Kidnapped in Yemen by Mary Quin

Author:Mary Quin [Mary Quin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Mainstream Publishing
Published: 2012-12-09T16:00:00+00:00

14

Fighting Back with Feminism

In November 1999, my mother died. Her long decline into the clouded confusion of Alzheimer’s disease was over. Thankful for Ray’s emotional support, I flew to New Zealand immediately to help my brothers, sister and sisters-in-law arrange her funeral. All of us felt the strange conflict of sorrow at losing our mother and relief that she was now at peace. On the morning of the funeral, the weather was damp and overcast in my home town, cooler than it should have been for the southern springtime. As we gathered in the cemetery around the gravesite my mother would now share with my father, the clouds parted and a bright beam of sunlight shone down on us, just as the casket was lowered into the earth. I like to think it was my mother’s way of saying goodbye and reassuring us that she was happy. I may not believe in the various human definitions of God but I’ll be surprised, and more than a little annoyed, if there isn’t an afterlife. I tend to view death as setting out into completely uncharted territory on the greatest journey of all.

I regretted that Ray never had an opportunity to meet my mother, and I looked forward to the time when I could introduce him to the rest of my family. That opportunity came up sooner than I expected. As an avid fly fisherman, Ray had often talked about wanting to fish for trout in New Zealand’s renowned lakes and rivers. With an English friend, Gordon, he had tentatively been planning such a trip even before we met. No way, of course, was I going to let him do a fishing trip to my home country without me. In February 2000, Ray and I met up with Gordon in the South Island, and the three of us spent a week fishing in the Rakaia River area.

Partway through that week, I left the two men fishing and flew to Auckland for a couple of days. I had decided to buy an apartment. The America’s Cup yacht races were in full swing on Auckland’s Waitemata harbour, with an intense battle taking place between the defending New Zealand boat and the Italian challenger. New apartment buildings were under construction in the waterfront area of Auckland’s downtown, known as the Viaduct Basin. I chose a one-bedroom apartment in an unfinished building overlooking the harbour and the America’s Cup marina. A water view was an absolute requirement for me – and this was a view that could not be built out by future construction. I did not know how often I would get to spend time here, but I trusted my instincts that having a place of my own in Auckland was the right thing to do. During the second week of our trip, Ray and I travelled around the North Island, visiting my family and sightseeing together. We went to Waitarere Beach and also managed a day of fishing at Lake Taupo and the Tongariro River.

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