“Guess who is the best boss in the world!” Khun Korn entered the office smiling. Fah, Win, and Ohm stared at him. “I have something special for each of you, I hope everyone has tuxedos!” 

Their boss trembled with excitement. The three employees looked at each other and then at Khun Korn expectantly. 

“What’s the surprise, Khun Korn?” asked Ohm. 

Three eager faces stared at their boss. He enjoyed the attention so much he forgot to answer and continued smiling broadly at them. 

“Come on, Khun Korn, please! Tell us what the surprise is!” said Fah, laughing. Ohm and Win walked over to Fah’s desk where Khun Korn stood. 

“The judicial gala is this weekend and I have tickets for all five of us!” He waited for their reactions.

“You got us tickets?” asked Win. “I’ve always wanted to go. Everyone we need to meet goes to it!” Win alternated between clapping his hands and hugging Ohm.

“Wait, it’s this weekend, and we need a tuxedo?” Ohm asked in a panic-stricken voice.

“All five of us? Who’s the fifth?” asked Fah.

“Oh, the four of us plus my nephew, Mek. I hear he’s quite close with you, Fah. Why didn’t you ever tell me?” Khun Korn laughed. Ohm and Win began teasing Fah as well. 

“Khun Korn, were you aware your nephew gave our Fah his first kiss?”

“Yes, Mek told me. He also gave you high marks for performance!” Khun Korn laughed harder now. Fah's ears turned bright red.

“Fine, everyone knows, but we’re just friends, nothing more,” Fah said, trying to stop the teasing. 

“Yes, this Saturday we will be in the company of some of the most important people in Thailand's judicial system and law enforcement. Make sure not to drink too much because you can meet a lot of important people and network here. Next year I'm retiring and all of you need to find new firms or start your own practices. I bought these tickets hoping that when my last day comes, you will have new jobs lined up, be well connected, and move up the ladder of success.” 

“This is wonderful, honestly it is, but Khun Korn, that’s 48 hours from now! How am I supposed to find a tux this fast?” Tiny rivulets of sweat ran down the sides of Ohm's face.

“Okay, who needs a tuxedo?” asked their boss. 

“I do,” Ohm said, raising his hand. He turned to Fah and Win. “Wait? Am I the only one that doesn’t own a tuxedo? Well, this is embarrassing.”

“Ohm, the only reason I have one is my ex-girlfriend’s family took me to exclusive parties so I had to buy one. Otherwise, I would never have bought one.” Fah reached over and gently rubbed Ohm's arm. Win gave him a sideways glance but otherwise didn't react. 

“Ex-girlfriend? Wasn't Mek your first kiss?” Khun Korn looked puzzled. 

“Yeah, how did that happen?” asked Win.

“We dated from the beginning of freshman year until I left before graduation. She refused to have sex until marriage and she only allowed me to kiss her cheek goodnight.” 

“Fah, you accepted that? For years?” Ohm, intrigued by Fah’s story, temporarily forgot his tuxedo dilemma.

“Yeah, I did. That should have been the first sign I liked men. I never had any desire to push for anything more with her. It wasn’t until…” Fah stopped speaking. He didn’t dare mention Lom. No one knew of his association with Lom and Ton. 

“Until what? Until Mek?” Ohm tapped Fah on the shoulder impatiently.

“No, not Mek. I met someone I found myself attracted to. He came out to me and said he'd been dating men since we were in high school together. Once I realized how I felt about him, I needed to discover if I liked girls so I went to a brothel…”

“A brothel! How many gay men have been to one of those? What was it like? Did you have sex? Was it wild? Were there orgies going on inside?” Win pestered him, his eyes sparkling, as he leaned closer for juicy details.

“I went to a room with a girl, but I couldn't get excited so I left. Then I knew.”

“Wasn’t that embarrassing?” asked Win.

“No, she said they get men who come for that reason, and she was glad that’s why I didn't react. She worried it was her technique.”

“Did they give you your money back, or at least a discount, for not using the equipment?” asked Win.

“Equipment? Boy, you’re a cold one. Hey, Win, is that what I am to you?” Ohm asked, feigning insult. 

“No, they keep all the money,” said Fah. “You said Mek is coming? Where is he going to stay? He can stay with me if he needs to.”

“Uh-oh, look out Khun Korn, your nephew isn’t safe. For all his talk about being just friends, look how fast Fah moved to get Mek in his bed!” Win couldn’t stop laughing.

“Wait, wait, wait! One thing you never explained. You had the girl, you kissed Mek, but in between was the guy you liked. What happened to him?” Ohm persisted.

“He was my best friend. From the time we were six until, well, until I moved here. I fell in love with him and after I kissed Mek, I slept with him.” Fah spoke quietly. Win, Ohm, and Korn exchanged puzzled glances.

“You were in love with him, you slept with him, then what happened?” Ohm asked softly.

“He said he wasn’t sure if he loved me and when his father asked him about us, in front of me, he said I had been a mistake.” Fah’s eyes began tearing up. He bit the inside of his lip to stop from crying in front of his colleagues.

“Ouch! That was cold. I’m sorry it turned out like that, Fah, you deserve much better. Hey, maybe you’ll meet someone at the gala.” Ohm rubbed Fah’s arm, trying to console him. Win and Khun Korn gave him small smiles of encouragement.

“It’s okay, it’s in the past. I’ve moved on and I’m sure he has as well. I'm not looking for a lover at the gala but I do want to meet people with connections.” Fah smiled at the others.

“Oh, and don’t worry about getting to and from the gala. I am renting a car and driver for the evening. If anyone has too much to drink, you don’t have to worry about drinking and driving,” said Khun Korn.

“Would the police stop people leaving the gala and pull them over for drinking and driving? Aren’t the people at the gala able to retaliate against a police officer who pulls them over?” Win was curious again. He always contemplated every situation from different angles. 

“If they did retaliate, we could take the police officer on as a client to help them keep their job and fight back,” said Ohm. Even though they were a couple, Ohm loved to contradict Win as often as possible. Both of them accepted this dynamic in their relationship and it provided nonstop entertainment for Fah and Khun Korn. 

“A lot of the top judges attend this, do you know any, Khun Korn?” asked Fah.

“I know plenty but I’m only friendly with a few. I’m polite to many whom I consider acquaintances. Most judges are good, there are only a few who aren’t. Those few don’t often attend the gala as they are aware of what their fellow judges think of them.” 

“Not to sound unappreciative, but is the gala boring?” asked Ohm. “I mean, do the top-tier people welcome socializing with those of us below them? Also, other than networking and dinner, does anything else happen?” 

“There are a few awards and a couple of speeches, but the real entertainment comes toward the night's end. By that time people who have had too much to drink make mistakes. It’s often the same people. However, these people are respected for their work so no one mentions it outside the gala. After all, many of these people have high-pressure jobs and their decisions affect people’s lives each day. Sometimes it’s hard to follow the law when you know it isn’t designed to be applied to every situation in the courtroom. That’s always the hardest for the judges. When the gala comes around they want to relax and let loose. Especially the ones who are about to retire.”

The rest of their workday was interrupted every so often by comments or questions about the gala. Everyone was excited and when Khun Korn found a tuxedo for Ohm to rent before the day ended they all cheered.