Disappearing act

Two years ago my brother disappeared. He left his family without warning and sent a suicide note to his wife and to me. We had no idea where he had gone. We contacted the police who found on his computer that he had bought a one-way ticket to Bangkok. Without knowing whether he would still be there my father and I went to Bangkok in search of him. We had no leads but that didn't stop us! We contacted the British Embassy in Thailand and they were able to tell us whether my brother was still in Thailand or not. They did this by checking the records of airports and seaports and, each day, we got a report from the Embassy that he had not presented himself at a port the previous day. All we therefore knew was that he was still in Thailand or he had left the counyty illegally. Either way, we were still faced with the prospect of finding someone who didn't want to be found. We found out that a friend of my brother was visiting Thailand at the same time. Neither knew that the other was in the country. My father and I went to visit the friend in Pattaya, about a 2 hour drive from Bangkok. We told him that my brother had gone missing and asked him to contact me if my brother contacted him. We then left and went back to Bangkok. The following day the friend rang to say that he had bumped into my brother in the street in Pattaya. This is a world class coincidence or a miracle depending upon your belief! We went back to Pattaya to pick up my brother and bring him back to the UK and I am glad to say that he has returned to play his part in society.