NORTH CAROLINA AND ARABIA

THE HOTEL

MOORE REGIONAL

I had not anticipated leaving Barnes or St. Louis.  However, I went to a American Hospital Association meeting in Philadelphia.  I met and talked to the hospital administrator for Moore Regional Hospital in Pinehurst, NC.  My first response was to turn down the job.  H, e said, "Just come down and visit!"  I thought that couldn't hurt, so off I flew to Pinehurst.  I was entertained in a beautiful room at the Pinehurst Hotel, flowers and all.  I fell in love with the area and with the idea that my daughter would be able to get some North Carolina values and culture.  So, I accepted, mostly because I thought Leah and I would survive better in a gentler environment.  She finished high school in December of 1980 with all her credits in great order.  We sold the house on Woods Mill Road in Ballwin and headed for Pinehurst.

CEDAR STEPS ARE DANGEROUS

Our first residence was supplied by the hospital until I could find a place to live.  It was a condo on Pinehurst #1.  Quite nice.  It was not built for winter weather.  We nearly froze to death.  One snow and icy day, I had been picked up and in order to get down the cedar stairs that was filled with ice, I went down on my behind..  I left Leah behind.  Shortly, after I was at work she called and told me the heat was off.  I was able to send for her, but only after all the staff got in.  She had taken a box of matches and struck them one by one to keep warm, to little avail.  My little match girl.  I was so glad to see her and feed her when she got to the hospital. We put her to work carrying water as many people did not make it in to work.

We soon found a condo in Whispering Pines, NC.  It was on the golf course there.  It was beautiful.  Leah settled in and began taking classes at Sandhills Community College.  She began to understand a lot about southern culture. 

Time soon came for her to go to College and we choose to visit Mars Hill near Asheville, NC.  As I indicated, she sang beautifully.  When we arrived, during her interview, she sang without accompaniment, and was accepted on the spot!!  Just about that time, I received an offer for a job in Saudia Arabia for ARAMCO.  The money was great and after a too brief three years, I resigned and began the search for money and adventure.  I spent three years in Arabia, while Leah finished her education at Mars Hill. 

DHARAN

TYPICAL DESERT

Leah was able to come to Arabia three times.  The first time she came I searched the the compound for a younger man for her to date. Someone, I am not sure who, suggested a young up and comer who was just back from college and worked in the engineering department.  It was set up so that Leah and I would go to a performance at the theatre and he would find us.  Later, I found out that he did this, so that if she was really bad he could run.  Well it did not work out that way.  They spent hours and days together.  He is still one of her close friends and never forgets her birthday.  Fred retired at around 28, lives in Florida and is quite successful just moving money around. I would love to adopt him .  

GOLD SOUQ



   I shall never forget the first time I took her to the souk ...the marketplace.  We had a jumpy bus ride into Al Kobar and had a bit of breakfast.  We started walking,, and as we turned a corner, there was a store with hundreds of bangles of 18k gold, breast pieces all hung in the windows.  Inside there were thousands of rings and earrings.  She hyperventilated, thought I was going to loose her. 



She was able to go to the desert, swim in Half Moon Bay, and travel about.  I was not dating anyone and did not get to ride about outside the commune and was so glad Fred could show her around..  It worried me to death that she was going to get lost.  Of course, there was the danger of someone stealing her.  On one occasion I had to send her from our house to another part of the base by cab.  The cab driver came and took her to the appropriate place.  He came back to me with an offer of $100,000 american for her and he needed to talk to her father.  After a very long explanation the offer went up to 300,000.  I do not think he ever understood why I would turn him down.  I quickly called Leah and made sure she was safe.  Abduction was a real possibility.  It did no good to tell the compound cops, they were Arab and would be on the cabbie's side. Female people can be bought and sold to this day.

More about Arabia and Leah later....