Bewildered Laura Is Subjected... To One Devastating Shock... After Another... Including Mark's Rude Demand... For A Divorce... Over The Phone... On The Very Eve... Of Her Arrival In Miami...!

When Laura finally arrived in Miami... on the following Wednesday... expecting Mark... to be waiting for her... there was nobody there... at the airport... not even Dr. Ruth White... whom she had originally cabled...!

She had experienced a moment's hesitation... for as her feet... touched US soil... for the second time... in her life... she suddenly heard her Guardian Angel's Voice... Speaking into her right ear... as usual... Saying... to her horror...:

"You Are Now In The Land... Where The Dollar Is Worshipped...!"

And disgusted... and appalled... she had wanted to get right back on the plane... fly back to England... where she felt... so much at home...

But then He further Said...

"...And Where You Will Meet Your Husband...!"

And immediately eagerly asking "Mark?"... she Was Greeted... with that Heavy Empty Silence... that she knew so well...

Nevertheless... remembering her earlier Guidance... from Him... in Cape Town... South Africa... she went to the phone... and heard... from a very disgruntled Ruth... who angrily scolded her... for being so careless... with people's valuable time... and affections...!

Apparently... the whole Miami SUBUD Group... had come to the airport... to welcome her... the previous Wednesday... especially Mark...

And when he saw... that she was not coming back to him... after all... he had become very angry... announcing... to all and sundry... that he was going to shack up... with the very next woman he met...!

Which turned out to be a young woman... from Argentina... named Rochana... who had just Received... the very night before... that she should drop everything... and move to Denver... immediately...!

Had she followed... her perfect Divine Guidance... she would have been spared ten years... of a miserable marriage to Mark... once their sexual passion... for each other... wore off... after only eight months...!

It so happens that some years later... this soul... having become Muftiah... met the very man... in Denver... herself... who would have been perfect... for Rochana...!

Dismayed... Laura protested to Ruth... that the airlines... had promised their passengers... that they would inform... those people waiting for them... explaining about the engine trouble... and Ruth angrily retorted... that nobody from the airlines... had contacted her...!

After an awkward pause... over the phone line... Ruth brusquely told her to take a taxi... and come down to South Miami... to her office... giving her the street address... for the taxi driver...

It was a very long drive... from the airport... taking about 45 minutes... along a stretch... of a single road...

And when they finally arrived at the address... the taxi fare had cost her $19.00... which left her with only $9.00... accessible to her name... in the USA...!

Laura knew that she could have gone back to generous hearted Mama Rosie... while the plane was undergoing repairs... back in Bridgetown... but she did not want to impose on her kindness... any further... so that she stayed at a hotel... for the week... which cost her about $300...

The cabbie helped her with her suitcases... and when she opened the door... she was surprised to find herself... standing in a fascinating health food store... the very first one... in her life...!

And looking around for Ruth... whom she had met... once before... during Mark's recuperation... from the terrible gas tank explosion... when he had been so badly burned... in Antigua... and they had gone from SUBUD Group... to SUBUD Group... around Florida... she was addressed... by an austere looking... middle-aged lady... asking whether she needed any help...

And asking for Dr. Ruth White... she was directed to a narrow doorway... in the corner... at the back of the store... being told that she would find her in her office... upstairs...

Realizing that she would have to climb some steps... she politely asked... whether she could leave her suitcases... with the lady... behind the counter...

Which innocent request... turned out to be her life saver... the very next day...!

At a nod... from the sudden appearance... of a very tall... dignified... elderly man... the lady acquiesced...

Laura found silver-haired Ruth... still with her short... severe... Japanese style bob cut... in a small office... learning that she was the employed bookkeeper... for the health food store... owned by her ex husband... Dr. Frank... the dignified man... she had just caught a glimpse of... and his partner... the lady... also called Ruth... whom she had just briefly met... downstairs...!

She already knew... from her previous visit... with Mark... that Ruth was a Chiropractor... although slightly crippled herself... and now she was learning... that she was also a bookkeeper... with a lucrative business... on the side... doing tax returns... including for all the SUBUD Members... of Florida...!

Bidding Laura to sit down... on a hard... wooden chair... next to her cluttered desk... and looking her straight in the eye... with her bright brown... lively eyes... she told her... rather curtly... that she hoped that she had not come to Miami... to make trouble for Mark...!

For he was already very seriously involved... with another woman... and that in fact... always having wanted to be a matchmaker... she had introduced them to each other... and that his new ladylove... was even wearing an engagement ring... given to her by him...!

And Laura... sitting in Ruth's little office... in a daze... found herself wondering... for the umpteenth time... why it was...

that none of her three husbands... had ever given her an engagement ring...!

And seething with anger... for a moment... she wondered whether Mark had bought the ring... with part of her inheritance money... or from the proceeds... of selling his cherished MG sports car...!

She already knew how... when he was about to be transferred... from the island of Attu... to South Africa... his buddies thought they would buy his treasured... expensive car... dirt cheap... and he had got the better of them... by setting it on fire...!

By this time... Laura was so exhausted... from all the uncertain tension... of the past ten days... that all she could say... and very sincerely... was that she had come to Miami... because her Heavenly Father... Had Told Her To... and she was just simply obeying Him...

This answer seemed to appease Ruth... somewhat... and she picked up her phone... and spoke to someone... telling them that "the wife" had just turned up... and was sitting in her office... and that she was wondering what to do with her... and did the person... have any suggestions...!

When she got off the phone... she informed Laura... that she would be taking her to a SUBUD lady's home... after work... to discuss her situation...

And then she abruptly asked her.... how she was fixed financially... and when she heard... that Mark had cleaned out their joint bank account... in Antigua... and that all she had was $9.00 to her name... Ruth said that she would probably need to get a job...

And she promptly called up the Social Security Office... to obtain a number for her... then made out a Social Security Card out for her... as Laura Parent... right then and there...!

Laura very wisely... did not tell Ruth... about the $10,000 loan... from her best friends... Alfred and Nieves... who had been appalled... at Mark's action... of cleaning out their joint bank account... which Laura only found out about... when Nieves had taken her to her bank... to withdraw some money... for her airfare to England...

And Nieves... witnessing Laura fainting... from shock... had opened a Savings Account for her... in Alfred's bank... stateside... earning her 10% interest... giving her ten years... to pay him back... for which... in gratitude... she had given Nieves an expensive... genuine gold and ruby ring... as collateral...

They had also given her the money she needed... for her plane ticket... plus some extra spending money... of $1,000... to tide her over... in England...

Things happened very fast... after Ruth was through for the day...

First of all... Laura was once again... subjected to Ruth's fiendish way of driving... at break-neck speed... as if she were being pursued... by the very devil himself... although she had toned it down for Mark... who was on crutches... during their earlier visit... about eight months earlier...

And they arrived in one piece... with Laura hanging on to her seat... for dear life... in front of a very nice looking house... where she was introduced to a lovely lady... who had a quiet air about her...

This was the very lady... who... after a Received stint in England... was destined to finally become... Siti Rahayu's very own... personal assistant/secretary... as Siti Muti'ah Anderson... in Cilandak... Indonesia...!

She... I believe... as Marian then... immediately sensing Laura's uncertain situation... and very sympathetic... to her confused plight... having felt most unwelcome... and barely tolerated... by disgruntled... abrupt Ruth... welcomed her... very warmly... and graciously... into the spacious living room... of her lovely home...

Quietly bidding her to relax... and make herself comfortable... she briefly introduced her... to her young daughter... then sent her out of the room...

Marian sat quietly with her... while Ruth made some more phone calls...

At one point... the phone rang... and Laura was told... that it was for her...

Picking up the receiver... on the wall phone... in the hallway... all she heard was Mark's voice... harshly... and angrily demanding...:

"I want a divorce..!"

No greeting... no inquiry as to her welfare... nor why she was in Miami... nothing else...!

As if they had never lived through three extremely tumultuous years... together... never gone through her devastating pan hysterectomy... shortly after meeting him... which had kept her totally bed-ridden... for a whole year...!

And then there had been her bad fall... causing tendonitis... in her right arm... which had to be put in a cast... twice... over six months... during the dreadful long hot months... of unusual drought...!

Followed right after... with Mark getting so badly burned... twice... first through his Receiving... that he was to become circumcized... unfortunately using the wrong solution... to melt his stitches... and horribly burning his healing penis...!

He had become absent-minded... because he was so deeply concerned... over his wife's tropical fever... with her temperature... rapidly rising so high... that she didn't even recognize him... as anyone she knew... let alone her husband...!

She had suddenly contracted the devastating tropical fever... during their follow-up visit... to his doctor... which had killed everybody... on the island... except for a twelve year old Antiguan boy... and herself...!

Then no sooner... had his penis healed... when he had been badly burned... by a terrible gas tank explosion... almost necessitating the amputation of his right arm... because of gangrene setting in...!

And all she could say now... after all the turmoil... they had been through... together... over the past three years... was "No..." ... as she quietly hung up the receiver...

Mark called again... immediately after... but she just shook her head... unwilling to speak to him... subject herself further... to anymore of his rudeness...

...read more in Chapter 3 - Work in Progress...