My family is an old one in Vietnam with connections into the civil service, commerce, and the military. The older generation while fiercely proud of these endeavors preferred that ours, the younger generation, not be embroidered in such treacherous careers. The more talented ones naturally had to persevere and take up the mantles.

I was only mediocre and too tame and was expected to go into a scholarly or professional field.

As the outsider who was meant to lend respectability to the family, I knew little about the family dealings. These dealings were undoubtedly secretive and sometimes illegal.

As the scholar, I excelled early on. My only problem was that too much of my studies was too easy. I am by no means a genius. I had to work for some of my A’s. Getting occasional A’s and mostly B’s sometime a C without trying was so much easier than getting all A’s.

Then in college I had a period when I did not attend classes for several weeks. Then I would suddenly realize what happened like I was waking up out of a fog. Other behavioral quirks happened in my early 20’s. Long bouts of sleepless nights. Reckless spending spree. Wild parties then complete withdraw from any society.

The family had plenty of money. I never did anything too reckless. They indulged.

By accident, a priest at confession said to me, ” Confession is over. You’re depressed. Go see a counselor or schedule one with me later.”

It wasn’t just depression. I had Bipolar Disorder.

It took 10 years but my medications seem to be finally leveled. In that time I studied but never finished my degree.

Most importantly I built myself up physically. Tae kwon do. Judo. Marathon running. Various weapons training.

Despite the loss of our business and connections at the end of the war, money was never a problem. Also there was an abundance of lethal skill among family and our close friends.

Somewhere in the middle of this my wife, Nomad, agreed to marry me despite my obvious instability.

Since the real family secret has been revealed to us, many of my family worries about what I may say should my meds fail to work . I worry more about being unable to take my meds for whatever reason.

At any rate my bother points out, I have a diagnosed and documented mental disorder who would believe me?