Chapter 19
The next few weeks were spent getting medical clearance, getting Timos’ passport and having our first appointment with the U.S. Embassy. Then came the day I had been dreading. It was time for Garen to go home. We had always planned for me to be the one to stay. Garen had a business to run and our other boys, while older, needed a parent at least living in the same country.
Every appointment that Garen had to be present for was done. He was on a plane homeward bound one month to the day of landing in Uganda. Even though our time seemed to be riddled with delays and cancellations and rescheduling nightmares, it was actually very fast. Now I was alone, and every moment was now 100% on my shoulders - alone.
Watching Timos cling to his new Daddy and cry, absolutely broke my heart. He was so confused and so hurt and so angry. I talked to him about America CONSTANTLY to keep his spirits up.
We said good-by to Garen before dinner and watched him drive away. I made us go to the restaurant in the courtyard for dinner that night. Every person working was giving me an extra dose of kindness. They knew Garen and they were sorry to see him go as well.
The next morning, I remember standing in the long hallway leading into the breakfast room, just telling myself to breath. I had walked into this restaurant every morning for the last MONTH. I could do it this morning as well. My heart full of anxiety, my eyes full of tears, I took Timos’ tiny hand in mine, and we walked in to eat breakfast. Such a small thing was a pretty big victory for me. The beginning of my first full day alone in a foreign land.
We would only be in the country for eleven more days. But at the time everyone was saying it could well be six months. What happened in those eleven days would cause a wound that would take a long time to heal. The terror would forge an unbreakable bond with my new son. What we were about to live through together is truly indescribable, although I’ll do my best.
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