Red-Hawk

Blinking twice, Eshin got rid of his turbulent emotions. He then sat up and stared blankly at the TV. He knew why Sud went inside. Furthermore, he knew it was only right for him to do the talking, but he was very reluctant to start this conversation. But what other choices do they have? It seemed that what he was about to say was the only solution available.

With a heavy heart, Eshin put his hand in his breast pocket and brought out a metal token with the insignia of an eagle on it. It had a safety pin that could be used to hook it to a shirt. The eagle was red and was perching on a black tree branch.

"Take this." Eshin tossed it to Anurak who smartly caught it. He turned it around in his hand with a confused look on his face.

"What is this, hia?"

"That is the insignia of Red-Hawk, the gang I belong to." Eshin began.

"You are in a gang?" Anurak was shocked. His eyes were nearly popping out of their sockets.

"Yes. I am in a gang."

"Why? What for? Does Aunty know?"

Anurak was quite clear about how his Aunty, Eshin's mother, hated boys' gangs. She hated it as much as his late mother. There was no time she called him on the phone in the past, that she didn't remind him never to join any gang. Stressing on how it was what ruined his father and sent her own husband to prison. So how wouldn't he not be shocked that Eshin, Aunty Cahya's only son, belonged to a gang? If Aunty Cahya should get to know, it would be troublesome!

"She doesn't know, and she will never know." Eshin snarled at Anurak meaningfully.

Getting the message, Anurak nodded. Even if Eshin didn't warn him, there was no way he was telling his Aunt that his favorite cousin was a gang member. Snitches are bitches, after all.

But still, why would P'Eshin take this route? There must be a reason for his actions. How did he even get involved with a gang in the first place? Are gangs that easy to join in Bangkok? Even at home, gang members are not random people from the street. What made P'Eshin qualify as a gang member?

As all these questions ran through Anurak's head within seconds, he became filled with curiosity and concern.

Why is P'Eshin telling me this? The crease between his eyebrows deepened as he realized something…

Don't tell me… His heart rammed violently against his rib cage as he drew an unbelievable conclusion.

"Hia, is P'Sud also a gang member?" Anurak asked after a gloomy silence.

"No." Eshin shook his head.

"Oh." Anurak signed with relief.

For a moment there, he had thought that Sud was forcing Eshin to do something he shouldn't be doing…

"The gang works for his family and in return, the members get protection from their enemies," Eshin concluded.

Shia! I was right! But why will P'Eshin need protection?

"So you joined his family's gang because you needed protection? What happened?"

"I messed with the wrong person, just like you just did. If Sud hadn't come to my rescue, they would have killed everyone by now." Eshin's voice was brimming with intense anger as he said this. It was apparent that he was yet to get over whatever it was that happened.

Anurak gasped. "That bad?"

The thought of Aunty Cahya dying of gang violence made his heart feel cold.

"Your so-called offense doesn't have to be serious. As long as the person offended is stronger, petty, and vicious, they will do whatever it takes to get back at you. The boss of the boys you beat up is such a person. His name is Wan. He is half-Chinese and his father is one of the main shareholders in Sunny Groups. If he comes after you, we can deal with him, but if we deal with him, King will have no choice but to deal with us. That is why you have to join the gang as soon as possible. Once they know you belong with Red-Hawk, they will back off, since Red-Hawk is under the protection of the third most influential family in Bangkok. At most, they will ask for some compensation." Eshin explained.

"I have to join a gang? You want me to join a gang, P'Bright?" Anurak exclaimed.

"I don't see any other way out." Eshin spread his hands in resignation.

Silence descended on the room again as both brothers became lost in their individual thoughts.

I have to join a gang? Become a criminal? P'Eshin is a criminal. He is committing crimes for P'Sud's family. What kind of things are they doing?

The more Anurak thought about it, the more alarmed he became. He could literally hear his mother's voice inside his head. It was as if she were standing in front of him.

His mind flashed back to that day. He had just clocked ten, and she had thrown him a big birthday. Being the recent birthday boy in his class, the other boys had gone the extra mile to pay him some attention. It wasn't every day Anurak got to hang out with his classmates, so on this day, he agreed to follow them to a classmate's house to play. Playing with the other boys was so lively that he lost track of time. His mum had gone looking for him and had found them gambling over a rubber-band tossing game. She was shocked and alarmed. When they got back home, she had given him a beating and made him promise never to follow others to gamble again. She said that was how boys end up joining gangs.

"After joining gangs, they will become useless like your father." She had said while twisting his earlobes.

Not satisfied with that, she went to the wardrobe and brought out a black belt. "I will not let you turn to your father!" She repeatedly yelled as she hit his buttocks with his father's belt that was left behind.

"Promise me! Promise me you will not join any gang. Promise you will always study and pass your exams. Promise me." followed the "Pah! Pah!!" sounds of the belt hitting his butt.

That was the only time Anurak could remember his mum beating him. A few weeks later, she collapsed and was rushed to the hospital. She died on a beautiful, cloudless day. She died in the evening, but before that, they had a talk in the morning. It was a long talk, and he didn't understand most of what she was saying. But because Anurak had a photogenic and retentive brain, he could remember all her words. As he grew older, he got some clarity, and those last words of hers were the foundations for some of his personal principles. Asking him to go against them was like asking him to move Mount Tai…

"Angel, listen to me very well. You are not a bastard. You are your father's son, but you can never be like that useless man. Any man who has to bow down to his mate before he eats is no longer a man. Do you hear me?? As long as you work hard, as long as you are not too greedy, you will be fine. Do you hear me?.? Don't become your father!!"

His mother's words wouldn't leave him alone.

"What kind of work do you do for the gang, hia?" Anurak finally asked the question that was eating him up inside.

If they give him something not so criminalizing to do, maybe he could compromise…? Anurak looked up at Eshin with some hope.

"You can't know until you join."

"Hmm." Anurak huffed heavily and his shoulders sank.

Of course, gang activities can't be anything good, so they can't tell outsiders. His little ray of hope died instantly.

"P'Sud said once I join one of the bike racing teams, I will have the protection of the biker's community. I will be joining them tomorrow. Why don't we wait and see what happens after that, Hia?" This was Anurak's last hope, and he would rather try it first before throwing in the towel.

"Hehehe." Eshin laughed. "You are such a naive little thing. The biker's community is also a gang. In fact, they are more like a syndicate than a low-level gang like Red-Hawk. And they are under the protection of the first family, but their businesses belong to the fifth family."

"I don't understand."

"King's family is the 5th family. Wan Lee is under King and you have offended Wan Lee. If you join any of the teams, what do you think will happen?"

"It's like a ram going to the slaughter," Anurak muttered as he understood Eshin's words.

"Exactly. Joining them is like handing yourself over for punishment."

Anurak felt a sting in his chest. Was he going to lose this chance too? He was really looking forward to it.

The bedroom door opened, and the two brothers looked up. Sud, in a very long, blue towel, stepped into the sitting room. He had just finished taking a shower and there were droplets of water on his body.

He walked over to his sofa and picked up a shirt that was draped across the back of the couch. Furthermore, he started wearing the shirt as he spoke.

"He can still join them," Sud interjected Eshin. "As long as he joins a team from the first family, everything will be fine. At worst, they will give him some punishment to appease Wan Lee."

"The racing teams are also gangs?" Anurak picked his jaws from the ground and muttered. A bitter taste invaded his mouth as helplessness dragged him down. He just wanted to join a team and win some races. How can that turn into joining a gang?

"Do I have to work for them as a gang member when I join the team?" He asked Sud who seemed to know more.

"Not really. As long as you don't betray them and work hard, you will make more money for them as a professional biker. All they need is for you to be good at what you do, which is biking."

Sud dragged a small wooden stool from the kitchen, placed it beside his sofa, and sat on it. "Unless you want to rise in hierarchy, nobody will engage you in any dirty business. Just make sure you don't go poking your nose where it doesn't belong."

Surprised at Sud's words, Eshin turned to him with an askance gaze. "I thought you wanted him to join us because we could use a good fighter." He said reproachfully.

He never wanted his brother to join any gang, but since things were now this way, he didn't want his brother to go where he wouldn't be able to protect him.

"He is too young for that kind of scene. Since we are not in conflict with the 5th family, it is okay if he joins their force. If things go well, it will only strengthen our relationship." Sud replied thoughtfully.

"But…" Eshin wanted to protest.

"No buts, Bright," Sud said sternly, spooking Anurak. He watched as the fight went out of Eshin. That was when it sank in for him that Sud was really Eshin's boss.