Date: Sun, 18 Jan 2015 13:25:54 -0800 From: Jon Wesley Subject: Noah: Chapter 3 Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction and that of love. Any resemblance to actual places, events, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. This story may contain erotic and/or sexually explicit behavior between consenting people. If it is illegal for you to, or you find this sort of work offensive, don't download or read it! The people in this story do not use protection because diseases don't exist here. However, in our world they do so please use caution and protection. This story is protected by copyright. It may not be downloaded or copied for other than your private enjoyment and may not be changed in any way without the expressed written consent of the author. This story may not be put on any other site without the author's express written consent. If you like what you've read or have constructive criticisms, drop me an email at jonwesley1@inbox.com Please help Nifty keep this site running by donating! http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html Noah: Chapter 3 I boarded the KAL flight to Manila and settled into my seat in First Class. I was offered coffee or juice and I of course took the coffee, they also provided an International version of the Seoul newspaper. I immediately saw my face on the front page and the story was about my speech yesterday at the orphanage. It was very positive in nature and even mentioned Hwang and also my trip to Manila to open a new Children's Hospital. I read the paper a bit then reclined back and dozed off. When I awoke it was because the stewardess was offering me a choice of meals for lunch. I chose the chicken and rice pilaf and it was 4 stars. I'd just finished when a man came up and introduced himself as Donald White, the name sounded familiar but I drew a blank. He sat across from me and said, "I used to own a few web start ups?" It hit me and I quickly shook his hand. "It's a pleasure sir! The work you've done with UNICEF is amazing!" He waved off the accolades and leaned in and said, "I was reading the paper and it mentioned you and the Korean Orphanage." I smiled and said, "Yeah, saw it in the Seoul paper this morning." He chuckled and said, "I saw it in the Wall Street Journal!" Oh boy! I thought. He understood my issue but just laughed! "Welcome to my world! I guess you're a minor celebrity for now." I grumbled a "Thanks, I guess..." He asked about the hospital I was opening and then we discussed his current project in Vietnam which was providing clean drinking water to rural areas. He'd been successful in Africa with a similar project and wanted to try the same thing in other third world countries. He and I got in a discussion about Haiti and after we agreed on some things that we saw as fixable, we exchanged info and he went back to his seat 3 rows back. The stewardess offered me a bottled water which I gladly accepted as airplanes always felt very dry to me. I pulled the files on Jai and Lyn and began reading Jai's folder. Jai's life was pretty messy, his Mother was a club girl in Tongduchon and had multiple partners, mainly G.I.'s and Jai was alone a lot until school started. Seems he was bullied a lot because of his mix race. Surprisingly, his grades were top notch, based on what I saw, he was in the top 5 percentile in all of Korea! I put another file away into my brain and continued reading. Lyn was typical boy, average grades, loved athletics and adored his older brother. Was not around his Mother at all as that's when she went off the deep end with drugs and alcohol. He only knew what his Brother told him and I gather Jai only told him the good stuff, which made sense to me. I put everything away as the pilot said we were soon to land. The airport was a mess and customs was sketchy to say the least. As I walked out of customs I was waved over by a tall Pilipino man and he introduced himself as my chauffeur. He led me out to a large Mercedes sedan and once he put my luggage in the trunk we were off to the Manila Hotel which was right off the main road near the piers. It was very nice and pretty modern, the lobby was very ornate with chandeliers and beautiful wood ceilings. The staff was very professional and had me in my room overlooking the pool in record time. I realized it was almost dinner time so I put on a tie and wandered down to the Champagne room and it too was very ornate and the Service was top notch. I settled for their signature prime rib with baked potato and asparagus with hollandaise sauce. Everything was very good and the wine was pretty decent for a local. Dessert was a Creme Brûlée and I could barely finish it, I said barely, but i persevered! I tipped nicely to be sure they'd remember me and signed for my meal charging it to my room. I texted Noah and told him I was safe in Manila and then emailed him the pics from Korea. He emailed back and reminded me I had one more week and then I was to be in Palo Alto. He sent me a heart and I returned one to him. I fell asleep as I was stuffed and my clock was all jacked up. The bed was a king and about as soft as I'd ever seen. I felt I was sleeping in a giant cotton ball! I awoke early and was glad that there was coffee service this early. I tipped the young man as he set up my coffee. I'm not much for chatter until I'd consumed a cup of Java. This coffee was Kenyan and I couldn't wait to pour another. I read the local paper and there I was again, the article mentioned the hospital opening and my involvement. I glazed over it and then got up to do the three "S's"... I went down to the Champagne Room and they had a sumptuous buffet set up with omelet to order. I'd just sat down when my driver showed up. I told him to grab a bite cuz I wasn't ready yet. He looked kinda shocked but shrugged and went to the buffet. We conversed a bit but language was an issue. I finally finished and he told me that today was a work day that I needed casual clothes as I might get dirty on the job site. I went upstairs and changed into jeans and a polo and we headed towards the hospital. If I had known it was only 8 blocks away I would have waved off the car, I told my driver to be back at 5pm to go to dinner. I was met by Dr. Peter Graham, he was the big kahuna here and my first impression was that he was perfect for the job, a little manic but considering the scope of this project, I completely understood. I think he reminded me of Patch Adams, or more so Robin William's portrayal of him. I'd hadn't laughed that much in quite some time, and he was going 100 miles an hour! I finally was handed over to a foreman and directed to help set up furniture in the waiting rooms. I worked all day with one small break when my driver appeared out of nowhere and we departed for the hotel. I offered to feed him but he politely declined so I ate room service food, which was a Waldorf salad, pork tenderloin and Brocolli with Asiago cheese over it. I declined dessert but drank a pot of coffee. I was dozing off when Helen called and thanked me for the mink blankets for her and Noah. They'd arrived earlier today. She loved the silver and blue designs and Noah was ecstatic over the Dragon blanket. I told her that she was welcome and I hoped to find them something here in Manila too! She laughed and said, "Don't go overboard Wes! By the way, Noah wants to talk so I'm out of here!" I said goodbye and Noah was on the line a nanosecond later. "Thank you Uncle Wes for my Dragon blanket! I love it! Mom's not overly thrilled as she called it a lizard at first!" I laughed and told him he was welcome. He again gave me the countdown on Palo Alto and I just chuckled as he was already planning our vacation or should I say "his" vacation and my servitude! I heard him walking and then I could hear the noises from outside, "Uncle Wes, I wanna have more fun like last time ok?" I assured him that it was part of my evil plan while he stayed with me! He laughed and we talked for a few minutes longer and said our goodbyes with "I love you" said by both of us. The next few days I stuck to my plan and worked hard at the hospital, on the day before the opening I quit at noon and had my driver give me a tour and I did some shopping. The next morning I sent Noah an email with pics attached of my mini tour of Manila and also to him to keep an eye out for a delivery truck in 3 days. My driver and I ate a large breakfast in the champagne room and then headed to the hospital. As we pulled up I could see this was going to be a much bigger affair than Korea was. The press had their own tent and I saw some familiar faces from American networks there. I was led to the VIP tent and they had a coffee service and a bunch of finger foods laid out. I grabbed a coffee and was about to sit down when Dr Graham pulled me to the press tent. A well known CNN reporter asked if I was available for an interview. I agreed if he kept it short. He led me to area that was set up as an interview area with two chairs and a blue backdrop. He introduced me as America's newest philanthropist, he described my philanthropy as something I'd just started which caused me to snort loudly as if been "giving" for years! His questions were mainly rehashed from the papers and I gave short and sweet answers. He actually kinda bored me and I finally just decided I was over the interview and pulled my microphone off and thanked him. I walked over and hung out with Dr. Graham until it was time to do the honors of cutting the ribbon. Finally Dr. Graham approached the Dias and tapped the mike. " Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to welcome all of you to the grand opening of the Manila Children's Hospital!" There was a bit of an applause and then he spoke. " Twenty years ago I was working in a one room clinic in Manila's poorest area and I had one nurse and about $100 dollars worth of supplies," he waved his arm at the massive building behind him, "Things have obviously changed." There were a lot of laughter at this and he then continued, "5 years ago, I met a man who was just kinda throwing money at any old charity but I could see he wasn't satisfied with the results so far. Well, we talked for basically the whole first day at a conference in San Diego. Wes finally asked me what did "I" want. Well, I told him about Manila and my clinic and what I really wanted to do here, I wanted a place where there was no fear of a Doctor's bill and we would do our best for all the children here no matter what their economic situation was. Well Wes listened and 3 years ago he called on me at my clinic and basically threw a blueprint on my examining table. We made some changes to the original, but he pretty much had it down before I stuck my two cents in! So here we are, 3 years later and Wes and I have tried to keep it to the original and follow that old acronym, KISS, keep it simple stupid! Wes is a tough philanthropist, he wants his money to be used honestly and practically, I think we've done it! Thank you Wes for all your support and the long phone calls when I had serious doubts, you are a Brother to me and I love ya! Ladies and gentleman, may I introduce our benefactor and friend Wesley Grainger !" The applause was polite, but as I was an unknown quantity here I didn't expect much. "Thank you Peter for that lovely introduction, yes, you are my Brother from another Mother, and I'm very grateful we met!" There was chuckling in the crowd. "5 years ago, I was just another rich guy from the dot com heydays, I was trying to use my money for real, tangible results and I was very disappointed in my results. So I'm at this conference in San Diego and it was about as dull as could be, I'd doze off in my chair because they were saying nothing I hadn't heard before. So after a long day doing nothing, I decided to get a drink at the bar and had just started "sipping" my Crown and Coke when I hear this guy griping about the conference being a terrific waste of time for most of us, my ears perked up and I moved down a few stools and listened intently as this guy in a tank top, raggedy shorts and flip flops is blasting the conference and all the large charities had bogarted the damn thing. I just said, what is it we should be doing? Well, he gave me a three hour speech amidst our drinking a considerable amount of Crown on my tab I might add!" Peter turned red as the crowd roared at that remark, "So, after we parted, I went back to Palo Alto and thought about Peter and what he was trying to do. I did my due diligence and checked him out ten ways to Sunday and other than his drinking habits... He was a straight shooter and his little clinic was doing more for those kids than anyone else, so I made my decision and here we are now. I am standing up here and I'm so proud of Peter and his staff, proud of my friends who pitched in to acquire the property and I'm kinda proud of myself, as I didn't allow Peter's wants override the actual needs and I could spend my money on what really mattered, and that was building this hospital for the children of Manila. Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to officially welcome you to The Children's Hospital of Greater Manila!" The applause was deafening and I could see Peter tearing up as he clapped and did his ear piercing whistle. We'd set it up so that each guide could handle 10 people in their group and we watched as the groups began their tour. The CNN reporter came over and apologized for the interview and said he squashed it and asked if he could try again. I agreed to it if we did it while he toured the hospital. He agreed and with Dr Peter in tow we were off. I won't bore you with details but, the reporter was impressed with our facilities and our dedication and his interview ended up being on CNN for an hour that night prime time. After the tour we had catered food for the guests and Peter and I were constantly shaking hand and thanking people until the crowd finally dwindled down and we were able to eat a bite. Peter pulled a pint bottle of Crown out of his old medical bag and we drank out of plastic cups to toast each other. I stayed for the rest of the day to help Peter with some paperwork and explaining the trust fund and how we were funding this prior to any donations. By 6pm I was done in and after getting a hug from Peter, I was driven back to the hotel. I decided on room service and a hot shower as I was beat. I'd just ordered my meal when my cell chirped. It was Hwang and he was saying congratulations and turn on CNN. I flipped the TV on and got to the channel and there I was, they were doing a Mini biography on me that gratefully was very streamlined and bland, no skeletons as of yet! I was a bit hyped when Anderson Cooper closed it out with thanking Wesley Grainger and wishing there were more like me! I emailed Hwang back thanking him and 5 minutes later Hwang was calling me. "Wes! I'm glad I caught you! I've got some news for you!" I said, "Hi Hwang! What's up?" "Someone wants to adopt Lyn, problem is they do not want Jai, we've tried to keep them as a package deal as they're brothers and Lyn couldn't handle not being with Jai, anyways, I've stalled the couple, but I can only do that for a few days." I looked out my window and blew out a long sigh. "What do you want Hwang? What am I to do about this?" Hwang was quiet for a second then said, "I want you to do what your heart tells you to do." I thought for a second and said, "I'm not sure what my heart wants Hwang." Hwang sighed and said, "You're a stubborn man Wes, I can keep Lyn here for a few days just slow walking the paperwork, but then I have to let them take him, and it's gonna break those boy's hearts to be apart." I told him I'd call him tomorrow and I hung up. I heard a knock and I let in room service and tried to eat the fantastic food that was before me, but my heart wasn't in it. I got up and took a shower and decided to FaceTime Noah. "Hi Uncle Wes!" Noah said. "Hello Noah..." Noah looked at me strangely like he was examining a frog then said, "What's wrong Uncle Wes? You sick or something?" I told him no and went on to explain Jai and Lyn's dilemma. Noah was horrified at the possible outcome and asked what I planned on doing about it. I told him I didn't know but unless someone offered them a home together, they'd be separated soon. Noah said it simply, "Bring them to Palo Alto." I looked surprised and he went on. "I think it'd be cool if they came here! Lyn is close to my age and we'd be best friends and pretend cousins!" I had to laugh at the last part and he smiled his cheeky smile. "Uncle Wes, you are good with boys and I'd tell anyone that! Those boys need a Dad and I think you'd be the bestest Dad in the world! I wish you were my Dad, I'd be so lucky if that was true!" I kinda got a bit misty eyed at his words and he kept talking, "I know you love boys, not like you love me but you've been alone a lot, and I think you need someone to take care of and love as a son. Not that they'd take my place but you can love them too right?" I thought about what he was saying, this coming from a 9 year old who seemed to understand me more than I did. "Ok Noah, I'll go talk to them in Korea and maybe you'll have cousins to play with when you visit." Noah was jumping up and down and smiling like all get out. "I love you Uncle Wes, I hope this works out! I really like Jai and Lyn!" Then he thought for a moment and said something really funny. "You think you can adopt Little Hwang too? He's kinda cute!" I laughed loudly and he joined me. I felt a lot better now and closed out the call by thanking him for being more grown up about this than I had been. He smiled broadly and said, "I just want you to be happy Uncle Wes, and your money doesn't buy that." Out of the mouths of babes.... I called the airlines and they had a red eye to Seoul that would leave in 3 hours. I booked the flight and cancelled my flight back to the U.S. I then called Hwang and told him that I needed transportation when I arrived. I could hear the smile in his words. "I've got it handled Wes, you're in good hands."