“So your mom’s job in Atlanta is permanent?” Kevin Coris asked.
He was listening to Denise’s phone conversation; she had just said good-bye to her mother.
“Yeah, sweetie, she’s been promoted to an upper management position now. And this affects us, now. She wants to sell our house and buy one in Atlanta. You know, we’ve been thinking of going to college there and we’ve got those great offers. I know that you could go to college anywhere you want, but living apart from Mom these last six months, well, I miss her lots. And she misses us.”
“You know, darling, that there’s nothing that ties you here now; me neither, especially since Aunt Helene met Ryan and she’s talking seriously about moving in with him. I told her to go for it; she shouldn’t be concerned about me or where I’ll live when she sells her house. Would you like to go to Atlanta and finish high school there?”
“Oh, darling! Thank you!” she cried and hugged him. “That would be super.”
“The idea of moving away really appeals; you know how I’m so uncomfortable with how we’ve gotten all involved with helping the kids do the damn Program and I can’t stand the idea of doing that for another year. But remember about what I said about the possibility that you’d have to do the Program in Atlanta, if they don’t accept your completing it here.”
“I know, sweetie. But the idea isn’t as terrifying to me now; besides, if I don’t want to do it, you’ll get me out of it, right? Using your superpowers?” she giggled.
“Well, sure. And we’ll need to be sure we keep our advanced standing for college, but I’m positive that we can make sure that we can. Okay, call her back and tell her what we decided. You and I can pack up the house—your mom won’t have to travel here to help—and if she agrees, I can ask Bob to handle the sale too. We can move right after school ends; is that okay?”
“Yes! Yes!” She was already dialing.
About a week later, when Kevin returned home, he found a letter from the State Department; when he opened it, he was amazed. He looked up as Denise came into the house.
“Denise! Look, I got this letter—it’s from State, and see, it’s signed by the Secretary of State. She asks me if I would participate in this high school scholar exchange program in South Korea for three months this fall. They selected students who had achieved some form of honor in their schools or communities, and she says with my presidential commendation, my mother’s career, and my knowledge of Korea and the language, that I was one of their top choices.”
“Wow, that’s quite an honor! You gonna say yes?”
“Well, that’s up to you—would you go with me? I wouldn’t want to be apart, and I’m sure that with your background they’d let you go too.”
“Well, what could I do if I went? I don’t know...”
“Sweetie, I don’t know myself what we’d supposed to do. I guess they’ll tell us. There’s a phone number to call, so I’ll call tomorrow. You’re good with languages, so why not take a crash course in Korean—we’ll try to find one in Atlanta, and I’ll speak to you only in Korean too. I’ll bet you can pick up a little by then.”
“Well, okay, I suppose. I don’t want to lose my advanced standing for college credit, though.”
“Yeah, there’s an attachment with the letter and looks like they’ve thought about that. It says we’d be taking classes that will be matched to our current high school programs so that we’d fit right in when we returned.”
“Let’s see what they tell you when you call, then, and I’ll decide. Meanwhile, we’ve got to get back to packing. And I need to call Mom and see how her house-hunting is going.” she replied.
Later, Denise reported on her conversation with her mother.
“So she’s found this place; it just came on the market. It’s a two-story Victorian on the north side of Atlanta, near a local high school and Avery University, but it needs work. She was interested in it because we’d be living there and it was the only reasonable house she saw that would have the bedroom space she wants. She had the idea that when we moved away, she could rent some bedrooms to college kids since it’s close to two of the colleges there. It’s got five bedrooms and three baths and the second floor has a kind of a large sitting room, she said, and the second floor actually has two stairways going up to it. She had a co-worker who knows about construction look at it and he told her it’s a great deal, so she put a deposit on it.”
“Wow, ok—hmmm, a big house. Say, how’d you like to drive down there tomorrow for the weekend? We can pack like demons to make up for that time, but I’ve got the germ of an idea. I’ll tell you after I think about it some more, okay?” Kevin asked.
That weekend they drove to Atlanta, leaving right after school. Kevin, Denise, and her mom Kasey, went to see the house on Saturday. There were three bedrooms on the first floor, a living room, formal dining room, a very large family room which had been turned into a den, a library, kitchen and attached breakfast room, and covered porches on three sides. The second floor had two bedrooms which opened into a large sitting room between them, a large bathroom, and the back stairway led to an entryway behind a utility room off the kitchen. The property had a three-car detached garage.
“You know,” Kevin said as he walked around, “this reminds me of some of the old colonial-era houses we had in Jakarta. Many of them were kinda like this. What some people did was make them into two-family houses and the second floor here is big enough for that. Kasey, see if you can find a good architect to take a look and see what would need to be done to make an apartment on the second floor, and fix up anything that needs work in the whole house. Let me know what they estimate for the cost of the work. I can help you pay for the work, too, and if you rent it, I’ll bet that some improvements may be tax deductions.”
“Kevin, that’s sweet, but you don’t have to spend your money for that...” Kasey began.
“That’s okay, I want to do it, and you know the money’s not a problem. This is for you and Denise. Think of this as a kind of retirement investment; you’ve been like family to me and I’m so grateful for that.”
Denise hugged him. “You’re so wonderful, darling, thank you. Oh, tell Mom what you heard about Korea!”
“Oh, yeah—so I called—Denise told you everything so far, right? I spoke to this woman who told me what the kids on this ‘mission,’ she called it, like a diplomatic mission, I guess, would be doing. We’d be going to various schools in Seoul and some other cities, sitting in on classes and meeting with kids. Lots of kids in South Korea know English, a little anyway, but you know I speak Korean. We’re supposed to answer questions about student life and family life in the States and in general, let the kids know what American kids think about, you know, events, their country, stuff like that. There’s an orientation meeting when school ends and another one a few days before we leave for Seoul.”
“And Denise will be going, she told me,” Kasey commented.
“Yeah. She’s gonna take a crash course in Korean. It’s not needed for the kids going, but that way she’d be hugely popular, being able to speak with the kids there, they’d absolutely love it. Whenever I spoke Korean, and me being a Westerner, everyone thought how great that was; it showed that I was really interested in them and they appreciated it.”
“Where do you stay?” Kasey asked.
“That’s cool too. With the family of a high school kid. And the kid goes with us when we go to the other schools, like our mentor and host. So we build these relationships. I know the diplomatic staff at the embassy there and one family was close friends of my folks. It’ll be great seeing them again. And maybe I can get to see my old sahyun nim, my taekwondo teacher.”
After the weekend, the two returned home and let the high school know that they would be moving after the end of the term. They also looked into finding a Korean language class and located a private school in Atlanta that offered summer language courses; she could take an elementary Korean class there. Soon the house was packed, all but the essentials, and Denise heard from her mom about the remodeling plans. The house was vacant and the work on the first floor could be completed during June; the second floor would take until mid-August or possibly later, but since it was being converted into a separate apartment, the first floor would not be affected and could be used.
They had decided to move to Atlanta as soon as school finished for the year, so they picked up all of their records, academic, medical, and financial; closed the utility accounts on the house; and changed their address with the postal service. Then the two paid a visit to Bob Hollingsworth to bid farewell. He told them about a law firm in Atlanta with which his firm had a close relationship and he gave Kevin the contact information. After stopping to visit Aunt Helene, taking her to dinner, and wishing her luck, the two returned to Denise’s home for the last time to spend the night, leaving the following morning.
Kasey Roberts’ new home would be ready to be occupied in four weeks, so Kevin and Denise decided to rent a room in an extended-stay motel for the month while they ran their errands to set up their new life in Atlanta. Their first stop was the high school that was nearest to the new home. They went to the office.
“Damn,” Kevin muttered to Denise, “here I am again. Registering at yet ANOTHER damn school—I’ve lost count.” He chuckled. “At least I know I’m not gonna get drafted into the Program right now, anyway. This place is dead; no Program here now.”
“Yeah, darling, me neither, and I have my hero to protect me, anyway.”
After looking through their papers, the secretary gave them some forms to complete and told them to wait if they had time; she would see if a counselor was around to talk to them. If not, they could make an appointment. A counselor was available, so she directed them to her office, telling them to bring the forms they had completed.
“Hi there,” the woman said when they knocked. “I’m Mrs Joyson. And you are?”
They introduced themselves.
“We just moved from North Carolina,” Denise explained. “My mom got a job here earlier this year but I stayed to finish junior year there. We plan to go to Avery, we’ve both been accepted.”
“Really. That’s a little early, isn’t it? May I see your transcripts?” She scanned through them. “Ah, both of you have a lot of advanced standing credits, okay. I can see that the university had a good basis to accept you. Excellent records, both of you.”
“Thank you,” they responded.
“But of course we’ve got a complication for you,” Kevin grinned.
“Uh, oh, that’s a word I don’t like.”
“Not too bad. See, Denise and I’ve been selected by the State Department and the Department of Education for a mission to South Korea this fall, for three months. We’re supposed to represent U.S. high schools and take classes and visit in a number of schools while there.”
“Oh, my, really? Ah, you must have some national connections somehow?”
“Well, they selected kids based on stuff like community and school service,” he said. “Also, my mom was a ranking official in State, so that might have been a factor.”
“I see... So your parents just moved to Atlanta recently too.”
“Um, no, ma’am. They died in a terrorist bombing about a year ago...”
“Oh, I’m so sorry... But surely you have a guardian then?”
“Thanks. But no guardian. See, one of those papers is a decree of emancipation as a legal adult. Anyway, State has this mission curriculum they gave us. It’s designed to fit into a high school senior year, and it’s the classes we’ll be taking in Korea. They told us that if we follow this curriculum for our first term, we’d fit in when we come back and not lose any ground. And those classes won’t affect our advanced standing, then we could do the more advanced classes in the spring, right?”
“Let’s see, okay, let me compare this with your transcripts and our fall classes...”
She studied the papers for a few minutes, making notes. Then she looked up, smiling.
“Well, it all fits in; I don’t see any problems here. Your federal friends did their homework well, it seems. So when would you return?” They told her. “Okay, let’s build your year’s schedule now. I assume you want me to assign your classes together?”
They did.
“So your transcripts have these suggested A-P classes for you to take in the senior year. We can schedule them in the spring. Are you sure you want to have that workload in your last term? Lots of students want to slack off then, and colleges don’t really look at those classes, unless, of course, you’ve been conditionally admitted. Not the case here.”
“Kevin and I decided we wanted to start college at a sophomore level. Avery offered that option to us if we took this program; that’s why we’re cramming in everything we can. Besides, it’s a great prep for college work, isn’t it?” Denise smiled.
“I wish more of you kids had that attitude,” Joyson commented. “Make my life tons easier. Okay, then, the forms you have need to get your parents’... err, well, Denise’s parent’s signature, that is; about Kevin’s...”
“Ma’am, I can sign my own, actually. I know it’s unusual and gave the folks at my last school fits, but it’s absolutely legal. Here, they’re already signed.”
She accepted the sheets, scanning them doubtfully.
“Okay, but I will need to check anyway.”
“Understood. Ah, are there any other surprises at this school? Other forms to do?” he asked.
“Such as? I don’t understand,” Joyson said, perplexed.
“When I met with the counselor at my last school—I had just arrived in the U.S. to begin high school—she had forms for the Naked in School Program. I know you have it here, it was on your website.”
“Yes, that’s true. But your transcripts show that you completed the Program participation requirements in your former school. So I didn’t bother with going over that part of your requirements here.”
“Okay, thanks. Do we need to do anything before school starts?” Kevin asked. “We leave for Korea on August 8, so we won’t be around during orientation.”
“No, I don’t think so. If we need something more, we’ll contact you before then, okay? Just come to the office to let them know you’re back when you return. Really nice meeting you and enjoy your Korea, um, mission? Good luck.”
They took their leave and went off on their next errand, discussing what Joyson had told them.
Their new home was ready to be occupied in mid-July, and the second floor unit would be ready in mid-August. Kevin used the contact information Bob Hollingsworth had given him and he and Denise met with the attorney. Bob had arranged to cover Kevin’s legal expenses from his retainer, he learned from his new attorney, Joshua Habers.
“Bob apparently wants to keep you as a client, Kevin, so he’s given me your account as a local client and I’m to bill your expenses to his firm. Now you mentioned a lease agreement?”
“Yes, sir. Denise’s mother has a two-family house and wants to lease the separate apartment in it. We were thinking of students; not a family. There are two bedrooms, kitchen, and living/dining room on the second floor. One bath and room to park two cars.”
“Do you have the permits and zoning issues taken care of?”
“Yes, sir. The architect who did the plans took care of that and the contractor’s getting all the inspections done as he works.”
“Excellent. How large is this unit, and what kinds of tenants will you accept? I’m sure your mom, Denise, doesn’t want to deal with loud parties.”
“Oh my, no. We were thinking of two students, maybe graduates. And the apartment is about 1250 square feet,” she replied.
“That’s fairly large. You could have two in a bedroom. Would that be acceptable?”
“Possibly, it depends on the people, I guess. My mom would decide because Kevin and I will be in Korea when the apartment’s finished. It’ll be done by August 20.”
“That’s cutting it close for student rentals. You might want to advertise beginning of August, but you probably can’t show the place then, right?”
“The contractor told Mom that people could see it after the first week of August, actually,” Denise said.
“Well, then, let me put together a lease agreement. We can handle the credit and background checks and I strongly suggest you have those done, even if you don’t want me to do them.”
“We do, yes, that’s important,” Kevin agreed.
Their advertisement drew a lot of callers and Kevin and Denise helped Kasey Roberts screen the applicants. During the first week of August they had interviewed eleven possible tenants and had decided against them for one or another reason. There were five more possibilities, but the two teens had to get ready to leave for their trip; Kasey said she would have no problem interviewing the remaining few, several of whom appeared to be very promising. Then Kevin and Denise left for Korea.
Denise had attended the crash Korean language course from late June to the end of July; Kevin kept his promise and spoke to her mostly in Korean during that time, so by the end of the six weeks she could carry on a basic conversation and understand much of the dialog in several Korean movies that the language school gave her to work with. They thought that it was very unlikely that any of the other students in the mission would know Korean, and their written materials clearly indicated that most of the classes they would attend would be in English and any written instructional materials would be provided in English too.
The three months that Kevin and Denise spent in South Korea went very quickly. Besides having a wonderful educational experience and meeting many very enthusiastic Korean teens, the two made fast friends with the girl who served as their student host. She and her family were very sad when the visit ended. The other U.S. students in the mission were a highly varied bunch but were all intelligent, social, and supportive of each other; Kevin’s and Denise’s knowledge of Korean made them the go-to people for some funny translation problems while Kevin was a fount of knowledge for the group about Korean social customs.
He did get to visit with the embassy’s chargé’s family and see his former Korean taekwondo master—who presented him with an adult’s fourth-degree belt, saying that he expected Kevin to work hard to earn it. Kevin’s “Aunt” Janet flew to Seoul from Jakarta to see Kevin too and they had a wonderful visit; she was delighted to meet Denise. It had been a highly successful and enjoyable experience, everyone agreed at their farewell dinner before they left Seoul on their respective flights back to the United States, and they all vowed to stay in touch. Kevin and Denise were booked on a non-stop back to Atlanta but none of the others were on their flight.
It was a very tired and terribly jet-lagged duo who arrived in Atlanta in the mid-morning of November 15 after an almost 14-hour flight, traveling eastbound. Fortunately it was Thursday, so after they cleared customs and arrived home at around 3 p.m., they figured that they could sleep as much as they needed to on Friday and by Monday they could be rested for school.
When Denise’s mom got home in the evening, the two crawled out to meet her and to eat a light meal; they talked briefly about their trip but then excused themselves to get some more rest. On Friday, they got up, feeling a little better. Kevin wondered why, after his flight to the U.S. about a year-and-a-half ago, he hadn’t gotten so badly jet-lagged and suddenly realized how smart Aunt Janet had been when she had told him how to prepare his body for the trip. Oh, well, next time he’d remember.
On Friday morning, Kevin checked his car over and then brought it to a service shop to have it serviced since it hadn’t been used much; Kasey had driven it to work once each week so that it would get a little use. Then he returned home where he and Denise spent a few hours getting ready for school on Monday, checking the syllabuses of their classes and trying to see where they would fit into the schedule. They had the reports from their Korean school of the completed work that would go to their teachers and figured that they could catch up on any recent missed assignments. Then it was nap time.
It was a much-refreshed pair who greeted Denise’s mother that evening.
“Man, you kids were like zombies last evening,” she commented after she came in.
Denise had already started making dinner.
“Yeah. It hit us hard, but the last few days in Korea had us hopping and we didn’t get much time to rest,” Denise said. “There were so many last-minute things they had us doing, and we had several assignments all due by Monday and we left Wednesday morning. Those last days were a whirlwind.”
“So you didn’t get to meet our tenants today, I assume,” Kasey said.
“Oh! Completely forgot. Yeah, you had emailed us about them and then we got busy with school and stuff in Korea—totally forgot all about it. Funny how you forget some things. So how are they? Working out okay?” Denise asked.
“Oh, they’re great. Really nice kids; you’ll like them lots. They’re usually home by now, but it’s Friday, so maybe there’s a school activity or something. They’re on some sports teams, so they’re not here on some weekends.”
“Maybe we’ll see them this weekend, then,” Denise said. “We’re not gonna stay up much longer. My body still thinks it’s morning,” she sighed and yawned. “So glad we’ve got the weekend to recover before we have to start school...”
Denise had no inkling about what she and Kevin would discover about their school.
The "Four Musketeers" are now quickly becoming six as the kids discover all of the things they share in common. As students in their new school, Kevin and Denise are once again faced with the Program, but don't have the history of their high school junior year to have to emulate. Now Kevin gets his chance, with Denise's able assistance, to deal with the Program from Kevin's favored position -- that of strength. And Kevin and Denise now have strong allies who can help. Allies who also offer to introduce them to social nudism.
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