I dropped in to see Gor the firefighter last night, who was with a large group of friends. Instantly they started calling me 'Dad' - for what other explanation for our relationship could there be?
His friends would no doubt like to think that he is still straight, even if he does need money.
Gor was wearing jeans and boxers. He was bare-chested, as usual. His hair has become thick and long, and was falling over his eyes. I wish he would get it cut, but he likes to wear it in that style.
He particularly likes the whispy bits he grows down the sides. If I try to tuck them behind his ears he objects, as it doesn't look cool. So I have to content myself with running my hands through his luxuriously thick hair instead.
I asked him if he had eaten. Last time we met, I was in luck: the answer was yes. Last night, no such good fortune: 'No'.
He suggested we talk alone, away from the prying eyes of his friends, so we walked off into a quiet area of the courtyard next to their fire station. 'How can you work here, when you are not getting paid?' I asked.
Last time, an army friend had confirmed that none of them get paid for their work. The army friend helps them if the power or water gets cut off, but he cannot give them much cash, as he himself gets paid only B4000 a month.
'I have to wait until I am older before I can get a job.' Gor is just 15, and reckons he has to wait another two years before he has a chance of getting work.
His parents live in Chiang Mai, but he has another home where he can sleep in Nakhon Pathom.
'I would like to get home, but I need B200. I can borrow B100 of that from my friends.'
I gave him the other B100, and another B100 for food. I was about to ask him who owned the place in Nakhon Pathom - a relative, perhaps - but we were interrupted.
Someone had alerted the boys to an 'incident'. They jumped into a van (not a firefighting truck, curiously), and flicked on the blue flashing light on the top. Mercifully, the van did not have a siren, or if it did, they left it off.
Gor was not waiting around to chat. Still shirtless, he jumped in the van, and they sped off.
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