Three months earlier, Kevin and Denise had finished their second year of college. They enrolled in a six-week summer session and each added nine credit-hours toward their academic progress, which would allow them to take graduate courses in London. For the balance of the summer, they planned to visit Jakarta and Kevin’s honorary “family” there, the Coris Foundation staff, especially his “Aunt” Janet Davis, its executive director, who knew him from his birth and who Kevin had regarded as his second mother.
Summer session ended and the two left for Indonesia after arranging for Denise’s mother to ship some of their household and winter clothing items to London after they arrived and got themselves settled.
Arriving at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, the two were amazed at the greeting they received since virtually all of the long-time staff of the Foundation came out to meet them and brought them to a country club for a welcome-home party. The last time Kevin had been in Jakarta had been four years earlier, when his parents had been killed in the terrorist bombing, and immediately following that he had left for the U.S. to attend high school. He had last seen Aunt Janet in Seoul three years ago when she visited him during his Korean high-school scholar exchange program.
Janet spent much of the first two days bringing Kevin up to date on the Foundation’s projects and he got to meet many of the newer field workers. It became apparent that the work of the Foundation was flourishing under Janet’s management; she had secured a number of grants to support their humanitarian work and was able to fund operations using the investment yields that the Foundation held. Their activities had grown enough that Janet needed to bring a financial specialist into her management group and had recruited an expert from London, someone who actually happened to have Indonesian roots too.
This was Elliott Hadad; he had been the controller for an NGO based in London that supported humanitarian projects in Africa. He was British by nationality but he had grown up in Indonesia; his parents had been British international aid workers when they were younger, working in Southeast Asia. They were still working in international aid and were currently employed by the African Union and based in England. Janet had recruited Hadad as the Foundation’s CFO and he had moved back to Jakarta about two years earlier.
Three days after Kevin and Denise had arrived in Jakarta, Janet told them that she had invited Hadad and his daughter to dinner that evening.
“You obviously haven’t met Elliott yet since he just returned from a brief trip and I know he really wants to meet you,” she told them. “They have an interesting but sad story that I know you’ll want to hear.”
Early that evening Elliott Hadad arrived with his daughter, a very pretty 16-year-old; both Hadads looked quite Western despite their name. Hadad was very astute and immediately detected Denise’s appraising look. He grinned at her and then took one of her hands in his, shaking Kevin’s with his other hand.
“I’m really very pleased to finally get to meet you, Kevin, Denise; Janet’s always talking about you. And yes, Denise, I get that look a lot. People think I’m Arabic, or Indonesian, or whatever, from my name—and my accent too—but I’m mostly a Brit, actually. So don’t be embarrassed at my catching your stare. The disconnect between my name and Western appearance just means that I’ve got a complex history; lots of us who work in foreign charities have histories like mine. And this charming person here” —he drew his daughter in front of him as she was shyly standing behind him— “is my wonderful daughter, Amelia. Amelia, meet Denise and Kevin. Janet is Kevin’s honorary aunt,” he grinned.
“Pleased,” she nodded her head as she touched her hand to Kevin’s and Denise’s, then dropped her eyes.
Denise and Kevin glanced at each other and the nonverbal message passed between them: “This is a troubled girl in pain...”
Kevin glanced at Amelia again and winced slightly, trying to conceal his concerned expression from the others.
“Say, folks,” Janet broke in. “Let’s go sit and chat before dinner’s ready.”
They walked out into a screened and covered courtyard filled with tropical plants and flowers.
“Oh my,” Denise breathed. “so pretty.”
“Thank you, my dear,” Janet replied. “It’s my hobby and very relaxing. And the plants don’t talk back but they do appreciate the attention.”
The others chuckled.
“So Denise, Kevin, tell us about your London venture,” Janet began. “You’ve done a great job in keeping us up on your antics for the past year; thank heavens for videochat—but that time difference between us is the pits. Anyway, you didn’t tell us much about your school plans—why London now?”
The two explained their academic plans and how the classes in London would fit in.
“So Elliott,” Denise said after she had been thoroughly questioned, “you mentioned that you had a complex history; is it something you can share?”
“Oh, yes. Well, part of it depends on Amelia and if she’s comfortable with her part, since this involves both of us.”
“Oh, I’m okay, Papa, I don’t want to always keep hiding. That’s why I love my acting classes, you know. So go ahead.”
Denise sensed the emotions which underlaid Amelia’s response and her heart melted. She moved over to Amelia and took her hand.
“Amelia... my, that’s such a pretty name...” Then she leaned over and whispered in her ear, “I can see you’re tense and troubled. It’s in your face and how you hold your body. Later we’ll talk privately if you want but I want you to know that I’ll try to help you, okay? I had bad things happen to me and learned from them and I want to help others. Can we talk later?”
Denise looked up. “Sorry, I just wanted to mention something privately. Anyway, Amelia, you have a very pretty name.”
Amelia gripped her hand firmly but giggled. “Thank you, but that’s funny. Actually Amelia means ‘beautiful’ in Arabic...”
“Oh my, that is funny,” Denise interjected.
“Yes, in Indonesia we take names from Arabic, Sanscrit, Javanese, and some other native languages,” Janet added.
Amelia leaned over to Denise and whispered, “Thank you, that was amazing, how you know how I feel, and yes, let’s talk later.”
Hadad cleared his throat. “Well, I guess it’s my turn then. So my folks are Brits, as I said, and I was born right here in Jakarta. I went to school here and also in England; my parents have a little home near Birmingham, but I graduated secondary school here and then went to university in Kuala Lampur where I studied finance. That’s where I met Kalila, Amelia’s mum, she was Indonesian and studied nursing. Kalila’s father died when she was a teen and she had to fight for her university education against her conservative mother—that whole side of her family is very, ahh... traditional. She was able to get a scholarship and we met in her second year there.
“After we both graduated, I went to England for advanced schooling and got my doctorate and that’s where Amelia was born, in London, actually. Kalila took a position with a hospital in London and that’s how things remained until a few years ago when the story changed. Kalila’s hospital arranged a medical mission to Freetown, Sierra Leone; that was five years ago, and you remember about the Ebola outbreak then? She became infected and they couldn’t save her.”
“Oh my god,” Denise and Kevin sighed. “So sorry...” “That’s terrible...”
“Thanks,” he went on. “Then Janet recruited me—maybe a year or so later—and I moved Amelia here the following year; she was living with my folks back in England. I should have left her there...” he choked.
“Oh, Papa...” Amelia whispered.
“But I so missed her,” he said, wiping tears from his eyes. “I put her in the AIS Indonesia school here; it’s a good school. She was 13, almost 14. Okay if I continue, darling?” he asked Amelia.
She nodded, her eyes shiny with her own unshed tears.
“I was stupid and not really aware of how pigheaded Kalila’s family was. Her father was enlightened, but not her mother or the rest of them. One day, Amelia’s aunt—that is, Kalila’s brother’s wife—forged a note to pull Amelia out of school for a quote-religious celebration-unquote. The office clerk let her go but the headmaster’s secretary got suspicious, checked the note, and called me to verify it. While they were trying to reach me, the school found out that the only religious ceremony going on then was a mass ceremony to perform sunat perempuan. I know Indonesian—sunat means ‘circumcise’ and the term means ‘female circumcision,’ which as you probably know is an inaccurate term. It’s actually known in the human rights field as ‘female genital mutilation.’ Or FGM.”
Kevin and Denise were listening with their attention riveted on Hadad. Denise shuddered and glanced at Amelia whose hands were clasped in her lap and she was looking down. Then she looked up as her father stopped speaking to dab at his eyes.
“Let me tell the next, Papa,” she said quietly.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, I need to be able to talk about it.”
“If you’re sure...”
“Yes. Auntie took me to—it was an old school building; she said it was a coming-of-age ceremony that everyone does. But when I got into this room, there were kids, little girls of all ages, some crying and holding themselves in pain, some lying on the classroom desks with their privates all exposed and women holding them down, and there was crying and screams all around. I tried to run out but they caught me and held me struggling there for maybe an hour, I think. I kept looking at that clock on the wall. Auntie said we had to wait our turn and I was trying to get away but the woman holding me was too strong.
“Then they came for me and dragged me to a desk and stretched me out on it—it was a hard desk! Wood! And pulled up my school skirt and my undies down. I was yelling and kicking and trying to pull free but then two women held my legs apart so I couldn’t move. Then I felt a sharp stab into my private parts and maybe that gave me more energy ‘cuz I jerked hard and pulled loose before this woman, she was holding a pair of little scissors, could jab me again. I kicked at her and she backed away; the two women were trying to push me down again—and that’s when I was grabbed by Papa! And two policemen grabbed the women who were trying to hold me,” she gasped, her tears flowing now.
Denise wrapped her in a hug.
“Yes, I wasn’t quite in time,” Hadad picked up the story. “I had learned where she was taken and got the police to go with me by claiming a kidnaping, which it really was, and I did rescue her, but she had apparently struggled fearsomely and that delayed their taking her to do the mutilation straightaway when she arrived because they thought her screams would so panic the other children that they’d have a bigger problem with the rest of them. So they waited to take her until most of the others were done. Anyway, her genital area had been partially cut into when she wrested herself free; that woman wasn’t able to do more than make one sloppy incision, a stab with a scissors, which was bleeding profusely. That’s when I pulled her off that bloody—and I mean bloody in both senses of the term—desk.”
Kevin shook his head in disbelief. “I thought that stuff only happened in Africa...”
“Oh, no,” Janet said. “It’s awful that it’s such a widespread custom. Yes, Africa is one major region where this barbaric practice takes place, but it’s common here too—you know that Indonesia is the most populous Islamic country in the world, right? Well, FGM is a misguided cultural practice which many Muslims perform despite its denouncement by progressive Muslims. Even so, leading traditional Muslim clerics are becoming ever more insistent that it’s a sacred duty, no matter that the Qur’an doesn’t mention the practice and it’s actually outlawed in most Islamic countries. Not in Indonesia, however.”
“So it’s that big of a problem here?” Denise asked, dismayed.
“Quite,” Janet confirmed. “A major one. Our foundation, you know, works toward providing medical and legal aid to our needy populations in Southeast Asia. So I’m very familiar with the FGM problem here. Listen: In the last health survey we did, our researchers found that between 85 to 100 percent of the households in Indonesia subjected their daughters to genital cutting but this was usually performed before the age of five, but up to teenagers are done too, like what happened to Amelia. And it has a high acceptance too; more than 90 percent of adults support continuing the practice.
“The survey asked clerics why they support doing this and a common answer is that it’s necessary to control women’s sexual urges and that women must be chaste to preserve their beauty.”
Denise stared at her with an incredulous expression. “No!”
“You’re not convinced?” Janet said. “Try responding coherently to this reason—this was mentioned by a woman who performs the mutilations. She said something to the effect that the cutting was helpful to girls’ health because it balances their emotions so they don’t get sexually over-stimulated.”
Denise and Kevin were listening, shaking their heads in disbelief.
“It gets worse—the reasons given by some other women were just as bad. One woman claimed that it helps girls to urinate more easily and reduces the bad smell,” Janet said with a disgusted gesture. “But the take-home message that we try to pound into people is that female genital mutilation is absolutely not required by Muslim law.”
“That’s so true,” Hadad continued. “And Kalila escaped being mutilated as a youngster because her father was progressive and forbade it. I never would have brought Amelia back here if I realized...”
“Papa, it’s okay, not your fault,” Amelia said insistently.
“Well, we’re at the point where medicine has the ability to do microsurgery now,” Hadad went on. “So my folks were in touch with doctors in the hospital in Birmingham where they live...”
“Yeah, that’s where that Malala girl from Pakistan who was shot in the head was treated!” Amelia interjected.
“...but they don’t do neurological microsurgery there, instead they recommended a hospital in London where the procedure was developed. Only now we need to wait a year,” Hadad concluded.
“Why’s that?” Denise asked.
“My parents were going to see to her care during the treatments, which would take place over six months. But they were just assigned to a humanitarian project in Accra in Ghana for a year. I can’t go to London for that long now, either. Janet says I should go, but we’ve got this critical grant coming up that’s hugely important for the Foundation’s future. Amelia is okay with waiting but I know her condition is painful. She’s had some treatments to try to help her pain but the docs here say that the cutting damaged an important nerve.”
Kevin came over to Denise, leaned over, and whispered in her ear; she nodded and he stood up.
“I have a proposal and want you to take it seriously and not as a courteous offer I’m just making to be polite. Denise and I can be Amelia’s guardians while we’re in London so she can get her treatments...”
Both Hadad and Janet began to object to Kevin’s proposal.
“...no, no wait; let me go on.” Kevin held up his hand. “I’ve done this guardian thing before, actually. Denise’s mom appointed me as Denise’s legal guardian when she got her new job and had to move hundreds of miles away. I mean this seriously. My parents thought I was sufficiently mature to emancipate me when I was only 16—at Amelia’s age, actually. And I was 17 when I was Denise’s guardian. Aunt Janet, why did you begin to protest?”
“Well, Kevin, I’m not questioning your maturity or commitment. You have your own life plus a demanding academic program this year,” she pointed out.
“Good points; I won’t debate them because it would appear that I’m downplaying their importance. And those are definitely significant considerations. But that’s what life is like, isn’t it, after all? It’s meeting one’s responsibilities. I’m used to taking on responsibility. I think I have the need to be challenged with significant responsibilities. It actually makes me work harder when I’ve committed to a major obligation. Besides, being the guardian for a high school girl will be great practice for when I have kids of my own, don’t you think?”
The group all laughed, the tension being broken somewhat.
“Elliott, what’s keeping you from agreeing?” Kevin went on.
Hadad looked at Janet. “I see what you meant about Kevin. I don’t think I could come up with a cogent argument to deny him anything!”
Denise giggled. “Yep. He absolutely has that effect on people.”
“Young man, I don’t know what to say... Why would you do this... this incredible mercy... for someone you’ve only known a couple of hours?”
“Elliott, we all need to do this. She needs it and so do you. Both Denise and I can feel Amelia’s pain. We felt it as soon as we saw her. She’s masking it well, but she’s suffering and you are too. I know you’re a good person, because Aunt Janet would never have given you this job otherwise. I want to do this for you both because it’s the right thing to do.”
Hadad stood and pulled Kevin into an embrace and Amelia rose too and spread her arms around both men, tears streaking her cheeks.
“Kevin, thank you so much, I can’t thank you enough,” she whispered.
“Young man, I’ve never met anyone like you, although Janet says you’re the image of your father—not physically—she says you’re better looking—but your character,” Hadad told him. “As Amelia said, we can’t thank you enough. But we’ll need to work out some financial...”
“Sir? Wait. Funds aren’t a problem, for living expenses, anyway. You do have the medical parts arranged? Although we have enough money to help there...”
“Hold on, hold on,” Hadad interrupted. “Yes, I have good medical insurance and the National Health Plan in the U.K. will also help costs. But I want to contribute to Amelia’s living expenses too. Just as I was going to do with my parents.”
“Okay, sir. We can work that out. And Denise can talk with Amelia to see about the girl things she’ll need while she’s living with us.”
“My folks are leaving for Ghana on August 25,” Elliott remarked. “You mentioned that you’d be in London before then and I’d arrange to have Amelia arrive before they leave. I know my folks would love to see their granddaughter and meet you both. Their names are Malik and Saja Hadad. They’ll be in Africa until sometime near the end of next May or as late as July 1. Is that okay?”
“That’s perfectly fine and we wouldn’t leave her alone,” he winked at Hadad and glanced at Amelia, “unless we decide to adopt her and take her to America.”
Amelia blushed and giggled. “Ooooohhh yeah...”
Denise chuckled, “Oh, instant family...”
“Quit ganging up on me,” Hadad moaned. He clutched his chest in mock pain. “My heart can’t take it.”
“Okay, folks,” Janet announced just then. “Dinner’s ready.”
After a very pleasant dinner, Denise mentioned that she wanted some private time to talk to Amelia, and Hadad and Kevin told her to go ahead; Hadad wanted to discuss the financial arrangements he wanted to make with Kevin and discuss the medical care Amelia had received to date and what her doctors had recommended. Janet stayed with them while the girls went back out to the garden courtyard.
“Oh, Denise, I don’t have the words to say how much...” Amelia began.
“Shhhhh, it’s okay, seeing your grateful expression was thanks enough, honey,” Denise said quietly, holding her hand.
“But how did you know... how could you tell I was hurting? And Kevin saw too, right away; I saw his expression and he looked almost like he was crying when he looked away.”
“Sweetie, Kevin is an incredible, wonderful person,” Denise said soothingly. “He has such a caring soul and a very strong empathic sense, almost like a radar, he picks up people’s feelings. In our high school on his first day there he saw me in an awful situation and basically saved my life; I’ll tell you that story later. Anyway, both he and I could feel the pain you’re living with. It shows in your face and how you hold your body too. Can you tell me any more?”
“Yes, it’s a gnawing pain from the cutting. My doctor said I got an infection ‘cuz the cutting wasn’t sterile—the woman didn’t even clean my privates before she started. And I have adhesives...”
Denise interjected, “It’s adhesions I think, dear.”
“Oh, right. There are scars there too. There’s also scarring in my vagina, from the infection. But the worst is pain from where the cut was ‘cuz a nerve there was damaged. And at first the doctors said the pain would stop when the cut healed. It didn’t; it got worse! One doctor said it was in my mind ‘cuz of my scarey experience. Papa had to work hard to find doctors who would believe me.”
“Oh, you poor girl,” Denise murmured. “I know just how you feel; I wasn’t cut like you were but I was molested and injured there. Then Kevin helped me find someone who understood and knew how to treat me to stop the pain.”
“Oh Denise,” Amelia cried and grabbed her in an embrace. “Can you help me too like that? Oh please say yes...” she sobbed.
“We’ll try really hard, dear,” Denise held her soothingly. “I’m sure there are wonderful medical facilities in London. Kevin had serious pain in his privates too, you know, boy parts...” Amelia giggled. “...and he worked with some docs who figured it out after a bunch had tried and failed. I’m certain they can help you too. So it must be fate that brought us together—we all suffered the same kind of thing, actually.”
“Oh my...” Amelia looked at Denise intently. “Yes, it’ll be wonderful to have someone to talk about how I feel... I so miss my mum ‘cuz we could talk about anything. Papa is so caring but he gets so embarrassed to talk about my... um... girl problems. Janet has been wonderful to me but it’s not like family, I guess.”
“So how do you get by in school? Did the cutting cause any stigma?” Denise asked.
“No, not at all. Most of the kids are international or from the upper class—this isn’t something that’s ever discussed. But I don’t have to do the physical ed classes. Shame, ‘cuz I loved football and can’t do that now, it’s too rough. I love acting and drama, though, ‘cuz it lets me forget who I am—I become someone else, even when I’m learning parts, and can forget about my pains.”
“I see,” Denise said, smiling. “So besides your general pains, are there other problems too?”
“Yes,” Amelia looked down. “It’s embarrassing...”
“Hey, don’t be; it’s just us girls here.”
“Well, touching there is bad. Like wiping myself after peeing—it hurts. A lot. I can’t use a tampon and pads are irritating, they rub near the parts that were cut. The other girls talk about playing with their clitties and it being nice but for me it’s terrible.” Her tears had begun flowing again.
“Oh, sweetie. I’m so happy that you won’t have to wait another year for treatment, then,” Denise said as she took both of Amelia’s hands, brought them to her lips and kissed them.
Amelia threw herself into Denise’s arms and they embraced.
“I think I love you, Denise,” Amelia whispered. “Thank you so, so much.”
“Me too, Amelia. So let’s be honorary sisters, then, okay?” Denise suggested.
“Oh YES!” Amelia shouted and hugged her again.
Hadad poked his head out the door. “Everything okay, darling? I heard you shout.”
“Yeah, Papa, it’s very okay. Denise is my official big sister now.”
“Okay, I think?... umm...” he said, bemused. “Ahh... I trust your talk went well then.”
“Yes, Papa, we shared our secrets and Denise is just wonderful; she understands everything. I’m so happy we met her and Kevin.”
Hadad smiled at Denise. “Hmmm, looks like you have a special talent just like Kevin does. Two Pied Pipers, bewitching young teens. Janet told me what the two of you did in both your high schools with those kids you helped.”
“Oh, she didn’t!” Denise said, blushing. “I hope she kept it ‘G’-rated.”
“I’ll admit I was kind of shocked by all of that nonsense that was happening in the schools,” Hadad commented. “But I can see after meeting you two how you managed to bring virtually the entire U.S. government to its knees,” he chuckled. “Come on in now; we’ve discussed all we can about Amelia’s medical treatments without having her records here to review. Amelia, let’s do some planning for your trip to London, your schooling, and your stay with these two wizards. Janet’s getting her laptop out so we can explore London now.”
They did some preliminary research on the web, and during the next several days, Amelia’s year in London was planned.
~~~~
Several days later, Janet mentioned to Kevin that she had received a call from the U.S. Embassy. The staff had noticed from their reports that Kevin had arrived in the country.
“Kevin, looks like you’re quite the celebrity. Roger Vickers—you know, the ambassador to Indonesia—wants to know if you’d have time to stop by to meet him. He’s one of your biggest fans, you know, how you pulled off the destruction of an entire U.S. federal agency.”
“Ha! He kind of had a part in that too, since he got President Gerston involved and that got everyone’s attention,” Kevin commented. “That was where the downfall of the agency began, actually.”
Four days before Kevin and Denise were to leave for London, they finally were able to get to meet Vickers and his senior staff.
When they were ushered into the embassy’s reception hall, a tall, burly giant of a man detached himself from the group he was talking with and strode over to them.
“Welcome, welcome, Denise, Kevin!” he boomed. “I’m Roger Vickers and it’s a great honor to meet you. And you Kevin, especially. Kevin, your mom Audrey was a fine, fine person and a terrible loss for you and for her country too. And your dad, so terrible.” Kevin acknowledged his comment. “Anyway, my girls wanted me to relay a message to you because they couldn’t in person but I only agreed to deliver the verbal part.”
He looked at Denise’s puzzled expression and boomed a laugh. “The non-verbal part was to give Kevin hugs and kisses from them...”
Denise grinned, “Oh, my... Is that about what I think? They’re teens, right?”
“Yes ma’am,” he confirmed. “I’ll be returning to the States next month—accepted a university presidency actually—and my family is already there now. Otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to keep the girls away today. And being back in the States, if that damned Program was still operating, the girls would have been eligible. Kevin saw to its demise—you too, as I understand. Say, maybe I’ll deliver my thanks to you as Kevin’s proxy?” he grinned.
Kevin looked at Denise with a smile and tiny nod; she reached out to him, embraced him, and kissed him on the cheek, which he returned with a slight blush. Denise noticed.
“Why, Mister Ambassador, I do believe you’re blushing,” she chided.
“It’s not very often I get a chance to hug such a delightful person,” he defended himself.
Kevin smiled broadly at him and took Denise’s hand. “I think I can guess the verbal part then?” he prompted.
Vickers grinned. “Well, I know very well how modest you are... from my attempts to find out how you were involved with the federal Program agency, son, your tracks were so covered it took three federal agencies to figure out who you were. And then I heard from Harry about your meeting with him... President Gerston, that is, about how you tried to disclaim everything and tried to convince him it was an entire committee of high schoolers who were behind everything...”
Kevin was trying to butt in.
“...no, Kevin, I do know the whole story now, including about your Marine friends too. I’ve got to come up with a way to harness your talents; your friends’ too, so this isn’t the last time you’ll hear from me. Lots of folks are very interested to see where you land when you grow up.” He laughed again. “So, Mr Modest Coris, my girls have—get this—a life-sized photo poster of you hanging on the wall of each of their rooms!”
Denise gasped, “Oh god, wearing clothes, I hope!”
Vickers boomed a laugh again. “Well, they did try to find a Program picture but my wife and I vetoed that! You’re their rock star! Come now; let’s meet the staff and get some lunch.”
Kevin looked at Denise and he shrugged; she grabbed him by the ears and pulled him into a kiss. “You’re my rock star,” she whispered.
At lunch, the conversation turned to how Vickers knew the president.
“We were roommates in college for our last three years, sharing a tiny room in our frat house. Harry was the nerdy one, always in the books, and I was the jock. Football, as you might guess from my build. We made an unlikely pair. Can I tell you a secret?” They nodded. “You know how the jocks get the girls and the nerds go dateless?” They nodded. “Well, with us it was the opposite. Girls flocked to Harry. He got me dates! In fact, he was the matchmaker in fixing me up with my future wife!”
They laughed.
Denise looked thoughtful. “Yes, I felt that way about him, a kind of charisma that drew me in. That’s good in a politician, actually.”
“So how did you become a diplomat, anyway? I’m very aware that you’re appointed by the president and not in the Foreign Service,” Kevin asked.
“Ah, it was a favor to Harry, actually. He needed a politically neutral ambassador appointee and my degrees are in political science, economics, and public policy. There were some important Pacific rim trade agreements that needed negotiating so he asked me to do this gig for him,” Vickers replied. “Actually, that gig got us out of the U.S. just when the Program came to the girls’ school, so they love Harry for getting them away from that too,” he chuckled, “BUT I have to tell him that HE didn’t get HIS picture on their walls.”
“Hmmm, somehow I don’t think he’d be all that devastated,” Denise smirked.
“Oh, say, before I forget,” Vickers said, changing the subject, “Your friend Warren Porter—the South Korean chargé—was posted to London last fall. He’s deputy chief there. You probably heard about that, since I recall that your families were close friends; that means you’ll get to see them more while you’re at school there.”
“Oh yes, I’m looking forward to seeing them. We try to keep in touch by videochat but that’s tough to do with the time difference,” Kevin said.
Kevin spent the rest of his visit learning about several mutual acquaintances who had been serving in various embassies, getting updated about their current postings. Soon they took their leave with the promise to keep in touch.
~~~~
Two days before Kevin and Denise were to leave for London, Janet held a farewell party for the pair and invited everyone who knew the Corises, including Ambassador Vickers and several staff members from the embassy and some of the consular officers. About fifty people were able to come.
After dinner, several friends of the Corises rose to say a few words in Audrey’s and Paul’s memory and then Kevin took the microphone and went over to where Denise was seated and stood next to her.
“I want to thank all of you, friends whom I regard as more than just friends and some of you almost as my extended family—I grew up with many of you—for all of the wonderful things you’ve said about my parents here, publically, and to me in private,” Kevin began. “I will always treasure your friendship and I promise to keep in touch. I think all of you have met and become enchanted by my wonderful girlfriend, Denise Roberts, who has accompanied me in virtually all of my travels and tribulations since I last left Jakarta four long years ago. She has been with me in both body and spirit.”
He took her left hand in his, dropped to his knee in front of her, and everyone gasped; Denise’s other hand flew to her mouth as she stared at him, openmouthed.
“Denise, I want to share the rest of my life with you, darling. Will you marry me?”
“YES!” she exclaimed as the room broke into applause and cheers. “OH YES!”
Kevin had palmed a ring in his hand and quickly slipped it on her finger as she stood up and embraced him tightly.
“Kevin, I don’t know how you hid that from me,” Denise chided him. “I thought I could read you like a book, and here you go and surprise me like that. I had no idea,” she finished as they were swarmed with well-wishers.
Amelia ran up to the couple with tears streaming from her eyes. “God, that was so beautiful. Better than the cinema. Kevin, if Denise is my big sister, that makes you my big brother, right?” she asked shyly.
Kevin hugged her. “Of course, sweetheart. It would be wonderful to finally have a sister, especially one as pretty as you.”
Amelia blushed. “I’m so happy for you...” she whispered and remained at Denise’s side, arm around her waist.
Hadad and Janet pushed their way into the group surrounding the engaged couple; both hugged the pair and expressed their congratulations. The rest of the evening was occupied by Denise and Kevin talking with their well-wishers as the guests gradually left the hall.
Hadad and Amelia left with the last guests as Hadad told Kevin he’d have a copy of Amelia’s school and medical records ready the following afternoon, and her guardianship papers were all complete and had been registered properly at the British embassy for transmission to London. Amelia hugged the couple and then they left and Kevin and Denise helped Janet as they prepared to leave the hall themselves.
“My, that was a nice surprise you pulled on us,” Janet commented. “You really did keep Denise in the dark. When did you have the time to get that gorgeous ring?” she asked, holding Denise’s hand as she admired it.
Kevin smiled. “The web is wonderful, Aunt Janet. I found a picture of the ring I wanted for her and sent it to Chow Tai Fook at the mall. They’re one of the biggest jewelers around so I figured they could get something close and obviously they did. I picked it up last week on my way back from our Sukaraja clinic.”
“And when do you want to have the big day?” Janet continued.
“Well, Denise and I have to decide that. I’m thinking right after we graduate—that seem okay, darling?”
“Mmmm? ...oh sorry, Kevin, I was lost in my thoughts.” She had been caressing the ring on her finger. “Yes, when we graduate; that would be nice then. OH! I have to call Mom! She’ll just freak!”
“Well, now’s a good time; it’s... um... 10:45 in the morning there now, you know,” Janet said, consulting her watch.
Kevin gave her his cell phone and she made the call; Janet and Kevin grinned at each other at her little squeals as she spoke to her mother. Then she came over.
“Can we go home and get on videochat now? Then we can all talk to Mom and I can show her the ring!”
Kevin texted their close friends Roger and Cynthia Denison to give them the news and soon received return congratulatory messages. They stayed up far into the night, videochatting with the Denisons and then a few other friends.
Soon their stay in Jakarta came to its end and the couple left for London.
Copyright © 2016 Seems Ndenyal. All Rights Reserved.