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Email feedback can be sent to trager2275@gmail.com. © 2015 by Eric Trager.
*** I will likely bring this story to a close sooner or later. It's been an adventure. I may, or may not, write a new story. If any readers have suggestions of which character, or characters from this story that they would like to see take the lead roles in a new story, and how they'd like to see that please let me know! Thanks!
CHAPTER EIGHTY
Sean got off the phone and looked at Tanawat.
"C'mon, P'Pat! That was the Chief of Police. We gotta head down to the Police station..."
"Um, why?" Tanawat asked, not understanding.
"Well, it appears that Boom and Fighter got into a little jam. I really don't have any information other than that, but that's what the Chief said. He probably called me because Fighter must have mentioned my name or something. I dunno, but let's just go! I gotta text Dix to meet us!"
"What..." Tanawat stammered. "OK, let's go."
They took the Fleetwood which was still parked in the Alamo's garage. Sean swung the big old Cadillac eastbound on Milwaukee Street and floored the big turbodiesel engine.
In no time they entered the underground garage at City Hall a block down from Police headquarters. Sean had a lifetime pass to the garage due to his long service to the city. An underground passageway under the side street which few people knew about connected the parking garage with the Police station. Sean whisked Tanawat through briskly and soon they were in the building's lobby.
Sean walked up to the main desk. The officer in charge asked him to state his business. Sean replied, "We're here to see Chief Washington. I'm Sean Wyman. He's expecting us."
Just then George Dickson walked in, stiff of limb and relying on his cane. "I'm Mr. Wyman's attorney. George Dickson."
"George?" Sean said, surprised.
"Yeah, it's me... Timmy got your text, but he and Brett are up in Madison right now so he called me and asked me to get down here. What's the issue?"
"We don't know yet. It has to do with my nephew and his friend who are visiting from Thailand. The Chief called me and asked me to come down."
"Well, as long as the officer here says we're good to go, let's see what the Chief wants." George said.
The officer nodded and the three men headed to Chief Washington's office on the top floor of the building. Once in the outer office Sean introduced them to the duty officer. "I'm Sean Wyman, this is my brother Tanawat Medathanon and my Attorney, George Dickson. I believe the Chief is expecting us."
The duty officer showed them in.
"Good to see you, Sean! George! And I don't believe I've made your acquaintance," Chief Washington said to Tanawat.
"I'm Tanawat Medathanon, Sean's half-brother and Dollawee's grandfather. We're visiting from Thailand."
"Yes, the two young men said that. Well, guys, we got ourselves a couple of scared-shitless teenagers in the lock up downstairs. Don't worry, they're by themselves."
"If you don't mind me getting to the point, why are they here?" George asked.
"Not at all, George. I'll put it in a nutshell. The boys were playing soccer over at the pick-up fields. When they got ready to leave a couple other boys hassled them and went to attack Dollawee with a skateboard. Before he could get to him the little guy, Haebom, it looks like he saw it coming out of the corner of his eye and flattened the skateboard guy with a pretty smart kick to the ribs."
"I see... That's certainly unfortunate," George said. "I gather there's more?"
"Yes. The guy who'd been kicked got up, and his friend distracted Haebom. Then Haebom took a blow to the shoulder with the skateboard after which Dollawee flattened both of them, one with a kick to the chin and the other one with a body slam."
"I see, so that's the boys' story? Is there evidence?" George asked.
"That is the boys' story, and we have surveillance video of the incident."
"May we see it?" George asked.
"Thought you'd never ask... By the way, there was also an undercover officer at the facility, and he managed to get a witness statement from a third party which jives with the video and with what the boys told us."
"Where are the other two boys?" Sean asked.
"We released one of them because although he acted in a pretty sketchy way, in the end he didn't assault anyone. He was just an asshole and there isn't a law against that. The other one, the skateboard kid, is at Mercy Hospital being treated for, the way I understand it, at least one cracked or broken rib."
"Chief," Tanawat said, "George, too. I'm not sure if either one of you knows this but just so you do know, both Dollawee and Haebom have third-degree black belts in Taekwondo."
"Well, that certainly explains the kicks and the body slam," Chief Washington said. "Shall I play the surveillance tape?"
"By all means," George said.
"Follow me," Chief Washington said. "We'll watch it in the conference room."
In the conference room, Chief Washington cued the video to the correct time. "I'll start it now, gentlemen. The whole thing doesn't last thirty seconds."
The video showed exactly what they had been told it would. Sean was surprised at the warrior- like look on Haebom's face when he saw the attack on Dollawee coming. He appeared to scream a warning to Dollawee and then in a flash he was four feet off the ground delivering a full-force blow to the would-be assailant's midsection. Dollawee took notice and avoided contact. The boy with the skateboard crumpled onto the ground writhing in pain.
The video had sound, but at that distance it was only barely audible enough to hear Haebom point at the other two boys and yell, "Ba' off, madahfackahs!!!"
"He knows a little more English than I thought!" Sean said.
The other boy kept coming, appearing to mouth taunts, and the first one got back up, obviously in pain, but on his feet, nonetheless. The first boy appeared to distract Haebom while the one with the skateboard was close enough to strike him across the back of the shoulder blades with it although the strike didn't appear to be that hard.
Dollawee wheeled around, body slamming the boy with the skateboard then spinning and jumping to give the second boy a heel to the bottom of his chin.
"Chief," George said, "It would appear from what we've just seen that this is a clear-cut case of self-defense on the part of Dollawee and Haebom. Why are they being held at all?"
"After we know that, Chief, I have a question as to the identity of one of those boys," Sean interjected.
"George, we held them pending our investigation which in my view is now complete. And also since they mentioned Sean we held them for their own safety in case someone else was going to start something. But you are right, it is nothing more than self-defense. However, the parents of the boy who's in the hospital want to press charges."
"That has no bearing on why or why not you should hold those boys," George said. "Especially when you know there is nothing to charge them with."
"That's the one whose identity I'd like to know," Sean said, pointing at one of the boys on the screen...
"It says here that his name is Brandon Birkenhead."
"I see," Sean said.
"Does that name have meaning to you?" George asked.
"Yes. I expected him to be our starting quarterback this fall. I'll have to think about that, but it appears to be irrelevant to the matter immediately at hand. When can the boys be released?"
"I'd like them to talk to George first," Chief Washington said, "Look, I know they didn't break any law but in addition to what I said before, in the case where charges might be pressed against them it would be better if a thorough investigation of the matter was on record down here on our end. I believe that makes sense."
"Very well, that makes sense," George said. "If an officer could escort me to their cell, it shouldn't take me more than five minutes tops to interview them."
"Just so we're all clear here, the department doesn't feel that there's anything we can charge the second boy with as he did not assault anyone."
"Understood," George said.
"We are looking at charging the skateboard boy with assault and battery. And the other one as an accessory."
"If he is charged, could charges be dropped?" Sean asked. And who is this second boy ...."
"Charges can always be dropped. What do you have in mind? As for the second boy, as he's not under investigation and is a minor we can't release his name even though he was at the scene."
"I'll visit the one at the hospital, and if I think of anything else I'll give you a call," Sean said.
"You do what you have to do," Chief Washington said. "I'm sorry I'm constrained with respect to identifying the other boy."
"It might not seem fair, but the Chief is right," George said.
"I get it," Sean said.
George Dickson entered the cell where Haebom and Dollawee were being held. The boys' eyes were as wide and saucers as the old man with the cane.
"Boys, I'm George Dickson. I believe you've met my son Tim over at the Alamo. I'm here as your attorney."
"Are we gonna go to jail?" Haebom asked.
"Not at all. But first I want you both to tell me what happened. And don't lie. I've already seen the surveillance tape. Just let me get out my phone so I can record it."
George placed his phone on the table.
"Boys state your names for the record please, and then tell me what happened at the soccer park this afternoon. You first," George said, pointing at Haebom.
Precisely five minutes later George wound up his session with the boys.
Not two minutes after that an officer opened the cell and instructed the boys to follow him. They were taken to the lobby where Sean and Tanawat awaited them. They were free to go, and George Dickson had been informed that no arrests would be made by the police against his clients.
Sean deposited his guests back at the Alamo telling them that he had an errand to run and would be back in about an hour. Before he left, he asked Haebom and Dollawee to stand next to each other so he could snap a picture.
"Is Uncle Sean mad at us?" Dollawee asked once Sean was gone.
"No, he certainly isn't," Tanawat said. "We all watched the surveillance tape. You were attacked and you defended yourselves. The law here is very clear on that. You were in the right; the other two boys were in the wrong. That is the end of it. And you may not know this, and do not say anything, but your Uncle Sean is a powerful man. You are in no chance of trouble."
Sean walked into Mercy Hospital and at the patient information desk asked the room number of Brandon Birkenhead. At first the receptionist was reluctant to give it to him until Sean told him that he was the boy's football coach and heard that he'd been injured.
Finding the room number he was given he entered.
"Birks!" Sean said. "You look like shit!"
"Coach?" Brandon asked. "How did you know I was here?"
"Well, I got a call from the Chief of Police and he kinda told me this is where you'd be..."
"The... The, um... Chief of Police... called you..." Brandon stammered, thoroughly confused.
"Yes. Yes he did... Say, I have a question for you..."
"Um... OK..."
"Have you ever met these two boys before?" Sean then proceeded to show Brandon the photo he'd taken of Haebom and Dollawee.
Brandon went pale. He was speechless. He looked like he was about to puke.
"I asked you a question, Birks." Sean said.
"Who... I mean... Well..."
"Stop stuttering and answer me," Sean said matter-of-factly but not in a mean way.
"Y... Yeah..." Brandon said, hanging his head.
"You'd like to know who they are right about now, wouldn't you..."
Brandon nodded.
"The tall one is my nephew, Dollawee. The short one is his boyfriend, Haebom. Dollawee's great grandfather was my dad, and his grandfather is my half-brother. They're in town visiting me from Thailand. They're high school soccer players. And they're good, which is no doubt why you thought you were entitled to have a physical beef with them. They just wanted to get away from my house for a little while this afternoon to get some exercise. And this is the fucking welcome you gave them...
On the surveillance tape you called them `Chinks,' and then when you attacked them with your skateboard you got your fuckin' ass kicked. You're not even smart enough to know that they're Thai. You're a regular fucking Einstein, you are, Birks. Whadya got to say for yourself..."
"I... I... I..."
"You picked a fight with the wrong dudes, Birks. They both got black belts. You found that out the hard way. That was the chance you took, wunnit...
"Anyway, I bet you're probably wondering whether or not this is going to affect your position on the team this coming Fall. And I get that you'd wanna know where you stand on that right now, never mind that you were a complete fucking asshole and a fucktard. All I can tell you is that I wouldn't know that. It wouldn't be up to me. It'd be up to Coach Nolan, that is if it doesn't go any farther up the food chain than that which it easily could. At the end of the day that's how this shit works. And you're damn lucky you didn't hurt one of those guys. I'm not the bad guy here, Birks. I'm just lettin' ya know where the bear shits in the woods. That's the system, son."
"Am I in trouble with the cops?"
"I wouldn't know that, either. Do I look like a cop? What I just told you is all I came here for."
With that, Sean left the room and did not look back for a response from Brandon.
At dinner that night Tommy and Aaron were guests. It was a light meal of omelets filled with poached lobster meat and topped with a light Dijon mustard sauce served with a salad of bitter greens and for dessert a gelato Sean made flavored with Thai basil.
"So, anyway, guys," Tommy said to Dollawee and Haebom, "Tomorrow morning you're gonna go up to Madison with me and Aaron and Aaron's gonna show you guys around the University of Wisconsin campus."
"Really? How come..." Haebom said.
"We heard you guys were thinking of going to college in the United States," Aaron answered. "I'm a UW alumnus. Master's degree. I know a lot of people at the UW. What are you guys gonna study?"
"Electrical Engineering," Dollawee said.
"That'll work. UW-Madison is in the top fifteen or so in the country for Electrical Engineering and in the top ten for Engineering overall. If you went to school in Thailand your degree wouldn't be anywhere near as good, sorry, but it's true. You can get a Master's or a PhD if you want it, too. It's a good school, and Madison's a good town. Plus you'll have family close by. So, you gonna be ready by 8:30 tomorrow morning, right?"
"Do you think if we wanted to that we could get in?" Dollawee asked.
"Fighter," Sean said, "P'Pat told me that you guys go to one of the best private high schools in Thailand and that you are the top students in your class. English Honors. I can't see why with that, and good test scores that you wouldn't get in. In addition to that, my friend Tim's husband used to be the Governor. A perk that a Governor has even after he leaves office is to have up to six places each year for students who want to enter UW-Madison as Freshmen. With that, you are in no matter what. If you want, that is. It would all be up to you."
"We should go to the best school we can," Haebom said seriously.
"Let's see what we see tomorrow," Dollawee answered.
"Be ready guys," Tommy said. "8:30."
"Let's make it 7:30 so we can have breakfast before we get on the highway," Aaron said. "7:30 then, men!"
Haebom groaned. Dollawee gave Haebom a withering stare.
"OK, we be ready, P'Tommy, P'Aaron!" Haebom said, sticking his tongue out at Dollawee.
The next morning early the four guys stopped for breakfast at a downtown diner that Tommy owned. Tommy owned two other adjoining restaurants as well, one was fine European dining and the other an upper-mid-level Mexican restaurant where J.R. assisted Tommy in planning the menu. Tommy always knew he couldn't keep up with Aaron who was a senior engineer at T.J.'s company leading the Cyber Security Department, so he did what he liked, and that was restaurants.
And he did it with Aaron's encouragement. Aaron never wanted a clone of himself for a husband. In high school he'd fallen in love with the at-first-shy small mousy boy who sat next to him in Math class and now even well into adulthood Aaron felt the same way. In return, Tommy always stood by Aaron's side. He never needled Aaron in college about how much time away his football career and being a Heisman Trophy winning quarterback took, even on top of academics. He never asked Aaron not to turn professional after college. Aaron decided that on his own. He knew an NFL life would be hard on Tommy and that Tommy would tire of it. The fact of the matter was so would he. When Aaron did not let his name go forward for the NFL draft the entire sports journalism world gasped. More so when asked why and Aaron simply said, "Four years in the spotlight was enough."
That night at home Sean got a call from Tim.
"Hey, Wymo. We got a real live one here. It looks like the kid who's in the hospital, his parents want to press charges against Dollawee and Haebom."
"Yeah, the Chief said something like that. That's bullshit." Sean said.
"Yeah, that's what I said, too. Look, they've got an attorney. I know the guy. He's a decent lawyer. Dude called my dad and dad referred him to me. I'm handling this now. I suggested we all have a meeting tomorrow. He agreed."
"Tell me when to show up and where."
"I told the guy 9:00 straight up tomorrow morning at my office downtown. He said his clients might not be able to make it. I said that was the time and place that we're available and take it or leave it. He said they'd be there."
"You got the tape?"
"Yeah, my dad gave it to me. I've reviewed it. I'm pretty sure their attorney hasn't seen it or he wouldn't have agreed to a meeting. These people are morons if they think they got anything here. They'll be lucky if their son isn't charged with assault and battery and whatever else the DA cared to throw in on top of that if this thing went that way."
"OK, but just so ya know, Dollawee and Haebom are gonna be out of town tomorrow. They're goin' up to Madison with Tommy and Aaron to check out the UW campus and stuff."
"No shit? They're gonna go to Madison?"
"If they want to... They know that it's head and shoulders above any university in Thailand, and they've both got the academic stones for Madison. They're looking at Electrical Engineering."
"Shit. That's a tough major."
"They're quite the team, those two. They can do it."
"By the way, Wymo, bring your brother with you tomorrow. That boy's parents will be there so the best thing we'll have is grandpa. Pat would be an asset if he was there."
"Is the kid gonna be there, too?"
"Don't know. Don't care. But I wouldn't think so. He'll be at home nursing his rib."
"Just so ya know, Dix, that kid is, or was, depending on how this goes gonna be my starting quarterback this next season. He's really good, and we're gonna have a real strong shot at the State Championship again. That said, the kid's gotta own up to what he did. I'd rather take the kid's temperature than that of his parents. I went to the hospital and saw him. He's scared."
"Good. Let him be that way."
"Well, he did wrong. I'd be willing to forgive him if he did the right thing, but it ain't up to me if he does that or not. It's up to him. And at his age certainly not his parents. What about Noles? Should I ask Noles to come? I mean, he is the head coach and he'll have to know about this..."
"No, I don't think you should bring him. That might look like ganging up, and then there's the chance that bringing football into this mess will just create a sideshow. But you certainly should have him over to the Alamo the sooner the better and look at the video. He's the head coach so he has to know. And then he's gonna have a decision to make."
The meeting at the Dickson law office the next day was contentious.
Brandon's parents demanded to know where Dollawee and Haebom were.
Despite their attorney's admonition, they made the demand again.
Both Sean and Tanawat look at Tim and shrugged.
"The whereabouts of Haebom and Dollawee are not germane here," Tim said. "It appears that your son isn't here either, so it would probably be the most productive thing to do if we got down to the business at hand, no?"
"Well! We expected..." Brandon's mother stammered.
"Here's the deal," Tim said, cutting her off, "We're just going to cut to the chase and watch the surveillance video of the whole thing."
"WHAT?!?" Brandon's mother exclaimed. "What are you talking about? My son was in the hospital! And you want us to watch a movie?!? And who are YOU anyway?" she said pointing at Tanawat and Sean. "And why is Coach Wyman here?!?"
"We are all aware of where your son is, madam." Tim said. "And as you will soon see, that is also not germane. As to these gentlemen, this is Tanawat Medathanon. He is the grandfather of one of the other two boys, he's their chaperone while they are here in the United States, and he's Mr. Wyman's half-brother. You already know Coach Wyman. He is their host, and that is why he is here."
"Where did you..." Brandon's mother bellowed.
At that moment, the Birkenhead's attorney silenced her.
"Attorney Dickson says he has a surveillance tape. Let's watch it and then comment. Is the tape ready, Tim?"
"It is. I'll dim the lights and flip it on."
As the tape revealed the goings on of the afternoon in question, the Birkenheads sat in silence other than when Mrs. Birkenhead audibly gasped when her son took a kick.
Tim got up and flipped the lights on.
"Well," Tim said, "where do we go from here? The tape appears to be unambiguous I would say... Self-defense. All day long."
"We're pressing charges!" Mrs. Birkenhead said. "Did you SEE what they did to our boy!"
"Madam," Tim said, "it's not for me to give you legal advice. You have an attorney. But I feel comfortable warning you that if we go to court there will be a zero chance that your case would prevail. There's a very good chance it would be thrown out on its face. And even if it weren't, my clients have a strong countersuit. Now, I understand that your son would probably be the starting quarterback at Craig this next year, and I am certainly not here to bring up next year's football season, but the WIAA rules on this sort of thing are absolutely clear. And even then, that is supposing if nothing came of this legally that his coach would still let him play. You are no doubt also aware that Mr. Wyman here is his quarterback coach, and that is a subordinate coaching position. Do you suppose that a subordinate coach can ethically keep his knowledge of a matter like this from his boss, the head coach? I should think that you already know the answer to that question..."
"Do you really have to let Coach Nolan know about this?" Mr. Birkenhead asked Sean.
"I'd have preferred it if football hadn't been brought up at all as that's not why we're here," Sean said, giving Tim a wink. "Butcha gotta look at it this way: not only is Coach Nolan my boss, but I've known him since we were kids at Tremper High. We played football together. He's my superior on the coaching staff. I answer to him. If I didn't let him know, and he later finds out that I'd known all along, then I'd like you to tell me what you would say to him if the shoe were on the other foot. He'd never trust me again and rightly so. Of course I have to let him know. It's not even a question. Haven't got a choice. That's how it goes..."
"WHAT?!?" Mrs. Birkenhead shrieked.
"You heard me, Madam. I was speaking English and I didn't stutter." Sean replied, deadpan.
"Well, I think that should about wrap it up here, right, Tim?" The Birkenheads' attorney said.
"Yes. As far as I can see. Unless there's something else?" Tim replied.
No one said a word, although Mrs. Birkenhead looked as if she was about to spit bullets.
"Sean, Tanawat, why don't you hang back for a minute or two. There's a different matter I'd like to go over."
Sean and Tanawat shrugged.
All three of them could hear Mrs. Birkenhead screaming all the way to the elevator.
"A remarkable woman!" Tanawat said as a classically British insult.
"I feel sorry for her husband," Sean said.
"And Brandon if you think about it," Tim said. "I mean, that poor kid's gotta put up with THAT kinda bullshit? It's no wonder he's got a short fuse!"
"I guess you got a point, Dix," Sean said. "I still hafta let Noles know."
"Yes. Yes you do. And as far as Brandon Birkenhead goes, there's nothing a guilty man hates more than uncertainty. He has no idea if he's in trouble or not, or if he'll play football or not, nuthin'. I guarantee you this is eating away at that kid right now. At any rate you might want to tell Noles today rather than tomorrow."
"Yeah, that's a good idea," Sean said. "I'll ask Noles to meet me at the Country Club. Why don't both of you guys come with me."
Two hours later, Jim Nolan pulled into the Janesville Country Club on Sean's invitation for lunch.
Sean requested a private room with a lunch platter to be served.
Upon arrival, Jim told the receptionist that he was there to meet Sean Wyman.
"Certainly, sir," she replied. "Just go to the top of the stairs and let the hostess know. She'll direct you."
Upon entering the private room, Sean stood up and gave Jim a hug. "Noles, I gotta introduce you to a guy here. This is Tanawat Medathanon. He's my half-brother from Thailand."
"Yeah, I'd heard you had a half-brother. I think Dowls told me. So, nice to meetcha, Wymo's bro!"
"You as well," Tanawat replied.
"Anyway, Noles, we got a situation here. See..." Sean proceeded to fill Jim in on the matter and have him watch the video on his cell phone.
"Fuck!" Jim said. "I mean, WIAA rules say..."
"I know what they say, Noles, but what do you say?"
"What I think is that I'm not gonna go visit Birks in the hospital. That would look like either I was sympathetic, or that I was trying to use my position to make him do what I wanted him to do. To make things right. He has to wanna do that on his own. Can you find out when he is to be discharged?"
"I can get you that information," Tim said. "It normally wouldn't be given out but, in this instance as I understand it, there is an ongoing police investigation and a possibility that my clients might have to defend a lawsuit. Anyway, because the cops have an ongoing investigation, the cops will know when Brandon will be discharged. And Chief Washington will tell me because I have to prepare for the possibility of litigation, and if it's litigated, I'll need to know for the purposes of my own investigation. Besides, the hospital won't grant me access to him. And there's no reason for me to want access anyway. All I need is to have the appearance that I might want access. Remember what Ginny always said: `It's not how much power you have. It's how much power other people think you have.'"
"God, I haven't really thought of Ginny in a while," Sean said. "I feel bad about that. None of us would be anywhere near where we are now if it hadn't been for her. Jesus, there will never be another Ginny..."
"Who's Ginny?" Tanawat asked.
"How much time do you have?" Tim laughed.
"No shit, Dix," Sean said. "Hey, why don't you and Brett come over for drinks tonight? And you and Danny, too, Noles!"
"Twist my arm." Jim said.
SIX MONTHS LATER
Sean, Brad, Tommy and Aaron landed at Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi* airport in a private jet chartered by Sean.
Their plane taxied to a special area just off the terminal. Mobile steps were brought to the plane, and their luggage was removed and taken into the ground level of the terminal. Upon debarking the plane, they were met by Tanawat and a shorter, much younger gentleman wearing a uniform.
Tanawat introduced the uniformed man as Royal Thai Police Captain Haneul Teepakorn adding that he was Haebom's eldest brother, and that he would be at dinner that night.
Captain Teepakorn saw them all through a special Thai customs area in short order and escorted them to the concourse level of the terminal. He then saluted them, adding that regulations required that he do that. After that he smiled and shook hands with everyone. He reminded Sean a lot of Haebom, only more mature. His English was good. Almost fluent, and not terribly thickly accented. Sean deemed it to be better than Haebom's English, but not as good as Dollawee's.
At dinner that evening the company was Dollawee, Haebom and their families. Sean was floored at how much Haebom took after the rest of this family. They were all talkative and appeared to be strong-willed. The middle brother, Taesung, was the quietest one out of the three boys although when he listened to someone he did so intently. Haneul appeared still in his Royal Thai Police uniform as in his position he was on call at all times, day or night.
Haebom's father took the time to thank Sean, through Tanawat's interpretation, for having the legal case against the boys in Wisconsin never brought.
Sean replied that he hadn't done a thing, but that the credit went to Tim who as a competent attorney saw to it that the case was never brought. He added that the Birkenheads were warned by Tim that they didn't have a case and that it was a waste of time, reminding the Birkenheads that courts do not like having their time wasted with frivolous lawsuits and if need be their son could easily be counter-sued.
What Sean didn't add was that he'd had a visit from Brandon Birkenhead at the Alamo. Brandon came on his own to ask if there was anything that could be done to salvage his chances of playing football in the fall.
FLASHBACK - BRANDON BIRKENHEAD APPEARS UNANNOUNCED AT THE ALAMO. SEAN ANSWERS DOOR.
"Coach! Um..."
"Um what?!?" Sean asked. "Whadya doin' here, Birks?"
"Um..."
"Um squared, hey? Is that what it is? Look, Birks, if ya have something to say just fucking say it. I'll listen..."
"I hafta ask those guys to forgive me. I know I might not get to play in the fall, but I'll prolly never see those guys again so..."
"So what?"
"I wanna say I'm sorry... I was an asshole..."
"That's true. You were. Welp, lemme go get `em and see if they feel like talking to you. If they do, you can speak your piece."
Two minutes later Sean returned with Dollawee and Haebom.
Haebom looked at Brandon and put his fists up.
"Wha' you wan', madahfackah!" Haebom said, eyes sharp. "Kick your ass!"
Brandon recoiled in fear.
Dollawee motioned Haebom to calm down.
"He must want something, or he wouldn't be here. Let's hear what he has to say," Dollawee said. "Well, what DO you want?" Dollawee asked. "And why isn't your friend here with you?"
"Um..."
"Go get your friend and come back. Then we will listen to you."
Sean smiled at his nephew's clear headedness.
Brandon said nothing and left as fast as he could.
Twenty minutes later Brad was back with another boy in tow and rang the front bell at the Alamo.
Sean looked at the door monitor, seeing Brandon and another boy who this time he did recognize. And Sean was crestfallen. The other boy was Maxwell Merriman, the football team's star tight end.
"Fuck!" Sean cursed under his breath.
Sean answered the door. "OK, so this is the both of ya, huh?" Sean asked, sounding a bit perturbed.
"Um, yeah..." Brandon said.
"Merri, what the fuck, man..." Sean said. "Not one, but TWO of the best players on the team with this shit? You two fucking geniuses make me wanna fucking puke. Follow me."
Sean took them into the dining room and motioned them to sit down at the table side-by side. He went to the patio bringing Dollawee and Haebom back with him, seating them opposite the other two boys.
"Alright, men. I'm giving you fifteen minutes to sort this fucking shit out. Mr. Birkenhead, Mr. Merriman, the outcome of the conversation between the four of you will have a serious – and I mean very serious – impact on next year's football team. Do both of you understand, or should I draw a diagram... The fact that you showed up here today, Mr. Merriman, is something that I am duty bound as a Coach to report to Coach Nolan in case you're thinking of pulling any bullshit. You let that sink in, OK? I'll bring you guys some water. Now start talking."
Sean returned with four bottles of water and some napkins.
"Get to it, gentlemen," Sean said.
Sean placed telephone calls to both Jim Nolan and Mark Braden telling them to show up at the Alamo pronto. Once there, Sean seated them at the bar and told them to help themselves to beer if they wanted it. He also threw them a couple of jock straps. "You guys know the rules... And you've already seen the video clip..."
Fifteen minutes was up.
Sean entered the dining room to a very unexpected scene. All four boys were laughing and talking over each other.
"What in the name of God is going on here?" Sean demanded.
"We're good," Dollawee said. "They told us their story and apologized. We accepted their apology. We're fine... I mean, we'll probably never see them again anyway, so..."
"Really..." Sean said, pursing his lips. "Boom, talk to me!"
"It's OK, Uncle Sean. You said sort it out. We did. I'd kick their asses again anyway..."
With that all four boys dissolved in laughter.
"I hope we see you again," Maxwell said.
"You can talk about that later. For now, I want all four of you to follow me."
The boys dutifully followed Sean into the bar.
Dollawee and Haebom knew what to do, shucked their clothes and got into jock straps.
"You have to wear jocks in here and nothing else," Dollawee told Brandon and Maxwell. "Hurry up!"
Brandon and Maxwell seemed a bit weirded out but complied.
"Gentlemen!" Sean said from behind the bar. "Pull up a barstool. Boom, Fighter, these two other old guys are Jim Nolan who's the head coach of our football team and Mark Braden who is the offensive line coach. I work with them as the backfield coach."
Dollawee and Haebom both nodded and said hello.
Looking at the four boys Sean said, "Do any of you young men have a clue as to why Coach Nolan and Coach Braden might be here?"
"No..." Haebom said looking at Dollawee who shrugged.
"OK, then. So what about you two..." Sean said, pointing at Brandon and Maxwell. "Well? Any clue?"
"Yes," both boys said.
"I'm gonna cut to the chase here," Jim Nolan said. "Coach Braden and I have seen the video of what this is all about, so we can dispense with the bullshit here. WHAT IN THE FUCK WERE YOU GUYS THINKING?!?" Jim bellowed at Brandon and Maxwell. "WELL?!?"
Dollawee spoke up. "Is it OK if I say something?"
"Make it quick," Jim said.
"OK. Brandon and Maxwell told us they were put up to it. I think they should tell you about it when Boom and I aren't around. We forgave them. We don't want them prosecuted. They apologized and we accepted their apology. Boom and I want to leave it at that."
"That's it?!?" Mark Braden said. "Look, when I was younger, I paid a big price for something stupid that I did. I spent a year in jail for it. And you guys think this is just OK?!?"
Haebom spoke up. "Fighter and me, we're going to go outside for five minutes and then we'll come back. You guys tell your coaches what you have to say. Then they can decide. This is taking too long," he said pursing his lips seriously.
After Dollawee and Haebom left the room Sean said, "Spill it and do it quick. This shit's been going on long enough. And if you two have any hope at all of saving your asses to play this season you better fuckin' do it now... And this better be good."
Maxwell looked at Brandon.
Brandon began. "OK, in a nutshell we were blackmailed into it because a couple other guys caught me giving Max a blowjob."
"WHAT?!?" Jim Nolan screamed bringing his fist down on the bar. "What the fuck are you telling me? How come you didn't tell those guys to fuck off... I mean, this is fucking ridiculous... A fucking blow job... Finish your fucking story..."
"Well, they were pissed because Boom and Fighter kicked their asses at soccer and they said if we didn't do something to them they had a video clip of the blowjob and they'd post it everywhere. They spied on us. I know there's a video of what we did but you have to believe me that we hardly touched them. I only barely touched him even with the skateboard. I was only trying to make it look good. I didn't wanna hurt anyone."
"And you, Merriman, you ran off like a Goddamn fucking chicken shit. If I was your friend I'd be pretty pissed," Mark Braden said. "And Birkenhead, you got your ass kicked. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes."
"I think we'd like to know who's blackmailing you," Sean said. "Actually, never mind. You tell me where you were when it happened and about what time of day it was, and I can probably figure it out for myself. When I do, I'll handle it. Now then, what do you think we are to do with you two?"
Coaches Nolan and Braden only stared at the two boys after Sean said that.
"What are you gonna do to them? I mean the guys with the video..." Maxwell asked.
"I said I'd fuckin' handle it. Besides, you're in no position to be asking questions here... And you haven't answered my question: what are we to do with you two?"
"We just wanna play next year," Brandon said.
"I'm sure you do..." Sean answered. "Let's see what Boom and Fighter think about that... You OK with that Noles?"
"I am," Jim answered. "They're all men in all but name. If they had a problem and if they made it right between themselves then who are we to say? Let's see what the deal is."
Dollawee and Haebom said that as far as they were concerned the matter was settled and that if they wanted to play they didn't care.
"They our friends now," Haebom said. "We're gonna play football, I mean soccer, with them before we go back to Thailand. Maybe we can teach them something."
All four boys laughed.
"Birks, I have to ask you this so don't think I'm being a dick," Sean said. "What about your mom? She's a real piece of work."
"Yeah, she is, Coach..." Brandon replied. "I told her I wasn't gonna have anything to do with suing anyone. She threw a fit. Then she got in a fight with my dad. Dad told her that if she didn't drop it he was gonna divorce her because he was sick of hearing about it. Even their lawyer told them there was no chance to win. She hasn't said anything about it since then."
"You better have told Coach Wyman the truth there, son," Jim Nolan said. "Because if you made that up and we have to put up with shit from your mom later on, well, it's tough to say how that would have to be handled. If you get my drift..."
"Dix has the legal file already," Sean said to Jim. "And the surveillance tape."
"Good," Jim answered. "So Whadya got to say, Mr. Birkenhead? Is what you just told us the truth?"
"Yes, Coach."
"And we're not gonna have any bullshit out of you, Mr. Merriman?"
"No, sir..."
"Well, I guess that about wraps it up. Coach Wyman? Coach Braden?"
"I'm good," Sean said.
"Yup," Mark Braden agreed.
"Alright, you assholes, get the fuck out of here!" Jim Nolan said. "We have coach shit to talk about."
The three coaches decided to allow Brandon and Maxwell to play in the upcoming season. They reasoned that the four young men had settled their differences in a mature way and that to beat a dead horse was in no one's interest.
A few days later, with the help of Great Lakes Security, Sean found out who the two instigators were. As he suspected they were other teammates of Brandon and Maxwell. Sean called them into his office at Craig High School. He put the fear of God into them and let them know that they were damn lucky nothing had come of it, but if they so much as twitched there would be hell to pay, and that went for Brandon and Maxwell, too by extension. He made them surrender their phones so he could erase the video. He said if the video saw the light of day he would personally see to it that they would be prosecuted as adults for possession and delivery of child pornography and put in jail.
END FLASHBACK
Dinner arrived at Tanawat's, brought in the same tuk tuk as on Sean's first visit. There was much more food this time, and when arranged on the table was of a beautiful preparation such as Sean had never seen.
"This is Royal Thai Cuisine," Tanawat told Sean. "In two minutes or less our guest of honor will arrive and then we can all be seated."
Just then, Sean heard the sound of a siren drawing closer.
"I have to open the front gate,' Tanawat said.
Not a minute later, six motorcycles with lights flashing riding outrigger for a Mercedes-Benz S- Class sedan bearing a flag flying from the top edge of the windshield wheeled into the drive.
Once at a stop, the driver got out, going to the passenger side of the car and opening the back door. Out stepped a medium-sized man appearing to be in his thirties, and a woman of the same age. The man was dressed as the rest of the party at Tanawat's house were; casually in jeans and an Oxford shirt. No tie. The woman was dressed similarly other than wearing a blouse.
Sean could see Tanawat standing on the front porch. As the couple drew near, Tanawat made a wai and bowed from the neck.
The man shook Tanawat's hand. The woman extended her hand and Tanawat kissed it.
"Holy Shit!" Sean thought. "That can't be..."
Sean noticed the others stand up, so he motioned Brad and the boys to do likewise.
Tanawat led his guest into the house.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Tanawat said. "Their Majesties King Rama XII and Queen Achara."
Tanawat escorted the King and Queen toward Sean and Brad. Sean elbowed Brad as they drew closer. Both Sean and Brad made wais and bowed from the neck.
The King appeared to be about 5'10" tall with a slim but athletic build, so maybe about 150 pounds. His hair was jet black, and styled as if he were a run-of-the-mill businessman. He wore horn-rimmed glasses. Sean thought his bearing was that of authority and that he carried himself as a man who would have been noticed in any room. The Queen was the requisite step behind her husband but seemed to take no notice of it and herself looked, while friendly, also formidable.
"Your Majesties," Tanawat said, "Allow me to introduce my brother, Sean Wyman, and his husband, Bradley Fletcher."
The King reached his hand out to Sean, and the Queen likewise to Brad.
"Your Majesties," both of them said as they shook hands.
"It's my pleasure," the King said in a British accent almost exactly like Tanawat's. "I would not have missed the chance to meet Uncle's brother. I wouldn't be who I am without Uncle."
The King and Queen sat at opposite heads of the table as the guests of honor. Along with the food, two waiters from Dollawee's father's restaurant were on hand to provide service.
Sean marveled at the food. While the taste was familiar Thai, the presentation was almost as if it was artwork and not meant to be eaten. Brad was seated next to the King on his left and seemed to be engaging the King in a lively conversation even making the King laugh.
During dinner, the Queen said to Sean, "My husband and I hope you can pay us a visit tomorrow at the Dusit Palace for lunch. I'm not sure if you know how much respect and honor my husband has for your brother. He's told me many times that he considers your brother like a father to him. You see, my husband's father was an ill and mentally feeble man. And his grandfather was a wicked man. My husband feels that if it weren't for your brother, he would not have been able to make a good start to his reign and to be a good King. My husband is a man in a hurry to make the changes needed to drag this country into the top table of countries. He calls the years of his father and grandfather on the throne `The Wasted Years.'"
"We accept your invitation, Your Majesty," Sean told the Queen. "I can tell you that my brother holds His Majesty in high esteem as well."
"When my husband became King, he enlarged the number of Privy Council members by exactly one and appointed your brother to fill that position. He also made your brother the President of the Privy Council. The news media went wild. `Never before had a mere palace functionary been appointed to the Council, never mind as President,' they said. They didn't know that your brother is actually a Na Chiangmai and carries noble blood. Or that he had been my husband's mentor, as I said almost a father to him really. Yes, we know of your brother's hard childhood. Anyway, my husband dismissed the entire rest of the Council and appointed those whom he and your brother chose together who had the same viewpoint as my husband, namely men and women in a hurry. Your brother is still the President of the Privy Council. And while I am named as Regent in case a Regency should be necessary, your brother would then become my personal private secretary. In other words, the person who really runs the palace. My husband always said that, if he could, he'd make your brother his Prime Minister. But your brother has no interest in electoral politics, alas."
"He never told me any of that," Sean said somewhat surprised. "When I was looking for him after my dad died, my investigators didn't say anything about any of that, either.
"Your brother is not a flashy person. It would be just like him not to mention it," the Queen replied. "But your investigators knew, and he asked them not to mention it to you until you could get to know each other."
"I see," Sean said. "Well, I'm a private guy, too, so that must run in the family. By the way, and forgive me for asking, but do you and the King have any children?"
"Not of our own, no. We have an adopted son who is eight years old. His name is Suradet. He can't be in the line of succession, but the King and I won't have our own children for another five or ten years or so. We decided on that so as not to leave the throne to an excessively old heir. But this way, our own kids can have an older brother to help guide them. We adopted him from an orphanage up country. He's a delightful boy, no trouble at all. He can't be a Prince, but once he is of age he will have the rank of Phraya which would be like an English Duke."
"That is very kind of you to help an orphan boy. Will I meet Suradet tomorrow?"
"Unfortunately, he'll be in school then but we promised him he would get to meet `Uncle's brother' before you leave. He goes to school at Assumption College which is where Uncle's grandson goes. He's in the primary section. We wanted him to be normally educated, not stuck inside the palace with tutors all by himself. We let him go to his friends' homes, and he has his friends to visit, too. We're raising him as a normal boy, or as normal as we can. He takes the bus to school and back just like any other kid. We think that sort of thing is good for a child. We want him to know the people, and we will be doing the same thing with our own kids when the time comes."
"Well, I have four sons," Sean said. They kept me busy, that's for sure. And one of mine is adopted, too. His name is T.J."
"He's the engineer, isn't he..." the Queen said.
"Yes, he is. You know my family well, don't you ma'am..."
"Well, you know how it is, P'Sean. My husband and I have to rely on our own research. One cannot always trust other sources no matter how well meaning. My husband served in the Royal Thai Navy for a little while and so he's interested to make sure we can protect ourselves, and if need be, defend our long coastline against a capable enemy. He knows of your son's work for the Royal Navy and the US Navy and thinks highly of it. My husband doesn't trust some other countries to help us in this area and thinks that western engineering would be best for us if we can get it. We're still not a fabulously wealthy country, but we're not poor either, and he would like his Admirals to see what we might be able to afford. He also thinks it would further our scientific and technical abilities."
"You are a very good negotiator, Your Majesty," Sean smiled. "Of course I will have a talk with my son when I return home."
"Of course. And if he has interest, my husband will extend him an invitation to visit here at the Palace with our people. We understand he has a family, and they would be welcome, too. We would have a guest house for them complete with a concierge and staff as well as seeing to his transportation here and back."
"Speaking of the Palace, you've invited us there tomorrow. What should we wear?"
"Nothing fancy. Uncle has your clothing ready. He gave his tailor photos of you and Bradley, and your measurements were taken on a computer. It's just standard slacks, and a jacket. High collar shirt, no tie. Wear whatever shoes you have that match the slacks and are comfortable. You will be given indoor slippers when you arrive."
"I can't get over your hospitality," Sean said.
"It's our pleasure. We've so been looking forward to meeting you and Bradley. We really have."
In the meantime, Tommy had a long conversation with Dollawee's father who said he was interested in opening a chain of American restaurants up and down Thailand. American restaurants existed, but mostly they were just kitschy 1950s-style burger joints with questionable American food, and he wanted something simple and affordable, but also different. Something that could offer both eat-in and carry-out as carry-out was popular in Thailand where most homes still did not have a fully equipped kitchen.
He knew Tommy owned some restaurants and wanted his ideas.
At length, Aaron spoke up.
"Sir, I have an idea. How about tomorrow morning we meet you at one of your restaurants before you open and Tommy can cook you up a few authentic American dishes that would be simple for a staff to make and to present?"
"Chai! Co(b)p coon crap!"** Dollawee's father said. (Yes! Thank you!)
"We'll visit a grocery store before we come," Tommy said. "I'll get the ingredients that I need. I'll do three dishes: a simple breakfast dish, a sandwich, and a small dinner plate."
The evening proved to be a great success.
The next day at 11:00 in the morning a newer, sleek, black Toyota limousine entered the gates at Tanawat's house.
"Our ride's here!" Tanawat called out. "You guys ready?"
"We are," Sean said. "These clothes are a little different than what the Queen told me that they'd be..."
"It's traditional Thai court dress," Tanawat said. "Look at me, I'm wearing the same thing. Don't worry about it..."
Once inside the Dusit Palace grounds, the limousine stopped in front of the Phra Thinang Anantasamakhom, the throne hall of the Palace. The party was met by two Royal Thai Navy sailors of Midshipman rank in dress uniforms who saluted the guests as they exited the limousine.
A third sailor of Lieutenant rank guided the party down a long corridor inside the hall, stopping at a pair of immense teak doors probably ten feet wide and more than that in height.
"These doors lead to the throne room," Tanawat advised Sean and Brad.
Presently, the doors opened and the party was ushered in.
A court page called out in Thai and in English, "Now come the President of His Majesty's Privy Council, Mister Sean Wyman, and Mister Bradley Fletcher!"
"You may approach," the King said.
The three men approached the throne, stopping when Tanawat stopped, and bowed from the neck to the King while making wais. The King nodded individually to all three men in turn, produced a large paper, and read from it in English.
"Greeting.
"Be it known to all that it is my will and pleasure to hereby grant the citizenship of The Kingdom of Thailand unto Mister Sean Branson Wyman and unto Mister Bradley Joe Fletcher, both of Wisconsin in the United States of America, and to cause Passports of the Kingdom of Thailand reflecting same to be presented.
"Together with all of the rights, privileges, and protections said citizenship entails.
"Given this 18th day of April in the year 2595*** and in the sixth year of Our reign at The Dusit Palace, Bangkok.
It is so ordered."
When the King ended, small scrolls bearing the King's words, along with Thai passports were handed to both Sean and Brad.
Then the King produced another sheet of paper and read in English again.
"Greeting.
"Be it known to all that it is my will and pleasure to hereby confer upon Mister Sean Branson Wyman and unto Mister Bradley Joe Fletcher, both of Wisconsin in the United States of America, the honor of Knight Commander of the Most Noble Order of the Crown of Thailand.
"Together with all of the rights and privileges said honor entails.
"Given this 18th day of April in the year 2595*** and in the sixth year of Our reign at The Dusit Palace, Bangkok.
It is so ordered."
A wooden box was presented to both Sean and Brad containing the medal and ribbon of the order. At the time, neither one of them knew that this particular honor was seldom conferred upon foreigners, and almost never in the Knight Commander grade which was only two less than the highest grade of Knight Grand Cordon. In terms of Thai honors, it was the equivalent of the British Royal Victorian Order.
"Congratulations, gentlemen. Now, if I could invite you to join Her Majesty The Queen and I in our private dining room for lunch we would be honored."
With that, the King again nodded at each man separately, stood, descended from the throne and into a passageway to the left.
"I'm not sure I understand," Brad said. "I mean the citizenship and passport part I get, and that's a surprise for sure, but what was the rest of it?"
"The Knighthood is an honor that is in the gift of the Sovereign," Tanawat said. "In other words, it is given at the King's discretion only. And it is limited in membership. Your particular honor is higher than mid-grade, in fact it is sixteenth in the order of precedence of all Thai honors. That is about as high as a foreigner who isn't a King or a Queen or a President or a Prime Minister is going to get. The King told me of his decision to give the honor as a special mark of his respect to me and to our family. I certainly had no expectation of it, of the King granting you an honor, much less a Knighthood. In case you are interested, I hold the same Knighthood but at the rank of Knight Grand Cordon which is ninth in precedence. I also hold a higher honor which is fifth in precedence, but that is not important now. What is important is that His Majesty just paid you guys a major level of respect. You have the same honor that Duean has. You will be meeting Duean tomorrow. We're heading for Chiang Mai."
"I didn't know we were going there, but I'm glad. I'd like to meet my nephew. And, you should know that last night the Queen had a few words for me of the respect that the King has for you," Sean said. "And you never told us how high you are, either! Mister President of the Privy Council! I thought you were just the guy who picked where the King was gonna go to school... You even told me you wre retired!"
"I am retired. Presiding over the Privy Council takes only a few hours a month, not even ten. There is no salary. Sometimes the King will use me as a sounding board. That's all. But just like you, Nong Sean, I'm a private person. And just like you, I work behind the scenes."
"Touché," Sean said.
"I'll be sure to thank the King," Brad said.
At lunch both Sean and Brad thanked the King for their knighthoods, Sean being seated next to the King this time.
"I hope you're enjoying the meal, Uncle Sean," the King said.
A little taken aback, Sean replied, "It's delicious, Your Majesty. Say, there's something I hope you don't mind me asking about..."
The King said nothing, raised his hand, and beckoned Sean to ask his question.
"Well, P'Pat told me that when you first came to the throne Thailand had a military government and that you dismissed them, called an election and got the country back to having an elected government. If you'll pardon my French, that took..."
"Balls," the King said, laughing.
Sean, laughing as well, said, "Yes, sir. Balls. Anyway, what gave you the push to do that? What if it had gone wrong?"
"Uncle gave me the push to do it. Or more accurately, he gave the courage to follow my instincts. I told him I'd been thinking about it and asked what his thoughts were. He told me it was a crap shoot. My arguments for were that the country was seething under the dictatorship, that corruption was hurting the economy and our standing in the world, and that I was a new King meaning my personal capital was high. The argument against was that if it didn't work the dictatorship might write a new constitution stripping me of my reserve powers and dig in.
"I didn't want that.
"Uncle asked me if I had faith in the instincts of the Thai people. My answer was that it was my duty to have faith in them. Not least because I am one of them and their King. Because of my grandfather and father the Crown had fallen into grave disrepute. Now, to an American this might seem strange, with the Crown being hereditary and therefore not democratic, but you see it is my job to see to it that my people are governed according to their respective laws and customs. I told Uncle that I took that seriously.
"Uncle then said that he felt I would come to the right decision.
"So I thought about it. You do know, don't you, that in this part of the world Thailand is the only country that was never colonized. Our people have their own traditions. Oh, sure, way back when we had to give up some territory to the French which is part of what is now Laos, but Thailand remained a free country. And you also should know that while other countries in the area have had periods of totalitarian Socialism or Communism, that never happened here. I guess it hasn't ever had an attraction for our people. At least that's the conclusion I draw. After all, there is no sense to over-complicate these things."
"I didn't know any of that," Sean said.
"So, I made my decision to trust the people. And I knew the people were not happy under what was an illegitimate government. I also had a couple of cards to play. After I dismissed the military dictatorship, I confidentially told the military Prime Minister that if I even so much as suspected any hanky-panky in the election, I would say so and side with the people in the streets. That this was too important. I further told him that if his government tried to curtail my reserve powers, I would withhold royal assent on the grounds that he had no legitimate mandate from the people to do so. And I reminded him that his cabal had taken power under some self-given mandate to restore order and stability and that they had done nothing but to make things worse. I told him it was obvious that the people had had enough, and that my advice from the best constitutional scholars was that it was within my authority to dismiss his government and call a general election. He could take his case to the country and see if the people had the same faith in him that I had in the people's verdict at an election.
"I did thank him for his service and told him that in the event of a new government I would advise them as strongly as I just advised him that the country had to move forward and there would be no wasting time on settling old scores. That would not be part of the deal."
"From what P'Pat told me," Sean said, "you kept your word on that."
"I persuaded the new Prime Minister to my way of thinking on the matter, let's put it that way," the King said.
"Man, that took balls..." Sean said.
"Trust me, I had second thoughts," the King said, "Lots of them. And some sleepless nights, but Uncle was right. I think luck played some part in it, but if I had it to do all over again, I'd do the same thing. Uncle never told me to pull the trigger, but he has a way of putting things where you know what he's thinking. Just a nod of his head, or the arch of an eyebrow and it's pretty clear..."
"He doesn't act like that around me," Sean said.
"Of course not. You are his brother. He knew of you for a long time, but when he finally got to meet you, it made him so happy. I said you don't look anything alike. He said no, even thoughyou are all western and he is a half-blood, now he has a brother."
"Well, I see some of our dad's traits in both of us. It's too bad that P'Pat never got to meet him... Dad would have been proud of him. I didn't know about P'Pat until dad's will was read."
"Yes, he told me that right after you flew to Bangkok the first time. He was mightily impressed with you. I remember him telling me, 'My brother is more than I expected.'"
"I felt at home right off the bat with P'Pat," Sean said. "I haven't met his son Duean yet, but I have met Duean's son Dollawee and he is a fine young man."
"Yes, he is. I understand he may want to go to university in the United States."
"It looks that way. And I'll be right there for him all the way. I won't even be an hour away by car. And I'll be there for his friend Haebom, too. It seems like they're a package deal..."
"Ah, yes, Boom... Both fine young men. I hope once they complete their studies, they might be able to help your son in establishing a good business here. Our country needs that kind of investment, and that kind of young people."
"I will convey your encouragement to my son, Sir." Sean replied. "But any business decision like that would have to be cleared by his Board of Directors. I may be of some assistance in the process as I am the Chairman of the Board. After that, no doubt, there will be some government agency out there either here or in the United States who sees it as their function to be an impediment."
"Yes..." The King said. "Perhaps we could discuss opening a separate company here in Thailand. With you, or someone you choose, as the Chairman I should think."
"I would like P'Pat to be on the board if that's how it's gonna go," Sean said. "At some point in the future, as you said, I would like to see Dollawee and Haebom be part of it. After they finish their studies."
"Perhaps it would be best not to have Uncle on the Board," the King said. "I want to keep him as my Privy Council President and there can't be even a hint of a conflict of interest. Perhaps his son, Na Chiangmai, would be a good fit. He is an astute businessman. There is another thing too, though, and that is I should prefer any facilities not to be located in Bangkok. We need to disperse our high-tech industries better throughout the rest of the country. There is still a large income and wealth gap between Bangkok and a lot of the other areas."
"I'll ask P'Pat to arrange a tour of some interior cities in, say, the next six months for T.J. and myself," Sean said. "That way we'll have at least some idea."
"Excellent!" the King replied.
"I find, Sir, that deals made at the highest level sometimes go more smoothly," Sean said. "My son will do all that he can. Provided of course that our due diligence tells us it would be in our interests and that the Board gives its assent."
"You will understand that I can take no part in any actual deal," the King cannily said. "I can, however, bring people together and offer some advice, if asked, for whatever it might be worth. For now I will not make any mention of it to my Prime Minister as it is premature. And also for now your best contact, and your son's best contact, is your brother as he is not part of my government, but he can keep me advised in private. It is my right to advise my government and when I do I like to be sure of my facts. Politicians have to be mindful of which way the wind is blowing. Prime Ministers will come and go, but as Sovereign I can afford to play the long game."
"Of course," Sean replied.
"Very well, then!" the King said.
The next day Sean, Brad, Tanawat, Tommy, and Aaron set off from Royal Thai Air Force Base Don Muang just north of Bangkok bound for Chiang Mai. Tanawat elected not to make use of a Royal Thai Air Force VIP transport as he could have done. He didn't want the publicity. Instead, he hired a private jet, a British Aerospace BAE Lightning, which was a medium size regional jet aircraft assembled in Thailand with engines and major components supplied from and preassembled in the UK by the British parent company.
Tanawat told Sean the story of getting British Aerospace to locate in Thailand for sales to the south Asian market. "We can't make airplanes by ourselves," Tanawat said. "I know you spoke at length with His Majesty over some delicate potential business matters. The King is very interested in attracting high-value-added business to Thailand. He wants us to be a rich country like Japan, or Korea, not a middle-income backwater like Mexico or India. I hope he's successful in getting his governments to make that opportunity consistent over the long haul. He'll have a long reign, you know, and he'll have to deal with many different governments that in the end are who the people choose. He's so much different than the last two Kings..."
Landing at Chiang Mai International, it reminded Sean of any medium-size airport in the United States, much like Milwaukee Mitchell. It was certainly no O'Hare or Heathrow. But the terminals appeared new and clean. They deplaned in a special area and awaiting them was, to Sean's complete shock, a 1976 Cadillac Fleetwood 75**** limousine finished in navy blue. The car appeared to be pristine.
"Whose idea was this?" Sean laughed.
"Nong Sean, Duean, like you, has a sizable automobile collection. He knew that you'd get a kick out of it."
"He loves it," Brad deadpanned. "Sean, when we get there I'll disappear for a while and you can talk business with Duean."
"How old is Duean again?" Sean asked.
"He's 40," Tanawat answered.
"So just a few years older than the King."
"Yes. Duean has a good relationship with His Majesty, he always has. They play golf together a few times a year, and they have the same instincts about how to move the country forward. At the same time I guess you could say that I wished to continue the influence of my family so I did cultivate the friendship between His Majesty and Duean. I don't see anything wrong with that. Thais can be clannish and slow to move from what they know, but there are those of us who see the need for a continuing reformist movement. To move away from people like the King's grandfather, or mine. We have to do it now. Nobody lives forever, Nong."
"You're putting me in the grave, bro!" Sean teased.
"Only the good die young," Brad quipped.
A while after their arrival at Duean's home which was very large home, and in an ultra-modern style of steel and glass a bit beyond the outskirts of Chiang Mai, and in territory that began to get very hilly, Duean asked Sean if he'd like to take a walk to see some of the gardens.
Duean was of the same height and build as his father, but any vestige of Tanawat's half- European heritage was not apparent. He had wavy jet-black hair cut in a youthful style and parted in the middle. He did not wear glasses. His eyes were like cat's eyes, and his lips and smile were full. While Duean had a direct, fun, and playful demeanor one could easily see that behind that demeanor was a quick and talented mind. He reminded Sean a bit of his son Scott.
Duean suggested they take a walk from the gardens up one of the hilly trails on his estate to a waterfall.
"I hope you're enjoying this, Uncle Sean," Duean said in a British accent not unlike his father's. "Dad is so happy that you're here. I'm hoping that before you go you and I can have a business talk."
Suddenly Sean felt lightheaded and faint.
"Duean," Sean said as he reached out, "I don't feel well. I need the hand of a friend right now..."
Duean turned back to look at his uncle and didn't like what he saw.
He seated Sean on a nearby bench, pulled out his phone and dialed the emergency number 191. "We're on the hiking trail just before the waterfall! My wife can show you where to go. You will have to send an ATV!"
END CHAPTER 80.
*Suvarnabhumi: the main international airport of Bangkok. Pronounced "soo-WANNA- p(h)oom."
** In Thai, "Chai" is yes. "Co(b)p coon crap" is thank you if said by a male. If said by a female, it's "Co(b)p coon ca." The oo in "coon" rhymes with the oo in "book."
*** Thailand uses the Buddhist calendar for official documents. The Buddhist calendar adds 543 years to the current year.
**** 1976 Cadillac Fleetwood 75. https://content.invisioncic.com/r277599/monthly_2018_10/cad_67_3.jpg.55821070ef5bbeb2a d8308fbc84d76d8.jpg
For a fun video on a 1958 Cadillac Fleetwood Sixty Special, click the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLrrflZeOkY