CHAPTER 1

** Homecoming **

San Diego California's International Airport terminal was crowded, but not nearly as crowded as New York City's airport was where Jack Newman had just arrived from. San Diego's lifestyle was more laid back compared to New York's. With its beautiful scenery, year round near perfect temperature, and the pacific ocean in its back yard, San Diego was a picture perfect place to live in. The kind of place you'd see on a post card, signifying it as being a place of beauty, fun, and relaxation. Most people throughout the city were still pretty much dressed the same way Jack had remembered when he left a year ago, casually dressed, in jeans, shorts, and t-shirts. Looking as if they were all headed to the beach to have fun.

Aaaa, I love summer time. So good to be back home again! Jack thought as he stood outside the airport looking up at the clear blue sky and basking in the sun's warm summer glow. As he went through the terminal, he thought of the changes in airport security following the events of 911 years ago, when every airport in the country began taking extra precautions about keeping everyone safe. At one time, people were able to meet each other in the boarding lobby within the terminal as passengers immediately got off the plane. Now that things have changed, people had to wait elsewhere outside the boarding terminal.

"JACK!"

Jack was spotted by his younger sister Mia who ran towards him and gave him a big hug. She was followed by his older sister Naomi, and his father Benjamin who both joined in with Mia and gave him a welcome home group hug.

"Ok, ok! You all don't need to get too happy over my return," Jack smilingly said to them. "I haven't been gone that long. Plus I don't want you all to embarrass me in public with your over the top display of family affection."

"You've been gone a year son. That's a long time you know, so don't get mad at us for being happy to see you again."

"Yeah, It's just a little display of family love," Mia chirped in. "So if you ain't used to it by now then you've got problems or something."

"Or maybe since it's his first time being away from home, going to college in New York, he now think he's some kind of New York big shot," Naomi said while rolling her eyes. "You're not special you know. And calling us three hours before comming home without telling us in advance is not funny. Why didn't you tell us you were coming?"

"I wanted to surprise everyone."

"Yeah whatever. What did you bring me from New York?"

"My backpack," Jack said to her while handing it to her. "You know, the one you've been dying to carry for me."

"I don't think so," Naomi shot back at him. "And besides, that's my backpack you have there. You know, the one you stole from me a year ago, and took to New York with you without my permission, I might add. And promised to mail it back to me after you got to New York, but didn't!"

"First of all I didn't steal anything. I just borrowed it for a little while. And secondly, I guess you shouldn't have any problem carrying it then since it's yours."

"Not when yourstuff is in it. I'll start carrying it when you return it from where you got it. And you didn't get it from the airport. You got it from my closet."

"You haven't seen me for a year Naomi. Cant you be a little more nicer?"

"No."

"What happened to all the love you just had for me two minutes ago?"

"It never existed. And I'll be nice to you as soon as my backpack is back in my closet where it belongs."

"I'll carry the backpack for you Jack," Mia said rolling her eyes at her sister.

"No, I'll carry the backpack," his father barked. "And the two of you knock it off. Now I'm the one who don't want to be embarrassed by any public displays of affection from either of you, whether it's love or hate. So let's go."

Driving a short distance away from the airport, they headed toward the bay to Sea Port Village and sat down on a blanket that Mia had brought, in addition to making a small lunch for everyone. Watching people play in the bay on jet skis, sail boats, and mini yachts, Jack had always thought that San Diego was a great place for water activities. In the distance across the bay was the island of Coronado which was a beautiful place, but Jack had always thought that it was boring, and mainly for old people to enjoy. They ate lunch near the military aircraft carrier U.S.S Midway which was now retired and transformed into a Museum docked at the bay. Upon seeing this huge metalic floating city, Jack was reminded of the years that his father had served in the military, traveling abroad to different countries on several ships. His father was still in the Navy, but much to their disappointment didn't retire yet as he so often promised to do. Not that Jack and his family hated the Navy itself, they just dislike the government system that makes up the Navy and other branches of the military. And with things happening in the world nowadays and their dad getting older, they feared for his safety should he be called away from them to serve on a ship as he has done many times before.

"I didn't know that they put the Midway here."

"They did it months ago," his father proudly said to him while looking at the ship. "Only cost twelve dollars to go on board to have a look around. Want to go?"

"No thanks Dad," Jack said, feeling a bit repulsed.

"Oh come on son, don't think military life is so bad. I've been in for twenty five years so far, and I'm doing fine."

"Yeah dad, that may be true, but things in the military has changed recently. The government seems to be out of touch with reality, and I don't agree with their policy. Personally I think that the American government is too involved in the affairs of other countries and causes way too much trouble. You'll never see me join the Navy."

"Yeah we all know how much you just love the military Jack," Naomi sarcastically said to him. "So we don't need to hear it, might spoil our lunch."

"Whatever Naomi."

"I agree with Jack," Mia said.

"Well at any rate your dad did ok. I have a nice home, a beautiful wife, 3... sometimes lovely children, which I'm still not 100% sure that we took the right ones home from the hospital when they were born, And most important, I'm nearly retired. So I'm pretty happy."

"You always say that you're going to retire dad, but you never do it," Mia wearily said to him. "Are you telling us that military life brings you more happiness than your family?"

"Yes."

"Dad! that's mean!"

"No, what's mean is some of the problems that the three of you combined have caused me and your mother for nearly 20 years."

"Children are supposed to make parents crazy dad," Mia answered back to him. "It's our job."

"Not me. I was always the good kid in the family," Naomi biting her sandwich defensively said.

"Well even though we've all heard this before, we hope you retire soon dad," Jack said to him. "You're not getting any younger you know. And speaking of your wife, where is she anyway? How come mom didn't come with you all?

"You mean, you don't know where she is?" Naomi asked.

"No. Where is she."

"She went back to Japan."

"Japan? Why?"

"Your mother had to go back for an emergency reason Jack," his father said to him. "Her parents got sick really bad, so she went there to help take care of them for a while."

"Sick! Dad I have to go back to New York near the end of the summer," Jack said in a worried tone. "Will she come back before I go?"

"I don't know yet son. Your mother said that when her parents get better she'll return. Hopefully soon."

"She left about a week ago," Mia said to him.

"A week ago? How come no one told me?"

"We thought mom told you herself."

"No, she didn't."

"Well son since your mother knows that out of all her kids you're the one who worries about her the most, she probably didn't say anything because she didn't want to worry you. Anyway, I called her yesterday and she said that she's fine."

"So much for my surprise visit," Jack said to himself.

"Mom hasn't been back to Japan for a couple of years now," Mia thoughtfully said to Jack. "Even though it's not the perfect reason or situation to go back to Japan, it's still nice that she could go. Besides, she needed a vacation anyway."

Benjamin stood up and walked around a little, stretching his legs. Chewing his sandwich a bit slower, Jack felt a bit sad at the news of his mother having gone back to Japan. He really wanted to see her during his summer vacation, but now he didn't know if he would get the chance to.

"Just call her when we get home," Naomi said to him.

"Dad said he talked with her yesterday," Mia, reminding her older sister said. "He said she seemed ok to him."

"You're not the least bit worried about her?" Jack asked.

"Nope, been too busy with my own personal life," Mia said to him. "Besides, it's not like she went back to a foreign country and is having a hard time there. She went back to Japan, the place where she was born and raised and... oh! Got a call coming in!"

Mia's cell phone rung and she distanced herself a bit from her family. Jack took a few more bites of his sandwich and let out a small sigh, his gaze trailing westward across the bay.

At home, Jack walked upstairs to where his bedroom was. Looking around, everything was still the same way it was when he left. Even the smelled hasn't changed, he thought. Jack figured that his parents had left it that way, knowing that he would return home. Although he hasn't been back for a year, seeing the room as it was made him feel guilty a little for being gone for so long. Jack however still smiled knowing that his old room didn't change at all. Laying down on his bed and closing his eyes, Jack smiled, and began thinking about the many fond memories that he had while living in San Diego. And for some reason, he also thought about a not so fond memory when he was a child while living briefly somewhere else.

Although he grew up in a pretty good environment in San Diego, Jack spent a small but unforgettable part of his childhood growing up in a nearly all African American environment in Ohio when he was 8 years old. Because of his racial differences, he'd often get into trouble, mainly at school because he and his sister Naomi were teased for being half Black and half Japanese which led to him getting into fights defending himself and his sister, and resulting in Jack getting suspended from school often. Just Mia was to enter public school, his parents feared that she too would enter a not so friendly school system and be mistreated just as Jack and Naomi were, and for this reason his father moved them all to California where things were a lot better because of the diversity of people who lived here. However, unknown to his parents, because of the teasing and fighting he went through in Ohio, Jack had denounced his Japanese heritage when he got to California because he felt that being half Japanese was the source of his problems. He wanted to fit in with others, and being in California he did. As he grew older, his physical appearance favored his African American heritage instead of his Japanese heritage, and no one ever suspected that he was half Japanese. During those days of growing up, his Japanese side got even further lost and buried within him, however Jack cared nothing of this happening to him. Jack stared at the ceiling thinking back on those days and let out a small sigh. Discontinuing his thoughts of Ohio, he instead turned his thoughts toward his mother and how much he wanted to see her. Just as he began thinking about her, he heard a quick knock coming from the other side the door, and then it suddenly flung wide open.

"You're supposed to wait until I say come in before you open the door Naomi."

"Just like you're suppose to wait until I say you can borrow my backpack before you take it," she shot back at him. "Anyway, come with me!"

Jack gave Naomi a puzzled look. "Where are you going?"

"Not me, We! We're going to the store."

"No, not we, You!" Jack said to his sister while grabbing his pillow and turning onto his side facing away from her. "I just flew in from one side of the country to the other carrying heavy bags. I'm tired. I have jet lag."

"You don't look tired to me," Naomi raising one eyebrow and crossing her arms said to him. "And you don't have jet lag either." And also, we carried your bags, and they weren't heavy."

"I'm still tired."

"Come on Jack, Dad want me to go shopping!"

"So what part of dad wants Y-O-U to go shopping and not me you didn't understand?"

"I don't want to carry all that stuff by myself!"

"So what's your point?"

"You have to help and it's getting dark out there. You wouldn't want anything bad to happen to a cute girl like me would you?"

"What's in it for me if I go with you?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing? That's not very useful to me," Jack said to her while putting the pillow over his head.

"You get the satisfaction of eating a nice home cooked dinner from me."

"No thanks. I already ate on the plane and at Sea Port Village."

"You also get the satisfaction of hanging out with your favorite sister... Me."

"Mia's my favorite sister."

"No, she's the sister who owes you a lot of money because she always borrows but never pays back. Can't even imagine why you would say that she's your favorite. I never borrowed anything from you. But, I remember someone said that they borrowed my brand new backpack and took it to New York with them a year ago and never bothered to tell me or send it back to me. I haven't even inspected it yet. It probably has a lot of scratches and marks on it, interior ripped, shoulder strap cushion flat, bad smell to it, zipper broken, worn out. You should buy me a new one. Also..."

"Ok ok, I'll go to the store with you," Jack said quickly turning around to face his sister, not wanting to hear anything more about the backpack.

"Really? Ok, let's go."

"As long as you just shut up I'll go with you."

"What was that?"

"Nothing," he said to her while letting out a sigh and rolling out of bed. "Let's just go."

Going downstairs, Jack and Naomi passed by their father and tells him that they are off to the store. Benjamin then handed them a list of things to get.

"We'll be back in a little while dad."

"If mom calls tell her I will call her when we come back," Jack said to him. "How was she when you last talked to her dad?"

"Your mother sounded fine, a bit tired but fine. I wouldn't worry about her too much."

"Hmm..." looking at the list of things to get, Naomi voices her displeasure.

"We have to get this much stuff dad?"

"Your mother usually does the shopping, so she made this list for us before she left," he said to his daughter. "And since she left and you and your sister ate up nearly everything in this house it's only fair that you two should go shopping."

"Well where is she?" Naomi wondered looking around. "Since Mia did helped eat everything, shouldn't she come too?"

"She said that she had to go somewhere quick but she'll be back soon."

"In other words, she didn't want to go shopping," she said to her father. Turning and glaring at Jack, Naomi barked, "Still think she's your favorite sister now?"

Defending Mia, Jack simply retorted that his younger sister is simply just a little misguided, and also added that since the cost of the food is not coming out of either Naomi's or his pocket, why complain?

Driving to the store, Jack's mind was else where. He asked Naomi if their mother was really ok, and she told him that as far as she knew she was. However, she did noticed that for some reason their mother seemed a bit more sad and worried than normal. Reason that Naomi didn't understand. Jack let Naomi's words sink into his mind. He then began thinking about the words that Mia had said to him. About how that their mother didn't go to a place where she would have a hard time at. She went back to Japan. Back to the place where she was born and raised. She was home. And as the old saying goes, you can take the person out of the country but you can never take the country out of the person. Even though his mother Hitomi left Japan many years ago to marry his father, an African American service man, still, she is Japanese. And she has her Japanese heritage to fall back on if she ever went back to Japan, and this was something that no one could ever take away from her, no matter what country she lived in. With this in mind, Jack thought that he shouldn't worry too much about his mother. However, he still couldn't get passed Naomi's words of telling him that for some reason their mother left for Japan in a state of sadness that she couldn't understand. And this increased his feelings of worry even more about her being gone.