Mia

Mia and Pan never met their birth mother, a Japanese woman who traveled to Sedona, New Mexico, while pregnant, seeking peace and solitude on a retreat. During her stay, she gave birth to the twins and entrusted them to Theodor Yemen, asking him to raise them. Their biological father, a Native American man she had met in college, was never part of their lives. Knowing the pressures of her family’s expectations, she couldn’t face returning to Japan with two Native American children and chose to leave them in the hands of someone who would care for them. And so, Theodor Yemen became their adoptive father and sole parent.

Fortunately for Theo and the twins, they were surrounded by a large, close-knit family. Theo’s siblings and cousins embraced Mia and Pan, ensuring they were raised with love, warmth, and a sense of belonging.

Theodor was a deeply loving man, who himself had faced loss. In the 1990s, he’d been in a passionate affair in New York with a man who later died from AIDS. Heartbroken, Theo returned to Sedona, where the arrival of Mia and Pan brought healing to his life. Together, they became his anchor and renewed purpose.

Theo ran a modest business renting horses to tourists, but his true pride was his rare Arabian horses. Despite the high offers he received, he refused to part with any of them; they were family, as precious to him as his children.

Mia and Pan grew up steeped in the beauty of horses, surrounded by family, art, and a touch of magic. They were well-behaved—most of the time. Pan occasionally got into trouble for illegal car racing, and one particularly competitive police officer couldn’t handle that Pan outraced him every time. The station would laugh it off, knowing the officer’s ego was just bruised.

Mia, meanwhile, found a fascination in “elixirs” and would concoct harmless yet effective mixtures to subtly “punish” bullies in high school—usually with a little nausea or, at worst, some mild digestive discomfort. She never sought popularity, nor did she care about Homecoming, preferring to protect those who couldn’t protect themselves.

When college came, Pan studied psychology before switching to engineering, while Mia pursued art history and theology.

Shortly after graduation, Theo called with surprising news: a lawyer had contacted him about an inheritance left to the twins. A distant relative, whom they’d never met, had bequeathed them a diner and café in New Mexico. Curious and a bit skeptical, they decided to check it out.

The moment they arrived, they were stunned. The diner was in beautiful shape—far cozier and more vibrant than they’d imagined, almost like a high-end LA spot but with an unpretentious warmth and charm. The place was lively, with a dedicated cook, a friendly bartender, and a crowd of interesting patrons. Behind the diner was a large house, fully renovated and spacious enough to house a big family. Everything felt unexpectedly… right.

Their first thought was to sell it—it would be easy in that condition. But that night, everything changed.

Mia dreamt of a man who felt as familiar as her father and brother. He urged her to keep the diner and make it their home. It wasn’t an order, but a suggestion that wrapped her in a profound sense of security, belonging, and joy. She woke up still feeling it—a deep love for the place and a certainty that this was where she was meant to be. Unsure of how to tell Pan, she decided to wait and see.

The next morning, before even taking a sip of coffee, Pan called out, grinning, “Mia, I want to stay! I had the wildest dream—it felt like a vision or a sign or something. But I want to stay here.”

They shared their dreams with each other, marveling at the synchronicity. Both had felt the pull, the sense of home and purpose. And so, they stayed, not knowing that this decision would shape the course of their lives forever.