The Adventures of Caleb Best

It had been a long day, the final acceptance conference for the boilers, boiling house and power plant at Lihue Plantation Sugar Mill had been long and contentious. The owners spent hours finding fault and challenging articles of the contract, only to finally accede that the contract had been fulfilled.

It had been a two year long effort to completely refurbish an old sugar mill that dated back to the Kingdom of Hawaii days, prior to 1900! Caleb Best, PE, had been the Engineering Superintendent on the job from the beginning of the project. He had enjoyed the Island of Kauai, the temperate climate and friendly people had made his stay more enjoyable. The businessmen from Honolulu, however, were another story. It had been a $20,000,000 project and they had spent weeks looking for a single dollar overcharge!

He was looking forward to taking some "Beach Time" before looking for another project. His company, Best Engineering, had ten permanent employees and he had told them all to take two weeks paid vacation and spend some time enjoying the warm Hawaiian Beaches. His number two man, David Parks, was going to join him at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel on Waikiki in two days. He wearily climbed the steps to his rented condo in Lihue, thankful of the Completion Letter in his briefcase and the draft covering the final payment of his fees.

As he entered the condo, Li, his house boy told him there was an important telephone call waiting for him in the study. Despite his weariness, Caleb hurried to take the call. Antin Dap, Deputy Minister of Agriculture in Jakarta, Indonesia was on the line.

As he hastily scribbled on his notepad, his eyes began to light up, "Was he interested in managing a complete sugar mill reconstruction in Indonesia?" He was being offered an engineering fee of $2,000,000 and a management fee of $2,800,000 in addition to expenses and payroll! He told the Deputy Minister to fax him the contract and he would examine it before accepting.

When the connection had been broken, he called David Parks and told him about the possibility of going to Indonesia. David was ready to go immediately, he had no ties, his wife had left him, taking their young daughter with her in a bitter divorce that left him broke and unhappy. Caleb told him to go on ahead to Honolulu and have a good time on Waikiki with their crew, he would join them as soon as he received a copy of the contract.

That done, he went in search of his house boy, Li. He asked Li if he would like to go to Indonesia. Li told him no, that Indonesians particularly disliked those of Chinese ancestry, so he would stay in Hawaii and marry his longtime girlfriend, Jin. Caleb laughed and wished the young man many happy years and plenty babies!

Later that evening, the fax machine began to run, receiving a multi-page contract from Indonesia. Caleb called his brother-in-law in California and asked him to look the contract over. Neil Jamison, his deceased wife's brother, had been his attorney for many years and he wanted his OK before he would even consider signing the contract.

Caleb faxed the contract to Neil and then took a leisurely shower before strolling downtown to the Roundhouse, his favorite eating and a drink or two spot in Lihue. A few of the Sugar Mill management were in the Roundhouse, they profusely apologized for the rudeness of the people from Honolulu and then proceeded to buy him a drink in celebration of the job completion.

It was after midnight when he finally got back to his condo, Li had left the light on for him and had gone to bed. As he walked past the study, he saw the red light flashing on the fax machine, but he decided that he needed a clear head and some sleep before he read whatever had come in. He collapsed into his bed and the oblivion of sleep claimed him almost immediately.

He was awakened the next morning by Li saying that there was a telephone call for him from his son, David. Caleb jumped up, forgetting he had slept naked, and ran for the telephone. David was in Honolulu - his ship was undergoing repairs at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard!

Caleb screamed, "Davy, meet me at The Royal Hawaiian this afternoon, get a couple of day's leave and we will have a ball!" Caleb suddenly looked down and saw he was naked, he could hear Li in the kitchen giggling! He raced back to his room and pulled some clothes on before heading to the kitchen.

Li was still giggling, "Nice view, Mister Caleb!"

Caleb's face turned beet red and he covered his embarrassment by coughing and saying, "Got any coffee?"

After breakfast, Caleb proceeded to pack his bags for his Honolulu trip. He suddenly remembered the flashing fax machine, so he went back to the study and pulled out the transmitted sheets. Neil had transmitted back the copy of the Indonesian Contract, along with his notes telling Caleb that it looked good to him and to go ahead and accept it if that was what he wanted. Caleb decided he would hold off until he could talk with his crew before signing the document and returning it.

Caleb caught the Aloha Airlines commuter to Honolulu and grabbed a taxi to the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. As he walked into the lobby, he heard, "Dad, Dad, over here!" He looked into the bar and spotted his son, Danny, and most of his crew all having a beer.

David Parks was regaling the crew on how neatly the "Boss" tumbled all the negative comments the "big-wigs" from Honolulu had on the job! David put a beer in Caleb's hand and squeezed his shoulder, letting him know how glad they all were to see him.

Caleb went to his son and looked the young man in uniform up and down, "Danny, I'm gonna have to put a brick on your head, I can't let you be taller than the old man!"

Danny hugged his father and said, "Dad, I have been taller than you ever since high school!"

Caleb replied with a, "HARRRUMP," and changed the subject, "Guys, we got a job offer in Indonesia, big time sugar mill on the north side of the island. It was built by the Germans prior to WWI and has been abandoned for 50 years!"

Gil Dorman, the Forman Mechanic, groaned, "It all must be piles of rust by now!"

Caleb laughed, "Who cares? The government is buying all new machinery and paying labor costs, all we gotta do is manage the installation!"

Paul Mecklin, Chief Electrician said, "Yeah, I've heard THAT before!"

Caleb said, "Well, let's talk about it over supper tonight, ok?"

After they finished their beers Caleb and Danny went to check in the hotel and all the others headed for the beach.

When they got up to their room, Danny looked at his Dad and asked, "Dad, are you happy in this life, working all over the world?"

Caleb sat in a chair and pointed to the one opposite him for Danny to sit down, "Son, yes I enjoy what I am doing, sure, I wish your Mom was still with me, but that wasn't my decision to make. All I can do is play the cards dealt me." He continued, "How about you, son, do you like Navy life?"

Danny replied, "Yeah, Dad, I do. It has its bad parts, but I really enjoy what I am doing. I'm the Engineering Officer now and that old tin can is a real job to keep ON TOP OF THE WATER! Heck, the darned thing is older than I am!" The two men laughed in easy comradeship, they had always had a close and loving relationship. Danny asked, "Is this Indonesian job gonna be good for you?"

Caleb thought for a while and responded, "Well, your Uncle Neil has given it his approval and I am pretty sure all my crew will follow me ..."

Danny interrupted with a laugh, "Dad, that same crew have been following you for years, do you really think they would leave you now?"

The two continued their easy talk, Caleb finally broached a subject that was sure to be hurtful to his son, "Son, are you really finished with Mary Alice?"

Danny let a few tears roll down his face as he replied, "Yeah, Dad, she went off with that crud and never looked back. I'm well and truly lucky that I hadn't married her before she ran off!"

Caleb leaned over and hugged his son, "Danny, there IS someone out there for you, just keep looking."

The group continued their holiday, soaking up easy time on the warm sands, doing a little fishing, a little girl watching and a whole lot of relaxing after the hours they had put into getting the Lihue Sugar Mill ready to run. They were all agreed that they would go to Jakarta as Danny had to go back to his ship. All those men were like second fathers to Danny, they had watched him grow from a tadpole to a Navy Officer and were as proud of him as if he were their own! There were more than a few tears shed as the young Navy Officer got into a cab to take him back to the Naval Base.

Caleb and his crew closed out their living arrangements in Lihue and headed for Honolulu, where they were to catch a flight to Jakarta, it was a 20-hour flight, with a stop in Hong Kong. None were looking forward to the flight, but it was part of their way of life. Caleb put them all in Business Class, so the amenities were better and more comfortable. Still, the flight seemed interminable, by the time they arrived in Hong Kong, Caleb was ready to scream his frustration! He had his crew deplane and walk around the Hong Kong Terminal as he treated them to an excellent lunch before they had to get back on the plane. After, what had seemed like an eternity, the plane finally began to descend into Jakarta International Airport.

As they were deplaning, there was a little man in a business suit, holding up a sign that said, "Best Engineering". Caleb went to the man and introduced himself. The little man was the Deputy Minister, Antin Dap. He finally got all his crew and their luggage collected and the Deputy Minister guided them to several large cars and a truck for the luggage. They were swiftly taken to the Jakarta Omni Hotel and told there would be a meeting the next day. Everyone was dead on their feet and they all made straight for their beds, despite it being mid-afternoon, local time.

Caleb awoke early the next morning and decided to take a stroll around the park, to work the kinks out of his legs. As he passed a group of ornamental trees, he thought he heard someone crying. Curiosity made him investigate the sound and, coming through the trees he came upon a young man, who obviously had been beaten. His clothes were torn, his shoes were missing and he was bleeding on the side of his face. Caleb rushed to the young man and picked him up from the ground. He looked to be in his late teens and weighed little more than 100 pounds, he was hardly more than skin and bones.

Caleb started to carry the young man to his hotel, the doorman tried to stop Caleb, who knocked the doorman aside. He carried the boy to the elevator and rode up to the 10th floor, where his room was located. Caleb started to clean the young man up when there was a violent knock on his door. Caleb set the teen down and went to the door, a hotel official and a policeman was there, the hotel official said, "You were seen carrying a vagrant boy in here ..."

By now, Caleb was angry, "He is not a vagrant boy, he is my HOUSE BOY and someone attacked him!"

The officious little hotel representative stepped back, "Oh, Oh, so sorry sir, can we be of any help?"

Caleb said no and slammed the door in their faces! When Caleb returned to the teen, the young man was sitting up and crying, "Thank you sir, I will be going now and won't trouble you further."

Caleb led the young man into the main room and told him to sit down, "Son, who are you and what happened?"

The boy replied, "Sir, I am Singh Tal, I am a Sikh and Sikhs are hated here."

Caleb asked him, "Well, Singh Tal, where do you work and live?"

The teen looked down at his feet and replied, "Sir, I live with my widowed mother, she is ill and cannot work, so I am looking for work."

Caleb knew that he would have a home and office for the duration of the contract, which was 5 years. He thought for a few moments and then said, "Singh Tal, could you work as a house boy and major domo for me?"

The young man looked at Caleb, hope gleaming in his eyes, "Oh, sir, could I, would you hire me?"

Caleb chuckled, "Yes, Singh Tal, I think you will make a very good majordomo for my house! You speak excellent English and it is obvious that you are clean and neat, despite your rather rough appearance right now!"

The young man began to cry, "Sir, my mother has not eaten in two days, nor have I."

Caleb jumped up and went to the telephone, ordering a full breakfast for two to be delivered immediately! He then told the teen to go in the bathroom and get as clean as he could. After eating, they would go to see about new clothes and food for his mother.

The teen wolfed down his meal and most of Caleb's. Caleb was crying inside. The teen's condition was frightful, his ribs showed plainly through his thin shirt and his face had a gaunt, haunted look! As soon as they had finished eating, Caleb and Singh Tal headed down the elevator. Caleb glared at the doorman, daring him to say a word, any word!

He took Singh Tal to Andrew's, an upscale men's shop. Singh Tal refused to go in the store until Caleb reminded him that he was representing him and his company, he needed to dress accordingly. He dressed the teen in clothing seen in upscale homes, including a new turban that all Sikhs must wear. The teen's old one was shabby, torn and several sizes too small for him.

The boy stood in front of the mirror, tears coursing down his face, he said, "Please Mr. Caleb, no more, this is sufficient."

Caleb turned to the salesman and told him to include both underwear and outerwear for seven days, socks and shoes to match. He then said to Singh Tal, "You represent Best Engineering every time you open my door, I will NOT allow someone to think you are not anything less than perfect!"

The boy's eyes glistened through his tears, he vowed to himself that he would be the best house boy and majordomo in all Indonesia for Sahib Caleb Best!

They then took a jitterbug into the slums. Caleb had the boy's new clothes delivered to his hotel room, so they stopped at a native market. The vendors were happy to accept American Dollars! He had Singh Tal select the foods for his mother and then told the boy to add more because that wasn't enough to keep a roach alive!

When they arrived at Singh Tal's home, Caleb was horrified at the tumbledown shack and swore he would correct that as soon as possible. They carried the foodstuffs into the hovel, Singh Tal's mother was hobbling around on a crutch, she came to the door and saw her son, laden with food. She assumed he had sold himself and she began to berate him in their language. Singh Tal held up his hands and asked her to speak English so his new employer, Sahib Caleb Best could understand. She looked stunned and then said in broken English, "Employ you my son?"

Caleb put the bundles he was carrying on her table and said, "Yes, Singh Tal is my houseboy AND my Major Domo!"

The old lady launched herself at Caleb, hugging him and saying, "Blessed you, blessed you."

Singh Tal told her what had happened and that the Sahib protected him from the policeman, bought him breakfast and then bought him new clothes and food for her! By the time the two departed, Caleb was sure the old lady considered him some sort of deity!

Caleb introduced Singh Tal to his crew, and they all promised they would look out for the boy. Caleb learned that Singh Tal was 17 years old. That night he sat down with him to learn all he could about Singh Tal and his culture. All male Sikhs were called Singh, Tal was his name. They did not use family names, but he told Caleb to call him Tal as the Singh was an honorific. He could read and write Dutch, the official language of Indonesia, English and Sikh. He could also speak the local Chinese dialect as well as Malay. He could also cook and knew how to set a formal table for special meals.

Caleb told him he would pay him 200 American dollars a month plus his room and board as well as clothing needed to do his job! Tal had to sit down, that was a fortune, he would have expected 50 American dollars and have to buy his own clothing! He also told him that as soon as the job started, he was to move his mother into their house. She was not to continue living in that old shack a minute longer than need be!

The stunned boy leaped into Caleb's lap, hugging him and calling him, Dati, Dati. It was many months later that Caleb learned that those words meant Papa!

The contract was duly signed and accepted, work was to begin immediately. Tal went with his Sahib when they all went out to inspect the job site and the bungalows the government had built there for them to live. Caleb's had four bedrooms, a study, parlor, dining room and kitchen. On the back of the house was quarters for servants.

Caleb took one look and said to Tal, "You will sleep in the main house!"

Tal started to protest, "Sahib, it is not proper..."

Caleb interrupted the boy, "Proper or not, you will NOT live out here, away from me and unable to respond should I call for you! We will fix up these rooms as a nice place for your Mother to live and any other servants can live next door!" He glared at the boy, daring him to argue further.

Tal meekly said, "Yes, Sahib."

Caleb was issued a Land Rover for his personal use and each two men on his crew were issued Land Rovers. The first thing they set up was a Caterpillar Automatic Generator for power to the bungalows and shops. Tal set about making Caleb's bungalow a home, Caleb's clothing was unpacked and cleaned before it was hung in vermin proof closets, beds were made up and furniture rearranged so that Caleb would have a private place to do his work.

The first afternoon, Tal went to Caleb, "Sahib, I need some money to buy food for the house."

Caleb replied, "Tal, I will go with you and take the Land Rover so you do not have to carry the food back home."

As they drove to the small native village, Caleb asked Tal if he knew how to drive, the boy replied, "Oh no Sahib, that would not be proper!"

Caleb thought to himself, "Proper be damned, this boy IS going to learn to drive!" As they were walking through the open air market, Tal selected things he thought his Sahib would like to eat.

As they reached one end of the market, a dirty, greasy sleazy individual of undeterminable ancestry stepped out of a tent, with a leer on his greasy face and sidled up to Caleb, "Sahib want buy boy, nice boy, nice for sexy things boy? Only 10 dollah!" The filthy man had a small, Chinese looking boy with a rope around his neck.

Caleb was aghast, he doubled up his fist and decked the man! He threw a ten-dollar bill on the ground next to the man and scooped up the little child, who was sobbing in fear. He turned to Tal, "Can you speak to this child?"

Tal tried the Chinese he knew and the child did not respond, so he next tried Malay and the boy looked up. Soon Tal was speaking rapidly to the young boy and his crying slowed, then ceased. Tal pointed to Caleb and spoke some more. The little boy looked at Caleb with a little hope in his eyes as Caleb took the rope from his neck.

The greasy merchant tried to get up and Caleb kicked him in the ribs, the man fell back prone, moaning and crying until he spotted the ten dollar bill next to his head. He then went silent! The little boy grabbed Caleb's hand in a death grip, as they walked past the prone merchant. Tal bought a few more items and then Caleb felt that they should leave before any trouble started. As they got in the Land Rover, the child looked in wonder, touching everything inside the car. When Caleb started the vehicle, the little child screamed and latched onto Tal for dear life.

Tal learned that the little boy's name was Hue and that he was 10 years old. Tal took Hue and bathed him and wrapped him in some makeshift clothing until some could be purchased. Hue wandered through the house, looking at everything, nearly driving Tal to distraction answering the little boy's questions.

The first night, when Tal switched on the electric lights, Hue screamed in fright and hid behind Caleb's leg. Tal was worried about how thin the little boy was, he never considered that Caleb was concerned about him! The two boys were eating machines, but before long, both were glowing with health.

Caleb had to go into Jakarta on business, so he took Tal and Hue, telling Tal to purchase clothing for Hue and gave him $200. When he picked up the boys later that afternoon, he hardly recognized Hue. His hair was cut and he had little boy shorts on with a white shirt and shoes and socks! Hue danced and twirled to show Sahib his new clothes, he was so proud, he even showed them to Caleb's crew when they got back to the job site!

The next time they went to the market, Caleb went to see the village headman and, using Tal as an interpreter, made it understood that if he found anymore children being sold in the market, he would tear the place down himself!

As they drove back to the work camp, Tal was thinking to himself, "Is Sahib a man or is he one of the Gods, come to check on his people?" He looked at Caleb, his eyes worshiping this Sahib who had come into their lives.

As soon as work began on the sugar mill, Caleb drove one of the flatbed trucks back to Jakarta with Tal and Hue. They were to collect Tal's Mother and all her belongings and bring her back to the worksite, where he and Tal had fixed up one of the bungalows for her to live near them. The old lady was frail and had to be carried to the truck, it was obvious she had not been eating right, nor enough. Her belongings hardly warranted the truck, they were few and pitiful.

She soon had Hue cuddled in her lap and the child was fast asleep with his thumb in his mouth and a contented look on his face.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries had the contract for construction of the building and warehouses. As buildings were erected, Best Engineering and local help began installing the machinery. The Boiler House and Power House were the first buildings to be erected and, as soon as a roofs were over their heads, Caleb's employees and their local help started building forms for the foundations of the three boilers and the turbine generators. They had to add a second Diesel Caterpillar Generator as the first was becoming overloaded. At the height of construction, there were over 500 men employed on the site!

When it came time to set the turbines and the generators, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries sent their own technicians to supervise the work. Caleb had worked with them before, so it was an easy relationship and the work proceeded well ahead of schedule.

Little Hue was growing like a weed, the good food and loving care soon had the child playing and happy. Tal was teaching him English and one evening, he crawled up into Caleb's lap and said, "Dati, me job need. Me be help you to"

Caleb hugged the boy and replied, "Alright, Hue, it is your job to take the dirty clothes to the laundry and bring them back when they have been cleaned."

Hue jumped down and went running to Tal, "Tal, me job got, me clean clothes boy!" Caleb was holding his sides to keep from laughing out loud!

The very next day, when Caleb got home, there was a small pile of neatly folded clean clothes sitting on his bed. Everything was ironed, even his underwear and socks! Hue was absolute monarch of clean clothes!

Tal was cooking for them and he made special meals for his Mother. Within weeks, she began to improve, her color returned as did her vitality. Before long, she would come into the kitchen and scold Tal for some fault in his cooking, then she would take over and do it her way. Subtly, the food began to change, the spices and textures changed and meals became more colorful as the two competed in their cooking. Caleb wisely said nothing and in a short while, the competition stopped and collaboration began. Caleb's crew spent hours devising ways to be invited to the Boss' for supper!

The boilers and the turbine generators were finally set and tested. When they fired up the boilers the first time, everyone celebrated as black smoke began to issue out the stack. After nearly a month of testing, the time came to put a load on the generators. Slowly, the operators transferred load from the diesels and finally, they shut the diesel engines down, the quiet, after 18 months of pounding diesel generators, was astounding.

With the additional power available, construction went faster. Mitsubishi brought in huge tractors and plows to turn soil that had not been touched since the beginning of WWI. They felled trees and ripped up hard pan, getting ready to plant cane.

Tigers had become a problem, they would wait alongside a tree that had fallen across the road. When the driver would step out to clear the tree with a chain saw, he became tiger dinner. Caleb had to enforce the three-man rule, a driver, a chainsaw operator and an armed guard before the tiger problem abated.

The ministry officials were happy, the project was about 3 months ahead of schedule!

Everything was going good until Tal's Mother failed to show up one morning. When Tal went to check on her, they could hear him screaming from next door. Caleb ran out of the house, Hue on his heels. They found Tal on the floor, crying his heart out. His Mother had died in her sleep.

When she had first come to live with them, she took Caleb aside and told him that her heart was dying and begged him to care for her son after she was gone. Caleb had done just that, he had filed papers to adopt Tal AND Hue. Neither boy was aware of that yet, but Caleb had corresponded with his son, Danny, and gotten his wholehearted approval. Lt. Daniel Best, USN, even sent a notarized letter to be included in the adoption papers that he not only approved, but he encouraged his father to adopt the two boys! The letter was witnessed by his ship's Captain, Commander Ronald Lucas and countersigned by the Commodore, Rear Admiral Paul Davis. The Indonesian Judge had already approved it and forwarded the adoption approval to the American Embassy in Jakarta for filing. It was a "done deal"!

Caleb gathered Tal in his arms, the boy was sobbing great heaves as he mourned the loss of his Mother. Hue climbed up into Tal's lap and hugged him, kissing him on the cheek and called him brother. Neither boy realized how prophetic that was! Caleb figured that now was the time to tell the boys. He sat Tal in his lap, looking him square in the eyes and said, "Your Mother and I already have discussed this, Tal, I have adopted you. You are Singh Tal Best, my son!" Turning to Hue, he said, "And you also are adopted, you are Hue Daniel Best, my son, too!"

Tal was first to realize what Caleb had said, "Yuuuu,yu, you mean AMERICA?" Caleb hugged Tal and told him that he and Hue were officially Americans. Tal cried on Caleb's shoulder, "Dati, Dati, he repeated over and over.

They held a traditional Sikh funeral for Tal's Mother, a Sikh Priest was brought in from Jakarta to perform the ritual and the cremation. All of Caleb's Crew and the local employees, who had come to like and admire the youth who was Caleb's House Boy, attended the solemn ceremony. Hue stood beside his brother, supporting him and letting him know that he was there for him. Caleb was on the other side of the boy, holding him up when it came time to light the funeral pyre.

Tal remained dry-eyed until they returned to their house, then he collapsed on the floor, crying great wails in his anguish. Caleb and Hue spent the entire night holding Tal, that he was not alone in this awful time.

By morning, a red-eyed and haggard Tal insisted on preparing their breakfast. As he brought out the plates, he first bowed to Caleb and said, "Dati, as you have supported me in my time of need, so also shall I support you now and forever. You are my Dati, you are my life," He turned to Hue and said, "Baki, you have supported me in my time of need, so also shall I support you, now and forever. You are my Baki (brother), you are part of my life."

The months rolled on and the sugar mill began to take shape. The Boiling House was completed, the crushers were installed and the molasses separators were finally installed and made ready. The cane had matured and the mill was ready for first crush. Officials from the Ministry were on hand when First Juice came running down the juice channels from the crusher. The remaining cane went through the second crush and final crush and the juice was sent to the evaporator pans. The process continued, until finally, the molasses was sent to the crystallizers for final removal of the available sucrose. Final sugar was tested by the Ministry and the mill was accepted.

It had been a hard four and one-half years, but the project was completed 6 months ahead of time, earning Best Engineering a 20% early completion bonus! The crew was jubilant, they knew that Caleb would share that bonus with them. The men began to make preparations to depart.

Caleb took Tal and Hue into Jakarta to the American Embassy, where he applied for their passports as adopted American Citizens. After their pictures were taken and they received their new passports, Caleb took the boys out to dinner.

Hue had to show all the waiters his new passport saying, "I American be, I American be!"

Caleb smiled at the boy and said, "Yes, Hue you be!"

They returned to the sugar mill to pack up their belongings in preparation for their return to America. Caleb told his crew that they would go back to Fairfield, California for a while, before he started looking for another contract. The men were pleased at this, they were tired. They had been away from their home for 7 years now, it was time for a little rest.

On departure day, Hue was in a dither. Tal tried to pretend he was calm, cool and collected, but inside, he was as excited as his brother, Hue! Hue was exclaiming, "Airplane I go, 'Merican be I!" to anyone he could capture. The little boy had won the Crew's hearts, they loved and hugged Hue and listened intently to his patter as if it were the most important thing in the world.

They arrived at Jakarta International Airport, poor little Hue was so excited, Caleb was afraid the little boy would break apart. Tal had gone pale in the face when he saw the huge aircraft waiting at the terminal. Neither boy had ever seen an airplane up close, let alone ride in one!

As they passed through Passport Control, Hue proudly showed the officer his new American Passport, "'Merican I be." The official smiled and stamped the boy's passport before returning it to him and did the same for Tal and Caleb.

Caleb looked at Tal, beside him, the young man was shaking like a leaf! Caleb hugged him and whispered, "Tal, you are 22 years old now and are a man, you have nothing to fear, you are an American and MY SON!"

Tal looked at Caleb, tears in his eyes and replied, "Dati, if you were not beside me, I would turn and run, I am so frightened, my knees are knocking!"

Just then, Hue introduced himself to the Stewardess, "Me Hue Best, me 'Merican!" as he showed his passport to a laughing Stewardess.

She leaned down and said, "Hue Best, 'Merican, may I see your ticket so I know where to seat you?" She then took Hue by the hand and led him to a window seat in Business Class. The incident caused Tal to laugh and he forgot his fear in Hue's joy of adventure.

As the pilot started the plane's engines, both boys' eyes got huge, Hue looking out the window and Tal grabbing the seat armrests in a death grip! As soon as they were airborne, the steady drone of the engines and exhaustion from their excitement put both boys to sleep. Caleb looked across the aisle at his sons and smiled.

There were scheduled stops in Hong Kong and Honolulu before they finally arrived in San Francisco. All three were exhausted by the time they had retrieved their baggage at San Francisco International Airport. Caleb had planned on spending the night at a hotel, along with his entire crew.

As they were leaving the Emigration Terminal, Caleb heard, "Dad, Dad, this way!" He looked up and there was his son, Danny, sporting brand new Lieutenant Commander stripes on his uniform, waving frantically at him. Danny got down on his knees to greet Hue, "So you are my new brother?"

Hue grinned and showed Danny his passport, "Me 'Merican now!"

Danny hugged the little boy and picked him up, saying, "Yes, you surely are little Brother!" He turned to Tal and put his other arm around him, "Welcome home, Brother!"

Tal fought valiantly to not cry but lost the battle when Danny hugged him! Caleb got into the act as he stretched his arms around all his sons and said, "Let's go to that hotel!"

Caleb told his crew to go to the Marriot, where he had paid for rooms for all of them. Danny brought his car around and Caleb climbed in with Tal and Hue. By the time they got to the Marriot, exhaustion had overcome Hue and he was sound asleep in Caleb's arms.

The End