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THE STORY SO FAR…

Claire traveled to the Middle East to accept a nursing contract to work in the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center in Riyadh Saudi Arabia. Still suffering from culture shock, her roommate, Rose is arrested and sits in the women’s prison waiting punishment for her crimes. Afraid for her welfare, Claire works with the Arabic hospital administrators, head of security, embassy officials and her supervisor to free her roommate from a horrifying fate. After much negotiation, and reeling from the attitudes of some of the Arab men towards Western females, Claire manages to negotiate permission to visit Rose in her prison cell. Although accompanied by representatives for Rose, they are not permitted to enter the prison past a certain point, thus leaving Claire alone to walk the dark corridors with a prison guard leading the way.

Excerpt…

I pulled a corner of the scarf over my nose and followed the armed security guard through a locked steel door and into a long corridor. The unpleasant odors worsened the deeper we trudged into the building. I gagged a couple of times, but reminded myself I was there for Rose and had to be strong.

Naked light bulbs hung on long black cords from the tall ceilings, illuminating the grimy hallway in a dim light. Although I did my best not to brush up against the walls, dust and spider webs left their gray marks on my dark abaya. I was cautious on the hard-packed sand, straining to see and avoided the potholes in the well-worn path. As we ventured further into the darkness, rats scurried past, sometimes running across my feet. I held my breath to stop from screaming. I was here for Rose and I had to know she was all right. My determination drove me forward through the sickening, inhumane conditions.

We passed several empty cells on either side of the corridor. Each of them had a shallow pit in the center for urination and defecation. Decaying rats lay rotting beside skeletal remains and rancid human waste. In the distance, I heard whimpering and what sounded like the cry of a small child.

We came to the end of the hall and faced a large wooden door. The guard pushed his rifle to one side so he could reach a set of keys attached to his belt. He yelled something in Arabic to another man behind the door. He unlocked and opened the door, gesturing me to walk through. I hesitated. If I went through, would they let me out? I had to chance it. I smiled at the guard as I passed and thanked him. He nodded his head, looking down at the floor. A second guard greeted me with a crooked smile, exposing a missing front tooth. As the guard slammed the door, dust fell from the tin ceiling. I readjusted my scarf to shield myself from the falling dirt. The stench was worse in these corridors and my nostrils, already burning from the putrid smells, felt like flames reaching deep into my skull. I could taste the repugnant odors in my mouth and gagged. I fought the temptation to turn and run.

I wanted air. There were no windows, just a six-inch space between the roof and the walls for ventilation. I couldn't breathe and choking, concentrated hard to stop from retching. How could Rose survive this?

We passed a cell where Filipino women huddled on the floor. When they saw me, they bounded to their feet and pressed against and reached through the bars. They were dirty, skinny, and pathetic. I jumped backward, escaping their desperate attempts to grab onto me.

The guard pulled a long stick from inside his jacket and shouted at them, hitting the stick against the bars. The women screeched and shrank back, then cried out from the darkness. My knees were about to give way when the guard yelled, “Come!"

I said a silent prayer for them, trying to block out their haunting, anguished pleas. Their cries echoed through me, their despair etched on my soul, numbing me. I felt like a traitor as I trudged toward Rose.

The guard stopped and pointed. "There! She there. Ten minutes, you understand?"

I nodded and he sauntered away. I scanned the cell, the sea of women crammed together, looking for Rose. But they all looked the same. "Oh my goodness, a baby! What's a baby doing in there?" I gasped.

A woman stirred, then stood up.
"Claire? Claire is that you?"
"Rose?"

Rose clutched her dusty clothes as she staggered forward. Her long black hair was tangled and matted, her dirty face streaked with tears. The other women in the cell crowded Rose, pushing her into the iron bars.

"Get back," she shrieked. Rose shoved and they backed up, disappearing into their pitiful places deep inside the cell.

"I only have a few minutes, Rose.""Get me out of here."
"We're doing our best, really we are."
"Please don’t leave me here. Please, Claire, please!"
I swallowed hard and fought to suppress tears.
"Look what these bastards do. Look at the women in here."

I looked around. As my eyes adjusted to the light, I saw several small children.

"Why are there children in prison?"
"They belong to the Filipinos. The Arabs don’t care about them. Their mothers are charged with prostitution and are going to be killed on Friday."
"Killed?"
"Yeah—stoned to death."
" Stoned! The children too?"
"I don’t know. I just know that every one of them was raped. Even the little children."
"Not the children!"
"They are sick people. I hate the Arabs. They pretend to be so pious, hiding behind their Qu’ran using it as an excuse to abuse people. I want them all dead," she spat.

"Rose, you haven’t been raped, have you?"
"No way. I won’t let these lousy pigs touch me. I fight and scream. Those women don’t fight. They've been taught to be submissive. None of the guards have raped me and they won’t as long as I have the strength to fight them off."
 "Oh, Rose. I wish there were something I could do."
"Just get me out. Please."
"We’re working real hard. Trust me, we are."
“Okay. Time go," the guard said.
"I have to go, Rose."
"Claire, get me out of here. Help me!"

Her pleas resonated down the halls, unceasing, lingering, chasing me until I burst through the front doors and into Anthony’s strong, comforting arms.

______________________________________________________________

Follow Claire in her adventures in Saudi Arabia. Learn what life is like behind the palace walls of a royal family. Discover some of the cultural aspects of this society, and as you read, learn about: 

-incarceration and punishment of women for menial crimes 
-attitude of some Saudis towards women. 
-ancient healing rituals (cauterizations, female circumcision etc)
-incest
-distribution of wealth
-slavery/servants
-hierarchal society
-behaviors and lifestyles of the Westerners within Saudi
-no tourism or limited tourism
-the “Saudi-ization” plan and reason for the hiring of Westerners and the plan to eventually phase Westerners out.Yes, and even Saudi Dating. Unveil truths of the surreal life in Saudi in an exciting story, filled with action, suspense and adventure.

Available at fine bookstores everywhere