Letters to Andrea
by
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Another Celebration…Without Lights The next several months of that first year in Mumbai saw a great deal of progress being made in Dharavi. The name ‘Miss Rosie’ was becoming almost as common as the new name of Bombay. Of course many of the older residents refused to accept the new name of their city, but most liked the new name and they also liked the new American who had come to save the poor and abandoned. Andrea was not able to accomplish as much of her goal for the children, however, as she was for the female beggars of the street. That absence of accomplishment weighed heavily on her, but she had come to realize that she could not do as much as she had wished to do in so short a period of time. She often recalled the warnings of Mark Caldwell. He had cautioned her to be grateful for every small accomplishment. And until she could expand her facilities so that she had a separate shelter for her abandoned children she was going to have to settle for reaching out to the many women who had fallen victim to the Indian Mafia—the most corrupt and prominent individual of those being Monsieur Bombay. The Storm When the attending nurse asked for identity she claimed that it had been stolen in the attack, but that her name was Martha Jones and that she had come from South Africa. There were no other questions asked, but she was told that she could come back in a few days to learn the results. The examining nurse commented that there was no apparent bruising or injury to her body. Andrea informed the nurse that she had been put under sedation so that she could only guess as to what actually took place but that she was certain that she had, in fact, been raped! Wish You Were Here Andrea was successful in booking a direct flight with Air France from the Ministro Pistarini International Airport in Buenos Aires to Paris’ Roissy-Charles de Gaulle. The flight from Buenos Aires to Paris was going to be another long flight, but not as long as her flight from Mumbai to Sao Paulo had been. Nevertheless, Andrea knew that she had to face the other darkness that had been a part of the dark clouds. She had carried this guilt with her for more than two years, but was not going to be able to escape the most recent tragedy—one that had affected the lives of several others—her dear friend Tara Bernstein Perot and her family! The steward working the first class cabins was serving coffee. Andrea decided that she would indulge in a bit of caffeine since she knew that she would not sleep early in the flight…if at all. Lunch would be served within an hour she was advised, so she tried to relax as much as possible. Andrea’s mind began to drift to the topic that she had for so long avoided. She recalled her first conversation with Jack Perot shortly after his marriage to her dear friend, Tara Bernstein. She spoke with both of them and expressed her regrets in not being able to accept their invitation to the wedding. She knew that it was not good timing for her to leave India. There always seemed to be something surrounding her life that kept her from totally enjoying the company of her friends, but she accepted that when she made her commitment to her new life in Dharavi. Her second call to Jack Perot was much later when she introduced the idea to him of supervising the design and construction of the orphanage to be built in the Delhi region. Andrea had sent him a few photos of the region and had shared some of her ideas; she was eager to learn of his possible interest in the project. Jack told her that he most definitely would do the project but that it would have to be accepted as a gift from the Perot family, which would include some financial involvement from his grandmother. He explained that his family had been involved in philanthropic projects in the past and he was certain that this project would appeal to them.
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About the Book
“Letters to Andrea” is book no. 3 of the trilogy, and the sequel to the author’s first novel, “The Widow’s Web. Book no. 2 of the trilogy is a ‘companion novel,’ rather than a continuation of the original story. The reader can enjoy reading the sequel without having read “Martin’s Story.” However, to derive the most pleasure from reading this novel, one should first read “The Widow’s Web.” The events in “Martin’s Story” do appropriately take place between the time frames of these two novels. The story is not meant to demean the society of India in any way. However, it is about an American widow who has chosen to use her fortune to improve the quality of life for others less fortunate and to rescue the 'children of the street.' It's also about the uncanny events that places a young widow in the throws of an unpredictable love affair.
About the Author
E. M. Albano was born in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania. After an unsuccessful first year of studies at the Pennsylvania State University, he pursued a career as an Arthur Murray dance instructor. Two years later, he enlisted and spent 2 ½ years of a three year term with the US Army in France where he became enamored with the city of Paris. After returning to the states he found a new profession in real estate and was married for twelve years. Shortly after his divorce, he re-entered university studies and earned his undergraduate degree in 1987 and his Master Degree in Humanities the following year--both from Penn State University. His off-campus studies have included research in journalism in London, studies in French grammar in Paris, and condensed studies of the Italian language in Perugia, Italy. The author has traveled extensively including trips to the former Soviet Union, Japan, and most recently South America. He admits to gaining most of his inspiration for writing in Paris where he occupies a rented studio each year. This is the author’s fifth novel.