Kidnapped in Jerusalem

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BeatriceFairbankscayzer

Beatrice Fairbanks Cayzer comes from an illustrious family. Her two ancestors who came to Upper Virginia in 1620 helped found their community. She founded the Cayzer Museum for Children in England where she was the wife of Stanley Cayzer, a grandson of Sir Charles Cayzer, founder of shipping companies that evolved into Caledonia Investments, and nephew of Admiral Lord Jellicoe, the second Governor General of New Zealand. Then she turned into writing.

In Oxfordshire, she wrote The Princes and the Princesses of Wales. In Guernsey, she wrote The Royal World of Animals. Returning to the USA, she wrote nine Rick Harrow novels, winning Book of the Year Award from the Horseracing Writers’ Association. In 2016, she had a sell out with The Secret Diary of Mrs. John Quincy Adams and in 2018 had another sell out with New Tales of Palm Beach.

Kidnapped in Jerusalem Beatrice Fairbanks Cayzer Psycological Fiction

Dennis McLeary, sexually abused at age 6. At 18, he accepts sexual advances of a 14 year-old girl hoping to prove to himself that he is a normal man. Jailed for 17 years for having sex with the under-age girl, he is abused in prison by fellow inmates and the prison chaplain. Free at 35, he determines to better himself and hopes to have a normal marriage. Ensnared in a messy event, he escapes more prison time by becoming a waiter on a passenger-freighter. He gets leave from his ship to swim in Turkish waters, where he meets and falls in love with Myriam alMontee, a half-Turkish half-Saudi Arabian Muslim woman. Instant adora-tion is reciprocated. Myriam elopes with Dennis, they are married by his ship’s captain. Myriam does not tell Dennis that her fanatical father, who hopes to use her to found his dynasty, is known to behead any person showing fondness for her. When three women are beheaded at her father’s orders, she warns Dennis, he could be next.

They hide from her father in Alexandria and in Cairo, but are located by her fa-ther’s agents in Jerusalem. Kidnapped, Myriam is brought to her father in Saudi Arabia. He orders her locked in a cell-like room in a desert house where recently a cousin has starved to death. After three months, she get help and relieved by Alf, an Oil field worker. He tries to rape her. Dennis, agonizing for her, would travel any where including to a country where they would behead him in order to reach Myriam. They find each other near a famous oasis in time to stop Alf from raping Myriam. But fate holds more vicious challenges.

Reviews

~ ~ Ladybella ~ ~

I fell in love with Louisa Adams. She was a strong individual whose life story needed to be told. Louisa Adams made an impact. I couldn’t put the book down. A must read.”

I have never been to Morocco until reading this BOOK. What a wonderful trip it took me through. The mysterious possibilities that the characters of this story endure are nail-biting. This is truly a masterpiece that will enthrall all mystery and vampire fans. I highly recomend reading this masterpiece. I loved it.

~ ~ Samira Sowan ~ ~

“The author Beatrice succeeded to keep the reader thrilled to read every page in her book and to take us through the journey of the unique character of Louise and live the era of the 1700 and 1800.in such a fascinating way. I definitely enjoyed every page in this compelling story. A must read..” ~

~ ~ VIV ~ ~

“Reader observes as main personages meet the ups and downs that bruise those on the top level yet took to heart the enormous wrongs done to slaves in America and went into battle”

THE HARROW QUARTET takes the reader to many unusual places because the narrator Rick Harrow is a racehorse trainer, and a trainer has to bring his horses to the most likely tracks to win. The reader goes to Dubai, Russia’s St. Petersburg, romantic villages in Italy, tycoon homes and estates of the newly rich in Spain, and the wilds of Mexico’s most inaccesssble mountains as well as to its over-crowded and

dangerous capital city.The characters vary from a Chechen terrorist to Milan’s exquisite models, to the wild west drug lords of today’s Mexico.

~ ~ Anthony Roberts ~ ~

Inspiring story of a great lady.

~ ~ garbonzo ~ ~

Here is another installment from Beatrice Cayzer’s fabulous series featuring Happy and Rick Harrow. Travel with them as the traipse across the globe from one extravagant horse exhibition to the next, and finding trouble wherever they go. Cayzer’s prose is filled with vibrant imagery, plenty of action, and enough hanky-panky to make a sailor blush. These stories are great fun, and will have you coming back for more. Fans of any of the modern detective series found on BBC/PBS will feel right at home. Don’t be surprised if these adventures are turned into their own small-screen production. Enjoy!

~ ~ Cathryn Elwyn ~ ~

It’s not every day that jockeying, an estate in the British countryside, and a complication involving the president of Russia figure in one story, but best-selling author Beatrice Fairbanks Cayzer is nothing if unpredictable. Deaths, conspiracies, and . . . a threat to beloved Happy’s life? This has got to be BFC’s best yet.

~ ~ Brett Virgo ~ ~

I just finished reading this wonderful book. I was so hooked I could not put it down. I highly recomend this Murder Mystery. It will not disappoint. Each chapter draws you in, that you have to keep on reading. I am eager to see what BF Cayzer will come up with next.

~ ~ DEE ~ ~

Murder by Medicine is a deliciously delightful book that reminds everyone of how wonderful London can be, during the Season. The descriptive scenes take you there with intrigue and GLAMOUR! Horses, men and murder are an intoxicating read in the hands of B. F. Cayzer. Without a doubt, Murder by Medicine is one of the best books that I have read. It is a perfect gift for any stylish acquaintance or be wickedly selfish and keep it all to yourself!

~ ~ Cathy ~ ~

If you like murder mysteries, this is a great book to read. It brings you into the horse people who have their own ideas of life. It travels from Ethiopia to England with fast paced action. Do read.

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Elizabeth Hepburn conner

Sometimes, it seems like winter never ends. For broken lovers, the cold feels the same. Oftentimes, the pain appears endless. Can they ever experience the warmth of love again? Readers will witness how the characters go through the ups and downs of love as they embark on a gripping journey of love and pain and all the emotions in between in author Elizabeth Hepburn Conner’ In the Cold Where You Left Me. This is a story of endearment, grace through pain, and learning to value oneself to treasure another.

All Kyle knows is the frigid temperatures of Runestone, where he spent his entire life exploring parts of him that remain buried inside. The pure-blooded Minnesotan sees a crack through his icy ridges and attempts at a breakthrough. He pulls away from a cyclic addiction to an intoxicating five-year relationship with a childhood sweetheart, but gaslight and fond memories keep him crawling back.

Turmoil seems to have no end until he encounters hope in a Californian with deep cerulean eyes. Liam, an idyllic splash of color from Orange County, transfers to Runestone University in time to begin the Spring semester with a promise to his father, Mr. Alexander, of a clean slate. However, redemption and clarity become blurred when Liam crosses paths with the Minnesotan and is allured by his emerald eyes and starkly raven demeanor. Still, Liam is plagued by a trauma that haunts him wherever he runs, resulting in Liam’s battles against addiction, anxiety, and depression.

As Liam and Kyle become enamored and endeavor in each other, their troubles seem to wash away. Then, an Instagram post pours skeletons out of Liam’s closet and smothers his light. Mr. Alexander rushes to Liam’s side and urges him back to Orange County, leaving Kyle feeling left in the cold once again with no promise of Liam’s return. Commitment and faith in each other—and themselves—are cross-examined and tried. Still, as Liam steps on the plane back to California, Kyle and Liam begin to learn that the philosophy of felicity and serenity is forgiveness and love.

elizabethhepburnconner.com

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

What’s the hardest thing about being an author?

The hardest thing about being an author is knowing when to put down the pen or step away from the computer. Yes, there is always room to write a new ending or add to other chapters. However, you have to know when to say, “Okay, this is the end. I’m satisfied with what I worked hard on.”

What is the best thing about being an author?

The best thing about being an author, personally for me, is playing with different words. Since I was young, I have always been fascinated with words, especially

words that are aesthetically beautiful and captivating enough to get you thinking. It is a fascination with poeticism because words are expressions of the heart, and when you put them together into a book, you’ve created a story worth connecting with. That is only if you write from the heart and remember that the person holding your book more than likely wants substance, and maybe your work resonating with them is a plus.

What inspired you to write this book?

I started writing In the Cold Where You Left Me back in 2018. Back then, ideologies were a bit different and needed more work. I was unhappy with how media - books, movies, and music - continued to portray LGBT relationships, people, characters, or lifestyles in a “taboo” narrative. For instance, they were always hypersexualized. I am all for embracing sexuality and sexual liberty, but you have to understand that there is a person with a story behind that sexuality. I was also inspired to write characters that were realistic dimensions of what people my age experience daily, specifically between the ages of 18 to 25. Adulting is a challenging and trying experience that tests your strengths and weaknesses with relationships, friendships, self-esteem, mental health, and even sexuality. It is a blurred line between innocence and facing your imperfections. So, writing a book with these inspirations in mind was a delicate process.

How would you describe your style of writing to someone that has never read your work?

It is similar to what I think is best as an author. I love writing, and I love how I can use words to tell a story that I hope will impact someone positively. I like blending sophistication and contemporary styles of writing. However, I am meticulous not to alienate a potential reader. I grew up reading literary classics with philosophical depictions and modern-day works that reach out to my generation. So, I draw inspiration from those.

Do you feel that writing is an ingrained process or just something that flows naturally?

It is a little bit of both. Writing naturally comes to me because I don’t often verbally express what I am thinking. I am a bit of an introverted thinker. So, I live in my imagination, and writing allows me to do that. It is the best way to express myself. On the other hand, when I am writing for a specific purpose, I make sure tokeep myself disciplined to the prompt or goal of what I am writing. There are many lessons to be learned from adulting. It is an intimidating experience when you first go into it. However, the biggest lesson it will teach you is the importance of preserving your mental health before giving any part of you - your heart, your skills, your effort, or your kindness - to anyone you love or anything career-wise. It would help if you also surrounded yourself with people who are willing to protect your mental health with you - not for you. They see that you are strong regardless of your struggles because they love you enough to run the race with you. Nevertheless, always look forward to the best version of you that is waiting at the finish line, because that version of you is who loves you the most.

What books are currently in your to be read pile?

I have a long list of reads in my pile because I am a bookworm by nature. I’m currently reading a book called Kingdom of the Wicked by Kerri Maniscalco. It is such a modern-day gothic read. Next, I want to finally read Find Me, which is a follow-up to Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman. I also

want to get back into classic literature. So, I also have Persuasion by Jane Austen, and The Lady of Shalott by Alfred Tennyson. I also read a lot of Colleen Hoover and John Greene books because they were my middle school and high school favorites.

Anything you would like to say to your readers and fans?

I want to say thank you. All I can say is thank you because it is a rare opportunity for someone to take the time out of their day to check out your work. So, I appreciate those who said, “Hey, I wanna check this out. This looks like a cool book.” I can only hope that my work resonates with you and that you stick it out with me because I plan to write more.

Julie Gianelloni CoNNOR

Julie Gianelloni Connor is an award-winning author and retired senior Foreign Service Officer. Her first book, “Savoring the Camino de Santiago: It’s the Pilgrimage, not the Hike,” garnered no. 1 status on Amazon in both the category for new books on hiking and walking and the category for Spain and Portugal. It subsequently went on to win a silver medal in the eLit national competition as well as being selected as a finalist by Self-Publishing Review (SPR), in addition to three other awards.

Julie is the owner and publisher of Bayou City Press (BCP) in Houston, Texas, which focuses on travel writing, Houston, history, and international affairs. Julie writes a weekly newsletter for BCP updating subscribers about activities.

Her books can be ordered from her publishing website (BayouCityPress.com), from her author website (JulieConnorAuthor.com), or from Amazon.com.

Uncaged welcomes Julie Gianelloni Conner

Welcome to Uncaged! You’ve written a very personal book with Savoring the Camino de Santiago. Can you tell readers what compelled you to write this travel memoir?

For years, I have kept a travel journal on trips, noting down everything from the day’s activities to expenses. For my Camino trip in 2016, I decided to try writing a travel blog instead of the usual travel journal. Due to connectivity problems in northern Spain, I abandoned the blog halfway through the trip and returned to keeping a travel journal. Those journal and blog entries were the basis for the book’s daily entries that charted my progress along the Camino. While on the Camino, I discovered many aspects of the Camino that I wished someone had told me about beforehand. I wanted to share those ideas with others thinking of traveling the Camino, and those ideas formed the basis for the parts of Savoring the Camino that give advice to Camino travelers. So, my book is a hybrid, with memoir elements and guidebook-like elements. My blog, CaminoforBoomers.com, is also a useful addendum to the book since it carries many, many photos in color that I was unable to include in the

| FEATUrE AUTHOr |

book, which only has black-and-white photos. I would say that my overriding motivation for writing the book was to tell readers that to experience the Camino you don’t have to walk every step, despite the prevailing culture now reigning among Camino travelers.

Do you have any new travel plans and books in mind for the future?

Last fall I returned to the Camino, doing a horseback Camino mounted on a fabulous horse named Picasso. I plan to write a book about that horseback Camino later this year.

Pilgrimage horseback group en route to church along the Camino

Later this year, I have another trip planned to Portugal and Spain. I can only hope that the COVID situation remains stable so that international travel will not be interrupted again.

As for future books, I plan to write a family memoir, maybe a professional memoir, and perhaps a fictional series based on my diplomatic career. I’d also like to write a couple of screenplays—so I have plenty of projects to keep me busy.

What behind-the-scenes tidbit in your life would probably surprise your readers the most?

I have lived a very international, cosmopolitan life, but I grew up on a ranch in Louisiana. Until my later teen years, I thought I would be a rancher or marry a rancher or at the least remain in the agricultural sphere. I had no idea I would have the life I have lived. I have been an avid reader from childhood. Actually, I am more a reader than a writer. Perhaps I should have tried for a career as a book reviewer or librarian. Besides reading, I enjoy playing duplicate bridge, though nowadays I only play once a week due to the time pressures of my micro-publishing company. Also, I watch the news daily, keeping up with national and international affairs. I have been interested in politics and foreign affairs since my teen years.

If you could have one all-year season, which would it be and why?

Summer. I love summertime—backyard barbeques, road trips, fairs and festivals. I prefer warm weather and have spent a lifetime, unsuccessfully for years at a time, trying to avoid snow.

My booth at ComicPalooza in July 2021, a summertime staple in Houston

Do you prefer ebooks, audiobooks or physical books? Are you reading anything now?

I much prefer actual physical books, though ebooks are a great way to take a library along with me when I am on an extended trip. I know a lot of people are not readers, so I had Savoring the Camino made into an audiobook for them.

I am usually reading several books at the same time. I stash one on my bedside table, one by my place at the breakfast table, one in my TV area, etc. Right now I am working on a thriller, a historic review of Texas politics since the Civil War, and a guide to hidden places in Houston, where I live.

What would you like to say to fans, and where can they follow you?

Both of my books break the usual mold, and sometimes readers don’t like that. For example, Savoring the Camino is both a memoir and a guidebook to the Camino. Some readers have suggested that I should have made the text into two separate books, but I aimed my book at people who are thinking they might want to travel the Camino or who know they never will but want to know what the experience is like. And for those readers, I believe the mixture of the two gives the most overall information about and sense of the Camino. Also, as the subtitle of Savoring the Camino indicates, this book is not for true believers who think there is no other way to travel the Camino except to walk every step.

As for following me, I am fairly active on social media, with two websites plus weekly posts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn. I suggest readers check out my author website at JulieConnorAuthor.com.

Enjoy an excerpt from Savoring the camino De Santiago

Savoring the Camino De Santiago Julie Gianelloni Connor Travel Memoir

“Savoring the Camino de Santiago: It’s the Pilgrimage, Not the Hike” is an award winning book by author Julie Gianelloni Connor. The book focus on the Camino de Santiago, an ancient pilgrimage trail that began around 820 AD. A resurrection of interest in the Camino since the 1970s has meant that more than 300,000 individuals are nowadays undertaking the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela each year. The author made the pilgrimage in 2016 via the French route from Saint-Jean-Piedde-Port in France to Santiago de Compostela in Spain, a journey of some 500 miles. Her book incorporates a blog and travel journal she kept during that pilgrimage. The book is also a memoir, with Ms. Connor explaining how and why she decided to make the pilgrimage. Savoring the Camino is also a practical guide to the Camino for those interested in it. While the prevailing culture of the Camino is to walk the route, Ms. Connor believes that walking is not the only way to undertake the Camino. Taking buses, taxis, or even driving are also valid ways to experience the Camino, in her opinion. She advocates for pilgrims to slow down and savor the pilgrimage by stopping in churches, cathedrals, museums, and interesting towns and cities along the route. Not everyone experiences spiritual or personal growth through the act of walking; Ms. Connor urges pilgrims to take the trip in the manner that

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will most connect them with their spiritual, religious, and transcendent well springs.After completing the pilgrimage, the author journeyed on to Madrid and Toledo, and there are chapters in the book covering those visits. Ms. Connor also recounts activities following the journey related to the Camino, such as writing an open letter to relevant governmental authorities in Spain and hosting a thank-you dinner in Houston for those who helped her plan and organize her pilgrimage.The book also includes a useful chapter on resources as well as an index.

Excerpt

Chapter 15 The Baby Carriage

ALONG THE CAMINO, you see every sort of travel group. Singles, pairs, couples holding hands, groups, large groups, even one very pregnant young woman. Parents with children. People walking with dogs.

I always looked over the children closely. I myself found the walking very strenuous. How would a six-year-old kid manage it? One time we met and chatted with a threesome on bikes: father, mother, and son, who was about ten years old. I knew how James had hated biking uphill, so I was curious about how this boy was doing on the many hills and mountains of the Camino. His parents both averred that he was doing great. They had just started the Camino, so he had only had one day of biking so far, but he had done wonderfully that first day. The boy himself seemed happy. He was proud of staying up with his parents, and even boasted of being in the lead at times. Clearly this was an adventure he was relishing. The other children we saw also seemed happy as they walked, skipped, and ranalong. I overheard no whining or complaining.

I became used to seeing all sorts. Even so, I was taken aback one day at what I saw. James and I were struggling down a steep, screecovered slope. You had to really keep focused, because the slippery rocks under your feet made every step treacherous. Walking stickswere a huge help, and I don’t know how many times I would have fallen without them.

This, for me, was dangerous going. I had already broken my ankle once years previously, and the last thing I wanted was another broken ankle or leg. If I fell and injured myself along this largely inaccessible trail, how would emergency workers even get to me, much less carry me out? I went extremely slowly, planting my walking sticks securely, carefully putting each foot down and testing the footing before fully shifting my weight onto that foot, and always being ready for the slides that inevitably happened despite my care. This was tiring and anxiety-producing hiking, so I stopped often to look around. I needed to remind myself of the beauty of the countryside. And to remember the reasons why I was doing the walk.

Thanks to my frequent stops, I had plenty of time to observe these two guys toiling up the slope towards us. Seeing them was unusual for two reasons. First, they were going in the wrong direction. That is, they were headed away from, not towards, Santiago de Compostela. The great majority of pilgrims walk to Santiago. Only a tiny fraction walks home again, or back to their starting point. In our two months of walking, we only saw a handful of pilgrims headed back.

The second reason the two men were worth observing was that they were pushing a baby carriage. Uphill! On this scree-filled slope! It was hard enough going downhill. Going up, pushing that carriage, must have been hell. I kept wondering about what sort of crazy guys would be bringing a baby on this trip. The only explanation I could think of was that maybe they were locals, not pilgrims, and had no choice about routes to get home.

We approached closer and closer. Finally, we stopped, just uphill from them. The hood of the baby carriage was up, shielding the baby

Usually pilgrims pass each other by with a cheery “Buen Camino!” exchanged. Occasionally a pilgrim will ask a question about the route ahead—how far to the next town, or whether the other pilgrim had seen a certain individual on the Camino?

After I exchanged a few words with this particular pair, it was clear that these two men were foreign pilgrims, not locals. I continued to wonder about what in the world they were doing bringing a baby on this trip. While I wondered, I minded my manners and did not ask them any of the questions that were fizzing in my head. Where’sthe mom? How were they feeding the baby? Where were they staying? The pilgrim hostels wouldn’t take babies, I was pretty sure.

Finally, after a few minutes of chatting about the weather and the route, I broached what I really wanted to know.

“Are you on your way home?”

“Yes,” one of the men replied, “we are going back to our starting point in France.”

“My God,” I thought, “over the Pyrenees with a baby carriage?” “Can I see the baby?”

“Sure. Take a look.”

I made my careful way down the slope, stopping by the carriage. I peeked in, to see a mass of puppies curled up together. Only then did I notice a bitch sheltering in the shade under the baby carriage.

“Goodness! What’s this?”

“Seven puppies. Born on the Camino.”

“How old are they?”

| JULIE GIANELLONI cONNOr |

I looked down at the mama dog under the carriage with pity. She’d had to walk to Santiago pregnant, whelp seven pups, then turn around and go back the other direction while nursing her pups. I wondered, but didn’t ask, where they had acquired the baby carriage. And what about dog food for the new mom? I didn’t see any in evidence.

I looked at the mama dog again, and wished I had the courage to tell the two guys that they should be giving her a ride in the carriage too. Instead, I just said a heartfelt “Buen Camino y buena suerte!” and moved on down the slope. I am still wondering if this party of ten all made it home OK. And I still wish that I had taken a photo of the pups in the baby carriage, the littlest pilgrims I saw.

DON’T MISS THIS TITLE:

M.S. basmeer

M. S. Basmeer is of African and Arab descent. He finally settled in Canada having lived and worked in the diaspora of three countries with his wife and five children. He holds three degrees in English studies and Education and continues to teach English studies part time.

Follow the author from the backwater of his birth town as he copes with his adolescent inhibitions and through to his incompatible marriage, then to his eleven-year estrangement after he sires and rears five children who, together with their mother and his blessings, move to the diaspora. In richly textured prose, Basmeer’s private moments are palpable as he reunites with his family only to find himself struggling to understand the shift in their personalities. His struggles are unending even in his 73rd year as he walks out of his home for the sixth time after years of miscommunication and abuse.

What I could not understand was when Wife started spewing vitriol at me in her letters, blaming me for not trying hard enough to bring her into the Far Country, that I did not want her with me, or that Mother was arranging to send me a new bride. She would ask why another per-son she knew was able to join her husband in the same country and town while she was still “stuck” with Son in the Coastal Town. Consumed by her frustration, she assumed I was happy in the Far Country with no thought for her or Son.

I still remember the vitriol, one was a specific adage I had never heard before: Maskini akipata matako hulia mbwata, a local adage stating that when a poor person acquires wealth, his buttocks flap with a resounding noise that announces his good fortune. Then she began writing that she had other plans, that she was arranging to travel to another country where a cousin, more “considerate to [her] situation than [I] could ever be, would take responsibility for both [herself and Son].” She began demanding a divorce, stating she did not need me, that she was capable of tak-ing care of herself and Son. I would telephone Wife as well as write to her with pleas, pleading that I understood her frustrations, explaining my frustrations to boot; but it was like blowing my pleas down a telephone receiver so hollow that I could hear the echoes of my voice being stunted, being received at the other end in sounds incomparable, unremitting and therefore shallow in their breadth of meaning. I would receive a six-page letter, six pages every week—each page profound in affronts toward me and in her independent plans that were already falling into place.

The discord between us would continue for thirteen months before I was granted the visa, and subsequently, a vacation of fourteen days that enabled travel to the Coastal Town. I was now in a position to apply for a resident visa for Wife and Son though a mandatory waiting period of six months, give or take a few more months, was required. I was hopeful, nevertheless, for a happy reunion despite the misunderstandings between us. Together or apart, we had been married for almost three years. We had a baby who was barely two years old but the length of time had done more in deepening the divide between us than in building a bridge toward a mutual understanding. I wanted a soul mate I could exchange ideas with, one who would hear what I had to say and reason with me with logical explanations.

Instead, Wife would choose to unhear anything I said to her. I would strive to make a reasonable understanding of her retorts and always end up letting her have her way because I could not fight and win when there was a wall between us. The premise for her divorce, while abrupt and unreasonable because her visa to the Far Country was not forthcoming, was unshakeable as was her resolve to move on to the Neighboring Far Country with her cousin. I had booked a room at a beach hotel immediately after my arrival at the Coastal Town where we could talk in privacy, away from either family. We should have been able to snap out of the dire straits and come to a good place where we could have moved forward while awaiting the necessary documents from the Far Country. Instead, we exchanged a volley of accusations against each other. Exhausted by the futility of unrequited pleas, by the hurt each felt because of the tangible disregard the other party has inflicted, imagined or real, we came together in the unchallenged peace of our lovemaking, an act that has the illusionary effect of transporting both parties into a melody of agreement, an agreement transient nonetheless, because with physical desire quashed, reality rushes in to subdue the momentary peace.

Seeing no end to the back and forth of misunderstood communication, and from what must have seemed to Wife as my insensitivity toward her most urgent need to join me in the Far Country, we divorced. I was decisive in the need to proceed with the divorce while she accepted my spirit, or lack thereof, with the nonchalance of inevitability. Her plans to migrate to another country under the care of her cousin were already in place while my assurances for when she could join me in the Far Country were nonspecific, lacking a timeframe, and therefore seeming insincere to her.

We went our separate ways, she threatening me with never seeing Son again and I, having already given up on my marriage, being too broken to fight her in court. I also knew that because of my long absence from the Coastal Town, and therefore from the contacts Wife had garnered at the law court, I would be impeded from any hope of winning a child-custody case against a mother who was still present in the Coastal Town. We were not to meet again for six years.

I returned to the Far Country and reported for work immediately upon arrival, forfeiting ten days of my vacation. It was not long before I heard she had gone to her cousin in the Neighbouring Far Country, leaving Son with her family in the Coastal Town. Soon after, there was news she was engaged to a national of the Neighbouring Far Country, that marriage was soon to follow.

Son was now four years old, growing up entirely with the support of her family to whom she had given strict instructions: I was not to see or take Son out of her family’s house when I was in the country, and neither could Mother or Brother, for fear I would bundle up Son and stowaway him to the Far Country, which was absurd since children were not pret-a-porter, not items for the suitcase.

We would remarry after six years—the first time I saw Son again. It was six years in which I had had no news of Son. I was later to find out he had been going to kindergarten with fees being paid by Wife’s fiancé in the Neighboring Far Country.