24 Pronunciation Struggles

Kanya stormed into the teacher's office, where Sirikarn and Ploynapat were standing by the door, chatting. Kanya's face was flushed with frustration as she reported the incident.

"Sirikarn! Ploynapat! You won't believe what just happened!" Kanya exclaimed. "Chanon, Thanakon, and Jirapat were playing ball, and the ball hit me right in the head!"

Sirikarn raised an eyebrow, looking only mildly concerned. "Are you okay? Did it hurt?"

Kanya nodded, trying to calm down. "Yeah, it didn't hurt that bad, but they were so casual about it. They just... kept saying they were good at aiming!"

Ploynapat frowned, crossing her arms. "Well, Kanya, you know what they say. If you're going to let them play with balls, you might want to keep a little more distance next time."

Kanya blinked. "What?"

Ploynapat sighed. "I mean, if they keep doing that, maybe you should reduce the amount of power you give them. Less chance of things going flying. You wouldn't want to get hit again, would you?"

Kanya glanced from one teacher to the other, a little confused, but ultimately nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I'll be more careful."

"Good. You don't want to give them any more chances to 'show off their aim,'" Sirikarn said with a wink.

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The afternoon class was just starting when Kamon heard a loud cough followed by a groan from behind her. Turning around, she spotted Thanwa clutching his stomach, his face pale.

"Thanwa?" Kamon asked, her voice full of concern. "Are you okay?"

Thanwa gave her a weak smile. "Not really... I think I caught something. My stomach's killing me."

"Oh no," Kamon murmured. "Do you need to go to the nurse?"

"Yeah, I think I should." Thanwa stood up slowly, looking dizzy. "I don't want to risk it getting worse."

Kamon immediately stood up, gathering her things. "I'll take you. Don't worry, we'll get there fast."

Supaporn, who had been sitting next to Kamon, looked up. "Are you taking him to the nurse?" she asked, a touch of concern in her voice.

Kamon nodded. "Yeah. I can't let him go by himself."

"Are you going by bus?" Supaporn asked, adjusting her bag.

Kamon paused for a second, her lips curling into a mischievous smile. "Nope. We're going by fish stomach."

Supaporn blinked. "What?"

"Yep. A fish stomach," Kamon repeated, crossing her arms. "It's the fastest way. The fish stomach will take us straight there, and then it will spit us out at the nurse's office."

Supaporn stared at her, bewildered. "Kamon, I think you've been spending too much time in the sun."

"Nope," Kamon said with confidence. "It's science. Trust me."

Thanwa, now looking even worse, groaned from his seat. "Can we... just take the bus?"

Kamon grinned. "I'll make sure the fish tummy knows the way. Don't worry."

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As they left the classroom, Thanwa leaning on Kamon for support, Kamon kept up her silly antics to distract him from his discomfort. Supaporn walked alongside them, shaking her head at Kamon's ridiculous explanation.

"So, are we really going to take the bus, or are we just walking?" Supaporn asked, raising an eyebrow.

"We're walking... but in my mind, we're riding a fish stomach," Kamon replied with a smirk.

"Right," Supaporn said, chuckling. "A fish tummy that spits us out at our destination. Makes perfect sense."

Kamon grinned. "Exactly! It's the *only* logical explanation."

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The following afternoon in the house, and Kamon was in the living room, trying to relax on the sofa while waiting for Thanwa to come by. The peaceful atmosphere was soon disrupted by the loud sounds of Tee, her younger brother, sitting at the kitchen table. He was going over his pronunciation practice, his voice rising and falling with each new word he tried to perfect. 

"T-H-R-E-E, three... thrrrrrreee..." Tee said with exaggerated emphasis, his face scrunched up as if he was concentrating so hard that it might actually hurt. "Thrrreeeeeee."

Kamon couldn't hold back a grin, the sound of Tee's over-the-top pronunciation was just too much. She glanced over to the kitchen and saw Tee continuing his battle with English.

"Thhreeee?" Kamon muttered under her breath, trying to stifle a laugh. "That sounds like a car engine revving up."

Tee, oblivious to Kamon's giggling, kept going. "F-O-U-R, fffooouuuuurr... fffoorr... fffoooouuurr! Four! Four!"

Kamon couldn't hold it in any longer and burst into laughter, nearly toppling off the sofa. 

"Ha! Tee, you sound like you're trying to start a fire with your mouth!" Kamon teased, clutching her stomach as she laughed harder.

Tee turned around, his face flushed with frustration. "I'm practicing, okay?! I need to get it right!" He repeated, still stumbling over the word like it was some sort of tongue twister. "Fo-o-o-o-o-r."

"I think you're making it worse!" Kamon laughed, unable to contain her amusement. "You sound like you're summoning a spell, not saying 'four.'"

Tee stuck his tongue out at Kamon, but her laughter only made him more determined. He took a deep breath and started again, trying even harder.

"S-i-x, sssiiiixxx... siiiixxx... S-I-X, sssssix!"

Kamon was nearly rolling on the floor now, holding her sides. "Tee! Are you sure you're not trying to speak whale language?" she said, barely able to stop laughing. "You sound like you're in a race to speak faster than a train!"

Tee gritted his teeth and muttered, "This isn't funny, Kamon. I need to get it right. I have an exam soon!"

Kamon, now barely containing her laughter, gave her brother an encouraging look. "Okay, okay, I believe you... But I can't help it, you sound so funny!"

Tee looked at her for a moment, eyes narrowed, before nodding in agreement. "You're just mad 'cause you're not the one stuck with this."

"Well, someone's gotta teach you to speak without making the neighbors think we have a herd of cows in here," Kamon said, teasing him one last time before settling back on the sofa.

Just as Kamon tried to calm herself, the door to the kitchen opened and closed. Kamon's mother, Nanthana, was busy running in and out of the room, apparently checking something and then coming back into the hallway. She repeated this a few more times, the constant motion disrupting Kamon's attempt at peace.

Opening the door once again, Nanthana stuck her head out with a distracted look. "I think I forgot to take the laundry out."

Kamon, already getting annoyed with the back-and-forth, sighed loudly. "Mom, seriously, can you stop?" she called out, rubbing her temples. "You're confusing everyone! Every time you open the door, I keep thinking it's Thanwa coming home, and then it's just you going back and forth with the laundry. I'm getting dizzy!"

Her mother, still distracted, shot her a bemused look as she opened the door once again. "Oh, I'm just making sure the laundry's done, Kamon. You never know how long it'll take to dry in this weather." 

Kamon groaned, sinking further into the sofa. "Mom, please! You're making it worse. Just leave the laundry, and come sit down or something."

Nanthana paused for a moment, looking at Kamon as if trying to understand what the problem was. Then she shrugged and walked back into the kitchen. "Fine, fine! But I'll forget the laundry if I don't keep checking. Maybe you can help me later."

"Yeah, sure, Mom, later," Kamon muttered under her breath, not bothering to move.

Kamon sat there, listening to her mother's repetitive door-opening ritual, when finally, she heard the familiar sound of Thanwa's footsteps. Kamon perked up and rushed to the door, hoping that it was indeed him.

When the door opened, she sighed with relief. Thanwa stepped into the house, looking a little worn-out, his expression tired but calm.

"Thanwa!" Kamon greeted him with a smile, stepping aside so he could come inside. "Where have you been? I've been waiting forever!"

Thanwa grinned weakly at her but didn't reply immediately. Instead, he sat down at the table, his eyes dull with exhaustion. Kamon, sensing something was off, furrowed her brow.

"Are you okay? You still look a bit sick," she said, her voice laced with concern.

Thanwa finally sighed and shook his head. "Yeah, I don't feel so good, Kamon. I've been having a headache all day, and it's not going away."

Kamon's expression softened, her teasing mood melting away as she moved to sit beside him. "I'm sorry, Thanwa. You should rest. Do you want me to get your Mom?"

Thanwa waved his hand dismissively. "No need. I'll be fine. It's just... you know, the usual. Stress and tiredness."

Kamon frowned. "You should really take it easy. Maybe go lie down. You've been looking sick for a while now, and I didn't even notice."

Thanwa gave her a small smile. "Don't worry about me. I'll be okay. But I think I'll go rest for a bit." He yawned loudly and stood up, heading toward the bedroom.

Kamon watched him for a moment before turning toward the door. "Fine, but if you start feeling worse, you better tell your Mom, okay?"

Thanwa nodded without looking back. "Okay, Kamon. I will."

As he walked away, Kamon stood up and stretched, glancing back toward her mom, who was now sitting at the kitchen table and finally stopping the door-opening routine. 

"Okay, now that everything's settled, I'm going to get some snacks," Kamon muttered to herself, her stomach growling with hunger. She went to the kitchen to grab something, leaving Thanwa to rest quietly in the other room.

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In the evening at home, Tee started his pronunciation struggles again.

The air heavy with the warmth of the setting sun as the family settled into their respective activities. Tee, the ever-enthusiastic younger brother, had once again taken up his self-imposed challenge of mastering English pronunciation. His face was scrunched in concentration, his tongue sticking out slightly as he tried to get the words right. He had decided to practice one word in particular: repeat.

"I need to get this one right," Tee muttered to himself, glancing at the English textbook spread out in front of him. "R-E-P-E-A-T..."

Kamon, who was lounging on the sofa nearby, had been half-paying attention to Tee's constant struggles with pronunciation, but she couldn't resist the opportunity to tease him. She'd seen him trip over words countless times, and this one, she suspected, would be no different.

Tee took a deep breath and tried again, louder this time: "R-RR-REEEEPEEET!" His pronunciation was a mix between an exaggerated growl and a squawk, as if he were attempting to communicate with a very confused bird.

Kamon's eyes widened in disbelief as she tried to contain her laughter. "Tee, that was... Something," she said, her voice dripping with amusement. "But... that's not repeat. That was like a bad opera singer trying to hit high notes."

Tee's face reddened in embarrassment. "What do you mean? It's repeat, right? I'm getting it right!"

"No, no, you're not," Kamon chuckled, shaking her head. "You need to pronounce it like this—re-peat—not... whatever that was."

Tee frowned, looking at his sister with confusion. "Wait, wait, you want me to... repeat it?" His voice held a strange tone, a mix of hope and confusion, as if he had just discovered a new treasure chest of possibilities.

Kamon blinked. "I'm telling you how to pronounce it, not asking you to repeat it! Just say re-peat."

Tee's face lit up, a small grin forming. "Oh! So you want me to repeat it? Okay, I can do that!" He slapped his hands together in a mock victory. "Ready? Here it goes—R-E-P-E-A-T!"

Kamon stared at him, her mouth agape. "Tee, no! That's... that's not what I meant! I was telling you the correct pronunciation, not asking you to say it again!"

Tee gave her a look of complete confusion, as though she were the one speaking a different language. "Huh? I thought you said I need to repeat it."

"No!" Kamon groaned, rubbing her temples in frustration. "I wasn't asking you to repeat it! I was correcting how you say it! Repeat means to say something again, but you already said it wrong. I'm trying to fix it, not make you say it twice!"

Tee scratched his head, his expression only growing more baffled. "Ohhhh... So, you want me to... Say it right... once?"

"Yes! That's all!" Kamon exclaimed, trying her best to contain her laughter. "Just one time, and make it sound like the word repeat, not like you're calling a dog!"

Tee's eyes twinkled, but he still seemed unsure. "Okay, okay. Let's try this again. Ree-peat!" He said it slower this time, enunciating each syllable as if he were decoding a secret code. "I think I got it this time!"

Kamon, who had been waiting for this moment of victory, nodded with a proud smile. "That's better! You actually said it right this time. Well done!"

Tee beamed, sitting back in his chair like he had just won a gold medal in a pronunciation competition. "Ha! I knew I could do it! Thanks, Kamon! I'm finally saying it right!"

Kamon rolled her eyes playfully, but the corners of her mouth twitched upward. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. But I'm not repeating this lesson again."

With that, Kamon leaned back into the sofa, giving Tee a triumphant look. But before she could fully relax, Tee, looking overly proud of his small victory, called out: "Reeepeeeeat!

Kamon groaned loudly, rubbing her face in disbelief. "Tee..."

Tee, not catching on, simply giggled. "I'm just making sure it sticks this time!"

Kamon couldn't help but laugh at his persistence. "You're hopeless, Tee," she said with a grin, shaking her head at his antics.