Crossing Borders Sequel - Changing Lives : Preface
*Preface*
"But what is happiness except the simple harmony between a man
and the life he leads? "
Albert Camus
So what happened next?
This is the question I have had
from many people who have read “Crossing Borders”(my account of my meeting
with my Palestinian husband) and of those who have learned of the background of
my husband and step family. It was not my intention, when telling of the events
which led us to be here in Britain, to continue the account of the rest of our
lives or even to tell anything further about our relationship. But it seems
that some follow up is wanted by readers and perhaps, to be honest, it is needed for myself too.
I have sometimes struggled with how to describe the events following our arrival in this country, but decided that the only way is to "tell it as it is”. It is told obviously, from my point of view, but I have added the views of others as and when necessary.
This “sequel” has been in and on my mind for a long time now. It is, potentially more topical and perhaps even more controversial than "Crossing Borders" itself and is difficult and painful to write and to remember many episodes. I generally write as things come to me - Chapter 12 may be written after Chapter 16 and Chapter 1 might be the last to be produced before editing, shuffling to make the final copy. But as this is biography, it is not straightforward to just report situations. As in most stories, the end does not always turn out as expected, and the end is difficult to ascertain anyway.
I ended “Crossing Borders” with a
comment that a friend in Ramallah had made when I asked him how I could ever
possibly finish it with events constantly happening. His reply was that the
story never ends – because this is the way of life and we continue to
experience new things or maybe the same things but with a different perspective
on them.
This seems appropriate for this
story too.
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