Chapter Sixty: Late November 1997

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)

The last 'so long' had been to Turk at LAX. He had driven Enos and Soonie so that he could take the truck back to storage at his house. Enos hadn't expected it to be much of a goodbye, they never said that to each other. The nature of Turk's work took him undercover a lot and now that he was so deeply involved in the drug task force, they had less time to spend hanging out. And then there was Soonie. When he thought that Daisy was the only woman for him, he had plenty of time. When Soonie came along...well, things changed. So they had not seen much of each other in the past six months.

"Ya' know, Buddy-roe, when we come back, I expect to see a wedding band on Shawnee's left hand." With that, Enos proudly pointed to the fourth finger on his left hand and added, "We all have to go sometime."

"I'll think about it. Now you two better get on that plane before it leaves you."

And for the first time in nearly seventeen years, Turk Adams hugged his best friend, his brother, like he might never see him again.

Somewhere over the Pacific Ocean

Benjamin Enos Strate was born on April 2, 1952 in the year of the Dragon. At least, that's what momo Soon-hee had told him while giving him a crash course in Korean etiquette during their three-hour layover at the San Francisco airport.

"Number One: Prepare to do a lot of bowing...head tilting when greeting, when taking leave, or when saying 'gamsahabnida' (thank you)...And there are rules for how deeply to bow, depending on the circumstances... the lower you bow, the more respect you show. A forty five degree bow is for apologizing and held for a few counts. If your offense is egregious, although I cannot imagine that scenario, the bow should be deeper and held longer. Deeper bowing, with hands at side or crossed in front of you, shows a greater level of respect. The very deep bow with hands crossed over the forehead [he forgot what she called it] is reserved for much more formal greetings, like when meeting your future in-laws."

There were also occasions for kneeling bows, but Momo had said since "this is usually performed by the groom to the bride's parents at the wedding, that ship has sailed."

Enos had no problem with showing respect. He was from a culture where not saying 'sir' or 'ma'am' to your elders could earn you a swat with a rolled-up newspaper or a razor strop.

"Number Two: Never make a direct refusal...of anything...it should always be accomplished indirectly, and a gift should be rejected, also indirectly, several times before it is accepted."

Neither sounded too far from just plain politeness to Enos.

"There are different rules for handing someone something and for receiving something. Give and receive with both hands – it is rude to give or receive one handed...Money exchange should always be put into an envelope, and again, be handed to the other person with both hands."

There was something else that went with that bit but it escaped him at the moment.

"Carry business cards or name cards – you will be asked and it shows respect if you already understand that. But always present them with both hands."

"Strong handshakes are a no-no, weak handshakes are okay. And everyone will want to know your age, or more precisely, the year you were born, so they know whether to address you formally or informally according to your age. It also tells them if you are a rabbit or a rat...or a dragon."

All in all, he believed, possibly naively he admitted to himself, that he could adapt. He had some experience adapting to a different cultural mindset and rules. So, he didn't anticipate that it should be that difficult. It was the kneeling bow to Soonie's father that Soonie had neglected to tell him about, and that they had circumvented, that had him worried.

And, also, the drinking. He was told that the rigid socially acceptable standards often required tempering with alcohol, in copious amounts. Soonie drank. He didn't, and it was not something he planned to negotiate. Momo had said that "there are ways to get around it but you will need to navigate those on a case-by-case basis."

After she finished, she presented him with a book on the Korean Language and one called Korean Etiquette in a Nutshell – it was two inches thick. But it made him smile when he thought of trying to teach Los Angeles culture and societal norms to the folks back in Hazzard. Or vice versa. That might fill volumes.

Momo had also told him that not only was he born in the year of the Dragon, but that his element was Water. He learned that Soonie was born in the year of the Ox and her element was Metal. He wasn't at all sure how the Water Dragon fit him, but the Metal Ox surely fit his wife.

Over the past four or five months, Soonie had told him a little about Korean social standards but never went into much detail because she never expected to be tied to those particular social norms again. Her aunt, momo Soon-hee, although she had embraced western culture and adopted American customs long ago, was very careful to observe the cultural customs and practices of her native South Korea whenever she visited or when with family or Korean friends in the U.S. That is, with exception of her sister's daughter, Kyung-soon, who had refused to adhere to tradition because she never intended to return to Korea, at least not for any length of time.

Soonie was repulsed by the thought of being referred to by her father's surname instead of Strate. In Korea, women did not take their husband's surname as a matter of practice. It wasn't a law, but a woman taking her husband's surname was just not done. She stubbornly intended to refer to herself as Kyung-soon Strate and that was the end of it. She was going to have to suffer enough indignities as it was without giving up what, to her, was now sacrosanct – and, if nothing else, a matter of principal.

This new direction both their lives were taking was shaping up to be harder on her than it was likely to be on him. He was just ignorant. She was straight up rebellious and dug in like a tick. He hoped that it was just the head cold making her so adamant because it was likely not to win them any points with her father.

Enos shifted in his seat again. He closed his eyes and tried to nap but sleep still eluded him. They'd been on the near capacity 747 for nine of the thirteen-hour flight from San Francisco. Between the Dramamine and the cough syrup, Soonie was not having a problem sleeping. Even though he'd already turned off the overhead air-jet blowing down on her, she still shuddered in her sleep every so often. Reaching over to adjust the lightweight blanket over her chest and up under her chin, he gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead and added his blanket for additional warmth, wondering for the hundredth time in four days how he had gotten so lucky.

He shouldn't have gotten so lucky. He should have fought harder against it. But he was beginning to discover that, in future, he should pick any battles with his wife very carefully. Because, when faced with a knife fight, Soonie pulled out her broadsword. She was right, though. There were all kinds of dangers from which he would not be able to protect her.

Besides the fact that he hadn't made love to his wife since before they were married, her head cold, that was hanging on to her like a sticktight burr, had also kept him from sleeping. The jet lag was going to catch up with him. Number one on the list for what needed to be done when they landed was to take Soonie to the doctor – again. He was beginning to fret more over her health than the remote chance of a plane crash taking her away from him. He knew he should stop obsessing over the possibility of losing her but was finding it nigh onto impossible. It had begun to outstrip his need to find Kate.

That trail had gone cold after he and Tommy had found the log entry for the cargo vessel that was headed for the Black Sea. Too many ports, too many places, all in different countries and cultures, with different rules and regulations.

Fortunately, all the countries that bordered the Black Sea were members of Interpol, including Russia. Even if they picked up the trail again, he would have to be part of Interpol to gain access to any of the ports where Kate might have ended up. He also worried about Mignon. What they had found on Kate's computer had confirmed there was still a credible threat, and if she was threatened, so was Daisy, and for that matter, Hazzard.

Those concerns would always be in the back of his mind. He shoved them aside to concentrate on the more immediate problem of getting settled in South Korea and beginning the legal battle for four-year-old Eun-kyung. He gave up on trying to sleep. After checking the arrangement of Soonie's blankets and travel pillow one more time, he pulled his jacket over his arms and tried to at least relax while eavesdropping on the soft conversations, many in Korean, around them.


End of Part One