Killing Rain

one of those whiskeys?”

    “Why not?” I said. Dox signaled the waitress and magnanimously ordered everyone another round. He and Tiara leaned close again and went back to murmuring.
    Oh, this was going to be good. I didn’t know what I’d done to deserve something so beautiful, but here it was. And it could only get better.
    The drinks came. I enjoyed mine in silence, my focus alternating between the bar, the room, and my distracted drinking companions. The girl’s arm had disappeared beneath the table. From the angle of their bodies, I recognized that her hand was, at a minimum, on Dox’s thigh. Possibly it had come to rest somewhere farther north.
    The girl whispered something to him. Dox nodded. The girl smiled at me, got up, excused herself, and headed toward the restroom.
    Dox took a last gulp from his drink and leaned across the table. His face was flushed. “Well, partner, you know I’m going to miss you, but duty calls.”
    I smiled. “I understand completely. You’re going to make her very happy, I can see that.”
    “Well, I reckon she’s going to make me happy, too. Did you see her, man? When was the last time you saw something so fine? A little flat-chested, it’s true, but that doesn’t bother me a bit. I’m sure her other charms will make up for it.”
    “Oh, definitely. I’m sure she’s otherwise . . . very well equipped.” Keeping my voice even wasn’t easy. One hitch, one chuckle, and I knew I’d be lost in a hurricane-force laughing fit.
    “Thanks for your understanding, man. It’s time for this young lady to have the experience of a lifetime. It’ll be nothing but disappointment for her after tonight, but that’s the price of a love-filled evening with Dox.”
    I nodded. I knew if I tried to speak I’d be done.

    He must have misinterpreted my silence. “Shit, man, there’s no need for you to spend the night alone. You’re not a bad-looking guy, and the ladies won’t know about your deficiencies until it’s too late, anyway. You could meet someone if you wanted to.”
    Part of me, a bigger part than I cared to admit, wanted to let him go through with it. And I would have paid almost anything to be there at the moment of truth. But he was a good friend. Hell, he’d saved my life. I couldn’t do it to him, even if he did deserve it.
    I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “Dox. She’s a katoey. ”
    Katoey, or “lady-boy,” has a range of meanings, from a guy who likes to dress in drag from time to time all the way to a man who has had transgender surgery and is now effectively a woman. They can be found all over Thailand and are generally accepted, if sometimes difficult to spot, within the society. Regardless of the differences, what they all have in common is that presumably Dox wouldn’t want to sleep with one.
    He scowled slightly and cocked his head. “Now that’s not like you, man. Don’t go trying to spoil my night just because you haven’t gotten one of your own.”
    “You didn’t notice her hands? They’re just a little big for her frame, don’t you think? And did you get a look at her Adam’s apple? Women don’t have Adam’s apples, and she’s wearing that high collar to conceal it.”
    Some of the color drained from his face. “Don’t fuck with me,” he said.
    I shook my head and stifled a laugh. “I’m not.”
    The girl walked back from the restroom as though on cue. Dox stood and turned to her. “Honey,” he said, “Dick over here thinks . . . he thinks . . .”
    I smiled gently and said to her, “I just didn’t want there to be a misunderstanding. Bob didn’t know you’re a katoey. ”

    She smiled back, then looked at Dox, her eyes wide. “You no like katoey ?”
    Dox lost a little more color. “I . . . I . . .” he stammered.
    “Me, I think you know,” she said. “So I no say.”
    “No, I didn’t know!” he said, his voice anguished.
    “Most men, no problem. When it dark . . .”
    “I ain’t like that.”
    She smiled. “Please, honey? I like you.”
    Dox’s expression was about halfway to physical illness. “Look,” he said, “I don’t mean to be rude, but could you just go?”
    She hesitated, then nodded. “Okay. Thank you for drinks with me.”
    “You’re welcome,” Dox said, his tone the quintessence of forlornness.
    She got up and left the club, no doubt disappointed that her investment of time had yielded so little. Dox looked gut-shot.
    He slumped into his chair and looked at me. “When