Another night in North London, England. Jonathan Starling sat in his apartment, sighing deeply as he looked at family pictures. His tall and dark-skinned Jamaican-American father, Jonas Starling, looking rugged while fishing in his hometown of Kingston, Jamaica. His mother Deirdre Hamilton, looking deceptively frail. The short and pale-skinned, fiery red-haired Englishwoman was one of the toughest women on the planet. His parents on a boat, fishing. Good times. Unlike now. For the thousandth time Jonathan questioned his decision to come to the City of London, England. Sure, it was his mother's hometown and he held dual American/British citizenship but he certainly didn't think or feel that he belonged there. So why did he stay? He knew the answer the moment he asked himself the question. He stayed for her. Unfortunately, she was at work tonight but he couldn't stop thinking of her. He couldn't wait for her to come home. He still found it odd to think of someone else so much. Once upon a time, his world revolved only around him.
After graduating from Boston University with his bachelor's degree in business administration, Jonathan Starling felt like leaving the State of Massachusetts for a while. In his twenty two years, he'd only left the United States three times. Once, to visit his father's ancestral homeland of Jamaica. His father, Jonas Starling was born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica. He left the Caribbean isle for the United States at eighteen, and studied Criminal Law at Harvard University. He met Deirdre Hamilton, a beautiful British woman while visiting relatives in the island of Jamaica, and they got married. The pair returned to the City of Boston, Massachusetts, to live together and there they raised their son Jonathan. They wanted him to be a global citizen. Exposure to other cultures was a must. Young Jonathan Starling had been to Ottawa, Ontario, and also Kingston, Jamaica. This was his first trip to London, England.
At first, Jonathan Starling missed Boston sorely. The Capital of the State of Massachusetts was the only place he truly knew. Boston was the intellectual heart of America. The place where countless United States Presidents went to learn the art of governing a nation. Great Britain was an odd place. The British were a funny bunch in the eyes of the six-foot-six, perpetually grim young African-American. He enrolled at Brunel University, intent on getting a Master's degree in business. The City of London was home to some of the best schools in the world. Jonathan's mother Deirdre urged him to apply to Oxford University but after one visit, Jonathan knew it wasn't the right place for him. Oh, modern day Oxford University was a diverse school. Tons of African, Chinese and East Indian students walked the halls of the fabled old British school. The sons and daughters of immigrants from outside the European Union made themselves at home at various schools in London, England. However, an authentic African-American was a rare sight in the Capital of the British Commonwealth. At Brunel University, he felt at home. For many students in Metropolitan London, Brunel University in Uxbridge was considered a low-cost alternative to many of the big-shot institutions. As a result, Brunel University attracted a lot of slackers. And there were many minority students among them.
Jonathan Starling smiled to himself. So much had happened to him during his first year at Brunel University. For starters, he lost his virginity. As a towering young Black man who stuttered, Jonathan was painfully shy. He excelled at both sports and academia at Boston College High School and at Boston University. However, he always kept to himself. His friends and teammates knew him to be a man of few words. When Jonathan came to Brunel University, he focused on his studies. For the most part, he seldom left his apartment located near the campus. His interest in the beauties of London, England, waned within a week of his arrival. European and North American towns were all starting to look alike anyway. The British accents all around irked the young New Englander, but he took it all in stride. This was England, after all. He couldn't expect them to sound like Bostonians. To do so would be unrealistic.
