Melted: One Shots

Seven: Under the Influence: The 3 Musketeers Get Arrested

From Chapter Thirty-Two: Diverging Lines

"I'd say 'yes.' I think Kuhn Bagnet thinks of Max more like a son rather than just a protegee." Pongpat paused. "Did Max ever tell you the story about his mother's funeral?"

"No. He hasn't talked much about his family at all," Tul answered.

"That doesn't surprise me, but I will tell you about his mother's funeral because this sums up to me Max's relationship with Kuhn Bagnet and gives you some more about Max."

. . ."Right before the ceremony began, a large, black government car pulled up. Everyone in the village whispered and eagerly looked to see who had arrived. Max's father had always bragged about his connections to the military, but no one had seen anything to prove that until now. People could see him stand up straighter and start to smile thinking that someone important that he knew was coming to pay their respects. That is, until the car door opened."

Pongpat grinned thinking how that moment was right up there with the first time Clara told him she loved him, their wedding day, and the birth of his children as memories he hoped would flash before his eyes when he breathed his last. Michelle Bagnet coming out of that car, dressed in black with a hat as big as a bicycle wheel was a sight to behold. And he tried to convey that whole experience to Tul.

"The fact that she took time out of her schedule to come to honor Max's mother meant a lot, but it was also how she did it. She was there to make a statement about Max to the whole village. Her people had arrived with one of the most beautiful funeral wreaths I have ever seen. I found out later that they were specifically made with Max's mother's favorite flower. I can't remember what it was, but it wasn't a traditional wreath. She had at least six guards with her, dressed in black with sunglasses standing on the outskirts of the hall."

"She was merely civil to Max's father, but she embraced Max fondly and made a statement about how thankful she and the embassy were for sending Max to Bangkok because many were indebted to his service. Let's just say everyone was impressed. Max's father was enraged, but he had to be silent and polite. Was he going to insult a dignitary?"

Tul started smiling. He really wanted to meet this woman. What a perfect way not only to honor Max's mother, but to make a statement to Max's whole village that Max was a treasured person.

"The best part was that this was clearly a show of force."

Tul frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Max told me later that Kuhn Bagnet never traveled like that. She's not the ambassador herself, so she doesn't even require guards, and she hates using the government car because she finds it ostentatious and uncomfortable. Those guards were all friends of hers and had met Max through her. She apparently told them that she needed to go to Max's mother's funeral and that his dad was an ass to him, so they all showed up."

Tul smiled at that.

"I know that my friends and Max will take care of Clara and the kids when I die. But I don't worry about Max because I also know that Khun Bagnet will look out for him when I'm gone."

From Chapter Eighty-Five in Melted: "Short and Sweetness"

"If you want to talk, tell me details about your black eye. I apologize for Chalida in advance. She has a tendency to punch people for me."

That remark got Tul moving. He touched his face and realized that he had forgotten to replace the makeup he'd put on before dinner to cover up the bruise. He jogged a bit to catch up to Max and then matched his pace.