic: frantic flashing lights, flooded engines, wrecked vehicles. Bangkok, the end of an ordinary monsoon day, when the streets and sewers overflowed with rain. Mechanically pulling up the bottoms of our wide Chinese trousers, we hunched under another downpour and quickly turned onto Soi Ekamai. Brigitte's bare breasts swayed beneath her soaked blue t-shirt. Knowing smiles. Here is Caesar's Palace, the investigation continues. We run a little. Quickly, the door. Pushed open, closed. We find ourselves surrounded by a deep shadow, barely broken by short, scattered, muffled lights. In the very austere setting, we make out three or four male figures at the bar, speaking in hushed tones, observing us, poor, dripping fans. One of them, nonchalant, tired of being disturbed, detaches himself from the group and, with a simple inclination of his head and body, signals us to follow him. A long, silent corridor. At the end, another dark room, with a gigantic aquarium brightly lit by neon, populated by mermaids. They are not swimming; seated demurely in their short white blouses with very low necklines, they are knitting or watching television. On their hearts, a number... We press our noses against the display case, and quickly—my partner, I confess, more slowly—we make our choice. They don't see us. A voice booms, two young women emerge from the aquarium and join us. The man leaves without a word; we'll see him again when it's time to pay. With a smile, our "hostesses" lead us toward the elevator." (text in the book)