Prologue
It was a little after midnight at the Hamel home in Hallow Oaks, Texas. He didn’t know why or how he was awake at this hour, but the why and how didn’t really matter much; there weren’t too many worries on his mind. Just random thoughts and ideas bombarded his mind. Among them were his success and popularity as an artist with his photography and his business, Hamel Shots, his new wife, Jin-Kyong; and his famous, romantic parents wherever in the world they were.
His naked, lithe little Asian wife snuggled next to the warmth and familiarity of his body with a content sigh as he wrapped his arms around her and lightly kissed the thin, straight strands of her long black hair streaking down to her mid back. Much like his parents, Malan and Lathal Hamels, 23 years before him, here he was a newlywed with Jin-Kyong, who he deeply loved, enjoying familiarizing themselves with each other in various aspects as they lived their new lives together, blissfully happy and serene. True, lasting forever romances and relationships seemed to be a Hamel trait and tradition.
Michael Hamel grinned broadly. Why he was thinking about his parents at a time like this was amusing. Perhaps he missed the romantic pair who had given him life, had been role models and had been a major impact on his life. How long had Malan and Lathal Hamel been gone now? In their usual romantic manner they’d rode off into the sunset going off on an adventure alone together a little more than two months ago.
In the last year, his parents had been through a terrible loss that resulted in a few turbulent trials, which had dramatically tested both of them, but they’d proved themselves and their metal, emerging ever strong, faithful and powerful in their romance, love and relationship they’d had throughout the years. Two years shy of their 25th wedding anniversary, Malan and Lathal had been discussing renewing their wedding vows in a Catholic Mass with a priest they’d known for years; he and his wife had been helping them plan the event. Months prior to his wedding to Jin-Kyong the famous couple had been rekindling their romance and relationship going on dates and gallivanting off for a weekend, sometimes weeks at a time, to their cabin on Lake Worth; their house in Carmel, California, or other exotic locations within the United States. At their wedding reception, the 23 year married couple announced they were going away for an extended period of time.
Dressed in a rented black tux, a white carnation pinned to one side of his jacket and a red handkerchief in the jacket pocket on the other side matching his tie, Michael couldn’t stop grinning as he admired his demur wife. His arm was lovingly draped over his petite wife’s shoulder. She was radiant in her lacy traditional Asian style white wedding gown and matching veil. Her long sable hair pulled back with blingy white gemmed barrettes as she beamed at him shyly. They were both thinking about what they’d be doing as man and wife that night even though it would not be a first for them. That didn’t matter because to them for that night it’d again be their first time; the night would still be special, magical, romantic, powerful and enjoyable; it’d mark a new, different intimate threshold in their lives.
Michael and Jin-Kyong both loved his parents deeply; the romance, love and marital relationship Malan and Lathal had been famous and inspirational worldwide. It was also infectious in good, beneficial ways. It also had a positive effect on everyone who met, knew or heard about them. It touched people and made them smile. It was special, real, strong and powerful; people always said they wished and wanted what they had.
Grinning broadly, the 21-year-old asked his parents, “So, where are you two going?”
The pair exchanged flirtatious looks and passionate kisses before his father, Malan answered, “To start, we’re going on a Caribbean cruise.”
As an adult, not long after he and Jin-Kyong had gotten engaged, his parents had shared the story of their European honeymoon with them. At the end of the honeymoon, the 23 year old married couple had tickets to board an Italian cruise departing from a port in Rome but they hadn’t boarded the ship. His actor father, Malan hadn’t elaborated on the reasons why they hadn’t gone on the cruise, but his journalistic/writer mother Lathal had been a little more open and forthcoming about it, yet subtle, saying something about a pregnancy. A child they’d lost early in their marriage. Sometimes he wondered about that lost eldest brother or sister and what he or she would have been like but he didn’t dwell on it much.
The good thing had been his parents had not gone on that Italian cruise 23 years ago because the ship had sunk not far from the Italian coastline. Showing off the majestic new cruise ship but claiming it was to let passengers to wave and celebrate as part of the ship’s traditional departure ceremonies, the ship’s captain had rammed the bottom of the ship against a group of jagged rocks in shallow waters, causing the ship to fill and go down much like the Titanic. Most of the passengers had gotten off the boat before it sank; a few had died. Recently to mark the anniversary of the Italian cruise ship’s sinking, the History Channel had an eight-part series on the ship, which he and Jin-Kyong had both found entertaining and enlightening. Michael could only imagine what might have been if his parents had been on that cruise. Their stories certainly would be slightly different; as always apparently God had their best interests and care in mind showing them that wasn’t the time for a cruise. Maybe they weren’t supposed to go on a cruise till now.
Michael nodded. “That’s right. You two never did go on a cruise.”
“That’s right,” remarked his mother, Lathal wearing a beautiful smile. Her hand had been on the back of her husband’s navy blue suit jacket and had slowly been moving southward squeezing his butt, prompting a broad mischievous smile from him. “After that, we’re going back to England. Your father is going to be Hamlet in that production at the Royal Shakespearean Theater in Stratford so who knows how long we’ll be there. Then we’ll head to Germany, particularly Augsburg.” Michael remembered his parents telling the story of their honeymoon at their engagement dinner. Twenty-three years ago his parents had gone to his mother’s high school reunion; later they’d gone to his in L.A. Lathal had admitted she hadn’t really wanted to go to her reunion but although neither of them had said it their time in Augsburg had been magical and memorable. Later, he and Jin-Kyong had asked their family on both sides and the couple’s friends about what had happened in Augsburg only to discover that’s where the child they’d lost had been conceived.
His mother continued, “Then we’ll more than likely end up in Italy. We’ll go to Rome, Assisi and Venice.” To him, it sounded like his parents were taking a second European honeymoon
“How long are you both going to be gone?” Michael wondered.
The couple exchanged looks and shrugs. “A month or two, maybe longer,” his father supplied.
Malan and Lathal Hamel led extraordinarily busy, full, happy lives. They were living their dreams. They were famous, well established, popular, respected and successful. Many had idolized them or they’d inspired so many some had chosen followed in their footsteps both in terms of careers and relationships. They were also both deans and professors at their alma mater, North Central Texas University. He was a beloved professor in theater much like his retired mentor and theater professor and British actor/director Paul Lerm before him and like before her, her retired mentor and journalism professor and veteran reporter Carl Emerson, she was an English and journalism professor and dean of mass communications and she also served as faculty editor of The Review, where she used to work in her college days. His father still performed on stage, TV, films and commercials; his mother wrote novels and pursued journalism, her articles appeared in various newspapers and magazines internationally.
“How are you both going to manage all that?” Jin-Kyong asked in amazement.
“We’re both taking an extended sabbatical,” Lathal answered holding her husband’s hand. The DJ of their dance went really old school spinning a slow Phil Collins’ love song from the 80s or 90s and Malan lightly tugged his wife pulling her toward the dance floor. There their bodies swayed close, intimately touching, looking deeply into each other’s eyes. My mother’s beautiful voice started singing the words to him as they slow danced, caressing each other as they tenderly, passionately kissed each other. It was a beautiful sight that brought tears to many eyes, including the bride’s and groom’s. That was the last they’d seen them in the flesh because they’d disappeared together without so much of a goodbye to anybody later in the night.
Shortly before he and Jin-Kyong went on their two-week Hawaiian honeymoon, Malan and Lathal Hamel had called them from his father’s cell phone. His mother, Lathal had been on the other end of the brief call. Not surprising because his mother typically was better about staying in touch than his father but she had said they were both blissfully happy having safely reached Fort Lauderdale, Florida, boarding a ship from the Princess Cruise Line, which is the Love Boat line. The ship was scheduled for a two-week voyage to various destinations in both the Eastern and Western Caribbean; she’d probably drop an email sometime during the cruise. The vague way she’d said sounded like they’d probably out of contact for the next couple of weeks.
While he and his wife enjoyed their two week honeymoon on the beaches and sightseeing in Hawaii, they hadn’t thought about and had practically forgotten Malan and Lathal. When they’d returned to Hallow Oaks and had settled back into their jobs and lives, there’d been a more than two week old email from his mother in his in-box. She’d said they were back in Fort Lauderdale where they’d spend a few days sightseeing and visiting the beaches. Jokingly she’d added they might even go to Disney World; he figured the two big kids had probably done just that too. After that, she’d said they’d be jetting off to England, where they’d be for awhile; she’d be in touch later in their European trip -- maybe. That was one thing that had always been consistent about his parents communications with them, they were deliberately, purposely vague. They both had a plan but they didn’t always follow or stick to it; they pretty much did what they wanted. It was okay and acceptable. They deserved it! They also tended to live in the now, in the moment and never speculated or talked much about what was going on tomorrow or in the future.
That was the last they’d had heard from Malan and Lathal Hamel although there’d been almost daily radio, TV and newspaper reports about their whereabouts even without much factual evidence or verification it was only one of a number of supposed sightings by one of their fans. There had been a lot of major media coverage while his father had been in Stratford performing Hamlet with the Royal Shakespearean Theater Company; his mother was writing her next bestseller while they were there. After that, it all became like a game. The media was playing ‘Where in the world was Malan and Lathal Hamel?’ like they did with the famous cartoon world-jetting TV detective Carmen Santiago.
His father had never particularly liked publicity much, particularly not when it came to their private lives; the media loved following and reporting on the excursions of the famous, romantic married couple. He wondered if his parents had gotten into the game with the media eluding them and they weren’t really anywhere the media claimed or said they were; then again maybe they were exactly where they had reported to have been. Some of the reports had been ridiculous and completely untrue , especially that Malan and Lathal were in Canada, Japan, India, Korea, the Philippines, Russia, Hawaii or other states in the United States; he and his wife knew it was impossible and improbable for them to be in any of those places. Whatever the case, it seemed fun, interesting and exciting. It had also turned into a major topic of conversation internationally to solve the elaborate mystery, trying to guess where Malan and Lathal Hamel might be and what the couple were doing there, for how long and why as well as where they’d end up next, for how long and why.
The dark shadows dissipated slightly as cars drove past their house; his cell phone lightly buzzed on the night stand on his side of the bed. Getting a call in the wee early hours of the morning was ominous and unnerving so he decided to answer it. “Hello?” He said quietly so as not to disturb his 21-year-old sleeping fashion designing wife.
There was a garble of heavy static. It sounded like it was a bad, long distance connection. “Michael.” It was his father on the other end.
Swinging his feet from out beneath the sheet, he grabbed his black gym shorts from the floor struggling to put them on with one hand and then shuffled to the den. “Dad?”
“Can you hear me now?” Malan asked. The connection was better but there was still a slight static in the background.
“Yeah,” Michael grinned as he sat on the couch looking at the photos on the wall of his home. Most of them were his but some had been in the family for years. Particularly his parent’s wedding picture where Malan and Lathal, in their youth and post college days, were engaged in a passionate lip lock outside their friends, the Johnson’s home in Hallow Oaks. He heard his mother giggling in the background and smiling himself he shook his head wondering what his parents were doing at that moment. Michael wasn’t sure he really wanted to know, especially not all the intimate details. “Where are you two?”
“Rome,” Malan answered. “Your mother and I wanted to call and tell you something.”
“Oh?”
“Your mother’s pregnant.” The last word got drowned out by static so Michael hadn’t been really sure what his father had said.
“Dad, did you say Mom is pregnant?” His parents were in the late 40s, pushing 50, and he’d thought his mother had hit menopause so for them to have any more children at this stage of their lives unless it was to adopt them was incredibly amazing. It was also a bit unusual for couples their age to be having children; then again his parents had always been a bit unusual. He also wondered if his mother having a child at her age was dangerous; given the incredible advances in medicine and technology in the modern age anything was safe and possible.
“Yes.” came Malan’s staticky reply. He sounded thrilled about it; he was sure his mother was thrilled about it too.
Michael was happy for his parents. “Did it happen in Augsburg?” he teased his dad.
“Probably, but then again it could have happened here in Rome. We’ve been here, more than a week now,” he confessed. “I don’t think your Mom realized it until she started getting repetitively sick in the morning, so we got a pregnancy test and it was positive.”
Knowing his father’s protective nature especially toward his mother, Michael asked, “So, when are you two coming back to the States?” Surely his parents wouldn’t have a child abroad on foreign soil; they’d have their baby in Hallow Oaks like they’d had him and his now deceased sister, Maureen.
“Hey, Malan. Where are you?” Lathal had bellowed, an affectionate, seductive lilt to her voice. Apparently she’d been missing her husband and as always they were busy doing something. “Hurry up. You’re supposed to be helping me find this place.”
“I’m right here,” he yelled back amused with the same ardor she had in his voice. “And I’m coming. Just hold on for a few more minutes.” There was a thoughtful pause. “Hey, Lathal, come say hello to your son.”
“Hello, Michael. Love to both you and Jin-Kyong,” her happy voice bubbled over the phone. “Sorry to call you at such an ungodly hour in the morning. It’s only 2 o’clock on a sunny Italian afternoon and your father is supposed to treat me to Italian ice.”
His grin broadened. Yep, that sounded just like his mother. She loved eating ice cream as much as she loved her husband. Figuring his father hadn’t heard his earlier question, the 21-year-old son asked again. “Dad, now that Mom’s pregnant when are you two coming home?”
“We still want to go to Venice and will probably be there for …” Static drowned out the rest and the phone annoyingly repeatedly beeped as it disconnected. He didn’t think his father would bother calling him back.
Clad in a sapphire color nightgown accentuating her feminine figure, Jin-Kyong Hamel rubbed her eyes as she regarded him affectionately. “Michael, what are you doing awake at this hour?” It was said in a slightly chiding tone because they both had to work later that morning.
“My parents just called.” He said setting his cell phone down on the wooden table in front of the couch.
“Oh,” she murmured joining him on the couch. “Where are they now?”
“Rome eating Italian ice,” he kissed the tip of her nose and Jin-Kyong looked perplexed not familiar with the dessert but she’d had not visited Europe. She hadn’t visited outside Korea, Asia and the United States, so he’d have to take her to Europe some day so she could try Italian ice herself. He added jokingly. “And then afterward knowing those two Catholics they’re probably petition to see the Pope.” She laughed only recently becoming a member of her husband’s family’s faith so she still didn’t understand much and had a lot to learn about Catholicism.
They sat in silence for a few moments. “They called with some news,” Michael told her. “Guess what it is.”
“It was happy news,” Jin-Kyong quietly pointed out. “Your Mother is pregnant.” He grinned. She’d heard the tail end of the conversation. “It sounded like you had a bad connection with them; if you tried calling them you probably wouldn’t get them. It’s too bad too because I’d like for you to tell them our news,” she paused dramatically, “Because I’m pregnant too.”
“What?!” He beamed with pleasure. “Are you serious?” She nodded. “When did this happen?”
“Probably on our wedding night or during our honeymoon in Hawaii,” she smiled with pleasure. “I just saw a medical doctor related to Lathal’s sister, Bianca Harvey Adams at St. Francis Hospital this morning and she confirmed it.” That meant Malan and Lathal would have their first grandchild at the same time his new brother or sister was being born. How ironic, fun and cool was that!
“Oh, Baby, that’s wonderful news!” He enthusiastically enfolded her in his arms; they began kissing and passionately making out and soon enough their clothes were gone; in true Malan and Lathal fashion and style they were making love on the couch, celebrating their love and life and how it’d all come full circle.