Chapter 9: Mai Returns

It had been over a year since Mai had left. It was a day I will not soon forget. It isn't every day you get fatally shot and are repaired to better than before health, all in a moment.

I was in my usual afternoon position; in the courtyard of our Jupiter Island house, belly up on a chaise lounge, 'resting my eyes', after finishing my one bottle daily-ration. My daily-ration alternated between Smithwicks, Harp, or Guinness. Today it was Guinness. All was right with the world except for missing and worrying about Mai. She was in my thoughts continually.

I'd had contact off and on with Mai, mentally, over the months she had been gone, but I really wanted her here with us and to see her face again. We all missed her very much.

We had been busy during the time she had been gone. Our family was growing, and we were busy taking care of it and working on our projects.

The disabled veterans' rehabilitation project was coming along great. It had become self supporting and was helping the families of disabled veterans to have a future. I only wish we could do it faster.

On the personal front, baby Kim was growing like a weed. She was over six months old and very advanced for her age. Of course all grandparents feel that way about their grandchildren.

The twins, Linh and Thu, were now part of the family. At four years of age, they didn't really remember their former life.

Tim and An had the youth and energy, to do a lot of the chasing all three required, while Grandma and I just got to spoil them. Having all that youth in the house keeps you young. Even Chucky was showing more liveliness, playing with the twins and guarding Kim like a lion with a cub.

I lay there thinking, "Where are you, Mai?"

"I'm right here, Grandpa."

"Where?"

"Open your eyes."

I realized she wasn't talking in my head, as I opened my eyes and looked around. There before me was a vision. Mai was standing there smiling down at me. She looked beautiful, smiling, with her eyes twinkling at me.

I jumped up and ran to her, expecting her to disappear. I threw my arms around her and found she was indeed real. I picked her up and spun her around, saying her name over and over. Tears were streaming from my eyes. I couldn't believe she was back.

She held me, with her arms around my neck. Leaning her head back, she smiled up at me.

"I missed you, Grandpa."

There were tears in her eyes too.

I put her down and just touched her, holding her face between my hands. Grasping her shoulders, I hugged her back to me. I still couldn't believe it.

I said, "Are you going to be here awhile, or disappear on me again?"

"I will be here for a long while I hope, Grandpa. I have a lot to tell you and I need your help."

"Anything, Smidgen. You know if it's in my power, it's yours."

At this point, I finally became aware enough of my surroundings, to notice she had a male companion standing back a bit behind her. He was a Nordic looking fellow; tall, blond haired and looking to be in very good shape. He appeared to be in his late teens or early twenties.

"Are you going to introduce me to your friend, Mai?"

She turned, keeping one arm around my waist, and said, "Grandpa, this is Merlin Sköld, my friend and partner. Merlin, this is my Grandpa, Sean North."

I shook his hand and welcomed him to our home.

He said, "Thank you for having us here, sir."

"You are welcome here. Anyone my granddaughter brings here is considered part of the family. Please just call me Sean, or Grandpa."

I looked at both of them and smiled.

"I suppose you didn't just walk in here, did you?"

Mai laughed and said, "No Grandpa, a short time ago we were standing in the living room, of my condo in Los Angeles. I have developed and refined more of my powers and have a better idea of my limits now. That's one of the things I wanted to talk to you about."

I said, "So, you can teleport others as well as yourself?"

"Yes, among other things that we can talk about later."

"I think I better round up Grandma, your mom, and the rest of the zoo, or I'll be in trouble for hogging you for myself."

I hit the page button on the intercom and said, "Would all family members please come to the courtyard to see the package that just arrived? Bring all the kids, too."

For a short time, it was a madhouse. Grandma was close by and arrived first. When she saw Mai, I thought she would knock Mai over, throwing herself at her.

While they were hugging and catching up, I pulled Merlin aside and said, "Best to just stand back for awhile. It's going to be wild for a short time. I'll get you introduced after they all get over their shock."

An and Tim showed up shortly thereafter, with the twins. Tim was holding Kim. An and Mai just held each other and cried, talking rapidly in Vietnamese. The twins just stood there with their big eyes taking it all in.

After An and Mai broke off, Tim stepped forward and presented Kim to Mai.

Mai took her in her arms and looked down at her.

It got quiet, and as Kim reached a hand up and touched Mai's cheek, it looked like a golden glow surrounded them both. For a long moment it was like they merged and blurred and then they returned to normal.

Mai was smiling and tears were streaming down her face as she said, "I am not the only one any more. Kim is going to be very special."

She turned to Merlin and motioned him over. He approached and Kim held her hand out. He touched her hand and that same glow appeared. Again, in a moment, it disappeared.

Mai looked at Merlin and said, "You see?"

Merlin nodded and hugged them both.

Linh and Thu approached Mai and she handed Kim to An.

Bending down, she spoke to the twins in Vietnamese then switched to English.

"Are you both happy to be with our family?"

In unison they said, "Yes, lady that glows, we love it here. Thank you for sending us."

Mai hugged them both and they talked a bit in Vietnamese. They both gave her simultaneous kisses on each cheek, giggled, stepped away.

I stepped up, introduced Merlin to everyone and said, "Why don't we adjourn to the great room and catch up on what's been happening."

We all drifted in to the great room and An slipped into the back and asked Mrs. Pham, our housekeeper, to prepare light snacks and refreshments for everyone. After we were settled, I turned to Mai.

"Well Smidgen, how should we start this? We know you have been active in Los Angeles working to free slaves from your own and other locations. We assumed you were also building a base of information on the slave trade in that area. There were news reports of slaves being freed in more than just your old location."

"Grandpa, I think I need to give a little background so you can hopefully see where I've been coming from in all this. It's hard to describe to anyone but Mom how I feel and how my life before our family affected me.

"Can you picture being born and your first conscious thoughts were in an environment where you were a slave with no free will? From the time I was conscious of others around me, I was told what to do and handled roughly.

"Mom and the other slaves tried to teach us children that there was a world out there and that people were free to do what they pleased in it. This was a hard concept to assimilate, when I was living in squalor. I was sleeping on the floor, with many others in the same room, fed rancid food, and witnessed abuse, including the frequent rapes and beatings the women faced.

"I learned to be invisible. I watched and tried to learn everything I could. There were slaves that were kidnapped as adults, who taught us about the outside world and tried to give us some spirit to hang on and hope."

Mai took a deep breath and looked at her mother.

"Mom and I would whisper together at night and dream of being free. There were too many of us for them to watch all of us closely, and they relied upon our fear to keep us in line.

"What most people don't realize is that getting a human being to become subordinate and submissive isn't that tough. It is just a matter of breaking their spirit.

"New slaves are physically abused. They are used for others' pleasure, with no regard to how they feel. They are made to feel they are in a hopeless situation.

"The handlers are experienced at doing the carrot and stick routine. The slaves come to believe that they have no free will and even without someone directly watching them all the time, they are afraid to make a move on their own.

"The initial conditioning freezes them into a pattern of submissiveness. You can see examples today, when you read about pedophiles kidnapping children, and brain washing them to the point that they will not even tell anyone in authority of their situation. Once conditioned, the slave handler doesn't even have to be present to influence the slave.

"Since I was very little, my job was to drag the boxes of garments and scraps to the collection point in the rear of the building we spent our lives in. The handlers weren't worried about a little kid running away. Where would I go? They considered someone like me, born there, to be totally conditioned.

"Consequently, I saw outside people who came to take possession of the garments and to haul away the scraps for recycle. Often, when the handlers weren't looking, these people would give me small candies and sometimes small amounts of money. I would share the candy at night with the others, although it didn't go too far. We all tried to just get a taste of the sweetness to savor.

"I saw no purpose in the money. What good was money to me? Where would I spend it? What I didn't realize was that those small bits of money I hid away added up and over many years, I saved a fair amount."

Mai looked at Merlin and he squeezed her hand.

"I can't possibly make someone who hasn't lived in that environment understand how it drags you down until you lose all hope. Most of the slaves had been there so long that they had given up hope and felt that death was their only escape from their misery.

"Mom whispered to me at night over and over, to never give up, and never stop scheming and thinking of ways to be free.

"As I told Grandpa before, I took every opportunity to learn anything I could get access to. I learned to read and speak English. I read everything I could find. I talked to the people who came for the garments and scraps, asking them countless questions. They thought I was just a cute inquisitive little girl, but I was expanding my knowledge every day. I told you, I don't forget anything. Well, I didn't.