THE THREE GEMS
It had been eight months since my eldest son was born. Joshua Raiden Watanabe Hendrix was born on the 30th of July 2000 at St. David’s Hospital, in Manchester, England. Joshua’s father, Alexander Kei Watanabe Hendrix, whom I had married on the 21st of January, 1999, was born to a British father by the name of Mr. Julien Clyde Hendrix and a Japanese mother by the name of Yuri Watanabe Hendrix. Kei, as I had always addressed him, was my University sweetheart. We had studied at the University of London together wherein I majored in the Bachelor of Law whereas Kei had majored in the Bachelor of Engineering. Now, I am a practicing lawyer in Manchester, and Kei is an aspiring civil engineer and has his own construction company in Manchester.
My father, Mr. Rohit Sharma, and my mother, Mrs. Samyukhta Sharma are both in Paris, France, currently. My family had relocated to Paris, France, from Andhra Pradesh, India when I was just 13 years old. Subsequently, I had pursued my secondary education at The British School of Paris, and thereafter, I had applied to the University of London to pursue my tertiary education in Law. I had met Kei during the second year of my course and we had been inseparable since then. Our close friendship blossomed into love which had transpired into a beautiful marriage wherein I had conceived my eldest son, Joshua. We had decided to honor Kei’s British and Japanese parentage by combining both the English and Japanese names in naming our eldest son. My parents did not mind that I had not chosen an Indian name for my eldest son on the basis that I had married outside my community. As such, my parents had advised me that I should follow my husband’s culture from the moment I had wedded Kei. I am thankful to my parents for being supportive of my relationship with Kei until today. Likewise, Kei’s parents are unorthodox in their practices as well. As such, marrying Kei was not difficult like most love-inspired relationships.
I have always had the dream of adopting children once I get married as I have the most unusual dream of raising children from different ethnicities as my own. Kei has always been supportive of my dream of adopting. After we got married, Kei and I had begun to look for orphanages in South Korea and China as we had plans to adopt two male babies from South Korea and China respectively a few months after our eldest son was born. The reason why we had chosen to adopt babies from China and South Korea was that Kei himself looked more Japanese than a British and that the difference in ethnicities would not be apparent between the children as they grew up. We had decided to pursue our plan to adopt our second baby six months after Joshua had entered into our lives. Kei and I had decided to visit the orphanage in South Korea to adopt a newborn baby which had recently joined the orphanage that we had kept in contact with. I was packing our luggage when Kei had entered our bedroom with the flight tickets to Seoul, South Korea. Kei said, “Darling, I have just received the flight tickets from my secretary, Pamela Kingston in the mail. Where is my sling bag that I usually take with me when I fly overseas?” “I have left it in one of the drawers in the cupboard, Kei,” I replied to Kei while packing our clothes. “By the way, how long are we going to be in Seoul? I have already contacted a lawyer in Seoul to collaborate with me in terms of finalizing the legal part of the adoption procedure,” I asked Kei. Kei looked at me and replied, “I have arranged the visa for about two weeks.” “That is awesome! We will have time for sight-seeing as well then,” I exclaimed in excitement. Kei laughed at me. Kei realized how much I had wanted to visit South Korea as I had wanted to visit the historical places there.
Once I was done packing our luggage, I quickly showered to get ready for our flight later that evening. Kei, on the other hand, was packing both our passports, flight tickets, and the necessary documents for the adoption into his sling bag. Once I had stepped out of the shower, I called out to Kei, “Kei, I am done with the shower. The bathroom is all yours now!” “Alright, darling,” Kei replied. I entered our bedroom to move our luggage to the living room. Kei, who was still checking the documents to ensure that none of the documents for adoption were left out, looked up at me and said, “You look beautiful, darling.” He further asked, “What is that fragrance that you have sprayed this time?” I smiled and replied, “Why, thank you, Kei. This time I have sprayed green apple fragrance from DKNY.” “Ah, the scent is refreshing indeed. Your taste for perfumes has always been good,” Kei commented. “Thank you, sweetheart,” I replied Kei. “Okay, I am going to shower and I will be ready in 15 minutes,” Kei said while walking to the bathroom. “I will get some sandwiches for us to have before leaving for the airport, okay?” I asked Kei and Kei replied, “Okay, darling.”
I was preparing some sandwiches and some orange juice for Kei and me when Kei entered the kitchen. Kei sat at the dining table and took some sandwiches from the plate. While having the sandwich, Kei said, “Once we have reached the Incheon International Airport in South Korea, an agent will take us to the Nine Tree Hotel Myeongdong in Seoul.” “What is the time to meet the president at the orphanage, honey?” I asked Kei. Kei took out his mobile phone to check his mobile diary. Kei then said, “Well, the appointment is scheduled at 10.00 a.m. Korean time. Thereafter, we will be contacted 3 days before we leave Seoul for the handover of the baby.” I nodded while having the sandwich. “I am excited already, honey,” I said with a smile. Kei reached out for my hand and squeezed my hand lightly while saying, “And I, darling. And I.”
The journey to the Incheon International Airport took about 6 hours and 30 minutes. An agent was already awaiting our arrival at the arrival hall when we stepped out once the customs clearance was completed and we had retrieved our luggage. “Welcome to South Korea. My name is Seo Jung-Hwa, and I am the agent appointed to be your guide for two weeks,” the agent said to us. Kei then replied, “Thank you Mr. Seo Jung-Hwa. My name is Kei and this is my wife, Akshara Sharma. Shall we go to the hotel now, then?” “Yes, we can. This way, please, Mr. Kei,” the agent replied. We reached the Nine Tree Hotel. The hotel was a 5 stars rated hotel with wonderful room service. We enjoyed our stay at the said hotel. Both Kei and I visited the orphanage at about 10.00 a.m. the next day to finalize the adoption process. The Korean lawyer whom I had contacted before our trip was present to assist us in the adoption process. Once the process was completed at the orphanage, the lawyer had taken the legal documents to the court to be filed and the order for the release of our second baby to be granted. One week after the meeting at the orphanage had passed. After the meeting at the orphanage Kei and I had visited many historical spots in Seoul and tasted various Korean delicacies during our first week there. During the second week of our trip, we were busy with the adoption documents that needed finalization. The President handed our second son 3 days before we were scheduled to leave Seoul. We thanked the lawyer and the President of the orphanage for their assistance in realizing our dreams of adopting a Korean baby.
We were welcomed by Kei’s parents and our newborn at the Manchester Airport on the day we had arrived back home with our second son. Kei’s mother, Yuri, who was excited to welcome our second son, took the baby from my hands to have a good look at him. “He looks angelic, Akshara. You have done good, Akshara,” Yuri said, with a glint of tears in her eyes. I moved closer to Yuri and hugged her. “Thank you for allowing my second dream to materialize, mother. There is another angel who is awaiting us in China,” I said to Yuri. I released Yuri from my hug and Yuri looked at me approvingly while saying, “I am looking forward to welcoming our third son as well. When is the trip to China scheduled, my dear?” I replied to Yuri, “It is scheduled in 2 days, mother.” Yuri then nodded while smiling approvingly. Kei’s father, Julien, who had been watching us the whole time, interrupted us by saying, “Yuri, honey, let’s go home now. Our two handsome knights might be feeling hungry now.” All of us agreed and left for Kei’s residence together.
We boarded the flight to Shanghai, China, two days after we had arrived at Manchester to welcome our third son. The lawyer whom I had been liaising with before we had arrived at Shanghai Orphanage was present to assist us with the finalization of the adoption process. We left Shanghai for Manchester after spending one week in the Metropolitan City with our third son. As usual, we were welcomed by Kei’s parents at the airport. We had shared the moments of joy while welcoming the arrival of our third son into our lives at the airport before leaving for Kei’s residence.
At our home, we had prepared a room, the interior of which was designed by Kei and me. The room was painted in a light shade of blue and decorated with toys with three beautiful cradles for our three sons. We had prepared the names for our second and third sons previously. We had organized a party for the naming of our two sons, during which we had revealed the names that both Kei and I had carefully chosen and agreed upon. Our second son was named Jude Kim Yong-sun Hendrix whereas our youngest son was named Justin Li Ming Xing Hendrix. Kei and I had decided to maintain the ethnicities of Jude and Justin in their names so that both of them would not forget the culture and tradition that they belonged to in the future. In other words, Kei and I had not only adopted the babies from South Korea and China but also the traditions and cultures from the two distinctive nations. Hence, in the future, in the event Jude and Justin wished to return to their native countries, they would be accepted by the residents as one of their own. Kei and I had wanted to leave the benefit of the doubt to our two sons as to whether they would return to their own motherlands, hence the names that we had thought about together.
A week after the naming function, my parents returned to Manchester to visit our three children. Mother’s eyes had tears in her eyes when she saw the three babies in their respective cradles and turned to me to say, “You have finally realized your childhood dream, honey. I am so proud of you as a mother.” “Oh, mum. Thank you for telling that,” I said to Mother while hugging her. “Aren’t they beautiful, mum?” I asked Mother for which Mother replied, “Yes, definitely. They are the three gems that you have brought into your life, and I am sure that you will make a good mother for these boys.” “Thank you, mum. This would not have been possible without you and Dad’s receptive nature. Both Dad and you have always been supportive of my dream. Thank you so much for always being there for me,” I said to Mother. At that moment, Dad entered the babies’ room with Kei to have a look at our sons. Dad exclaimed, “Wow! We have three handsome knights in our family. Oh no. Let me rephrase that. We have three handsome Samurai in our family now!”All of us laughed lightly, without waking our three sons who were in deep sleep.
We left the babies’ room and walked to the kitchen to have our lunch. Mother joined me in the kitchen to help me transport the dishes to the dining table while Kei and Father sat at the dining table and started chatting about their work. While I was removing the plates from the kitchen cupboard, Mother asked me, “So, are Kei’s parents happy about the adoption, honey?”I turned to look at Mother and replied, “Yes, mum. They are overjoyed, simply put. I suppose they are happy that we have more sons in the family since Kei is their only child and the only son in their family. So, when Kei and I had informed them about our decision to adopt the two boys, they were pleased.” “Well, that is really good to hear. I am glad about the unorthodox approach that Kei’s parents have towards having a family or else, I don’t think they would have allowed your marriage with Kei. They are truly a wonderful couple, judging from how good-natured they are and how well-mannered Kei is,” Mother said. “Yes, mum. I am truly blessed to have Kei as my husband. He helps me around the house despite being busy with his work and all. Besides, when I discussed the adoption, Kei was pleased as well. He was as excited as I was during the whole journey to South Korea and China although he did not show it,” I said to Mother.
Mother and I placed the dishes on the table and then all of us sat to have our lunch together. Father tasted the food and said, “Your culinary skill has greatly improved my dear.” “Thanks, dad. I have been learning from Kei’s mum. Kei’s mum is truly amazing in cooking Asian food, you know,” I said. Kei then said with a smile, “Darling, bring out the dessert that you have prepared for Mum and Dad once we are done here. I am sure Mum and Dad would love your latest recipe.” “Oh yes. I have almost forgotten about it. Thanks for reminding me, sweetheart,” I said to Kei. Mother and Father looked at each other and then turned to look at me questioningly. “Oh, since both of you love chocolate, I have prepared a chocolate pudding with Cadbury chocolate bars,” I said while smiling sheepishly. Dad laughed out loud and then said, “This is great news to me. Your mum has restricted my intake of sweetened food these days that my body is craving for something sweet all the time.” “Well, there is no such restriction in this house, Dad. So, you can have as much as you want and mum will not say anything this time,” I replied while eyeing Mother who shook her head slightly while rolling her eyes for which I couldn’t help but smile. It had always been wonderful to watch Mother and Father doting on each other.
After lunch, Kei helped me wash the dishes as I had to check on our three sons. Mother followed me to the room to help me in case the babies had wet the pampers. Just as both of us suspected, our three babies had wet the pampers. Mother and I lifted the babies out of the cradles and placed them carefully on the changing table that Kei and I had placed against the wall to utilize whenever the babies needed a diaper change and to dress the babies after a bath. The babies’ bodies were sticky. Mother said, “We need to bathe them, honey. Come with me to the bathroom and I will show you how to bathe them.”
Mother started to bathe Joshua followed by Jude and Justin. When all of them were clean, Mother then dressed the babies. I helped Mother by providing the mild scented lotion and powder customized for babies before the babies were dressed. Joshua was smiling while Mother applied lotion on his body. He made some gurgling noise like he was speaking to Mother and Mother replied to Joshua as though she understood his language. It was a heart-warming scene. He seemed to love Mother’s touch on his delicate body. I followed the way Mother had dressed Joshua and began dressing Jude and Justin. Mother observed me with a smile on her face and nodded approvingly. “That’s it, honey. That is all to it,” Mother said to me. We then lifted the babies one by one and placed them in the cradle. Mother held Jude in her hands and sat on the rocking chair while I began breastfeeding Joshua. Once Joshua was done, I began breastfeeding Justin. I felt sentimental as I observed Justin. Never had I imagined that I would have the chance to breastfeed a child that did not originate from my womb. Tears dropped from my eyes as I watched Justin. I was truly blessed to have Justin in my life. Once I was done breastfeeding Justin, I rested for a moment before I took Jude from my Mother’s hands and sat on the chair to breastfeed him. I smiled as Jude obediently fed from me. Another gem that I would not exchange for anything in this world. “Now that my blood is within you, both of you are officially my own children,” I thought to myself, feeling sentimental in my heart. Once Joshua, Jude, and Justin were breastfed, Mother and I placed them back into their respective cradles and lightly tapped their fragile bodies to put them to sleep. Once the boys were asleep, we left the room to join the men in the living room.
Kei and Father were enjoying the chocolate pudding that I had prepared earlier while watching a football game on the television. When Mother and I entered the living room, Father looked up and asked us, “Are our Samurai all asleep now?”Kei also looked up at Mother and me awaiting our replies with a smile. “Yes, we have bathed them, fed them and now they are back to sleep,” Mother said. Kei then said to Mother, “We are glad that you are here to guide us, Mum.”I walked over to Kei and sat next to him on the sofa and held his hand. “Yes, mum. I agree. Thanks for showing me the way to handle the boys just now,” I said to Mother. Mother sat next to Father and said while smiling, “Oh, it is nothing. Joshua, Jude, and Justin are still babies and need careful grooming. Once they turn two or three years old, it wouldn’t be as bad.”Both Kei and I nodded while smiling.
After dinner, Father and Mother went to their room to rest for the night as they were exhausted from the traveling. For the rest of the week, Father and Kei busied themselves into taking turns to look after the babies. Father was just as careful as Mother in tendering to the babies’ needs for the shower and grooming. When it was time to feed the babies, Mother, and I took turns in looking after the babies. Kei and Father had resumed tendering to the boys once the boys were fed. After a week of spending time with us and the boys, Mother, and Father left for Paris.
Kei and I had finally begun our adventure of looking after our babies. We had juggled between our work and home life perfectly well as I had begun to work from home while tendering to our sons while Kei had taken over the cooking and home-cleaning chores until Joshua, Jude, and Justin had turned four years old. Kei’s parents helped to babysit our children once the boys had grown older. Although Kei and I were exhausted after tendering to the boys’ needs, we were happy because we had a wonderful family with beautiful children to raise.
It was time for the boys to begin schooling. Joshua, Jude, and Justin were sent to a pre-school institution. Kei and I were happy to watch the boys’ progress in education since all three boys excelled in their studies even though it was early education. As the children grew older, Kei and I had decided that the boys should learn martial arts. We had found three different institutions which provided Taekwondo, Karate, and Kung Fu lessons. Kei and I had decided to send Joshua for Karate lessons, Jude for Taekwondo lessons, and Justin for Kung Fu lessons. The boys enjoyed the lessons and they practiced the martial arts moves among themselves in our home during the weekend with Kei watching over them. Kei and I had decided to expose the boys to nature and so we took the boys to the woods for camping with some of Kei’s friends during the school breaks. Kei and I had planned to expose our sons to as many activities as possible to enable the boys to discover where their passions lied.
As the boys grew older, I had noticed that Joshua’s interest had turned towards music whereas Jude loved sports and as for Justin, his interest was in Arts, just like me. Kei and I were supportive of the boys’ interests and had allowed the boys to join the competitions organized by the school and other organizations. When the boys stepped into their teenagehood, Kei and I had kept a close watch over the boys’ activities as teenagehood was the period where the boys would experience changes physically and emotionally. As such, we had regular chats and family activities with the boys for which the boys were responsive and co-operative. Justin had always kept at my side, whereas Joshua spent his time at the soundproof studio in our residence which was presented to Joshua as his 15th birthday by us upon discovering his interest in music. Joshua was utterly excited and had his friends come over to our home to practice. Joshua later formed a musical band, wrote song lyrics, and created wonderful music as well as performing in his school functions. His talent was later discovered by a company and was assigned to a company for a contractual performance as and when he was able to perform outside the school without affecting his studies.
Jude, who had also turned 15 years old, had joined the school’s basketball team since he had quite an interest in basketball. Kei would take Jude to live basketball games whenever possible. Jude had also excelled in his studies as his school teachers would compliment him for his excellent results in examinations. Kei had our garden outside the porch of our residence converted to enable Jude to practice basketball at home as well. Jude loved the space and utilized his favorite space as and when he could do so. Kei and Jude spent a lot of time together playing basketball during weekends with Joshua and Justin as the referees and me as the provider of refreshments after their games.
Justin, on the other hand, was presented with an art studio at home equipped with all the necessary items for drawing and sculpturing. Justin, who was also born on the same day as his brothers, loved the art studio that he would invite his friends who were also into Art to work on their assignments and projects in his Art Studio. Kei and I had enjoyed watching Joshua, Jude, and Justin growing up.
One morning, as I was preparing breakfast for the whole family, Joshua entered the kitchen. “Good Morning, mum,” he greeted me. I turned to Joshua and asked, “Good morning, honey. Did you sleep well after practicing last night?” “Yes, I did, mum. About that, mum, the company agent, Mr. Stuart Townsend called me just now. He asked me if I will be able to perform in London next Saturday. I told him that I would check with you first. What do you think, mum?” Joshua asked me while eating the cherry tomatoes that I had on the plate to cook pizza. I thought about Joshua’s request for a moment before replying to Joshua, “I think that it would be a great idea if you can perform in London since you can add another achievement to your list of accomplishments. But we need to ask Dad’s opinion on this as well, honey.” Joshua’s face lit in excitement.“Wow, thanks, Mum,” he exclaimed in excitement. “I will ask Dad later during breakfast, then,” he further added before helping me set the table for breakfast. I have taught the boys how to set the tables and to have some culinary skills as the basic requirement for an independent future.
All of us had gathered at the dining table for breakfast. As we had our breakfast, Joshua turned to Kei and asked, “Dad, the company agent Mr. Stuart Townsend called me just now to enquire if I would be interested to perform in London next Saturday. What do you think about it, Dad?” Kei looked at me and I nodded and smiled. Kei had always looked upon me for guidance before tendering to our children’s needs as Kei had never intended to act differently from me. We had always discussed when it came to making decisions for our children. As such, there had not been any situation whereby Kei had strayed from my intentions in dealing with the children. Kei replied, “Hmm... I think that it is a great opportunity to add to your accomplishments. So, go ahead and say yes to Mr. Stuart.” Joshua was overjoyed at Kei’s positive response. “Thanks, dad! Thanks, mum! You are the best!” Joshua exclaimed in joy. Jude and Justin shared their brother’s joy and joined in the conversation. Jude asked Joshua, “So, the transportation and accommodation will be provided by the company, I assume, Josh?” “Yes, Jude. Mr. Stuart asked me if either mum or dad would be accompanying me since the performance will be outside the region of Manchester,” Joshua said. Kei then suggested, “I don’t mind joining you, son. If it is next Saturday, then we can all take a break and join in the fun.”
I looked at Jude and Justin. “So, honey, shall we go with Dad and Joshua to London, or do you have any plans for next Saturday?” I asked Jude and Justin. Jude answered, “I am free for the weekend since there isn’t any game or other school activity scheduled for next week.” Justin then said, “Me too, mum. I am free as well. The Arts Association won’t be organizing any activity for next weekend.” I turned to Kei and said, “Well, then, honey. I guess we are all free for a trip to London next week.” Kei looked at me and smiled. “Very well then. We shall all go together. You can inform Mr. Stuart that all of us will be there with you, son,” Kei said to Joshua. I noticed the happiness in Joshua at our responses. Joshua took the mobile phone from his pocket and dialed the agent’s number. He informed the agent about our plan to London. Once the conversation on the mobile phone ended, Joshua said to us, “It is confirmed then, guys. The company will be providing transportation to and from London and the accommodation as well.”
Saturday arrived and all of us made a trip to London. Joshua’s performance was simply ravishing, as he had always been. After the concert, all of us were sent back to our residence safely by the company. Joshua, Jude, and Justin were chatting excitedly about the concert among themselves during the whole journey to Manchester that Kei and I thought that they were unstoppable when it came to talking for hours.
Kei and I had planned to reveal about the adoption on the boys’ 17th birthday since Joshua, Jude, and Justin were born on the same day, that is the 30th of July, 2000. On the morning of the 30th of July 2017, I called out for Joshua, Jude, and Justin who were in their rooms to join Kei and me in the living room. Our three sons joined us in the living room obediently. I nodded at Kei to begin. Kei then said, “Guys, your mum, and I have planned to reveal this matter to you on your 17th birthday with the consent of the elders. So here we go. Jude and Justin, both of you were adopted from South Korea and China.” Jude and Justin sat on the sofa silently while looking down on the Persian carpet. Then, Jude broke the silence that had crept into the living room by saying, “We know, dad.” Kei and I nodded while holding our hands. It was a tough moment as we had never intended to hurt the boy’s feelings in any way. Justin added, “Yes, dad. We know. Well, firstly, we don’t look like you or mum but Joshua does. Secondly, our middle names differ as well. Thirdly, we don’t have Great-grandpa Watanabe’s surname in our names. Fourthly, my surname is Kim while Justin’s is Li.” Then Jude said, “Yes, dad. We knew since we were in Junior High. However, both of us have unique names based on our research on Google and we are proud to carry such unique names. Pretty neat job there, Dad.” At that instant, Kei could not help smiling despite the seriousness of the situation that we were all placed in. Kei said, “It was your mother who chose those names, guys. I had only played along with your mum’s choices back then. Like I have always done and will do.”
Joshua, Jude, and Justin laughed at Kei that I blushed immediately and playfully pushed Kei away from me. Kei pulled me closer to him in a big hug and said to the boys, “Well, what can I do? I am still madly in love with your lovely mother. I have been bewitched by her.” “Kei, our sons are watching us. Do you mind behaving yourself, please?” I said to Kei, pretending to be angry. Kei had only laughed at my expression. Jude then interrupted by asking, “I have a doubt though, mum. Why did you choose to adopt us from South Korea and China instead of India or Japan?” I smiled and replied while looking at both Justin and Jude, “Well, it has always been my dream to raise children from a different ethnicity. Fortunately, despite your dad having mixed parentage your dad’s appearance made it convenient to decide the ethnicity of my adopted children. Since your dad’s appearance is similar to a South Korean and Chinese, I figured that both of you would not be confused as you grow to recognize your parents.” Jude and Justin nodded incomprehension that I had chosen them because of Kei’s Asian looks.
I further added, “Well, now that the doubts are cleared, let us get back to the subject. The reason why we have named you as such is because we would like to maintain your ethnicities in the event you choose to return to South Korea and China. You would not look different from the residents there and you would be able to mingle with them easily. I have claimed both of you as my own on the first day I had breastfed you. However, I don’t want to forbid you from ever learning about your native lands and cultures as it would be unfair to both of you. I give you complete freedom to do as you wish in this regard and your father and I will accept your decisions.” Upon revealing my true feelings, I was holding my breath as I was nervous while waiting for Jude and Justin’s decisions.
Jude and Justin had tears in their eyes. Both of them stood up to walk up to us and kneeled in front of us. Jude said, “Mum and Dad, there is no other place we would rather be than this house and there is no one who can replace both of you as our parents.” Justin further added, “Yes, mum, dad, we love you so much, and we want to be your children always unless you don’t want us anymore.” Kei and I had tears in our eyes when we heard the heart-warming decision from Jude and Justin that we quickly stood up to lift Jude and Justin and hugged the boys tightly. “Thank you, God, for giving them to me completely. These boys will be mine until I return to you,” I thought in my mind. Once the emotional situation had subsided, I started to bake a cake for the boys in conjunction with their 17th birthday. Kei and I celebrated our sons’ 17th birthday privately at our residence. I would say that the memories of our sons’ birthday that year were the most memorable ones during the boys’ teenage years.
The boys graduated from High School a year later. Jude had received a scholarship through his High School basketball team and so Kei and I had decided to allow Jude to pursue the course of his choice at the university of his choice as well. Jude had informed us that he would like to pursue a degree in Bachelor of Science in sports and exercise science at the University of East London and we had allowed him to pursue the said course.
Joshua, on the other hand, had decided to pursue a degree in Bachelor of Law at the University of London. Kei and I were overjoyed by Joshua’s decision since we were under the impression that Joshua had wanted to indulge himself in his musical band. However, Joshua had promised his company that he would perform on the company’s behalf whenever he was able to do so. Justin had decided to pursue his interest in art. Hence, Justin had decided to pursue a degree program at the Chelsea College of Arts.
Our sons had graduated with flying colors at the tertiary level of education. Subsequently, Joshua had decided to join me at our family law firm. Jude, on the other hand, had decided to return to Manchester High School to become a sports coach for the basketball team. Justin, on the other hand, had set up his own Art Gallery in Manchester and his collection of paintings produced during his teenage years were exhibited for the first time. The sales of the paintings went smoothly that Justin had succeeded in selling 3 of his paintings auctioned at 20,000 Euro for each painting.
In the year 2020, Kei and I got our sons married to the partners of their choices on the same day. The wedding was organized by Kei’s parents and mine. The wedding was a private function as our sons had wanted their wedding ceremony to be witnessed by their closest family members. On the wedding day, as we all witnessed our sons taking the vows to share their lives with their respective partners, Kei and I renewed our vows to share our lives until we return to the Lord above. Kei asked me at the church hall, “Are you happy now that your childhood dream has come true, darling?” I replied Kei with tears in my eyes and joy in my heart, “Yes, sweetheart. I have. Thank you for standing by my side all these years in turning my dream into a reality.” I rested my head on Kei’s shoulder as we witnessed our sons, who were the three gems in both our lives, exchanging their wedding rings with their partners and kissing their newlywed brides.
~THE END~
It had been eight months since my eldest son was born. Joshua Raiden Watanabe Hendrix was born on the 30th of July 2000 at St. David’s Hospital, in Manchester, England. Joshua’s father, Alexander Kei Watanabe Hendrix, whom I had married on the 21st of January, 1999, was born to a British father by the name of Mr. Julien Clyde Hendrix and a Japanese mother by the name of Yuri Watanabe Hendrix. Kei, as I had always addressed him, was my University sweetheart. We had studied at the University of London together wherein I majored in the Bachelor of Law whereas Kei had majored in the Bachelor of Engineering. Now, I am a practicing lawyer in Manchester, and Kei is an aspiring civil engineer and has his own construction company in Manchester.
My father, Mr. Rohit Sharma, and my mother, Mrs. Samyukhta Sharma are both in Paris, France, currently. My family had relocated to Paris, France, from Andhra Pradesh, India when I was just 13 years old. Subsequently, I had pursued my secondary education at The British School of Paris, and thereafter, I had applied to the University of London to pursue my tertiary education in Law. I had met Kei during the second year of my course and we had been inseparable since then. Our close friendship blossomed into love which had transpired into a beautiful marriage wherein I had conceived my eldest son, Joshua. We had decided to honor Kei’s British and Japanese parentage by combining both the English and Japanese names in naming our eldest son. My parents did not mind that I had not chosen an Indian name for my eldest son on the basis that I had married outside my community. As such, my parents had advised me that I should follow my husband’s culture from the moment I had wedded Kei. I am thankful to my parents for being supportive of my relationship with Kei until today. Likewise, Kei’s parents are unorthodox in their practices as well. As such, marrying Kei was not difficult like most love-inspired relationships.
I have always had the dream of adopting children once I get married as I have the most unusual dream of raising children from different ethnicities as my own. Kei has always been supportive of my dream of adopting. After we got married, Kei and I had begun to look for orphanages in South Korea and China as we had plans to adopt two male babies from South Korea and China respectively a few months after our eldest son was born. The reason why we had chosen to adopt babies from China and South Korea was that Kei himself looked more Japanese than a British and that the difference in ethnicities would not be apparent between the children as they grew up. We had decided to pursue our plan to adopt our second baby six months after Joshua had entered into our lives. Kei and I had decided to visit the orphanage in South Korea to adopt a newborn baby which had recently joined the orphanage that we had kept in contact with. I was packing our luggage when Kei had entered our bedroom with the flight tickets to Seoul, South Korea. Kei said, “Darling, I have just received the flight tickets from my secretary, Pamela Kingston in the mail. Where is my sling bag that I usually take with me when I fly overseas?” “I have left it in one of the drawers in the cupboard, Kei,” I replied to Kei while packing our clothes. “By the way, how long are we going to be in Seoul? I have already contacted a lawyer in Seoul to collaborate with me in terms of finalizing the legal part of the adoption procedure,” I asked Kei. Kei looked at me and replied, “I have arranged the visa for about two weeks.” “That is awesome! We will have time for sight-seeing as well then,” I exclaimed in excitement. Kei laughed at me. Kei realized how much I had wanted to visit South Korea as I had wanted to visit the historical places there.
Once I was done packing our luggage, I quickly showered to get ready for our flight later that evening. Kei, on the other hand, was packing both our passports, flight tickets, and the necessary documents for the adoption into his sling bag. Once I had stepped out of the shower, I called out to Kei, “Kei, I am done with the shower. The bathroom is all yours now!” “Alright, darling,” Kei replied. I entered our bedroom to move our luggage to the living room. Kei, who was still checking the documents to ensure that none of the documents for adoption were left out, looked up at me and said, “You look beautiful, darling.” He further asked, “What is that fragrance that you have sprayed this time?” I smiled and replied, “Why, thank you, Kei. This time I have sprayed green apple fragrance from DKNY.” “Ah, the scent is refreshing indeed. Your taste for perfumes has always been good,” Kei commented. “Thank you, sweetheart,” I replied Kei. “Okay, I am going to shower and I will be ready in 15 minutes,” Kei said while walking to the bathroom. “I will get some sandwiches for us to have before leaving for the airport, okay?” I asked Kei and Kei replied, “Okay, darling.”
I was preparing some sandwiches and some orange juice for Kei and me when Kei entered the kitchen. Kei sat at the dining table and took some sandwiches from the plate. While having the sandwich, Kei said, “Once we have reached the Incheon International Airport in South Korea, an agent will take us to the Nine Tree Hotel Myeongdong in Seoul.” “What is the time to meet the president at the orphanage, honey?” I asked Kei. Kei took out his mobile phone to check his mobile diary. Kei then said, “Well, the appointment is scheduled at 10.00 a.m. Korean time. Thereafter, we will be contacted 3 days before we leave Seoul for the handover of the baby.” I nodded while having the sandwich. “I am excited already, honey,” I said with a smile. Kei reached out for my hand and squeezed my hand lightly while saying, “And I, darling. And I.”
The journey to the Incheon International Airport took about 6 hours and 30 minutes. An agent was already awaiting our arrival at the arrival hall when we stepped out once the customs clearance was completed and we had retrieved our luggage. “Welcome to South Korea. My name is Seo Jung-Hwa, and I am the agent appointed to be your guide for two weeks,” the agent said to us. Kei then replied, “Thank you Mr. Seo Jung-Hwa. My name is Kei and this is my wife, Akshara Sharma. Shall we go to the hotel now, then?” “Yes, we can. This way, please, Mr. Kei,” the agent replied. We reached the Nine Tree Hotel. The hotel was a 5 stars rated hotel with wonderful room service. We enjoyed our stay at the said hotel. Both Kei and I visited the orphanage at about 10.00 a.m. the next day to finalize the adoption process. The Korean lawyer whom I had contacted before our trip was present to assist us in the adoption process. Once the process was completed at the orphanage, the lawyer had taken the legal documents to the court to be filed and the order for the release of our second baby to be granted. One week after the meeting at the orphanage had passed. After the meeting at the orphanage Kei and I had visited many historical spots in Seoul and tasted various Korean delicacies during our first week there. During the second week of our trip, we were busy with the adoption documents that needed finalization. The President handed our second son 3 days before we were scheduled to leave Seoul. We thanked the lawyer and the President of the orphanage for their assistance in realizing our dreams of adopting a Korean baby.
We were welcomed by Kei’s parents and our newborn at the Manchester Airport on the day we had arrived back home with our second son. Kei’s mother, Yuri, who was excited to welcome our second son, took the baby from my hands to have a good look at him. “He looks angelic, Akshara. You have done good, Akshara,” Yuri said, with a glint of tears in her eyes. I moved closer to Yuri and hugged her. “Thank you for allowing my second dream to materialize, mother. There is another angel who is awaiting us in China,” I said to Yuri. I released Yuri from my hug and Yuri looked at me approvingly while saying, “I am looking forward to welcoming our third son as well. When is the trip to China scheduled, my dear?” I replied to Yuri, “It is scheduled in 2 days, mother.” Yuri then nodded while smiling approvingly. Kei’s father, Julien, who had been watching us the whole time, interrupted us by saying, “Yuri, honey, let’s go home now. Our two handsome knights might be feeling hungry now.” All of us agreed and left for Kei’s residence together.
We boarded the flight to Shanghai, China, two days after we had arrived at Manchester to welcome our third son. The lawyer whom I had been liaising with before we had arrived at Shanghai Orphanage was present to assist us with the finalization of the adoption process. We left Shanghai for Manchester after spending one week in the Metropolitan City with our third son. As usual, we were welcomed by Kei’s parents at the airport. We had shared the moments of joy while welcoming the arrival of our third son into our lives at the airport before leaving for Kei’s residence.
At our home, we had prepared a room, the interior of which was designed by Kei and me. The room was painted in a light shade of blue and decorated with toys with three beautiful cradles for our three sons. We had prepared the names for our second and third sons previously. We had organized a party for the naming of our two sons, during which we had revealed the names that both Kei and I had carefully chosen and agreed upon. Our second son was named Jude Kim Yong-sun Hendrix whereas our youngest son was named Justin Li Ming Xing Hendrix. Kei and I had decided to maintain the ethnicities of Jude and Justin in their names so that both of them would not forget the culture and tradition that they belonged to in the future. In other words, Kei and I had not only adopted the babies from South Korea and China but also the traditions and cultures from the two distinctive nations. Hence, in the future, in the event Jude and Justin wished to return to their native countries, they would be accepted by the residents as one of their own. Kei and I had wanted to leave the benefit of the doubt to our two sons as to whether they would return to their own motherlands, hence the names that we had thought about together.
A week after the naming function, my parents returned to Manchester to visit our three children. Mother’s eyes had tears in her eyes when she saw the three babies in their respective cradles and turned to me to say, “You have finally realized your childhood dream, honey. I am so proud of you as a mother.” “Oh, mum. Thank you for telling that,” I said to Mother while hugging her. “Aren’t they beautiful, mum?” I asked Mother for which Mother replied, “Yes, definitely. They are the three gems that you have brought into your life, and I am sure that you will make a good mother for these boys.” “Thank you, mum. This would not have been possible without you and Dad’s receptive nature. Both Dad and you have always been supportive of my dream. Thank you so much for always being there for me,” I said to Mother. At that moment, Dad entered the babies’ room with Kei to have a look at our sons. Dad exclaimed, “Wow! We have three handsome knights in our family. Oh no. Let me rephrase that. We have three handsome Samurai in our family now!”All of us laughed lightly, without waking our three sons who were in deep sleep.
We left the babies’ room and walked to the kitchen to have our lunch. Mother joined me in the kitchen to help me transport the dishes to the dining table while Kei and Father sat at the dining table and started chatting about their work. While I was removing the plates from the kitchen cupboard, Mother asked me, “So, are Kei’s parents happy about the adoption, honey?”I turned to look at Mother and replied, “Yes, mum. They are overjoyed, simply put. I suppose they are happy that we have more sons in the family since Kei is their only child and the only son in their family. So, when Kei and I had informed them about our decision to adopt the two boys, they were pleased.” “Well, that is really good to hear. I am glad about the unorthodox approach that Kei’s parents have towards having a family or else, I don’t think they would have allowed your marriage with Kei. They are truly a wonderful couple, judging from how good-natured they are and how well-mannered Kei is,” Mother said. “Yes, mum. I am truly blessed to have Kei as my husband. He helps me around the house despite being busy with his work and all. Besides, when I discussed the adoption, Kei was pleased as well. He was as excited as I was during the whole journey to South Korea and China although he did not show it,” I said to Mother.
Mother and I placed the dishes on the table and then all of us sat to have our lunch together. Father tasted the food and said, “Your culinary skill has greatly improved my dear.” “Thanks, dad. I have been learning from Kei’s mum. Kei’s mum is truly amazing in cooking Asian food, you know,” I said. Kei then said with a smile, “Darling, bring out the dessert that you have prepared for Mum and Dad once we are done here. I am sure Mum and Dad would love your latest recipe.” “Oh yes. I have almost forgotten about it. Thanks for reminding me, sweetheart,” I said to Kei. Mother and Father looked at each other and then turned to look at me questioningly. “Oh, since both of you love chocolate, I have prepared a chocolate pudding with Cadbury chocolate bars,” I said while smiling sheepishly. Dad laughed out loud and then said, “This is great news to me. Your mum has restricted my intake of sweetened food these days that my body is craving for something sweet all the time.” “Well, there is no such restriction in this house, Dad. So, you can have as much as you want and mum will not say anything this time,” I replied while eyeing Mother who shook her head slightly while rolling her eyes for which I couldn’t help but smile. It had always been wonderful to watch Mother and Father doting on each other.
After lunch, Kei helped me wash the dishes as I had to check on our three sons. Mother followed me to the room to help me in case the babies had wet the pampers. Just as both of us suspected, our three babies had wet the pampers. Mother and I lifted the babies out of the cradles and placed them carefully on the changing table that Kei and I had placed against the wall to utilize whenever the babies needed a diaper change and to dress the babies after a bath. The babies’ bodies were sticky. Mother said, “We need to bathe them, honey. Come with me to the bathroom and I will show you how to bathe them.”
Mother started to bathe Joshua followed by Jude and Justin. When all of them were clean, Mother then dressed the babies. I helped Mother by providing the mild scented lotion and powder customized for babies before the babies were dressed. Joshua was smiling while Mother applied lotion on his body. He made some gurgling noise like he was speaking to Mother and Mother replied to Joshua as though she understood his language. It was a heart-warming scene. He seemed to love Mother’s touch on his delicate body. I followed the way Mother had dressed Joshua and began dressing Jude and Justin. Mother observed me with a smile on her face and nodded approvingly. “That’s it, honey. That is all to it,” Mother said to me. We then lifted the babies one by one and placed them in the cradle. Mother held Jude in her hands and sat on the rocking chair while I began breastfeeding Joshua. Once Joshua was done, I began breastfeeding Justin. I felt sentimental as I observed Justin. Never had I imagined that I would have the chance to breastfeed a child that did not originate from my womb. Tears dropped from my eyes as I watched Justin. I was truly blessed to have Justin in my life. Once I was done breastfeeding Justin, I rested for a moment before I took Jude from my Mother’s hands and sat on the chair to breastfeed him. I smiled as Jude obediently fed from me. Another gem that I would not exchange for anything in this world. “Now that my blood is within you, both of you are officially my own children,” I thought to myself, feeling sentimental in my heart. Once Joshua, Jude, and Justin were breastfed, Mother and I placed them back into their respective cradles and lightly tapped their fragile bodies to put them to sleep. Once the boys were asleep, we left the room to join the men in the living room.
Kei and Father were enjoying the chocolate pudding that I had prepared earlier while watching a football game on the television. When Mother and I entered the living room, Father looked up and asked us, “Are our Samurai all asleep now?”Kei also looked up at Mother and me awaiting our replies with a smile. “Yes, we have bathed them, fed them and now they are back to sleep,” Mother said. Kei then said to Mother, “We are glad that you are here to guide us, Mum.”I walked over to Kei and sat next to him on the sofa and held his hand. “Yes, mum. I agree. Thanks for showing me the way to handle the boys just now,” I said to Mother. Mother sat next to Father and said while smiling, “Oh, it is nothing. Joshua, Jude, and Justin are still babies and need careful grooming. Once they turn two or three years old, it wouldn’t be as bad.”Both Kei and I nodded while smiling.
After dinner, Father and Mother went to their room to rest for the night as they were exhausted from the traveling. For the rest of the week, Father and Kei busied themselves into taking turns to look after the babies. Father was just as careful as Mother in tendering to the babies’ needs for the shower and grooming. When it was time to feed the babies, Mother, and I took turns in looking after the babies. Kei and Father had resumed tendering to the boys once the boys were fed. After a week of spending time with us and the boys, Mother, and Father left for Paris.
Kei and I had finally begun our adventure of looking after our babies. We had juggled between our work and home life perfectly well as I had begun to work from home while tendering to our sons while Kei had taken over the cooking and home-cleaning chores until Joshua, Jude, and Justin had turned four years old. Kei’s parents helped to babysit our children once the boys had grown older. Although Kei and I were exhausted after tendering to the boys’ needs, we were happy because we had a wonderful family with beautiful children to raise.
It was time for the boys to begin schooling. Joshua, Jude, and Justin were sent to a pre-school institution. Kei and I were happy to watch the boys’ progress in education since all three boys excelled in their studies even though it was early education. As the children grew older, Kei and I had decided that the boys should learn martial arts. We had found three different institutions which provided Taekwondo, Karate, and Kung Fu lessons. Kei and I had decided to send Joshua for Karate lessons, Jude for Taekwondo lessons, and Justin for Kung Fu lessons. The boys enjoyed the lessons and they practiced the martial arts moves among themselves in our home during the weekend with Kei watching over them. Kei and I had decided to expose the boys to nature and so we took the boys to the woods for camping with some of Kei’s friends during the school breaks. Kei and I had planned to expose our sons to as many activities as possible to enable the boys to discover where their passions lied.
As the boys grew older, I had noticed that Joshua’s interest had turned towards music whereas Jude loved sports and as for Justin, his interest was in Arts, just like me. Kei and I were supportive of the boys’ interests and had allowed the boys to join the competitions organized by the school and other organizations. When the boys stepped into their teenagehood, Kei and I had kept a close watch over the boys’ activities as teenagehood was the period where the boys would experience changes physically and emotionally. As such, we had regular chats and family activities with the boys for which the boys were responsive and co-operative. Justin had always kept at my side, whereas Joshua spent his time at the soundproof studio in our residence which was presented to Joshua as his 15th birthday by us upon discovering his interest in music. Joshua was utterly excited and had his friends come over to our home to practice. Joshua later formed a musical band, wrote song lyrics, and created wonderful music as well as performing in his school functions. His talent was later discovered by a company and was assigned to a company for a contractual performance as and when he was able to perform outside the school without affecting his studies.
Jude, who had also turned 15 years old, had joined the school’s basketball team since he had quite an interest in basketball. Kei would take Jude to live basketball games whenever possible. Jude had also excelled in his studies as his school teachers would compliment him for his excellent results in examinations. Kei had our garden outside the porch of our residence converted to enable Jude to practice basketball at home as well. Jude loved the space and utilized his favorite space as and when he could do so. Kei and Jude spent a lot of time together playing basketball during weekends with Joshua and Justin as the referees and me as the provider of refreshments after their games.
Justin, on the other hand, was presented with an art studio at home equipped with all the necessary items for drawing and sculpturing. Justin, who was also born on the same day as his brothers, loved the art studio that he would invite his friends who were also into Art to work on their assignments and projects in his Art Studio. Kei and I had enjoyed watching Joshua, Jude, and Justin growing up.
One morning, as I was preparing breakfast for the whole family, Joshua entered the kitchen. “Good Morning, mum,” he greeted me. I turned to Joshua and asked, “Good morning, honey. Did you sleep well after practicing last night?” “Yes, I did, mum. About that, mum, the company agent, Mr. Stuart Townsend called me just now. He asked me if I will be able to perform in London next Saturday. I told him that I would check with you first. What do you think, mum?” Joshua asked me while eating the cherry tomatoes that I had on the plate to cook pizza. I thought about Joshua’s request for a moment before replying to Joshua, “I think that it would be a great idea if you can perform in London since you can add another achievement to your list of accomplishments. But we need to ask Dad’s opinion on this as well, honey.” Joshua’s face lit in excitement.“Wow, thanks, Mum,” he exclaimed in excitement. “I will ask Dad later during breakfast, then,” he further added before helping me set the table for breakfast. I have taught the boys how to set the tables and to have some culinary skills as the basic requirement for an independent future.
All of us had gathered at the dining table for breakfast. As we had our breakfast, Joshua turned to Kei and asked, “Dad, the company agent Mr. Stuart Townsend called me just now to enquire if I would be interested to perform in London next Saturday. What do you think about it, Dad?” Kei looked at me and I nodded and smiled. Kei had always looked upon me for guidance before tendering to our children’s needs as Kei had never intended to act differently from me. We had always discussed when it came to making decisions for our children. As such, there had not been any situation whereby Kei had strayed from my intentions in dealing with the children. Kei replied, “Hmm... I think that it is a great opportunity to add to your accomplishments. So, go ahead and say yes to Mr. Stuart.” Joshua was overjoyed at Kei’s positive response. “Thanks, dad! Thanks, mum! You are the best!” Joshua exclaimed in joy. Jude and Justin shared their brother’s joy and joined in the conversation. Jude asked Joshua, “So, the transportation and accommodation will be provided by the company, I assume, Josh?” “Yes, Jude. Mr. Stuart asked me if either mum or dad would be accompanying me since the performance will be outside the region of Manchester,” Joshua said. Kei then suggested, “I don’t mind joining you, son. If it is next Saturday, then we can all take a break and join in the fun.”
I looked at Jude and Justin. “So, honey, shall we go with Dad and Joshua to London, or do you have any plans for next Saturday?” I asked Jude and Justin. Jude answered, “I am free for the weekend since there isn’t any game or other school activity scheduled for next week.” Justin then said, “Me too, mum. I am free as well. The Arts Association won’t be organizing any activity for next weekend.” I turned to Kei and said, “Well, then, honey. I guess we are all free for a trip to London next week.” Kei looked at me and smiled. “Very well then. We shall all go together. You can inform Mr. Stuart that all of us will be there with you, son,” Kei said to Joshua. I noticed the happiness in Joshua at our responses. Joshua took the mobile phone from his pocket and dialed the agent’s number. He informed the agent about our plan to London. Once the conversation on the mobile phone ended, Joshua said to us, “It is confirmed then, guys. The company will be providing transportation to and from London and the accommodation as well.”
Saturday arrived and all of us made a trip to London. Joshua’s performance was simply ravishing, as he had always been. After the concert, all of us were sent back to our residence safely by the company. Joshua, Jude, and Justin were chatting excitedly about the concert among themselves during the whole journey to Manchester that Kei and I thought that they were unstoppable when it came to talking for hours.
Kei and I had planned to reveal about the adoption on the boys’ 17th birthday since Joshua, Jude, and Justin were born on the same day, that is the 30th of July, 2000. On the morning of the 30th of July 2017, I called out for Joshua, Jude, and Justin who were in their rooms to join Kei and me in the living room. Our three sons joined us in the living room obediently. I nodded at Kei to begin. Kei then said, “Guys, your mum, and I have planned to reveal this matter to you on your 17th birthday with the consent of the elders. So here we go. Jude and Justin, both of you were adopted from South Korea and China.” Jude and Justin sat on the sofa silently while looking down on the Persian carpet. Then, Jude broke the silence that had crept into the living room by saying, “We know, dad.” Kei and I nodded while holding our hands. It was a tough moment as we had never intended to hurt the boy’s feelings in any way. Justin added, “Yes, dad. We know. Well, firstly, we don’t look like you or mum but Joshua does. Secondly, our middle names differ as well. Thirdly, we don’t have Great-grandpa Watanabe’s surname in our names. Fourthly, my surname is Kim while Justin’s is Li.” Then Jude said, “Yes, dad. We knew since we were in Junior High. However, both of us have unique names based on our research on Google and we are proud to carry such unique names. Pretty neat job there, Dad.” At that instant, Kei could not help smiling despite the seriousness of the situation that we were all placed in. Kei said, “It was your mother who chose those names, guys. I had only played along with your mum’s choices back then. Like I have always done and will do.”
Joshua, Jude, and Justin laughed at Kei that I blushed immediately and playfully pushed Kei away from me. Kei pulled me closer to him in a big hug and said to the boys, “Well, what can I do? I am still madly in love with your lovely mother. I have been bewitched by her.” “Kei, our sons are watching us. Do you mind behaving yourself, please?” I said to Kei, pretending to be angry. Kei had only laughed at my expression. Jude then interrupted by asking, “I have a doubt though, mum. Why did you choose to adopt us from South Korea and China instead of India or Japan?” I smiled and replied while looking at both Justin and Jude, “Well, it has always been my dream to raise children from a different ethnicity. Fortunately, despite your dad having mixed parentage your dad’s appearance made it convenient to decide the ethnicity of my adopted children. Since your dad’s appearance is similar to a South Korean and Chinese, I figured that both of you would not be confused as you grow to recognize your parents.” Jude and Justin nodded incomprehension that I had chosen them because of Kei’s Asian looks.
I further added, “Well, now that the doubts are cleared, let us get back to the subject. The reason why we have named you as such is because we would like to maintain your ethnicities in the event you choose to return to South Korea and China. You would not look different from the residents there and you would be able to mingle with them easily. I have claimed both of you as my own on the first day I had breastfed you. However, I don’t want to forbid you from ever learning about your native lands and cultures as it would be unfair to both of you. I give you complete freedom to do as you wish in this regard and your father and I will accept your decisions.” Upon revealing my true feelings, I was holding my breath as I was nervous while waiting for Jude and Justin’s decisions.
Jude and Justin had tears in their eyes. Both of them stood up to walk up to us and kneeled in front of us. Jude said, “Mum and Dad, there is no other place we would rather be than this house and there is no one who can replace both of you as our parents.” Justin further added, “Yes, mum, dad, we love you so much, and we want to be your children always unless you don’t want us anymore.” Kei and I had tears in our eyes when we heard the heart-warming decision from Jude and Justin that we quickly stood up to lift Jude and Justin and hugged the boys tightly. “Thank you, God, for giving them to me completely. These boys will be mine until I return to you,” I thought in my mind. Once the emotional situation had subsided, I started to bake a cake for the boys in conjunction with their 17th birthday. Kei and I celebrated our sons’ 17th birthday privately at our residence. I would say that the memories of our sons’ birthday that year were the most memorable ones during the boys’ teenage years.
The boys graduated from High School a year later. Jude had received a scholarship through his High School basketball team and so Kei and I had decided to allow Jude to pursue the course of his choice at the university of his choice as well. Jude had informed us that he would like to pursue a degree in Bachelor of Science in sports and exercise science at the University of East London and we had allowed him to pursue the said course.
Joshua, on the other hand, had decided to pursue a degree in Bachelor of Law at the University of London. Kei and I were overjoyed by Joshua’s decision since we were under the impression that Joshua had wanted to indulge himself in his musical band. However, Joshua had promised his company that he would perform on the company’s behalf whenever he was able to do so. Justin had decided to pursue his interest in art. Hence, Justin had decided to pursue a degree program at the Chelsea College of Arts.
Our sons had graduated with flying colors at the tertiary level of education. Subsequently, Joshua had decided to join me at our family law firm. Jude, on the other hand, had decided to return to Manchester High School to become a sports coach for the basketball team. Justin, on the other hand, had set up his own Art Gallery in Manchester and his collection of paintings produced during his teenage years were exhibited for the first time. The sales of the paintings went smoothly that Justin had succeeded in selling 3 of his paintings auctioned at 20,000 Euro for each painting.
In the year 2020, Kei and I got our sons married to the partners of their choices on the same day. The wedding was organized by Kei’s parents and mine. The wedding was a private function as our sons had wanted their wedding ceremony to be witnessed by their closest family members. On the wedding day, as we all witnessed our sons taking the vows to share their lives with their respective partners, Kei and I renewed our vows to share our lives until we return to the Lord above. Kei asked me at the church hall, “Are you happy now that your childhood dream has come true, darling?” I replied Kei with tears in my eyes and joy in my heart, “Yes, sweetheart. I have. Thank you for standing by my side all these years in turning my dream into a reality.” I rested my head on Kei’s shoulder as we witnessed our sons, who were the three gems in both our lives, exchanging their wedding rings with their partners and kissing their newlywed brides.
~THE END~
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