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Back The Third Brother Save as PDF
Chapters (116)
  1. Cover
  2. Also by the Author
  3. The Third Brother
  4. Copyright
  5. Dedication
  6. PART I
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. 42
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. 45
  52. 46
  53. 47
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. PART II
  67. 60
  68. 61
  69. 62
  70. 63
  71. 64
  72. 65
  73. 66
  74. 67
  75. 68
  76. 69
  77. 70
  78. 71
  79. 72
  80. 73
  81. 74
  82. 75
  83. 76
  84. 77
  85. 78
  86. 79
  87. 80
  88. 81
  89. 82
  90. 83
  91. 84
  92. 85
  93. 86
  94. 87
  95. 88
  96. PART III
  97. 89
  98. 90
  99. 91
  100. 92
  101. 93
  102. 94
  103. 95
  104. 96
  105. 97
  106. 98
  107. 99
  108. 100
  109. 101
  110. 102
  111. 103
  112. 104
  113. 105
  114. 106
  115. 107
  116. 108

The walk to the apartment is longer than Mike expects, and Dreads talks the whole way, bragging about drugs. As a kind of experiment, Mike tells him he is doing a story about kids coming to Bangkok just to get high.

“Cool,” says Dreads. “You can write about me.”

8

The day before he left for Hong Kong, Mike was worried. For a day and a half his parents had not been speaking to each other with such cruelty that Mike became apprehensive about their future and the future of his family. Worrying slowed him down, though, so he tried to think of better times.

He thought of his mother skiing in Sun Valley, Idaho. She blew great powdery swaths of snow into the air as she raced down the mountain in front of him. She was a beautiful skier. He saw men watch her, in her yellow snowsuit, as she flew past them, and he was proud of her. She encouraged her sons to go full speed down the slopes. Why turn? she liked to say.

Their father asked her privately if she was crazy. They’ll get hurt, he said. They’re already berserk. But she brushed him off and told the boys very theatrically to snowboard like young gods racing in the sky. Mike and Lyle were more or less invincible on the mountain, and they raced and slipped through the pines at speed, and even invented an out-of-bounds run on the back side of the mountain that they jokingly called “young gods.”

The next year their father was injured on an icy intermediate run early in the morning on the third day of their trip. Only Mike saw him go down, breaking his arm in the kind of surprising fall an athlete takes at fifty. After that, Mike never thought of himself as a young god racing in the sky but, rather, as just a person much younger than his father. Just very young. This happened to Mike a lot when he started remembering the times he’d had with his father as a kid.

9

Mike follows Dreads up a narrow staircase. The apartment is in a peeling building over an Internet café. Dreads knocks on the door and says his name. Locks shoot and click before the door swings open. There is a mountain of backpacks just inside the door, which Mike has to step around the framed, zippered burdens.

“Welcome,” comes an Australian accent.

Several kids look up at Mike, all pierced and a little raggedy but too white and western to be really ragged. They sprawl on the floor or lounge on wooden benches along the walls, an audience. The Australian sits on a cushion in the middle of the room. He has frizzed, gray hair and a vest but no shirt, lots of chains. He looks twice as old as most of the kids and seems to Mike to weave like a snake charmer. He is holding a joint.