March 4th, 1894-Hanoi, Vietnam
Lam Quach laid in bed with beads of sweat running down her face. She caught a brief glimpse of the blood that stained her nightgown, but paid no mind to it. All that mattered to her was that she had just given birth to a son.
"Here is the child, Ms. Quach." The midwife handed Lam her newborn son.
"Is he healthy?" Lam asked.
"He is perfect. I've seen many children born, and he is one of the blessed few to be born healthy." The midwife said.
The door opened slightly, and Lam could see her father gesturing for the midwife. After wiping away the sweat from Lam's brow, the midwife stepped into the hallway, leaving the door halfway open.
"A boy? Do I have a grandson?" Mr. Quach asked.
"Yes, you do. Both he and your daughter are well." The midwife said.
Mr. Quach sighed. "Lam should not have loved someone as foolish as that boy, Karl. His father was French; it's no wonder that he find love with someone else and abandoned her. If he had only known of her wealth, perhaps he would have stayed."
"Do you mean to say, Mr. Quach, that he seduced her and-"
"Once he had received word of Lam's pregnancy, that damned Fei-Ong went to France with his father, with a fiancee in tow."
"How dreadful! That poor girl...She must be heartbroken." The midwife said.
Lam smiled and looked down at her baby boy. "Do not listen to them. I have no ill feelings towards your father. I know that he would have loved you, just as much as I do. Besides, he has given me you, and I think that I owe him for giving me such a gift."
Lam kissed the top of her son's head and pulled him close to her chest. "Karl Fei-Ong. That shall be your name, love. That shall be your name."