Chapter 5: Connections
"Oh, Darien, your mother was so beautiful! It's easy to see where you get your looks."
"You think so? I hadn't thought of it." He looked at the picture Serena was pointing to. "All these years, I avoided looking at all this because I couldn't connect to any of it."
"Of course you connect, this is your family," she stated emphatically.
"But I don't remember any of it," he complained.
"I don't remember being a baby either, but after hearing my folks tell the same story fifty times, I know what happened. That's the connection you lost," she said sympathetically. "Let's look at these closer, Rini said we would find something."
"Any clue as to what?" he asked curiously.
"Nope, she clammed up. But we can figure it out. You were sooo cute when you were little," she gushed, looking at his baby pictures.
"Looks like I already had a thing for heights," he noted, looking at a photo of a very small black-haired boy on top of a climbing structure.
"I recognize that playground!" Serena exclaimed. "We've taken Rini there."
"Are you sure?" Darien questioned, looking closer.
"Absolutely. I've shopped in that building behind it. And look, this picture was taken at the lake." The lake where they had gone rowing, where Rini had first dropped in on them, where they had watched the sun set so many times like countless other couples, like his parents.
"Wow, Darien, you were raised right here in Juuban. Are you feeling connected now?"
"Yes," he replied, "there's more," he pointed to one that showed his mother in front of a flower shop, "She was a florist and my dad graduated from the same college I'm attending."
"Do you think you might have some other family here?"
"No, I think my father's family came from here," he noted somberly, showing her the picture of the Hiroshima Memorial and the letter.
"I'm sorry. I went there with school, but it didn't mean anything personally, you know."
"I know, same here. I plan on going there again now."
"'Darien Mamaru', I like that. What's this about 'blood of both'?" puzzled Serena, "What about your mother?"
"I don't know. I haven't found any more clues about her family."
"What else is there?" Serena asked curiously.
"Papers, documents, I looked through them last night; my mother's jewelry box, I didn't finish going through it."
"May I look?"
"That's what you're here for, with your 'fresh eyes'," he teased.
"Ha-ha, very funny, smart guy," she said opening the box. She lifted the floral printed scarf, noticing the scent. "Maybe that's one reason why you like roses and gardens- they remind you of your mother," she observed, smelling the scarf.
"Possibly," he agreed.
"You know, I think these pearls are real," she said holding up the necklace, "See how the silk is knotted between each one?"
He had the locket in his hands, examining it, searching for the latch. "Here, let me try," Serena took it in her small hands and with a little 'click', opened it. "Fingernails," she explained casually. Inside were two old black and white photos about the size of a thumbnail, one of a man and one of a woman.
*How old?* he wondered, "There's an inscription on the back. It's not Japanese; Chinese maybe."
"Molly's mom might be able to tell what it is and how old," Serena remarked.
"That's a good idea, Meatball-head, thanks."
"What's this?" From the bottom of the box, she pulled out an envelope and a cardboard folder. Inside the envelope was a fine black curl tied with a lavender ribbon and a baby tooth. "Darien, your mother must have saved these."
Darien had opened the folder and was staring at it. She peeked over and saw it was a frame for one picture and another was loose inside. Both were black and white. The one in the frame was of a young woman in a foreign formal outfit. The loose one was of a man in army fatigues posing in front of a sign in English. On the back was the date '1953' and the words in English 'Song Lee's father, Hawkeye.' "My mother's father- my grandfather, was American," Darien said, stunned. "I wonder who he was."
"This other picture must be your grandmother. This must be what Rini said we'd find!" Serena said excitedly.
"I think you're right. I'm going to show this picture to Peter. He might be able to tell me what the sign means," he started to put things away.
"When are you going to see him?"
"Later tonight. I have to go to work for a few hours first. Want a ride home? I can drop you off on the way."
"OK. Um. why did Andrew call earlier?"
He stood still, keys in hand. "Insurance."
"Insurance? For who?"
"For us both," he replied, blushing.
"Oh."
"Oh, Darien, your mother was so beautiful! It's easy to see where you get your looks."
"You think so? I hadn't thought of it." He looked at the picture Serena was pointing to. "All these years, I avoided looking at all this because I couldn't connect to any of it."
"Of course you connect, this is your family," she stated emphatically.
"But I don't remember any of it," he complained.
"I don't remember being a baby either, but after hearing my folks tell the same story fifty times, I know what happened. That's the connection you lost," she said sympathetically. "Let's look at these closer, Rini said we would find something."
"Any clue as to what?" he asked curiously.
"Nope, she clammed up. But we can figure it out. You were sooo cute when you were little," she gushed, looking at his baby pictures.
"Looks like I already had a thing for heights," he noted, looking at a photo of a very small black-haired boy on top of a climbing structure.
"I recognize that playground!" Serena exclaimed. "We've taken Rini there."
"Are you sure?" Darien questioned, looking closer.
"Absolutely. I've shopped in that building behind it. And look, this picture was taken at the lake." The lake where they had gone rowing, where Rini had first dropped in on them, where they had watched the sun set so many times like countless other couples, like his parents.
"Wow, Darien, you were raised right here in Juuban. Are you feeling connected now?"
"Yes," he replied, "there's more," he pointed to one that showed his mother in front of a flower shop, "She was a florist and my dad graduated from the same college I'm attending."
"Do you think you might have some other family here?"
"No, I think my father's family came from here," he noted somberly, showing her the picture of the Hiroshima Memorial and the letter.
"I'm sorry. I went there with school, but it didn't mean anything personally, you know."
"I know, same here. I plan on going there again now."
"'Darien Mamaru', I like that. What's this about 'blood of both'?" puzzled Serena, "What about your mother?"
"I don't know. I haven't found any more clues about her family."
"What else is there?" Serena asked curiously.
"Papers, documents, I looked through them last night; my mother's jewelry box, I didn't finish going through it."
"May I look?"
"That's what you're here for, with your 'fresh eyes'," he teased.
"Ha-ha, very funny, smart guy," she said opening the box. She lifted the floral printed scarf, noticing the scent. "Maybe that's one reason why you like roses and gardens- they remind you of your mother," she observed, smelling the scarf.
"Possibly," he agreed.
"You know, I think these pearls are real," she said holding up the necklace, "See how the silk is knotted between each one?"
He had the locket in his hands, examining it, searching for the latch. "Here, let me try," Serena took it in her small hands and with a little 'click', opened it. "Fingernails," she explained casually. Inside were two old black and white photos about the size of a thumbnail, one of a man and one of a woman.
*How old?* he wondered, "There's an inscription on the back. It's not Japanese; Chinese maybe."
"Molly's mom might be able to tell what it is and how old," Serena remarked.
"That's a good idea, Meatball-head, thanks."
"What's this?" From the bottom of the box, she pulled out an envelope and a cardboard folder. Inside the envelope was a fine black curl tied with a lavender ribbon and a baby tooth. "Darien, your mother must have saved these."
Darien had opened the folder and was staring at it. She peeked over and saw it was a frame for one picture and another was loose inside. Both were black and white. The one in the frame was of a young woman in a foreign formal outfit. The loose one was of a man in army fatigues posing in front of a sign in English. On the back was the date '1953' and the words in English 'Song Lee's father, Hawkeye.' "My mother's father- my grandfather, was American," Darien said, stunned. "I wonder who he was."
"This other picture must be your grandmother. This must be what Rini said we'd find!" Serena said excitedly.
"I think you're right. I'm going to show this picture to Peter. He might be able to tell me what the sign means," he started to put things away.
"When are you going to see him?"
"Later tonight. I have to go to work for a few hours first. Want a ride home? I can drop you off on the way."
"OK. Um. why did Andrew call earlier?"
He stood still, keys in hand. "Insurance."
"Insurance? For who?"
"For us both," he replied, blushing.
"Oh."