The Only Rider

Justice ㄴ Lee ㄱ

The call came to us at midnight. Mom and Waan had just laid down. I was in my room looking through my emails. A few days after mom and Waan got married we flew to Thailand to visit Waan's family. They were thrilled to meet me and mom. They wanted to know everything about me. I felt warm around my step-grandparents, just the aura they gave off somehow comforted me. While there I was approached by a well dressed man when I was eating at a local restaurant with mom, Waan and Pensri. "Excuse my staring but I simply could not help it. You are a very attractive young man" he said in Thai. I looked at Waan confused and he spoke to the man. "Do you have business to discuss with my son?" He asked the man. "Your his father?" The man asked surprised. "Step-father yes" Waan said. "Ah! He does not speak Thai?" He asked. "Not yet he is learning" Waan said. "Ah! Well then I shall speak in English" the man said in English. "My name is Chaisai Thepnakorn and I'm a director from Me Mind Y a production company that produces a leading genre of dramas called Boy Love. You are a very attractive young man and I am wondering if you'd be interested in signing a contract and doing boy love series" He said. "Boy love? What is that?" I asked. "Its a very popular genre of tv shows here in Thailand that focuses on the love between two men" he said. "Love between two men? As in gay love?" I asked. "Yes its a beautiful thing and we love to capture it and produce it. We have various series already out" he said. "My son has been through a lot in his life I don't think...." Mom began.

"I'd love to!" I said excited. "Lee?" Mom asked. "I want to do it!" I said as I looked at her. "Lee? Are you sure? These shows can be a bit dark sometimes" mom said. "I doubt they are any darker then what I've already been through" I said. "Lee...." Mom said. "If I may ask what have you been through? If its too much to talk about publicly then I invite you and your family to join me at my office tomorrow" he said. "It is so yeah tomorrow would be good" I said. "Excellent here is my card with the address to my office. I will let my secretary know to expect you tomorrow" he said handing me a card. The next day I went to his office with my mom as Waan took Pensri to the park. "So please explain to me" he said. "Waan is my stepfather my actual father sexually abused me for years. It was so bad I became emotionless. I didn't even recognize my mother. It took Waan around 5 months of working with me closely to bring me back. My father is still on the loose and hasn't been caught by police. So anything can be a problem for me. Especially if I'm acting with strangers which I will be if what I researched is right" I said. "It pains me that I couldn't protect him at that time....I failed him as his mother. I divorced my ex husband about 2 months before he started to abuse Lee......I failed him as his mother I didn't take him with me when I left my husband. If I had he wouldn't have had to go through that" Mom said as she started to cry and I hugged her as she cried. "I see well we do have a lot of darker concepts for boy love series its true however I personally will never make it that dark I refuse. I prefer wholesome takes on the series like school, university, or just reunited love never dark. Your safe with me and if I get pitched a darker take on the series I will be sure to cast someone who can handle it" he said. "I can handle most dark things I watched one last night....Kinn and Porsche I think it was called? I can handle that kind" I said. "Kinn and Porsche is quite popular tis true however the darkest I have gotten is a double suicide leading to rebirth and reunited" Mr. Chaisai said.

  "What's that? I want to see it" I asked. "Its called Until we meet again. Its a prequel to one of the most popular series in the genre called Between us you can watch it on Iqiyi. If you do then please let me know" he said. After solidifying my contract with Me Mind Y I went to various auditions. Mom, Waan and I decided to live in Thailand so I could work and learn Thai since mom and I basically had no family back in the states that we cared about. "Kane....." I thought as I sat at my desk in our new house. I looked at my framed picture of him and I as tears filled my eyes. "My dear Kane.....how I miss you so...." I thought as I traced his face. I opened my laptop and began checking my emails when my mother's phone rang. She rolled over annoyed and answered it. "What!" She shouted getting my attention. "Mom! What's wrong!" I asked rushing into their room to see Waan sitting up shirtless as mom held the phone to her ear. "Lee..." She said as she put her phone on speaker. She opened her arm out to me and I walked over to her.  "Please repeat what you just said" she asked in English to whoever was on the phone. "Very well. My name is Daniel Myers and im the chief of police for the NYPD. After years of searching we finally found your ex husband. We attempted an arrest however he fired upon us and we had to put him down. The case is now closed he resisted arrest and has been killed. Would you like a funeral process?" A man said on the other end of the phone. "What.....He's.....he's dead?" I said. Mom looked at me to see tears in my eyes. "Yes that is correct. Your father and abuser is now dead" Chief Myers said. Then I collapsed to my knees crying loudly into my mother's lap awakening Pensri who was asleep in her crib. Waan got up and held her as she began crying herself. My mom began petting my head as tears fell from her eyes. Waan took Pensri out the room to help her fall asleep again while mom and I cried. "Once upon a time he was a good man, he loved me, and he loved Lee. He was such a dork....a breeze of fresh air. However he ended up on a dark path. He was a horrible man near the end of his life but he still deserves a burial.....cremate him.....I will return to New York tomorrow to over see the proceedings" mom said. "Very well ma'am" Chief Myers said. "Thank you for calling me....and thank you for never giving up the chase" she said. "Of course see you tomorrow" Chief Myers said and mom hung up on him.