Chapter 1

The sun was just beginning to set over the Andaman Sea producing a kaleidoscope of colors in the early evening sky. It was an unusually calm evening. Not the slightest breeze moved the palm trees and the ocean was like glass. Just a few miles north of Patong Beach, a lone man lazed in a lounge chair with his feet barely reaching the crystal clear water.

As the sun set on the horizon making the appearance of sinking into the sea, the man's feet made small ripples in the azure sea. He took a long drag from a joint and exhaled slowly through his nose. Small tendrils of smoke crawled up through his moustache and gathered under the brim of his hat. Swallowing the last bit of Carlsberg from the bottle, he mustered the energy to get up and head towards his home just scant yards from where he was contemplating his past and future.

Colby Michaels was from a small town in west Texas just north of Abilene called Hawley. He spent his high school years there doing what most teenage boys in west Texas do; drinking a lot of beer and playing football. After entertaining several offers from colleges to play ball, Colby settled on Texas Tech in Lubbock. After his third year there, majoring in Computer Information Systems, Colby decided it was time for a sabbatical from school as he could feel the onset of senior year burnout.

Of course Mom and Dad weren't too happy with his decision, but both understood and supported him with the assumption that it was only for the summer. After long consideration, Colby decided not to plan his trip completely, but to buy one outgoing ticket and let the wind blow him wherever it chose; much like a tumbleweed.

At Dallas International Airport he boarded a flight to a place which closely matched his dreams: the land of smiles. Southeast Asia and Indonesia had always fascinated Colby so it made sense to start in Thailand and work his way south. With the lush tropical rainforests and the breathtaking seascapes, it seemed the ideal place for a young man of twenty-one to recharge his batteries and maybe, just maybe discover a little bit about himself.

As the 747-400 climbed quickly through the clouds, Colby was white-knuckling the armrests. His first time in an airplane and he chose to fly eighteen hours non-stop from Dallas to Bangkok. When the plane finally started to level out, along with his equilibrium, Colby glanced around the cabin rather than staring out the small window on his left.

When he finally looked at the passenger seated next to him he saw a huge shit-eating grin on the guy's face. Before he could ask what was so amusing, the man spoke up.

"First time on a plane?"

"Lemme guess, the sweat rolling off my forehead gave me away?" Colby laughed.

" Nope. The fact you damn near ripped the fucking arm rests off your chair gave me a slight hint." the man quipped.

The quick banter between the two had relieved Colby somewhat. He had heard horror stories from friends and family about getting stuck next to the obnoxious salesman on long flights. But Colby thought this guy was ok as he reminded him of his father.

"Colby Michaels" he said introducing himself and offering his hand.

"Brett Stanford. Glad to meet ya." He said grabbing Colby's hand and squeezing like a vise.

While the men settled in, a flight attendant came by asking them if they would like something to drink.

"Buy you a beer Colby?"

"Sure! I'll have a Bud Light."

"Same for me little lady."

Colby opened his and took a couple chugs from the can nearly emptying it and setting it on the tray in front of him.

"Professional drinker?" Brett chuckled.

"Pretty much. Not much else to do in college."

" College huh? What are you studying?"

Colby then went into a brief recap of his short college career including his studies and football and what he hoped to do once he graduated.