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- Herausgeber: T2Pneuma Publishers LLC
- Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
- Serie: Masquerade
- Sprache: Englisch
- Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024
How do you find love when present loyalties are divided and the past screams for attention?
Luke Stevens’ new job as a CIA agent demands attention as he eulogizes his ex-wife and vows to move beyond grief. Ruth Chǔ’s a new life as an American law student busies her days, while her debt to North Korean intelligence haunts her nights. In the midst of an international crisis, can they experience Christmas joy together?
The cover art is called Esther’s Gamble by He Qi (www.heqiart.com).
Hear the words; walk the steps; experience the joy!
What people are saying.
As a person who has traveled to Havana, Cuba, on three occasions, I am anticipating reading Christmas in Havana. Having spent a number of days there, I know that the city is filled with history, mystery, and intrigue. Stephen Hiemstra has the ability to capture this mystery and intrigue and much more.
Percy M. Burns
Christmas in Havana is a fascinating story that leads to reflection, an adventure of emotions that reflects life itself.
Julio Martinez
The final book of a three-book series, Christmas in Havana, by Stephen Hiemstra, concludes the story of loss, grief, and self-forgiveness against the backdrop of international terrorism and human trafficking.
Sharron Giambanco
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Seitenzahl: 120
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Contents
Endorsements
Other Works by the Author
Title Page
Copyright
ACT ONE
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
ACT TWO
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
ACT THREE
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
ACT FOUR
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
About
ENDORSEMENTS
AS A PERSON who has traveled to Havana, Cuba, on three occasions, I am anticipating reading Christmas in Havana. Having spent a number of days there, I know that the city is filled with history, mystery, and intrigue. Stephen Hiemstra has the ability to capture this mystery and intrigue and much more! Read the book and see what I mean!
Percy M. Burns
Author of Glorious Freedom
Christmas in Havana is a fascinating story that leads to reflection, an adventure of emotions that reflects life itself. Stephen Hiemstra guides us in a enjoyable way through this book to value life.
Julio Martinez
Senior Pastor
Shadai Phoenix Church
New beginnings for Phil Stevens and Yong Dae Chû as they accept the past merged with new identities. Pastor Phil, is Luke, an agent with the CIA working to defeat the terrorists who killed his son. Beautiful North Korean, Yong Dae Chû, is Ruth, a law student and model. The final book of a three-book series, Christmas in Havana, by Stephen Hiemstra, concludes the story of loss, grief, and self-forgiveness against the backdrop of international terrorism and human trafficking. It is a fast-moving drama filled with action and romance, grounded in spiritual truth.
Sharron Giambanco
Business owner and writer
Christian Spirituality Series:
A Christian Guide to Spirituality
Life in Tension
Called Along the Way
Simple Faith
Living in Christ
Image and Illumination
Image of God series:
Image of God in the Parables
Image of the Holy Spirit and the Church
Masquerade series:
Masquerade
The Detour
Translations:
Una Guía Cristiana a la Espiritualidad
Vida en Tensión
Ein Christlicher Leitfaden zur Spiritualität
Oraciones
Prayerbooks:
Everyday Prayers for Everyday People
Prayers
Prayers of a Life in Tension
Screenplays
Brandishing the Blue
The Korean Detour
Christmas in Havana
Compilations
Spiritual Trilogy
CHRISTMAS IN HAVANA
Stephen W. Hiemstra
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead is coincidental.
With the except of short excerpts used in articles and critical reviews, no part of this work may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in any form whatsoever, printed or electronic, without prior written permission of the publisher.
Copyright ©2024 Stephen W. Hiemstra
All rights reserved. ISNI: 0000-0000-2902-8171
Names: Hiemstra, Stephen W., author.
Title: Christmas in Havana / Stephen W. Hiemstra.
Series: Masquerade Series.
Description: Centreville, VA: T2Pneuma Publishers LLC, 2024.
Identifiers: LCCN: 2024902254 | ISBN: 978-1-942199-47-2 (paperback) | 978-1-942199-94-6 (KDP) | 978-1-942199-85-4 (epub)
Subjects: LCSH United States. Central Intelligence Agency--Officials and employees--Fiction. | Intelligence officers--United States--Fiction. | Law students--Fiction. | Korean-Americans--Fiction. | Cuba--Fiction. | Romantic suspense fiction. | BISAC FICTION / General | FICTION / Romance / Suspense
Classification: LCC PS3608.I328 C47 2024 | DDC 813.6--dc23
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, Copyright © 2000; 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Many thanks to my editors, Sarah Hamaker and Jean Arnold.
The cover art is called Esther’s Gamble by He Qi (www.heqiart.com). Used with permission.
CHAPTER 1
LUKE STEVENS STARED into his fireplace with the radio playing in background. The yellow flames danced around the newsprint that he pushed under the split wood. Hot fingers reminded him to pull his hand back, which he does with koala-bear urgency. Why did Sarah talk so much about collecting firewood and so seldom actually burned it? Even on a Saturday night in January, McLean, Virginia is seldom cold. Who leads such a leisurely life that they can light a fire and sit long enough to watch it?
A radio news reporter broke into the set. “This just in. A Taiwanese freighter, the New Moon, navigating the waters off the Columbian coast burst into flames without warning and sank with all hands on board. we'll keep you informed of any further developments.” The radio returned to its usual set, offering jazz from the 1930s.
Luke starred at the radio, not processing what was just reported. His cell phone buzzed and he picked it up.
“Hello, Alex?”
“Luke, how are you doing? Are you ready for the memorial service tomorrow?”
Luke poked the fire with the iron, tossed another piece of wood on top, and glanced at the three-by-five-foot portrait of the former Sarah Stevens, then Sarah Gomer, leaning against the wall.
“I toyed with the idea of torching the house for insurance money, buying an RV, and taking off for Alaska. Instead, I lit the fireplace and decided to pretend that I did.”
“Good choice. Are you sure you are ready for this service?” Alex Sunday spoke with the authority of a counselor, a surgeon, and a major in the U.S. Marines, all of which she was.
“I'm sure that I'm not, but the guests have been invited, the eulogy is written, and, now, I'm steeling myself to say goodbye, this time for keeps—Sarah has haunted me long enough.”
“How can I help?”
“You mean, outside of wearing your dress blues, bringing your family, and watching my dad?”
“You know what I mean.”
“Yes… Yes, I do. It's enough for you to be there.”
“What happens if she shows up? Are ready to face her?”
“No. That's why you are going to wear your sword.”
“Ha. Ha. Get serious.”
“If RJ—Miss Randy Jefferson—shows up, I'll invite her to sit up front with the family. Everyone knows that she is the former Miss Teen USA. What else can I do? I'm still a pastor and have to model forgiveness, painful as it might be. Why couldn’t Sarah have just found a nice NFL player, Arab prince, or real estate mogul?”
“It sounds like you've some unresolved issues that I suspect won't make it into the eulogy.”
“That's an understatement. Sarah cut herself off from me in the divorce, but the shame also isolated her from her family. Christians are quicker than Muslims to forgive, especially in the case of unconventional relationships. In an honor-shame culture, the path to reconciliation is very nonlinear because difficult and shameful topics are handled with a deafening silence.”
“Who will attend the memorial service?”
“Good question. I called her office; I informed her family. Only members of the church, which she disavowed when we divorced, are likely to show up and they may only come out of respect for their grieving pastor.”
“Why is it so hard for you to let go?”
“I failed as a husband and as a witness.”
“None of us is perfect or a perfect witness.”
“My head accepts what my heart rejects.”
“Then on faith you must give it over to God—especially if you hope to love again.”
CHAPTER 2
YONG DAE CHǓ—Ruth—leaned against the ivy-covered library at her law school in Washington D.C. She held her arm unnaturally high in a pose wearing a red knit cap and scarf, and a white sweater.
“Hold up that law journal.” The photographer from a Korean fashion magazine instructed her.
Ruth grabbed a journal from a leather bag setting on a nearby step. She righted herself, held the journal near her face, and smiled.
”Seems odd to me that Americanized Koreans only want the fashion photos, while folks back home want to hear that I'm also editor of my school law journal.”
“It’s a head scratcher for sure,” The photographer replied. “But we both know it’s a real thing—the magazine will print both. The only unsettled question is which photo will make the cover.”
“An American audience would prefer to see me holding a Russian Blue or playing with a French Bulldog.”
“For sure.”
“Be sure to mention that the feature article in the law journal this month is about artificial intelligence (AI). AI is a hot topic, not only in law, but in business and military procurement. My editorial has already received several reprint offers in commercial publications.”
“You are too smart. How will you ever find an American husband, assuming you want one? American men find smart women intimidating.”
“You are too mean. Why do you think I agreed to this photo shoot?”
“You are killing me—I assumed that it was just because you wanted to see me again.”
“That too! But you know fashion helps a single girl live into her feminine mystique.”
“Right. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, kind of thing, to quote James Howell.”
“People forget the simplest things.” Ruth turned to the photographer and put on a serious face. “Let me ask a more difficult question: Is the magazine planning to write about my escape from North Korea into China last fall and the human trafficking issue?
“I like how you are always straight to the point.” The photographer relaxed, lowering the camera from his view. “The editor told me that political topics are normally off-point in a fashion magazine and won’t be cited in your article.”
He paused, then continued. “Because you've become the poster-child of the North Korean immigrant issue in the Korean press, every time people see your face, they think about the suffering of North Korean women in China sold into brothels and marriages with leftover men. If they forget, the next article after yours will focus on the problem of repatriation of North Koreans caught in China, but it does not mention you by name.”
“Oh, good. I feel so much more desirable. In any case, thanks for being honest and letting me know.”
§
As Ruth walked back to her dorm, she noticed a short, thin man with crew cut, black tie, and green-tan suit standing with a woman dressed in a matching suit-skirt combination across the street and watching her. She laughed as they crossed the street and came up to her.
“What are you laughing about?” asked the woman.
“I'm going to recommend a new fashion consultant to Director Parks the next time I see him.” Ruth replied.
“Not funny. We're here on business,” The man said.
“Oh, what business? Are you lost in the 1950s?”
“Ha. Ha. Director Parks sent us to remind you of your debt to the Reconnaissance General Bureau (RGB).”
“Haven’t you heard? I'm an American student now, not a visiting scholar from Kim Il-sung University. I have even been given a green card.”
“Your family remains our guests in Najin.”
“I understand. I hope that means you will issue my family extra rations and my mother a cell phone so that I can call her.”
“You are most greedy.”
“Not at all. Everyone here has a cell phone and can buy whatever they can afford. Why are North Koreans any less worthy than Americans to enjoy their lives? Come back to me when you have my mom’s number.”
“Director Parks won't be pleased.”
“You misunderstand Director Parks. He is a decent man in an indecent time. He will thank God that I've given him the opportunity to undertake an ounce of charity while a pound of uncharitable duties disgusts him. I respect Director Parks and wish him well.”
“You will hear from us.”
“You know my name. Who are you?”
“Goodbye, Ms. Chǔ.”
CHAPTER 3
AT THEIR HOME in McLean, Virginia, Natalie Bloom heard her mother knock on her bedroom door: “May I come in?”
“The door is open.”
Natalie turned from her desk chair to watch her mother walk in. She moved some of the books piled up on the desk and placed them on the floor. Turning back to her laptop computer, she saved a half-completed essay and closed the closed the lid to give full attention to her mom.
“Working again? Classes don’t start for a couple weeks. You need to give yourself a break.”
“Mom. I get bored just sitting around on my days off from work. The high school gang seem stuck in the past. I would much rather read my class assignments, write my essays, and get ready for the term.”
“I understand, but tonight you need to get ready for the memorial service tomorrow after church. Pastor Luke is single and you don’t want to be forever.”
“Pastor Luke has morphed into his father, Phil. Luke was fun; now, he has become all serious like his dad. I preferred the old Luke.”
“Perhaps, but he is still single, available, and decent. Old fashioned, decent men are hard to come by these days.”
“Okay. you've made your point. I think if I were Muslim that you would still send me to church on Sundays.” Natalie turned off her surge-protector and tidied up her desk. “Could you help me with my hair? I need a trim.”
“Sure, dear. I love your long, blond hair.”
CHAPTER 4
STILL SENSITIVE ABOUT being seen in the company of other Christians, Ruth organized a small gathering of Korean students on campus for worship on Sunday morning. She arranged for local Korean congregations to support the group with a rotating schedule of visiting pastors that helped them remain accountable to one another and advance their knowledge of scripture. She suggested that the cafeteria outsource Sunday lunch by contracting for a local Korean restaurant to cater the meal, which gave the cafeteria workers a bit more time off and boosted attendance at the luncheon. Ruth thought of this group as a house church, but they simply called themselves the Korean Alliance.
