Warning: The content of this story may not be suited to some people; it contains sexual material references that some may find offensive.

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Well high everyone, NZ is heading into spring and what we all hope warmer better weather. It seems to have been cold and wet so far, but we can only hope it’s a good hot summer just like last year.

Now I know this story is not going to be to everybody’s liking, but I’ve wanted to write it for some time. It is unlike any of my other stories and does not have a great deal of sexual content…sorry about that.

Another question being asked is. What about the next chapter to “The Wife Swap” well it’s about 90% done. I’ve just had a little writers block for the time being and can’t quite get the last bit finished, but I’ve had a rest from it so should be giving it my full attention from now on.

Hope everyone is having a great day and the global economy not affecting you too much.

Warm regards to all

Lisa

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The Volunteer

By Lisa Peacock

You might say I’d been born with a silver spoon in my mouth. My sister and I had, had a privileged life, coming into a wealthy family; money had never been a problem. I would not describe myself as a raving beauty. I was blond, attractive and leaned more to the chubby side than slender or skinny.

At twenty-two I’d joined an overseas volunteer group. As a qualified nurse and partly trained doctor, I thought my skills would be better served helping some of the underprivileged of the world. I was one of twelve volunteer nurses, each of us were split up and assigned to a group to serve in out of the way regions. Mostly in inhospitable and inaccessible areas where our skills would be best served and appreciated.

It was a small team that set out that morning. One nurse, that was me two doctors and a couple of technicians. At most two days, it was well into the interior, rugged terrain and little or no chance of getting there by road. We set off by helicopter early morning, there was enough fuel for a one way trip out, then refuel and a trip back. It had been done many times before so there should be no complications. We flew over miles and miles of nothing a small village here and a village there, a few people, poor farmers trying to eek a living from poor to baron soil, a few sheep or goats or a cow or two for milk. There were small patches of green where some were fortunate enough to grow crops to supplement their daily sustenance. Then we flew a little higher into the snowline as we headed over the mountain range and down into Balhazan, the nearest reasonably populated area. It was about now we hit trouble, there was an almighty bang and smoke billowed from the engine.

“Oh shit” I heard the pilot say.

“What’s up Jack” one of the technicians asked.

“It’s big Peter…very big…we’re going down…I can’t hold her” his voice still calm.

The helicopter began to spin and shudder as we plummeted toward the ground, the snow ridge getting nearer by the second

“Mayday…mayday…. mayday” Jack screamed into the mike, but he couldn’t do both, trying to keep the machine under control taking every ounce of his efforts.

“Buckle up…buckle up” he shouted at us. I was scared…real scared almost frozen to the spot. I stared open mouth out of the window as I saw the ground coming closer and closer.

“Fasten your belt Anna…hurry for god’s sake” I heard Peter shouting at me.

Oh god where’s the buckle…where’s the buckle, I was saying to myself…too late, we hit the ground and all went black.

I have no idea how long I lay in the snow unconscious; when I came to I was looking up into a clear blue sky. So this is what heaven is like I thought, then it all came back to me, the falling plane…out of control and bam…. we hit the snow covered ground. Suddenly I felt cold, real cold…I was shivering. I started to move my limbs, one at a time, little by little. Everything seemed to be working and apart from a few bruises and aching I seemed to be all right. I could smell burning oil…or burning something. I twisted my body over so that I could see the downed helicopter. It was on its side all twisted and buckled, smoke and flames billowing from it. “Peter, Jack…anyone can you hear me…hey guys are you ok” I’m shouting for them…no reply. I slowly push myself onto unsteady legs and walk toward the downed craft, there’s a flash and a bang and I’m thrown on my back again…there are no survivors.

Oh god, I say to no one but myself, there is no one else. Apart from the crackling of the burning wreck there is nothing…just a vast nothing and silence. I once again get to my feet and stand surveying the scene and landscape before me. Above me more snow covered mountain, below me where the snowline disappears what looks like the surface of the moon…stretching forever. I slump back down in the snow; bury my head in my hands and cry. After a while I realize crying is not going to get me out of here…going up and over the mountain is out of the question, staying where I am was not an alternative, even though we had been taught to stay put until rescue arrives…by the time they arrived I’d be a frozen corpse. I was already shivering from the cold. It was fortunate that I had dressed in heavier clothing. The skirt was inappropriate but it was good thick wool, a wool pullover a heavy over coat with fur lined boots, had I some how realized this was all going to happen. I had to get down off the mountain and find somewhere for a little warmth, there was still a few hours of daylight left and I remember the last small settlement we had passed over…so I headed in that general direction.

Reaching the solid ground was only slightly better than the snow line, but at least my feet started to warm up as I trudged on. Then I came upon what looked like a trail, was it an animal track or did humans sometimes follow it, whatever, it was much easier to walk upon and it was headed in the direction of the settlement.

The daylight was starting to fade, I was cold miserable and I was starting to hallucinate….I was seeing dead people, people I’d known from my past…I could go no further…this was it, the place where I would surely die. I lay on the ground…sleep, I just wanted to sleep, that sounded good to me.

I was dreaming, I could hear voices, but I could not understand them, why could I not understand them? Strong hands were pulling me to my feet, but why could I not understand what they were saying…perhaps I was dead…was this heaven, no…no I was alive and being supported by two strong men, my legs were working and I walked with the aid of these two guys. My vision was hazy but I could see men…men dressed in thick clothing, only their faces showing, strong weather beaten faces, two younger men and an old guy I could see his aged, craggy weather beaten face, a smile a warm friendly smile, then back to darkness.

I woke with a start…it was light and I felt warm a snug. I gazed around the room I was in. It looked like a stone hut, wooden beams and a thatched roof, the smell of burning wood permeated the air along with other smells…what was that other smell…it made me hungry…bread, it smelt like bread. Then I see faces above me…looking at me, smiling faces, the old man and a younger woman. They are talking to me but I can’t understand a word they are saying…what are they saying?

I respond, “Hello…I’m Anna, our helicopter crashed…my friends and colleagues, I think they are all dead”. The memory of it all comes rushing back and tears start to form. “I’m sorry…I shouldn’t cry” I reply, holding back the tears.

The old man places a hand on my shoulder and says something to me…I know not what. Between them they help me to sit up. The woman shuffles off to the stone oven, takes out fresh hot bread, cuts off a piece, ladles some meat stew into a bowl and returns with it.

I eat it ravenously my hunger even more than I first thought. I look up and see them watching me, smiling. “Sorry…you must think I’m a pig” I say, but they don’t understand what I’m saying. I return to eating, but at a more dignified pace. They then hand me some strong sweet tea which I gratefully sip…I’m beginning to feel better already. When my hunger is satisfied the old man helps me back down and soon the warm and full stomach have me fall asleep once more.

I must have slept the rest of the day and all the next night. When I awoke again it was once more daylight. The old man was gone but the woman was still there. I felt stronger and more refreshed now. I was still in the clothes I had arrived in. I rose and went over to the woman.

“Hi I’m Anna…does anyone here speak English” I asked. All I got was a blank stare and some words I did not understand. With some sign language I eventually established our names. She was Deeba and she repeated my name A-N-N-A.

“Yes that’s right Anna” I said.

Over the next day or so it was all sign language as I got to know the other residents in the village, if that’s what you could call it. Emad was the old mans name and I worked out that Deeba was his daughter. There was one more resident in our hut by the name of Asif, who was the grandson of Emad. Emad might be old in years but his mind was sharp, body lean and straight and could match any of his younger generation. To him fell the mantel of leader?

I tried to tell them what had happened and that I needed to get word to the outside world as to my plight and what had happened to our group…but they didn’t understand or care. They either nodded in sympathy or shook their heads…I was getting frustrated. I drew maps in the soil with a stick. “We crash here…mountain here…Balhazan here…over mountain…that way” I said indicating the direction I’d come from.

Again they would look in puzzlement rub their unshaven chins…scratch their heads and give me a look of not understanding.

“Errrrrrr…god give me strength” I’d say and throw down the stick in utter frustration.

As the days passed into weeks I did not sit around idle. I fed from them so I decided to help them with the crops and cattle…. I didn’t want a free passage. I decided that all I needed was patience and that eventually someone would find the wreckage, see that the female passenger (me) wasn’t among the bodies and would work from there. I assumed this village or community would be the nearest to the crash site. So until that day occurred I’d toil in the fields and help with the beasts, also my training as a nurse would come in handy, broken bones etc. It wasn’t a large community. The outside world would know little about them…in a poor country who cared about them anyhow? Out of sight out of mind.

Ages ranged from babies, youngsters, young men and women, middle age men and women to the elderly, even the elderly chipped in and did their bit for their survival…not doing anything would make me feel guilty.

I was given clothing more suitable to the area and colder climate, full woolen dresses and shawls along with headscarves and fur lined boots…not exactly attractive or designer label but it served its purpose.

I shared the room with Emad, Asif and Deeba. A curtain stretched around my little area, the only privacy I had. I was given a nightdress, woolen which was nice and warm and far better than sleeping in just bra and panties

One might have thought they lived a hard dull life…well I guess the hard bit was true, but they seemed quite happy with what they had and laughed joked and even partied at times. A beast would be killed and put on a spit, music courtesy of a few rudimental instruments helped them dance and sing and you could not but help join in the festivities. I danced and clapped my hands along with them and flirted with the men as did all the women…bumping hip to hip as we danced…giving each other warm friendly hugs as we finished…I thought nothing of it…it was just their way. Perhaps I’d been sending out the wrong signals, especially to Emad.

I lost track of time but estimated it had been almost a year since the crash and I started to despair at ever being found or rescued. Repeated attempts to get my friends to go find the authorities fell on deaf ears…they didn’t understand or perhaps they did understand and didn’t want me to leave. I now know what it must have felt like for those people marooned on a dessert island, there for years and years, they too must have given up all hope of rescue. I’d befriended Emad as a friend…or at least I thought so, after all we shared the same space each night, albeit a fenced off area for myself. I did not realize my showing affection toward him was misinterpreted as something quite different by him…he’d come to love me and the language barrier had contributed to our lack of real communication.

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I knew and felt something was wrong on that night when Deeba fell silent and she and Asif moved out of the hut. The community had renamed me Meetra…instead of Anna and I responded to the name every time they called out to me, I now felt one of them, although I’d learned little of the language.

I was by myself alone in the hut…I drew the curtain around my area, changed into my bed attire, pulled the blankets over my head, turned on my side and went to sleep.

The movement under the blankets woke me. A warm body was close to mine, an arm around my waist, holding me tight…then a hand cupping my naked breast, squeezing it. It took a moment or two to realize my night attire had been pulled up around my midriff and the hand had sneaked under it.

“Who…. what…who’s that?” I said alarmed.

The voice that replied was that of Emad. I could not understand what it was he’d said, but he’d pulled closer to me. I could smell his garlic and tobacco laden breathe. I reached out and felt his body…he was naked and my hand touched his hard erection.

“Oh god no…no Emad…please no”

He rolled me on to my back and whispered something to me, something I could not understand, then his lips were upon mine, forcing a kiss. I swung my head to one side then the other to avoid his kisses. “No…no Emad please” trying to push him off. His fingers now inside my pussy, feeling probing, pushing deeper and deeper. “Oh god that hurts Emad…please no” I say again…but he won’t be deterred. He may be old and wiry but he was strong…very strong…he continues to thrust his fingers inside me. Now he’s excited enough and slides his body on top of mine. I feel the warmth and harness of his erection against my thighs. I continue to push against him “No…no Emad” I feel the head and the first two inches enter me. “Oh god” I twist my hips and ass and it falls out. He tries again and gets a few more inches inside me…again I twist and again it falls out. He’s saying something to me…I know not what. I feel him try once more, this time a full hard thrust takes him all the way in. I shout out in pain “Oh god Emad” He holds that position for a moment or two…holding me speared on his hard shaft. My hands pummel at him hoping I’m hurting him. He grabs my wrists and pins them against the pillow, he speaks to me, a low soft murmur. I think he’s trying to reassure me, calm me down. My heart is pumping, racing, thumping in my chest. He holds his position, no movement, his erection inside me, filling me. His voice is calm, gentle soothing, his hand strokes my hair, and then feeling the tension in my body recede and only then do I feel his hips start to sway…and now he’s fucking me. His thrusts are slow, long and deep, deliberate strokes. Words spoken in any language all have the same meaning. I feel and smell his hot breath as he continues to fuck and fuck and fuck. He moans and sighs. “Uh…uh…. uh” his hips swaying, his cock pumping me. The room is totally black, no stars or moonlight…just total blackness and “Uh…uh…uh” the sound of his fucking. I wait for him to finish; there is nothing I can do. I feel one big deep thrust “Uh”.

“Oh god” I shout.

There is a pause, and then another deep meaningful thrust “Uh”

“Oh jeeze” I cry again another pause.

Once last final thrust “Uh” followed by a low satisfied moan and I know he’s cuming, pumping his seed into fertile ground.

He talks to me. What is it he is saying? Telling me how wonderful it all was? Had I enjoyed it? What? Just what was he saying?

He pulls away from me and I turn on my side, my back towards him. His arm encircles my waist and pulls me tight against his body. With my nightdress now well up around my waist I feel the warmth of that body next to mine. He gently kisses the back of my neck, whispering what must be sweet nothings in my ear. It takes a while but eventually sleep overtakes me. I’m awakened twice more before dawn and we repeat the same sequence of events.

With the dawn comes the light. Emad is gone, for a while I lie there recalling the previous nights events, then I dress and go to join the others and do my work…another day, but today was not to be just any ordinary day…today is a day I would remember for the rest of my life

As I step from the hut all eyes turn toward me, they all know what had happened last night…all must know that Emad had fucked me…but there was also something else, an air of excitement and expectancy. I could see it in their faces.

First I saw the two horses, one saddled the other with panniers on and a stranger, the stranger was talking to Emad. On seeing me they broke off their conversation and the women folk hurried toward me, quickly ushering me back inside. Chatter, chatter, chatter, smiling and laughing with excitement. God just what was it with these people today.

A dress was presented to me and laid out. I was a beautiful colourful dress with much embroidery upon it. It must have taken many hours to sew all the fine needlework, there was also a bonnet, the likes you only see from days gone by when women wore such items. It looked very much like a national costume. The women were gesticulating, wanting me to undress, pulling at my garments. Whilst my naked form in front of these women had me somewhat embarrassed it didn’t seem to worry them. They redressed me from the ground up you might say and the dress was almost a perfect fit. It was the first time I’d felt really feminine in all the time I’d been here…but why the dress and why today…was this some national day they were all going to celebrate. Four other dresses were produced and four of the women attired in them and all the time there was this excited buzz…even I was starting to get excited.

Women came and went, more chatter more excitement and then they were ready.

Two of the other women went first, followed by me. As I stepped outside I could see that other women had dressed for the occasion also the men, dark suits and crisp white shirts…even Emad was dressed and shaved, he had polished up quite well and for an old guy didn’t come up too bad and then I remembered last night and what we did together. I also knew that everyone here would know that as well. They walked me toward Emad and had me stand beside him. Emad took a firm grip of my hand and held it out in front of him…his touch reminding me of last night and I try hard to pull free, but to no avail. I look quizzically at the man standing before us with book in hand…he looks remarkably like…. oh no…oh god no. He raps a purple ribbon around our co-joined hands…oh dear god no, it’s a marriage ceremony…my marriage. I look despairingly at all the faces surrounding me; they are smiling back and nodding at me.

The man holds up one hand and starts to read from the book. I have no idea what he is saying, then he addresses me and asks what seems to be a question, all wait my answer.

One of the women speaks words to me. I look at her, again a quizzical look on my face. She repeats the words. Like a fool I repeat them to her, addressing her not the so-called preacher or whoever he was. We’ve all done it, someone says something to you and you repeat the words to make sure you heard and understood what they had just said. Well I did just that, they all heard it and I realized too late I must have said the words “I do”

Now moving on he addressed Emad, same question. He turned toward me, smiling and gave the same answer. A gold ring was slipped on my finger and a similar one on Emad’s finger. The reader spoke from the book some more; waved his hands around in a form of blessing and I guess pronounced us man and wife. Suddenly the whole community burst into applause, the men quick to rush over to Emad, backslapping and shaking his hand. The women came to me with hugs and kisses. I realized I was a married woman and that Emad was now my husband. Dear god how could this be…how had it happened…it was a dream…a nightmare surely…soon I’d wake up from it all.

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On that day I surrendered all hope of rescue, it had been over twelve months since the crash, surely some one would have found the wreckage by now and instigated a rescue plan.

I felt Edams arm around my waist as he drew me to him…pride showing in his face and eyes…he had a bride, a young blond bride, he would be the envy of all the men. Soon his bride would give him a child…hopefully it would be a boy. I knew the child part was correct after all he had not used a condom. I had not used a birth control pill since the crash and my eggs would be ready for fertilization, something he’d already done…oh yes I’d be giving him a child alright…boy or girl, only time would tell.

The preacher/reader turned and walked away. Emad took my hand and we followed also two other men from the village came with us. The reader went to the horse carrying the pannier’s, removed a book or ledger, placed it on a table that one of the villages had supplied for this purpose…then opened the ledger, he wrote in it, writing that I could not understand, it looked like a lot of squiggles and had no meaning.

He then produced an inkpad. Emad rolled a finger over it, then pressed his finger on the page, leaving his fingerprint. They took one of my fingers and repeated it. My fingerprint next to Emad’s, the reader produced a pen and indicated I sign next to my print. I realized I was about to sign a marriage certificate. They had not offered the pen to Emad, obviously he could not write. I took the pen and looked at those eagerly watching me, waiting to see my hand, write my name alongside my fingerprint. Twelve months…twelve months I had waited to be rescued and no one had come for me, would they ever. I surveyed the silent crowed awaiting my signature. These people were now my family, they’d been good and kind to me, I shared their food, I’d toiled with them and treated their wounds and I was pregnant…well I was pretty certain I was pregnant…I signed the book.

Shouts and screams of delight followed, clapping, music and dancing. Tables were brought outside, food and wine produced. The wine was new to me I’d never seen any alcohol since I arrived here. The calf had been slaughtered and the fire lit beneath the spit. It was party time. More hand shake and back slapping for Emad and more hugs and kisses for me.

As the day wore on and the food and wine consumed I took a moment to reflect the day’s happenings. I felt and twirled the gold ring on my finger. I knew I’d surrendered myself to all this, I’d abandoned all hope of ever leaving here. These were now my people, my family and I turned my gaze to Emad, he was laughing and smiling with his friends, somehow he seemed much younger…for better or for worse he was my husband and I was his wife…time to move on.

As the light began to fade and the party wind up. The women came for me, took my hand and took me to Emad’s hut. It was time to prepare the bride for her husband. I was stripped naked, bathed and scented oil applied to my body, put to bed covered with a blanket and then all he women left. I was alone and ready to receive my husband. A short while later Emad entered, he smiled at his newly acquired bride. I watched as he slowly undressed. It was the first time I’d seen him naked. He didn’t have the body of a young man, time had taken care of that, but he carried no fat and was lean instead of skinny. His skin was a dark tan as all men in this region; he had a full head of gray hair and an erection that any young man would be jealous of. He peeled back the blanket his eyes raked my naked form, and then he dropped down beside me. His hand ran gently over my belly, stroking it, and then he bent and kissed the area he’d just stoked. For the first time I understood his spoken word “Baby” he said it quite distinctly, then pointing to himself said “Emad, baby”

I nodded and said yes “Emad baby”. He gently lowered himself on top of my body and just as gently entered me. This time I did not fight him, I willingly spread my legs apart for him and enjoyed the wonderful feeling of his penis inside me. I could not understand what he was saying to me I just agreed with him, running my hands over his bum, squeezing and pulling him in. Softly moaning and sighing to the motion of his hips “Oh god Emad…. Emad” I whispered.

His lovemaking was in stark contrast to last night, when he forced himself inside me. Tonight it was filled with love and gentleness, the only time he was a little rough was at the end. It was always three full deep thrusts a pause between each thrust and he would cum on the final thrust.

The honeymoon lasted for five days; if we weren’t eating we were fucking, mostly fucking. If I wasn’t pregnant now I never would be…at least not by Emad. Then daughter and son moved back in. It didn’t seem to bother any of them. Daughter and son would go to sleep with the sound of Emad and I fucking…he never hid the fact at what we were doing.

When my period didn’t arrive on time and I had morning sickness I knew I was pregnant…Emad knew and then the whole village knew. It was time for more hand shakes, back slapping, hugs and kisses…another calf killed and a day of celebration.

I was three months pregnant, I was ending my first trimester and entering my second my waist was showing it. Then we heard the noise. Bap…bap…bap. Everyone stopped what he or she were doing to listen, again bap…bap…bap and it was getting nearer, the tone changing as it did so wamp…wamp…wamp, and then we saw it, a helicopter making toward the village. God no…it can’t be, not after all this time. My heart leapt with joy. They were coming, at long last contact with the outside world. I looked toward Emad; he was watching me, a worried look on his face. I put my hands on my expanding belly and looked at it, suddenly realizing what this now all meant. I saw the others faces looking at me also…all thinking the same thing. I was a married woman…I had a husband and a child…his child on the way.

The helicopter hovered over the village, the whirling blades kicking up the dry dust and soil. We turned our backs from it taking refuge from the dust storm it was creating. The engine came to a stop and the blades slowly wound down. Uniformed men and civilians spilled from it and headed toward us.

Emad being the head of the village went to greet them, a brief conversation and they came toward me.

“Miss Anna Greenaway” one of the civilians asked, with an Aussie accent. “I’m Peter Thorp, representing the Australian Ambassador”

I hesitated and looked at Emad, I only knew his name and other village members by one name and it seemed that surnames were not too common in this part of the world.

“Well Mr. Thorp I’m now Mrs. Emad and no longer Miss. Greenaway and I suppose my correct name should be Meetra Emad”

This declaration threw Mr. Thorp into confusion. “Oh...er…well, but you used to be Anna Greenaway…is that right?” He and the others took note of my condition and expanding waistline. No doubt they were wondering how come the relationship, putting us together was more like a grandfather and granddaughter rather than husband and wife…and a blond wife at that, it was hard to conceal my blond hair even wearing a headscarf.

“That’s correct Mr. Thorp, I used to be” This sudden unexpected change in events had them all wondering what the next move was to be. I was left standing there whilst the men folk went with Emad, he produced our marriage certificate to prove what I’d said was correct. Now convinced there had been no impropriety and that I’d been a willing participant, it was now a question of “What do you want to do Anna, or should we say Meetra?”

God why now, it was now fifteen months since the crash, if they had arrived when they should have I would have had no hesitation, I would have been on the flight and headed straight back home, now where was my home. I felt attached to these people and abandoned by my people, it wasn’t their fault though. They had instigated an immediate search, found the downed helicopter and one missing person, they had made a wide sweep of the area for days, found nothing and no one and they had declared me missing or possibly dead. It was only the chance spotting of a passing group who had reported a blond women living in a village way up north. I don’t even remember the group, I was probably working in the fields as they passed by and let’s be fair a pale skinned blond amongst tanned skin persons would stand out…and hence the situation I was in now.

I decided I was going to go back…but not for long. I needed to have my child in a proper hospital and I also needed to catch up with family…there was so much more I could do for these people…no my people, by returning home for a short while before returning.

I could see the pain in Emad’s eyes at my decision. He did not believe I would return, that once back home I’d find lawyers, have the marriage annulled and that would be the end of it. I tried to convince him that it was not so, but he did not believe me. He so wanted this baby. He would gently stroke my belly, and then kiss it as if he were kissing the child itself. I’d learned some of the language by now and he would look at me with pride and declare, “My baby…Emad’s baby” and my reply “Yes your baby…Emad’s baby” how his seed had been planted on that night now long forgotten.

The whirling blades once again stirred up the dry dust as the helicopter started to rise. I looked at all the despondent faces; Emad’s amongst them as we gained height. God I felt I was betraying them, abandoning them. It hadn’t taken long to gather what I’d been rescued in. I gripped the seat and felt a little scared, memories of that fateful day flooding back. I’d done my best to assure him and the rest that I would return…that I had things that needed to be attended to, closure in some parts before I could give my full attention to the future with them all.

I wanted to help them without spoiling their way of life completely, they were simple honest folk who worked hard but at the same time were content and happy with what little they had. I looked at the way we lived in the land of plenty, not the same smiling faces, always looking to make that extra buck, greed and no one sharing or caring. If I was going back I wanted a few creature comforts.

Mum and dad may not have always approved at my choices in life, the way I had lived it, unlike my older sister who had gone on to become a successful lawyer in Melbourne, but they always loved and supported me. I told them of my decision to return to my husband, as old as he may be. They and others could never understand how I could have come to love such an old man. I’d sent many letters back, detailing each week’s progress, pictures of our new baby…a son for Emad…Emad Jr and I knew he’d treasure those pictures more than anything else I could give him. It was to be two years before I returned…no doubt a lifetime to them all. I finished my doctorate…that was one thing I felt I needed to achieve. Father funded a generator for electricity, books for the children’s learning and medicines.

A nurse called Brenda said she wanted to come with me as did two other male handymen…a Norwegian and a Brit. I told them it was not a pick nick we were about to embark upon…but they would not be deterred. I made one more request of father. I wanted better accommodation than a stone hut to bring my son up in…his grandson…he went even further and as well as a two bedroom house he donated a community hall and living accommodation for other volunteers. Our village was Betak and this would be our base camp to service the out lying region…just as well I’d been brought up with horses as this would be our only means of transport.

I don’t think Emad ever thought the day would come when he eventually got to see his son…but that day was one of the happiest for both of us…the look on his face at the sight of Emad Jr, now two years old was priceless. It was inevitable that the village organize a party. My new friends and colleagues seem to have taken to their new life like ducks to water. Emad that first night of my return planted fresh seed in my garden and we are now awaiting a brother or sister for Emad jr.

Living happy ever after? Well that is for fairytales, we on the other hand are living one day at a time… and me…well I guess I’m Home