They had had to jump quite a few hurdles and work their way through various agencies, but then an opportunity had presented itself. They had recruited Kim Sook to help them and he had readily agreed.
They made two stops on the way and then completed the drive to the big town house in northern Virginia. Robie had phoned first and they were waiting for them.
Julie Getty opened the door. Standing opposite her were Robie, Reel, and Sook.
And Min.
The little girl was dressed in tights and a long shirt with sneakers. She had a yellow ribbon in her hair. She was well scrubbed but her face was red for another reason.
She had been crying.
For the loss of Chung-Cha.
And she was scared.
“Hey, guys, come on in,” said Julie warmly.
Her guardian, Jerome Cassidy, had recovered from his injuries at the hands of Leon Dikes’s men and was waiting for them in the family room. He was middle-aged and lean, with long grayish hair neatly tied back.
He greeted Robie, whom he knew, and was introduced to Reel.
“Julie’s told me a lot about you,” said Jerome.
“Just the unclassified parts,” amended Julie with a smile.
Julie sat next to Min and said, “I’m Julie, Min.” Then she said a few words in Korean, some of which Min understood.
Sook laughed. “Not bad. But you need practice.”
“I know,” said Julie with a wry grin.
Min said, “I am Min. I am ten.”
“I’m fifteen, five more than you,” replied Julie.
Min smiled but did not seem to understand this.
Julie took one of her hands and counted off the fingers. “Five, this many.”
Min nodded and counted to five in Korean.
“That’s right,” said Sook. “Very good.”
Jerome said, “So, Robie, you filled me in a little bit on this. But I’d like to hear more.”
Robie explained what he could about where Min had come from. And then what they had come here to ask. Could Min live with them?
“She can’t go back to North Korea,” said Reel.
“And traditional foster care can get a little tricky with her situation,” explained Robie. “I know it’s asking a lot, but you two were the first ones I thought of. Min can’t understand English really. Hell, she can’t understand a lot of things. So if you can’t do it, she’ll never know we even asked you.”
Julie said, “I’ve always wanted a sibling. And being a big sister would be really cool.” She looked at Jerome. “What do you think?”
“I think what with all this little girl has been through she deserves some friends. And maybe we’re a good place to start.”
Reel looked at Robie in relief and then turned back to Jerome. “I can’t tell you what this means.”
“I think I know. Wasn’t too long ago that yours truly needed a helping hand, or I might not even be here.”
As they were leaving, they had to explain to Min that she would be coming to live with Jerome and Julie. Sook had agreed to help out until Min’s language skills were strong enough. At first Min clung to Sook, but Julie kept delicately enticing Min away from him until the little girl finally took Julie’s hand and walked off with her.
They told Jerome that all the paperwork would be completed and then he would officially become Min’s guardian.
“Surprised the government is making it this easy,” said Jerome. “I thought their motto was the more paperwork the better.”
“Well, the government wants to put all this behind them as fast as they can,” explained Robie.
On the way back Reel drove, and when she made a turn that would take them away from Robie’s apartment, he instinctively knew where she was going.
The place was in rural Virginia. It was small and out of the way. But it had beautiful views of the foothills of the Blue Ridge. It was only about seventy miles from D.C., but it could have been seven hundred.
Reel parked the car and she and Robie got out. The sun was dipping low into the horizon, burning the sky red. The wind was picking up and the temperature was dropping. Rain was coming in and it would soon turn wet and miserable. Yet, for now, right this very minute, there was a simple beauty here that was bone-deep and undeniable.
They opened the rusted wrought-iron gate and made their way down the uneven grass path. They passed mostly old tombstones and grave markers. Some leaned at precarious angles; others were ramrod straight.
Near the end of the path and on the left was the newest gravestone here. It was white and resembled those at Arlington National Cemetery.
It was simple in design but powerful in its inspiration.
The inscription matched the design’s simplicity:
YIE CHUNG-CHA, WHO FOUGHT THE GOOD FIGHT UNTIL THE END