Date: Sun, 10 Apr 2022 14:38:16 -0500
From: trager2275@gmail.com
Subject: It Is what It Is: Chapter 78

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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 soon. 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 SEVENTY-EIGHT



Over the next weeks Brad had his work cut out for him, steadying
his normally unflappable husband in the wake of the death of his
father.

True to form Brad did not flag or fail. A few times Sean fell
off the wagon by drowning his sorrows, but rather than
overreact, Brad stood by Sean's side. Just as he said he would
at the cemetery. Brad's steadfastness was rewarded as he
observed that Sean hadn't gone off the deep end nearly as much
as he had when Andy died and he had not withdrawn into himself.

Joe's funeral was held in a packed Saint John Vianney in
Janesville and presided over by the visibly aging Cardinal
Archbishop Taylor. The eulogy was delivered by J.R.

Taking the podium, J.R. adjusted the microphone and spoke
without notes.

"Good morning. For those of you who don't know me, I'm John
Richard Wyman. My brother Sean, who I'm pretty sure a lot of you
know of far more than me, and I drew straws to see who would
deliver dad's eulogy and it fell to me.

"I am honored. Honored to be able to call Joseph Wyman my dad.

"You see, unlike Sean I am not Joe's blood son. I was born Juan
Ricardo Rodriguez. I am Joe Wyman's adopted son.

"I came from a broken home. My mother was murdered on the front
yard of the rundown house we lived in. Right in front of me. My
father beat me and abandoned me at the age of fifteen when I
didn't care to continue to support his life of crime anymore.

"By a miracle, my future brother Sean saw me and rescued me when
I got lost after walking for hours in the middle of a horrible
thunderstorm. I'd passed out in a gully behind their house. I
was bruised, hurt, hungry, cold, and wet.

"I had nothing to my name but the tattered, crummy clothes on my
back. No money, no home, no food, no family, and nowhere to go.

"But Lady Luck smiled on me that day when I needed her the most.
I've said this many times to you, brother Sean, but you always
have been and always will be my hero."

"Dad took me into his home and treated me as if I'd always been
there. He didn't have to do that, and one would have understood
if he might have decided not to.

"You see, dad had just moved to Janesville to take on one of the
biggest jobs in this town for maybe the last hundred years. To
get the old GM plant up and running again, and to make a success
of it when GM had really wanted to shut it down for good.

"Dad accomplished that goal.

"Handily.

"Arriving in Janesville, dad had with him my brother Sean, and
his ward Andy Churchill whose memory I shall always cherish
across the veil of time, Sean being seventeen and Andy sixteen.

"They lived in a two-bedroom condo while their home was being
made ready and didn't really have extra room for me.

"And most people in Dad's position probably would have said that
they didn't have the time for me, either.

"Why would he have wanted the trouble of a 15-year-old boy like
me of whom he knew nothing?

"After all, who was I to him?

"But he took me in anyway...

"After a little while, dad filed a petition to adopt me. This
kind, big-hearted man accepted me into his family as if I were
truly his own son.

"I told him that all I wanted was a chance, just one chance, to
have a normal life like everyone else. To prove myself by my own
worth. I felt that if I went into `the system' my chances would
be slim and none.

"And not only was I welcomed into the Wyman family, but dad
taught me so many things I never would have known...

"He taught me the value of an education, and he saw to it that I
got one.

"He taught me how to be a businessman.

"He taught me how to conduct myself as a gentleman.

"He taught me how to be a good husband to my good wife,
Kathleen, and a good father to my seven children, who like any
grandfather he spoiled rotten.

"And just for good measure, I got two big brothers who loved me
and protected me.

"I got that one chance that I longed for so much.

"And then some.

"Everything that I am today I owe to dad and to dad's generous
humanity. I would be nothing without the chance he gave me, and
the guidance he gave me.

"Right here and now I offer my humble thanks to God that Joseph
Patrick Wyman came into my life and became my dad.

"I only hope I didn't let him down...

"Thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything you did
for all of us, dad. Your entire family already misses your
wisdom and council. And we will try our best to live up to the
standards you set for us by your example.

"There went a great man.

"I commend his soul to God."

After the funeral, Joe Wyman's body was transported to Kenosha
and buried with full military honors in the same grave as Sean's
mother, Valerie. The addition of Joe's name to the headstone had
already been done, adding to Valerie's name to read "Joseph
Patrick Wyman, Beloved Husband and Father, 1962-2046."

Sean had to content himself that 84 years was a good old age his
father lived to. He also hadn't known until then that his father
was six years older than his mother.

Still listless, a few days later Sean took Brad with him for a
rare visit to see George Dickson, now 85 years old. It was for
the reading of the will which did nothing for Sean's spirits.

Prior to the meeting, Sean told George that they could meet him
at his house if that was more convenient, the same home on
Winnebago Drive that the Dicksons had lived in for as long as
Sean could remember. George wouldn't hear of it, chuckling that
it would do him good to make an appearance downtown at the
office, and that besides, he didn't want to lose the file in a
mistake of, as George put it, `geritosis.'

Still able to drive, George Dickson made his way to the old
Hayes Block building in his Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz coupe
finished in Nocturne Blue Iridescent with a roofline reminiscent
of the early 1960's GM bubbletops. George made it a point to
purchase a new Cadillac every year.

Walking stiffly with his cane, old George Dickson made his way
through the lobby of the Hayes Block and took the elevator to
the top floor. Greeting the receptionist, he asked if she might
bring him a carafe of strong black coffee as well as three mugs,
and some bottled water and biscotti for two clients who were
soon to arrive. He unlocked his office door, to which he hadn't
been in at least a year, pulled a not-too-thick file from an old
fashioned Pendaflex-style metal filing cabinet with roll-out
drawers, and sat down.

After a few minutes, Sean and Brad were shown in.

"God, it's good to see you two!" George said, rising from his
chair on his cane and extending his hand. "I can only wish it
were under different circumstances..."

"Yes. Good to see you, too, George," Sean replied.

George opened the folder and withdrew a document. "If you care
for coffee, water, or biscotti they're over there," George
pointed with his cane to a sideboard. "There's cream and sugar
if you want."

"I'll get myself a coffee," Brad said. "Sean?"

Sean said he'd like a black coffee and a biscotti.

Back in their seats, George began.

"This is your father's will, Sean. It was done many years ago.
Shortly after you guys moved to town, in fact."

"He never updated it?" Sean asked, somewhat surprised.

"There really wasn't any need to update the will as the will
itself is simple and straightforward. We built in contingencies
for any surviving heirs. Basically, the will divides your
father's estate into equal fifths after marital property going
to Marigold is factored out and which would not have been part
of the estate in any event.

"The marital property is one Miami Beach condo together with its
furnishings, two cars, two bank accounts, and three investment
accounts."

"Who are the heirs?" Sean asked. "I can only think of three.
Marigold, J.R., and me..."

"Yes..." George said, fondling his wattles. "It would have been
five heirs as I said. Let me outline it here for you... One of
the contingencies was that if your father remarried, which he
did, his wife would be an heir equal and together with the
others. Therefore, the heirs are as follows: Marigold is an heir
by virtue of having married your father. You are named as an
heir. J.R. is named as an heir. Andy is named as an heir but
since he predeceased your father he's eliminated, and the fifth
that would have gone to him is divided equally among the
surviving heirs. So, the four surviving heirs are Marigold, you,
J.R., and the last-named heir is Patrick Joseph Wyman."

"WHO?!?" Sean asked, obviously surprised and clueless. "George,
I've never heard of any such person..."

"Patrick Joseph..." George started to answer, being cut off by
Sean.

"I heard the name the first time, George... I'm so sorry... I
didn't mean to cut you off, but like I said, I've never heard of
any Patrick Joseph Wyman. Who is he?"

"More specifically, his name is Pariwat Na Chiangmai, also known
as Patrick Joseph Wyman."

"Pari-WHAT?!?" Sean asked, not knowing what to think. "What the
hell kind of a name is THAT?!? And who the hell is he?"

"It's a Thai name, Sean. He's a citizen of Thailand. He's your
half-brother," George answered.

"This isn't a joke then..." Brad said, somewhat rhetorically.

"Wait one... Are you telling me this is the first you've heard of
this person, Sean?" George asked, completely puzzled.

"This is really the truth? I really have a half-brother?" Sean
said quizzically.

"I'm afraid it looks that way," George replied. "I'm sorry Sean.
I never would have thought that you didn't know you had a half-
brother. It never crossed my mind to ask your dad if you knew."

"I didn't know," Sean said. "That is, until now... Do we know
anything about him? I mean, this is really fucking weird..."

Sean still couldn't half believe it.

"I have some information that your father gave me. It's scant. I
wrote it down on a card here in the folder. Let's see... Here it
is!

"OK, according to this, he was born in 1991 in Bangkok.
Apparently, your dad had a fling with a Thai girl when he was
stationed in Thailand at the Consulate in the city of Chiang
Mai. That was long before he met your mother. It appears that
Pariwat was the result. The girl was from a very old and wealthy
family of Thai former royalty, the Na Chiangmai family. Your dad
said they ruled the vassal kingdom of Chiang Mai in the north of
Thailand until the 1930's. Hence the `Na Chiangmai' name.
Apparently in Thailand `Na' signifies a noble or formerly royal
name pretty much the same way `von' does in Germany.

"Anyway, your dad said the pregnancy caused a major scandal in
the Na Chiangmai family. The family considered it a loss of
face, and face is important in Thailand. The girl's family
exiled her to Bangkok for good where such things weren't noticed
so much back in those days, and they kept her living an upper-
class lifestyle. Or at least that's what your dad was told. She
was forbidden to have any contact with your dad. As it turned
out, before the boy was born your dad was shipped out of
Thailand to Saudi Arabia in preparation for the Gulf War. The
family sent a goon around before your dad left for Saudi to let
him know that any return to Thailand could result in him leaving
in a coffin. Your dad never met the boy, his son"

"Then how do we even know if he exists?"

"The only thing your dad had was a copy of the boy's birth
certificate. And it is an original copy bearing a Thai
government stamp.  He gave it to me, and I have it here in the
file. I'll retain the original and I'll give you a copy before
you leave.

"It appears that, in spite of her family, the girl was decent
enough to let your dad know that he had a son and to prove it by
means of the birth certificate. Maybe she figured one day things
might work out... Who knows? At any rate your dad gave me this
birth certificate and believed he had a son in Thailand. What
your dad told me, and the fact that there is a birth certificate
both indicate to me that this isn't something we can ignore."

"OK, well, I'm gonna get Great Lakes to take a look at this and
we'll see if this guy's real or not."

"Of course, this Thailand thing will result in some undetermined
delay in settling your father's estate over what it would have
been if we didn't have to contend with it," George advised. "But
it's unavoidable given the circumstances. It's just one of those
things."

"Well, J.R. and I certainly don't need the money. And if
Marigold needs anything in the meantime, then I'll pay for it,"
Sean said. "She's still at the Alamo. Hasn't gone back to
Florida yet, so I'll let her know what's going on. But about
this Pari-whatever guy, if he's in the will then as you say we
can't ignore it."

"No, we can't. And there is a legally sufficient attempt to find
him that we are required to make and to show the probate court
before the estate can be settled. Anyway, I guess that'd be
about it for now, guys," George said. "Say, Peg and I aren't
getting any younger. How about next Wednesday you guys come over
for some burgers on the grill. Peg still makes `em as good as
always. And she'd love to see you."

"I'd like that, George," Sean smiled.

"Me, too," Brad said, noting one of the few smiles from Sean
he'd seen since Joe's death.

"Please invite Tim and Brett, too..." Sean added.

The next morning Sean, Brad, and Marigold left the Alamo for
breakfast at the Country Club. Sean called in advance to see if
they couldn't have a Full English Breakfast prepared for three
people. Of course they obliged, and at least Marigold got a
taste of home.

"Marigold," Sean began, "Do you have any plans? I know it's
still early days, but I just would like to know what your
thinking is..."

"Well, Sean, I never liked Florida as much as your dad did. He
loved everything about it. To me it was only where we lived. If
you want me to cut through the shite, I'd say that if you were
to let me come back to the Alamo and if you'd rent me the
apartment over the garage that's where I'd be happy. That house
is where I raised the last of my boys."

"Of course we'd do that! And no rent! We'll take you up there
later and you can tell us how you want it to look. We'll make it
so. And... I have a portrait of King William to hang for you. We
all miss you."

"You're too kind. And I do miss my boys..."

"The twins and T.J. are here in town. T.J.'s between here and
Boston actually, and Scott's still in Washington, DC. They miss
you, too..."

"Good! I'll come back. I'll see about putting the condo on the
market tomorrow then," Marigold said. "Of course, I'll have to
go back to Florida to list it and to pack. Sean, I want you to
know that for the past few years your dad hadn't been in really
robust health. I suggested that he might tell you about his
health, but he didn't want to worry you. He thought you'd been
through enough. And although I didn't agree with not telling
you, it wasn't my place to interfere. Your father knew you were
happy now, and he was content to leave it that way.

"And Bradley, Joe said many times what a debt of gratitude he
owed to you. He kicked himself a lot for not noticing Sean's
problems after Andy passed. Felt as a father that he'd let his
own son down terribly. And he said you probably saved Sean's
life. That you let him live again. He'd have wanted you to know
that."

"Anyway, he'd had some heart problems, the doctors installed a
stent, and he did the best he could. He felt well until the end.
He even played a round of golf the day before the heart attack.
I know I might not always have the best bedside manner, but I
did love your father, he was a good husband to me, and we were
happy together. I am truly sorry that you lost him. He was
always so proud of you and John. And not to open an old wound
any more than I already have, but he missed Andy, too."

"Marigold, this is kind of a weird question, but did my dad ever
mention that I had a half-brother? It seems that I might... In
Thailand," Sean said as he wondered to himself whatever could
have made him think of a Thai song to sing at Andy's grave in
anguish over his father's death when he, it seemed, might have a
half-Thai half-brother.

Of whom he knew nothing.

"Really now! No, he never mentioned anything like that to me,
Sean. He told me of your mother, though. Quite a few times. I
think your mother and I might have been great friends from what
he said. But of a half-brother to you? In Thailand? No. No, he
never mentioned anything of the sort. I'd certainly remember
something like that!"

"Marigold," Brad said. "Why don't you sell the condo furnished?
The apartment upstairs is empty now. And like Sean said, we'll
make it how you want it. You and I can sit together after we get
back to the Alamo and then we can take a walk through the
apartment. We'll figure out how you want it decorated. I'll make
sure it's set up the way you want it to be by the time you come
back."

"And just how many quid is THAT gonna bloody cost, Bradley?!?"

"Let me and Sean worry about that. You just tell us how you want
it."

"That's too much..." Marigold said.

"It's the least we can do for you," Sean said. "And we'll be
glad to have you back, too."

Marigold instructed Brad as to what she would like for
decorating and furnishing. Brad was amused. The furniture would
be the typically overstuffed middle-class British taste of
perhaps a 1930's or 1940's era. The kind of furniture that would
be comfortable on a crisp fall, or a cold winter day. With large
floral patterns. And she wanted chintz drapes. And not paint on
the walls, but wallpaper. Brad mentally rolled his eyes.

She told Brad he could have a free hand in the kitchen, but
"Nothing fancy mind you, Bradley, or I'll have your bollocks for
earrings!"

Brad already knew what he was going to do. He would give her
what he knew she wanted for a kitchen but wouldn't ask for. She
would get an authentic English kitchen with an authentic AGA
stove and a chrome Dualit toaster and Dualit tea kettle. If she
carped at Brad about the cost, he would just chuckle, play dumb,
and tell her it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.

Brad was the lone family member that never had any sort of fear
of Mrs. Cheadle. He found her amusing with her quirky British
ways. He knew that her bark was bigger than her bite. And he
knew that she knew that he knew that, or why would she have told
him to do the kitchen for her and not given him any input? She'd
get what she wanted without asking, and then she'd pretend to
complain about it.

Brad just shook his head and laughed to himself.

Sean had already put Great Lakes Security on the case of finding
his supposed half-brother. They told Sean that a couple of
names, and a birth certificate which appeared legitimate but
hadn't been authenticated by Great Lakes weren't much at all to
go on, and that their contact base in Thailand was nonexistent.
They thought that one of their contacts in the State Department
might be able to assist through the American Embassy in Bangkok
but didn't hold out much hope of having anything happen quickly.

Sean was told that a quick-and-dirty Google search turned up no
one by either of those names.

When Sean got home, he did some googling himself and came up
with a tidbit.

He simply googled "P Na Chiangmai." A few names appeared on the
screen and most of the hits weren't name related, appearing to
be on the order of `garbage in, garbage out.'. On the third page
of the search, he saw a hit for "Pat Na Chiangmai."

"Pat," Sean thought. "Hmmmmm...."

Sean hit the link. It didn't seem to be of much use. It appeared
from what little Sean could decipher from all the abbreviations
that there maybe was some reference to a school or a college,
but Sean couldn't really tell anything useful. The rest of the
short entry was one sentence, or what looked to be one sentence
all written in Thai which Sean couldn't read. He didn't feel
like fiddling around with an online translator. He checked to
see if there were any similar links but by the time he got to
the eighth page of the search he hadn't seen anything else that
looked useful. He sent the one link he had to Great Lakes.

After all, he was paying them to handle the matter.

Just short of two months later Great Lakes contacted Sean
letting him know that they had a hit they were pretty sure was
the right guy. An employee at the United States Embassy in
Bangkok called in a favor from the Central Civil Registration
Office of the Royal Thai Government.

The man fit the profile. At 55 years of age, he was six years
and a couple months older than Sean and the birth date matched
that of the birth certificate. He had type Joe's type AB blood
which matched the birth certificate as well. There was a court
record of his name having been changed in 2009 to Tanawat
Medathanon.

His drivers license photograph showed a handsome man clearly of
mixed Asian and European heritage with the bridge of his nose
set higher than normal for an Asian, and cheekbones set a bit
lower and a bit more prominent. His eyes were just a bit round
for an Asian and seemed to lack a bit of the skin flap common to
Asian eyes. In addition, his hair was not the straight jet black
that one might have expected but rather a slightly wavy dusty
ash brown. He was listed as being 183 centimeters in height, or
just about six feet, and weighing 72 kilograms, just shy of 160
pounds.

To Sean, the man-in-the-photograph's nose and jawline reminded
him of his dad's.

According to the current record, the man was unmarried and lived
in the older Dusit district of Bangkok, in the vicinity of the
Grand Palace and the Dusit Palace, the seats of the Thai Royal
family.

Other information indicated that the man had a son 34 years of
age who lived in the city of Chiang Mai. The name of the son was
listed as Duean Na Chiangmai. That the son carried the Na
Chiangmai surname was important as it seemed to cement that
Tanawat Medathanon was their man.

"OK," Sean told his contact at Great Lakes. "So, I guess I'll
have to go to Bangkok to settle this. I'm not about to have a
meeting here with a total stranger. So, how do we set up a
meeting with this guy? I mean, he doesn't know me from dirt. Why
would he even want to meet with me?"

"We included that in the favor we called in. Our U.S. Embassy
contact has agreed to make initial contact with Mr. Medathanon
if you authorize it. If Medathanon is receptive, we suggest just
laying the cards on the table and saying straight up that the
request for a meeting concerns your dad's death and Mr.
Medathanon's possible inheritance. No point in trying to make a
garden variety legal matter into something fancy..."

"Fine, and if he's agreeable to meet he's probably gonna be
smart enough to know that our attorney will want a DNA test.
It's hardly any hair off his ass or mine to give samples, and we
can know in a day or two if we're blood half-brothers or not. I
do think he should be told right up front that a DNA test will
be required, though"

"When you go to Bangkok we'd suggest not traveling alone."

"Already thought about that. I'll take J.R. with me because he's
also an heir. I'll offer to take Marigold, but I doubt she'd
wanna go. She hates hot weather. And I'll take Tim Dickson as my
attorney. George is too old for a trip like that."

"That sounds wise. Where would you want to hold the initial
meeting?"

"How the hell would I know? I don't know shit about Bangkok... I
couldn't even find it on a fucking map... I guess we'll book into
a hotel that has meeting facilities. I mean, I dunno... One night
in Bangkok* and the world's your oyster, hey?"

"We can ask our Embassy person if they might have any
suggestions."

"Good. Do that."

"Very well."

"If this pans out and the Meda-whoever-he-is guy agrees to meet,
just let him know that I can be there in two weeks but not less.
I'll need to make arrangements. And so will everyone else."

"That's fine. We'll be in touch once we've made contact."

"Sounds good."


THREE WEEKS LATER


Sean, J.R., and Tim set out from O'Hare Field in Chicago aboard
a Japan Airlines flight to Tokyo and a connecting JAL flight
thence to Bangkok.

The flights were booked on routes flying the Boeing 847 Mach 2.2
supersonic liner capable of carrying 400 passengers at a cost a
fraction of that of earlier supersonic aircraft. This was due to
a quantum breakthrough in engine design jointly researched and
brought into production by General Electric in the United States
and Rolls Royce in Britain. The new engines were cornering the
market. The 847s were graceful planes, resembling in looks a
cleaner more aerodynamic version of the old U.S. Air Force B-1
Bombers.**

Sean booked their accommodations at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel
in the center of Bangkok which consisted of a relatively small
European-style 1876 building flanked by a modern tower. Sean
rented all of the suites in the original 1876 building. He made
sure that the hotel would keep all of the employees working
during their stay and added a large tip for them to his deposit.

In addition to Sean, J.R., and Tim there was also a Great Lakes
bodyguard and a medical technician who could collect DNA samples
and have a result on the spot. There would be no few days' time
waiting for test results as Sean had earlier thought.

Prior to the trip, Tim asked Tanawat Medathanon through a letter
to bring with him his drivers license and, as had been
represented to Great Lakes Security, an original copy of the
birth certificate stating that his father was Joseph Patrick
Wyman, and the original court documents concerning his name
change. Tim also stated the requirement for a DNA test.

Tanawat replied that he had those items, and in addition
consented to the DNA test.

As a needle, when Tanawat's reply to Tim inquired as to the size
of his possible inheritance, Tim, looking out for his old
friend's interests and as the estate's attorney replied in
writing that, "Any such information shall be made known to you
in writing, or in person to be followed by a written memorial,
but only once heirship has been established. Such information
shall be made known to you only by me, or by my father George
Dickson, as attorneys for the estate of Joseph Wyman."

Once at the hotel in Bangkok, an Embassy employee came by to
give Sean, J.R, and Tim a basic crash course in Thai manners.

She taught them that when they meet with Tanawat for the first
time, they should wait for him as the visitor to give the Wai,
the Thai greeting of pressing the palms of the hands together,
fingers pointing up and brought near the face while slightly
bowing the head. She said that they needn't pay attention to
what he said, but that they should Wai back and say,
phonetically, "Sa-Wah-dee Crap" in that context meaning roughly
"Hello, Sir."

The meeting was scheduled for Noon the following day. Sean
ordered from the kitchen a typical Thai light luncheon that
would be appropriate for a business meeting as well as making
sure that the bar would be available. They were reminded that
Thais have a relatively elastic sense of time compared with the
expected punctuality of westerners, so Noon could be anytime
between Noon and an hour or so later and that they should not
take offense at that.

"Oh, he'll be on time alright," Sean said. "I'd lay a grand on
it. He answered Dix's letter right quick..."

"I will be here a half hour in advance, and I'll wait outside
should you need me as an interpreter," the Embassy employee
said. "I'll be in the lobby. If you find that you won't need me,
just let me know so I can head back to my office."

"Sure thing," Tim said.

The next morning, Sean, J.R. and Tim appeared in the meeting
room. Tim dressed in a standard black business suit with a
starched white shirt and a rust-colored tie setting off his
auburn hair and hazel eyes. J.R. wore dark gray chinos, a white
open-necked oxford shirt and a light gray sport coat. Sean, true
to his fashion sense, had on a plain white cotton kimono shirt
with an overlapping V neckline and medium length sleeves, and
plain black cotton pants. The shirt was not tucked in. For
shoes, he donned without socks his long-worn Allen Edmonds penny
loafers that he'd had since high school.

Tim and J.R. sported their usual businessman's hair style while
Sean kept his shoulder-length hair, and prior to leaving
Janesville had it highlighted, and a soft wave added to it. For
a middle-aged man, Sean still looked young. He probably could
have passed for 35, if not younger.

And he was in for a surprise.

At precisely 12:00 Noon they were informed that a Mr. Tanawat
Medathanon checked in at the hotel lobby and was being escorted
to the meeting room.

Sean felt a brief attack of nerves but shrugged it off.

"Ready, Dix?" Sean asked.

"Let's git `er done, Bud," Tim answered.

"J.R.?"

"Let's roll."

A knock at the door was followed by a Hotel Captain announcing,
"Mr. Tanawat Medathanon is here to see you, gentlemen."

"Show him in, please," Tim said.

In strode what Sean thought must be the most beautiful man he'd
ever seen.

Easily about an inch taller than his drivers license stated,
with a slim yet well-proportioned build not unlike Brad's, wavy
hair without a trace of gray, sharp upward tilted eyebrows set
off by round tortoise-shell colored metal-framed glasses and, as
Sean saw in the drivers license photo, a clear resemblance to
Joe Wyman's nose and jawline.

Like Sean, he too could have passed for being 35 years old.

The man approached the table at which the other three were
seated. He spoke perfect English, albeit with a British accent.
It sounded to Sean to be the "Received Pronunciation" accent
common in middle-class-and-above London and the southeast of
England. He misplaced not a word in sentence order, nor even
slightly hesitated as he spoke.

"Thank you for inviting me to meet you today, gentlemen. I'm
Tanawat Medathanon." He then made the obligatory Wai.

Sean rose. "Sa-wah-dee Crap" Sean said, making the Wai in
return. "Sean Wyman."

Tanawat extended his hand to Sean. Sean shook it. The man had a
firm handshake.

"Shall we get straight to it, then?" Tim asked. "I'm sorry, Mr.
Medathanon, I failed to introduce myself. I'm Tim Dickson, one
of the attorneys for the estate of Joseph Wyman." Tim then made
a perfect Wai, stood up, and extended his hand to Tanawat.

"Yes, counselor, we've had some correspondence," Tanawat said,
shaking Tim's hand. "Here's an envelope containing everything
you asked me for. And a little more. Should I have a seat?"

"Certainly," Tim replied. "And thank you for bringing the
materials that I requested. If you don't mind, I'd like to
review them and then we can move on."

"By all means," Tanawat smiled. His smile lit up his face, but
it bore more than a little bit of Sean's smirk. And his bearing
bore more than a little bit of Sean's square-shouldered
confidence.

Tim took the large Manila envelope and carefully opened it.

He withdrew two official-looking documents, and a photograph.

"There's one more thing in the envelope, Counselor," Tanawat
said.

Tim peered into the envelope and took out what appeared to me a
military dog tag.

Tim set it aside.

"Yes, this appears to be the original birth certificate. It
appears to be in order," Tim said, handing the certificate to
Sean. Sean looked it over, handed it to J.R. who perused it and
returned it to Tim.

"And this one appears to be the court order for the name
change." Tim passed that document around as well.

"I don't understand this photograph, though," Tim said to
Tanawat. "Can you tell me what it is?"

"Yes. The two people in the photograph are my mother, and Joseph
Wyman."

"Very well," Tim said. "Sean, why don't you take a look at
this..."

Sean took the photo. He only needed a split second. "That's my
dad, Dix. No doubt about it."

"And this dog tag. What is the significance of it?"

"Did you read it?" Tanawat asked.

Tim looked at it. It bore the name Wyman, J.P., AB+ signifying
blood type, a serial number, USMC signifying the Marine Corps, M
signifying male, and it listed the religion as simply Christian.

"Here you go, Sean," Tim said, handing over the dog tag.

"How did you happen to come into possession of this?" Tim asked
Tanawat.

"My mum gave it to me when I was about twelve years old. She
said my father left it with her and told her to give it to me
when she thought I would be old enough to understand. She said
my father gave it to her because he was threatened by my
grandfather never to return to Thailand and told that he'd never
see his son. I've kept it in a safe at my house all these
years."

"I see..." Tim said. "Right! Sean, J.R., do you consider what
you've seen enough for you to be comfortable going ahead with
the DNA test?"

"Yes. I do," Sean answered.

"Agreed," J.R. nodded.

Tim motioned to the technician to get set up for the test.

"Gentlemen," the technician said to Sean and Tanawat, "I'm going
to give you each two swabs. Grasp only the plastic stick part.
Do NOT touch the cotton on the end. Swipe around the inside of
your mouth and gums for at least five seconds for each swab.
Place both swabs together into the glass test tubes then don't
touch anything. While you're doing that, I'll get the machine
ready. The whole thing shouldn't take but ten or fifteen
minutes."

Sean and Tanawat did as bidden. The technician took the test
tubes and placed them into cylinders, one cylinder on either
side of the machine.

"Ten, fifteen minutes gentlemen!"

"I'm gonna go have a smoke..." Sean said.

"Mind if I join you?" Tanawat asked.

"Not at all. J.R., you coming?"

"Nah. I'll just stay here..."

Outside, Sean took out a pack of Camel straights and offered one
up to Tanawat who nodded and took it while producing an old-
fashioned Zippo lighter offering Sean a light.

"Thanks," Sean said. "So, um, whadya think?"

"What do I think about what?" Tanawat asked, again with a smirk.

"Well, like, what if we're brothers? Or half-brothers? Or
whatever?"

"Let's just wait and see. You know, Sean, this came as a
surprise to me. I mean, I knew that I had a father, after all
everyone does. And I knew what my mother told me. Now, here in
Thailand I'm what is called a `half-blood' or `half-child.' Not
fully Asian. Anyone can see that by looking at me. And my
grandfather branded me as a bastard. But I never expected a
visit from an American attorney or a DNA test... It's something
that I long put out of my mind."

"Sorry," Sean said.

"Don't be. Your attorney has to do his job. I like him. You seem
to know him well."

"He's my best friend. We go way back."

"Yes," Tanawat replied, not revealing that he knew a little bit
more about Sean and about Joe than he was willing to let on.

Once finished with their cigarettes, Sean said, "Shall we?"

Tanawat nodded and they went back in.

One back in the meeting room, Tim informed them that the
technician was not quite done yet.

The time required wasn't in the processing of the samples, but
rather in the processing of the amount of data in human DNA
which was due to the scaled-down nature of the portable testing
station.

Presently, the technician returned. He plugged his tablet into a
large video monitor so everyone could see.

"I have the results, gentlemen. I'll put them up on the screen
here so everyone can see. Before I do that I'll just cut right
to the chase. Mr. Wyman, Mr. Medathanon, by the results of my
analysis it is beyond doubt that you two men are related in the
Y-chromosome. In plain English, you have the same father but
different mothers. The test result would stand up in an American
court of law. Mr. Medathanon, Joseph Wyman was your father."

Sean and Tanawat stared at each other with wide eyes. The room
was silent.

J.R. was the first one to speak. "So, where do we go from here?"

"I'll need three hard copies of your results," Tim told the
technician. "And I have an affidavit prepared here wherein you
testify to those results. The affidavit is prepared in
triplicate as well. One copy for the probate court, one for my
records on behalf of the estate, and one for Tanawat. Tanawat
gets copies only in the case where Thai authorities might
require them. I'll need your signature on all three and I'll
notarize.

"Tanawat, when we get back to the United States, I'll update the
file and then at that point the paperwork will be ready for
submission to the probate court. I'll get you copies of
everything in writing, and I'll send them to you here by UPS to
your address, or to your business address if you prefer. In
either case a delivery signature will be required. I also have a
letter here that requires your signature as an heir. The letter
consents to me and my father, George Dickson, who is also an
attorney at my firm acting as executors for the estate of Joseph
Wyman."

Tanawat didn't answer. His chin and lips were trembling.

Sean rose from his chair and excused himself from the room.

A few minutes later Tanawat exited the room as well. He figured
Sean went outside to have a smoke. He was right.

Tanawat saw Sean sitting on a bench in the hotel yard, cigarette
in hand, and with tears in his eyes.

Tanawat approached. He stood in front of Sean and bowed low.

"What are you doing?!?" Sen asked, surprised.

"I am honoring my long-lost brother."

"That's not necessary," Sean said.

"I suppose not, at least not to an American," Tanawat answered,
smiling. "We're brothers and I am the elder..."

"When I was a little boy, I always wanted a brother and now I
have one..." Sean said, sniffling through his tears.

"Don't cry, Nong Sean," Tanawat said.

"What?" Sean asked.

"You are Nong Sean. Nong is Thai for a younger brother, or mate.
Please call me P'Pat. P' is for an elder brother, or mate. And
Pat is the nickname my mum gave me when I was born. Almost all
Thai children get nicknames at birth. It's what everyone who
knows me has always called me."

Sean stood up and hugged Tanawat tight. He then let go and
looked him in the eye. "P'Pat," Sean said, "I've been handling
the estate stuff with Tim. I think since you are the senior
brother that from now on you should handle it. I defer to my big
brother."

"Are you sure?" Tanawat asked. "After all, you're back in the
States and I'm here in Thailand..."

"None of this stuff requires physical presence," Sean answered.
"Besides, it's the right thing to do. I think it's how dad would
have wanted it."

"I see. Well, how do you think dad would have liked it if I
invited you to ditch this hotel for the rest of your time in
Bangkok and stayed with me? I have room for everyone..."

"Really?"

"Really. My house is an old Thai teak house from the 1880s. It's
one of the few left in my area. It belonged to the family before
it was gifted to me by my grandfather's brother. It's a very
large home. I have the room."

"I'd like to hear about your family," Sean said.

"Yes, the good, the bad, and the ugly. I'll tell you guys all
about it over dinner. Do you think Tim and J.R. will want to
come?"

"Of course they would."

"I guess I have to think of J.R. as my second little brother."

"Yes, you do. He's a really good guy. He's got seven children."

"SEVEN?!?"

"Yes, seven. Victoria, John, Virginia, Christian, Patrick,
Bradley, and Margaret."

"There's a Patrick?"

"Yes, Patrick Sean. He's got both our names," Sean smirked.
"Some coincidence, hey? His wife's name is Kathleen. You'd like
her. She's a firecracker. They were high school sweethearts...
Hey, I know you have a son. Do you have a wife?"

"I did. A long time ago. That's part of the family story I'll
tell you later. I have three grandsons as well. There's Patpasit
and Phukong. They're eight and ten years old. They live with my
son and his wife in Chiangmai. The third one I'll leave until
later."

"I have four sons," Sean said. "The twins Joey and Lennie, then
there's T.J., and then there's my youngest, Scott. I have five
grandsons and a granddaughter."

"P'Pat?" Sean said.

"Nong Sean..."

"Once we're done with our business here, I want to invite you to
come stay with us in Wisconsin for a while. I mean, if you
want... Can you do that?"

"I can. I'm retired you know... I worked for a lot of years in
the financial office of the Royal Household. I retired last year
except for special projects. I don't have to answer to anyone
about my time."

"Good. Shall we go back in? They're prolly thinking we're
freaking out, the two of us..."

"Yes. They probably are. Nong Sean?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for accepting me as your brother."

"And you accept me?"

"Nong Sean, I wouldn't have any other brother..."

In that conversation, and at that moment, Sean knew he had the
brother that he wanted when he was a little boy.  Maybe, Sean
thought, it was better this way in the end as the six-year
difference in their ages might have been an impediment had they
grown up together. As it was now, they were both middle-aged
successful men. Equals in that respect.

Sean and Tanawat walked back into the meeting room with their
arms over each other's shoulders.

"Guys," Sean said. "P'Pat and I have some stuff to tell ya... The
two of us think that since P'Pat is the eldest brother here that
he should be the one to deal with George and Dix to settle the
estate. Whadya say, J.R.?"

"What's this `P'Pat' shit?" J.R. asked.

"You tell him, P'Pat..."

"OK, well, like I told Sean, almost all Thai kids get nicknames
when they're born. My Thai name at birth was Pariwat which I
changed later as you know. My mother gave me the nickname Pat
after my English name, Patrick. The P' is what Sean calls me
because that's what an elder brother is called. Nong is for a
younger brother. So, to me you're Nong J.R. and Sean is Nong
Sean. But you'd call Sean P'Sean."

"I guess that makes sense," J.R. said. "Anyway, I'm the adopted
child. You and Sean are blood brothers. I'm glad to have another
brother. And if Sean thinks you should handle the business with
the attorneys, I have no objection."

"In Thai families, the younger siblings give the elder ones
respect," Tanawat said, "and the elder ones do what we call
`take care' of the younger ones which means to watch out for
them."

J.R. nodded.

"I'm fine with that, too," Tim said. "And dad won't mind. There
isn't much paperwork for you to do anyway as both me and my dad
are co-executors of the estate, and the will is a simple one. It
really just boils down to who is the point of contact for the
family."

"I have something else, too," Tanawat said. "I talked to Sean
about it so now I'll ask you guys. I suggested that you ditch
this hotel and come stay at my home for the rest of the time
you're here. I really do have enough room for everyone, and as I
told Sean it's an old Thai teak home from the 1880's. You'll
never stay in another place like it no matter how many times you
come to Bangkok."

"I'm in," J.R. said.

"Ditto," echoed Tim.

"I'll settle the bill then," Sean said. "I'll just tell them to
let the help have the food we're not gonna eat."

"I've got a limo to pick us up. I reserved it before I came,"
Tanawat said.

"You did?" said J.R.

"I had a good feeling," Tanawat answered. "I'm not sure exactly
why, but I did have a good feeling.  The evidence I had told me
that Joe Wyman was my dad, and I was anxious to meet my two
brothers."

"I wanna hear about your life here," J.R. said.

"Yes," Tanawat replied. "As I told Sean, I'll tell you all about
my family... The good. The bad. And the ugly."

"I have one other thing, gentlemen." the DNA technician said. "I
need all of your signatures, and also Mr. Dickson as a witness,
that you are satisfied with the results of the test."

With that done, and the hotel bill paid, the men decamped in
Tanawat's hired limousine, a vintage 1967 Cadillac Fleetwood
75***. Sean was agape. Tanawat smiled knowingly to himself.

They were in for another surprise once they arrived at Tanawat's
home.

It was a massive two-story home with Victorian lines and
gingerbread trim, most of which was in unpainted Teak, only the
gable ends and the roof soffits being clad in copper sheathing,
the gable ends of which were sculpted in a seashell pattern, and
all of which was weathered with a jade green patina. The roof
was of terra cotta tile with ornate iron lightning rods at the
top of each gable.

The home lay along one of Bangkok's countless narrow alleys and
had the typical wall and gate in front, but even from the front
it was clearly seen that the property backed up to the Chao
Phraya River, the main river cutting through the city.

Tanawat explained that back in the days when his house was
built, the river was how deliveries were made of food, fuel and
other things needed to run such a large home. Small flat-
bottomed barges were rowed downriver fully laden so that once
unloaded to their customers it resulted in a much lighter vessel
having to fight the river current back upstream to their
warehouses. He said that the old stone dock leading from the
river to the back of the house was still there.

The big Cadillac swung through the automatic gate, stopping in
front of what appeared to be a deep outdoor screened porch
extending not out from the home but into the first story.

"Welcome to my home," Tanawat said. "Before we go in, I just
want to say make yourselves at home."

Just then one of the ubiquitous Tuk Tuks pulled in the driveway
with big straw picnic baskets lashed tight where a passenger or
two would normally sit.

A cheerful looking young man about 16 or 17 years old or so
alighted from the little vehicle, greeting Tanawat in Thai as if
he knew him well. He was tall for a Thai teenager, appearing to
be maybe six feet, and quite slim. Sean mentally estimated him
to be about 145-150 pounds.

Tanawat introduced the young man to his guests, again in Thai,
and the young man smiled brightly giving each one of them a Wai.

The young man, who after being introduced they knew as Dollawee,
hefted the baskets into the house followed by the others.

At the door, Tim barreled ahead until Sean slapped him rudely on
the shoulder blade. "Jesus Christ, Dix! Take your shoes off!"

"Oh, um, yeah..." Tim replied sheepishly which drew a laugh from
Tanawat.

"This way, guys," Tanawat said. "The food is from the restaurant
where Dollawee works. Their food is high quality. Dollawee will
stay to serve us, and make sure we have what we need for drinks
and anything else. He'll take your luggage to your rooms, too.
There's a bedroom for everyone and two bathrooms upstairs. Thank
you, Dollawee." Tanawat then handed Dollawee a fat wad of Thai
Baht bills.

Dollawee made a Wai and half-bowed"

The men feasted upon a seemingly endless number of Thai dishes,
some a little bit sweet with coconut milk and bright with basil,
some simple tempura-style seafood, others with the burn of hot
peppers and Thai curry paste. And all washed down with the
classic Thai Singha beer served ice cold.

"I'm going to tell you all the story of my Thai family now,"
Tanawat said.

"As you all probably know, I was born Pariwat Na Chiangmai. And
I was also born Patrick Joseph Wyman. As a child that wasn't too
confusing to me really because my mum gave me the nickname Pat.
I was always just Pat...

"Until one day when I was about eight or nine years old. See, my
mum and I always lived here in Bangkok, not in this house but in
a condo. The rest of the family was all up north in Chiang Mai.
Anyway, one time when we went to visit my grandparents, I
overheard my grandfather talking to his brother.

"Now my grandfather was a mean man. He could be a real bastard.
Oh, my mum and I never wanted for anything money-wise. I mean,
she was a professional, a college professor actually. She taught
political science. And granddad always made sure we had extra.
That wasn't his issue.

"His issue was with me.

"So, right, I overheard them. And they were talking about me.
Granddad called me `that half-blood bastard foreigner. He's no
real Na Chiangmai. His mother might be my daughter, and I'd
never see her suffer, but that kid of hers, he's a different
story. His very existence shames our family. He'll get nothing
from this family once his schooling is done and we can send him
off somewhere else out of the country. Snot-nosed little fucking
bastard!'"

"Wow!" J.R. said. "That's rough..."

"I cried my eyes out," Tanawat replied. "I told my mum what I'd
heard, and she tried to comfort me. Later I found out she had a
huge fight with my grandfather over it, and he threatened to cut
her off and cut her out of her inheritance. All she could do
after that was explain to me that sometimes in life we come
across mean people."

"So how did your son end up being a Na Chiangmai?" Sean asked.

"I'll get to that, Nong Sean."

"Anyway, where was I now... Oh, yeah... So we went back to Bangkok
and that was the last I ever saw of that man."

"What happened?" Sean asked.

"Well, he died. And then his brother took over as head of the
family. You see, my mum was an only child and in the Na
Chiangmai family the position of head of the family can only be
passed to a male. So, my mum was never gonna be head of the
family.  And when my grandfather died his brother took over. He
was not as mean as my grandfather but being a younger brother
and a very traditional Thai, he basically went along with my
grandfather's wishes when it came to me.

"So, at age 13 I was shipped off to England. To Eton College,
believe it or not, so that no one could ever say they sent me
off to get a second-rate education. I was in school with the
cream of the crop. In England. A stone's throw from Windsor
Castle. But I took to it, and I did well. I made a lot of
friends and when I was a Senior boy I was a Pop, that is a
member of the Eton Society. One has to be chosen by other
Society members. King William was a Pop when he was at Eton. His
awful brother Harry wasn't chosen. I also played football, or
soccer as you call it. I was quite good. I got to like it in
England. I could speak some English when I got there, but I
learned fast and I spent a lot of years there so that's why I
speak with a British accent. Because it's how I learned fluency.

"My grandfather's brother, or "Uncle" as I called him said I
could come back to Thailand when I finished up at Eton, but I
chose not to because I liked it so much there. I stayed in
England and got accepted to the London School of Economics where
I got what in the States would be an MBA in Accounting and
Finance. A lot of my Eton friends were at school there, and
those were probably the best years of my life. I've always loved
London and I still have a little condominium there when I go a
couple of times a year, in Whitechapel just near The City.****"

"We've got a place in Chelsea," Sean said. "Small world, innit,
P'..."

"Quite," Tanawat replied. "Is everyone getting enough to eat and
drink?" Tanawat asked. "And you, there, Dollawee, are you taking
care of our guests?"

Dollawee turned beet red until Tim came to his rescue.

"You're awesome, Dollawee. Wanna visit the United States?  We'll
get you a ticket, and you got a free place to stay and some
pocket money..."

Dollawee looked at Tanawat.

Tanawat smiled and said in Thai "If it's Ok with your parents."

Dollawee grinned from ear to ear.

Tanawat looked at Tim, "Dollawee's parents are old friends of
mine. I'm sure we can get the lad a trip."

Dollawee bowed slightly and made a Wai to everyone.

"I'll keep on with my story now," Tanawat said.

"I need to get on to the part of the story of how I spent so
much time in England and then came back and had a Thai wife and
son. He's something I'll always be proud of, but not my
marriage. It shames me until this day."

What do you mean?" Sean asked.

"I'll put it in as much of a nutshell as I can." Tanawat said.
"There were a couple things going on at the same time. My Uncle
had taken over as head of the family but beyond him there were
no male heirs. He was married but they had no children.

"My Uncle vowed to uphold his brother's basic exclusion of me
from the family name and succession, but they needed an heir, or
the Na Chiangmai line would end. He couldn't let that happen.
So, he offered me a deal. Or I should say a deal I couldn't
refuse.

"The deal was I come back from England and I'd get this house
deeded to me free and clear, an amount of money equal at the
time to ten million British Pounds, and I'd be given a share of
the family inheritance. But I could not be the head of the
family no matter that technically I was the only male heir at
the time, albeit illegitimate. Anyway, I couldn't pass it up
because family is important to Thais and no matter how my
grandfather had treated me he was gone and this was still
family."

"There was a catch, though, for all the good stuff I just
mentioned...."

"There always is," Sean smirked.

"Oh my God!" Tanawat exclaimed. "We have the same smirk!"

"I was wondering when you'd notice that..." Sean laughed.

"OK, back to the story... The catch was that I had to marry and
produce a male heir. My Uncle deemed he would be following the
instructions of his brother, my grandfather, by not letting me
into the line of succession due to my bastard status. But he
also deemed that since I carried Na Chiangmai blood that a male
born legitimately of my blood would qualify to succeed. So, I
married and produced a male heir.

"My wife was chosen for me. She came from another noble family,
the Na Songkhla family. That way the child would have fully
noble blood. Apart, of course, from my bastard American
bloodline which so bothered my grandfather. She was a lot older
than me, 39, when we married. She was a good person. I liked her
even though I didn't love her, but there was a basic problem.

"What's that?" J.R. asked.

"I don't like girls. I like boys."

Tim and Sean both gasped.

"Problem?" Tanawat asked.

"Nope," Tim said. "Your brother and I like boys, too...."

"You don't say.... All my life that was another thing my family
hated about me. And now I have a brother who's the same as me
that way.... Life is funny sometimes...

"Anyway, enough with that," Tanawat continued. "So, we had a
child who was conceived by artificial insemination. And as luck
would have it the child was a boy. So I didn't need to repeat
the process. That's my son, Duean. He married well, and lives in
Chiang Mai with his wife and his two sons.

"After we married, my ex-wife moved here and I had this house
made into two suites, which I've since changed back to its
original form. My ex-wife lived in one suite, and I lived in the
other. That way she could have her boys in, and I could have my
boys in. We kept that arrangement until Duean finished high
school because we felt it was best for him to have both parents
around, and also so that there would not be the stigma of him
being the child of divorced parents. We didn't know how our
families might react to that. After Duean turned 18 years old we
divorced amicably. She got half of everything except this house,
and we've remained friends. She was a good mother to Duean. Her
family had made her a deal, too, so in the end all both of us
were doing was just playing out our roles...

"That's the unattractive, and often unseen underbelly of
Thailand. Deals. Corruption. Quid pro quos. Some petty, some not
so petty. Whatever it is that you see on the surface, there's
likely some kind of a deal underneath I can assure you. Or at
least it was more so at the time. Our society still operates
that way but it's less now than it was then.

"You see, my uncle got me a position in the finance department
of the Royal Household when I returned from England, but that
was only part of my job. At the time we had a King who was,
shall we say, mentally deficient, and who acceded to the throne
on the death of his thoroughly disgraced father. He proved
incompetent. Things became so bad with the deficient King that
Parliament finally had to declare a Regency with the King's
elder sister as Princess Regent. That was a big deal since a
woman had never ruled Thailand before, but there was no one
else.

"The country was seething after years of revolving door elected
governments being deposed in military coups and a monarchy that
instead of being constitutional was in reality extra-
constitutional and did not exist to uphold good government. Oh,
sure, money poured into our economy from overseas investors, and
if one only looked at Bangkok one would think Thailand a modern,
wealthy country. But that was far from the truth. The farther
out of Bangkok one got the poorer and more backward the country
was. And I'm not talking about how it is in England, or in the
United States. Going from Bangkok to the interior of the country
was like going from New York or London to a totally third world
country. It was embarrassing and untenable.

"And to think you're hearing this from me, a Thai who would
gladly have lived the rest of his life in England. But my family
called, and my country called, so what could I do...

"Anyway, ostensibly my job was to oversee the finances of the
Royal Household, but together with a small clique organized by
the Princess Regent, who was a wise and good woman and who ruled
capably within her bounds as a Regent, we were really tasked
with rooting out corruption within the Royal Household and to a
certain degree as much as we could within the government, too.
And to see to it that the King's son, the Crown Prince who is
now King, got a proper preparation for being a modern
constitutional monarch who would not tolerate the overthrow of
an elected government.

"I was on the small committee, there was just one other person
together with the Princess Regent, who were in charge of the
Crown Prince's education. I was chosen because of my family
connection and my British education. Anyway, the Crown Prince
was sent to normal Thai schools, although good ones, and his
education concentrated on Political Science and Economics. He
finished his university degree with honors in Political Science.
I double checked to make sure that his honors were real and that
he earned them himself. They were, and he had. A damn sight
better than his useless father and debauched grandfather ever
could have done...

"And, as luck would have it, the deficient King died seven years
ago, fairly young, such a pity (said with obvious British
understated sarcasm). His heir, the Crown Prince, was 24 years
old at the time and succeeded to the throne in his own right
without a Regency. Wisely, he kept his aunt, the Princess
Regent, close to him as an advisor and the new King showed his
strength from his first day. He had been prepared well. And he
had a young man's drive. He took over during one of the military
governments and his first declaration, which was within his
powers, was to sack the government, dissolve parliament, and
call for a snap election in two weeks' time.

"Two weeks might not have been enough time for the opposition
civilian parties to properly prepare for an election, but
neither was it enough time for the military government to rig it
in their favor, either. The King knew that. And luck was with
him for taking that chance as the military government lost their
majority in parliament and were replaced by a civilian coalition
government that lasted two years until the present government we
have of a standard-issue center-right party that one could
compare to, say, the Japanese Liberal Democrats. The present
government has a small but decent majority and is trying their
best to make headway. And so far, the public seems willing to
give them a fair chance.

"Then, right after the King sacked the military government, he
exercised his authority as Commander in Chief of the armed
forces to revoke the commissions of any military officers who
had been part of any coup on the simple grounds that they lacked
the legal authority to overthrow an elected government. He did
not recommend that the coup officers be put on trial, telling
the country that he did not wish to litigate the past for the
risk of losing the future, and that as a country we needed to
put that behind us and move forward.

"Instead, he wished the coup officers a peaceful and quiet
retirement. Our present King so far has been wise beyond his
years. I know for a fact that he spends a lot of time studying
past British monarchs and that his two favorites and his models
are Queen Victoria who while headstrong and who sparred
regularly with her ministers did so within her constitutional
limits, and King George VI who was a shy man thrust unprepared
onto the throne but who was a man of great steadfastness and
courage seeing his country through World War II.

"Our King does not mean to be a failure and knows that he's got
a long reign ahead of him.

"He's also done away with the antiquated lèse majesté laws that
separated the Royal family from the people as if they were some
kind of Communist dictators against whom one could never speak
on pain of going to jail. He thought those laws were absurd.

"Anyway, the present government will face a general election in
eight months' time unless the Prime Minister asks for an earlier
dissolution, and they look set fair to be returned to power.
There are only nine members of the former military government's
party still holding seats in Parliament and they are of no
import at all. They'll probably all lose their seats at the next
election. Things are improving as far as responsible democratic
governance goes.

"So, moving on, when I felt that I'd discharged the duties I'd
been given, to my country and my family, and once I felt sure
that we had a Sovereign on the throne equipped to competently
fulfill his duties as a modern constitutional monarch, I
retired. My job was done. There. That's my story.

"Except for one more thing. As you might have expected, my uncle
is long dead now, too, and following the chain of succession
Duean is the head of the Na Chiangmai family."

"Wow," Sean and Tim said in unison.

J.R. sat in wide-eyed silence.

Over after dinner drinks, Tanawat motioned Sean and J.R. to a
discreet corner of the large dining room.

"I didn't want to say anything in front of Dollawee, guys but
Dollawee is Duean's illegitimate son. So I guess having
illegitimate children skips a generation in my family. We found
a childless couple nearby who had the means to raise him well.
Dollawee doesn't have any money now of course not, because he's
a teenager, but someday he will. I always tell Patpasit that he
is my pride and Phukong that he is my joy. Dollawee is my pride
AND my joy. He's such a good lad. He was an easy boy to raise
and never gave anyone any trouble.

"When Dollawee was 12 years old he was told of his parentage and
adoption, and he was offered the choice of staying here in
Bangkok with his adoptive family or going to Chiang Mai to live
with his father's family. He decided to stay here. Duean has
assured Dollawee that he is a full member of the Na Chiangmai
family and has been told he can carry the name if he chooses
once he turns 18.  And you and J.R. are his uncles as far as
he's concerned."

"Will Dollawee be the head of the family someday?" Sean asked.

"On Duean's request, I asked him about that just a couple of
weeks ago on his 17th birthday. He said he wouldn't like to be the
head of the family. He wants to be, as he put it, a regular
person. He's a hard worker, he knows his own mind, and he always
has a smile for everyone. That's why I say he's a good lad. He
will be well taken care of, though. Duean has seen to that."

"I want you to bring him with you when you visit the United
States," Sean said. "Your other grandsons probably wouldn't
appreciate the trip at their age. We can bring them later when
they're old enough if they wish. Anyway, if Dollawee likes it,
and if he wants to, I'd offer him the chance to finish his high
school in the United States. If nothing else, it would improve
his English. But the choice, of course, would be his. I have to
admit, he is a charming boy, or young man really... Does he play
sports?"

"Like I did in my school days, Dollawee plays soccer. And he's
good. He's a big kid for a Thai as you can see, he's got good
speed and ball control, and as polite as he is in company, on
the soccer field he's single-mindedly competitive. He plays
Center Forward, first team. He goes to Assumption College which
is a private Catholic High School. It's not Eton, but it is an
excellent school. He's in the English Honors program. So, about
finishing high school in the United States, I'd suspect that's
not going to be on with Dollawee if he were asked. You see, he
has a good friend at school who I'll tell you about later and I
know the two of them have been in cahoots eyeing colleges in
America. I've suspected for a while that they're more than
friends if you catch my drift, but at his age he wouldn't
appreciate me prying into his life."

"No, I suppose he wouldn't like that at all... Has he gotten his
dinner yet?" Sean asked.

"He brought enough food so there's plenty for him, too. Why?"

"Can J.R. and I talk to him? Or better yet, let's go back to the
table and ask him to fix himself a plate of food and join us...
He can have a beer with us, right?"

"That's not a bad idea..."

Dollawee seated himself and for the first time all evening spoke
in English He had perfect grammar and syntax, but a perceptible
Thai accent interspersed with his grandfather's British accent.

"Thank you for letting me eat with you. My grandfather says you
are his brothers?"

"We are," J.R. responded. "I'm adopted, and Sean here and your
grandfather have the same father."

"You guys seem nice, crap..."****** Dollawee replied, smiling as
always.

"Yes, we're crap," Sean replied.

"Did you like the food?" Dollawee asked, laughing at Sean's play
on words.

"I did," Sean replied. "And I'm glad to know you're part of my
family. You seem like a good kid. I have a question for you,
too, young man. Tim asked you earlier if you might care to visit
the United States. So, how would you like to come to the United
States with your grandfather when he visits?"

"Really? Can I?"

"If your mum and dad say so," Tanawat reminded Dollawee. "And
we'll have to make sure you can do all of your schoolwork while
we're away, too."

"I can do that! Do you think I could I bring Haebom?"

"I've got a huge library at my house where you can do your
schoolwork. If you need anything special like laptops or
anything else, I'll make sure it's there for you. Anyway, who or
what is Haebom..." Sean laughed.

"Haebom's my best friend..." Dollawee said. "His nickname is
Boom. I don't think grandpa told you my nickname. It's Fighter."

"Haebom and Dollawee have been friends and schoolmates since
they were just little boys," Tanawat said. "Haebom's the one I
mentioned earlier. Those two boys are practically joined at the
hip. They're in the same program at school, they play football
together, they go to taekwondo together, and they both have
third degree black belts.

"They do everything together. Haebom is a Korean name. His
mother is Korean, and his father is Thai. He speaks Thai and
Korean, although his Korean is the rough Busan accent***** where
his mother's family is from, not the posh Seoul accent. He
speaks some English, too, but not quite as well as Dollawee.
Haebom is a fine young man."

"That was a lot to digest, but if it's OK with your parents, and
Haebom's parents then it's OK with me!" Sean said. "My house is
big enough for everyone!"

"Wow! I feel really lucky! How long would we be gone for?"

"You're welcome to stay as long as you like but with your school
and stuff I'd say maybe two weeks or so.  Would that be about
right, P'Pat?"

"I should think so," Tanawat answered.

"And if you like it, you know that you can always come back..."
Sean said.

"Thank you," Dollawee said. "I never dreamed I could take a trip
like that at my age..."

"Oh, you'll take a lot of trips before you kick the bucket,
Dollawee," J.R. teased.

"Kick the bucket?" Dollawee asked.

"Die," Sean said. "In American English to kick the bucket is to
croak."

"Croak?"

"Die."

"English is funny," Dollawee laughed.

"Why do you think I speak it?" Sean smirked.

Dollawee laughed. "I like you guys, Uncle Sean and Uncle J.R.
Grandpa? Can we wait to go until our football season is over?
We've only got three more games... Haebom isn't going to want to
miss games, and the team needs both of us..."

"Yes, we'll wait until your season is over..."

"We're glad you like us, Dollawee," Sean said. "We like you,
too. In fact, it was our honor to be served tonight by a young
man such as you.  And when you come to the United States, you'll
meet a whole new part of your family. The part that you didn't
even know you had. And I can tell you stories about your great-
grandfather and show you the places where he lived and worked.
We'll all do that together, right P'Pat?"

"Yes. I want to know about my father and about my overseas
family. After all these years... I've waited a long time..."



END CHAPTER SEVENTY-EIGHT





*https://youtu.be/8kVLtpkHTvM

**https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/military/images/2/2f/B-1-
8650.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20080804044732

***https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1967_Cadillac_Series_
75_Fleetwood_(15918298231).jpg

****The City: An area of approximately one square mile
considered to be the center of London. Landmarks include St
Paul's Cathedral, the London Stock Exchange, and the Bank of
England. The City is the historical heart of London's banking,
insurance, legal, and finance industries. The City occupies the
rough area of the Roman town of Londinium.

*****In South Korea the Seoul accent is considered the standard.
Seoul is in the extreme north of the country while Busan is in
the extreme south. A rough comparison to American English would
have the standard accent being what one might hear on the
nightly news show, while the Busan accent would be comparable to
a Brooklyn accent.

****** Thai-speaking males typically end a sentence with what to
an English ear sounds more or less like the word "crap" which
has no real translation into English. It's a particle word that
can convey many different meanings, but it is generally meant to
be polite speech however it is used. Female Thai speakers use a
corresponding word that sounds like "cah."