Jay and Neang Ruot
The story of Jay and Neang Ruot is very popular in the countryside of Takeo Province where I spent the first twenty years of my life. The main character, jay, is a stupid fellow and the story is told in order to teach young people not to be like him. This tale, then, is one of the means by which village people, in their easy, information way, educate their children to practice commonsense in everyday life, and this is how it goes.
Two young village people called Jay and Neang Ruot, were engaged to be married. One afternoon, as Jay was looking after cattle in the fields, Neang Ruot walked up to him and they began to chat. Soon the young man said, ‘The sun is setting. We must go home before dark. ‘His fiancée looked at him very boldly. ‘I want to see you again, ‘she said. ‘Tonight at my place. ‘Jay was taken aback. Very few girls would dare suggest such a meeting because Cambodia society is strict and young people cannot spend a lot of time together before they are married and especially not at night. He stuttered, ‘How can I go your place? You father sleeps near the door and if he hears me go up the stairs and into the house he’ll kill me. ‘Neang Ruot replied, ‘I’ll tie a rope to a basket and lower it from the window. If you sit in the basket I’ll pull you up to my room. Tonight, keep touching your ear. When it feels cold then it will be time for you to come to me.
