Anissa's Redemption
Page 24
That was last Monday. Then Tuesday, after my first day of fall semester classes, journalist Steven Sotloff was beheaded. When Julien came home and it was all over the news, I joked to him that it was as if ISIS was directly testing our relationship, to see how much we could bear together.
Julien chuckled. “I’m glad we can at least have a sense of humor about it now. In fact, in the spirit of doing exactly the opposite of what the terrorists want, we’re going out tonight for a very special black-tie event, so I’d like you to get dressed up. We’re leaving in about two hours,” he added cryptically.
“What event?” I asked, intrigued.
He smiled mischievously. “It’s a surprise, but you’ll want to look your best.”
A few hours later, his driver dropped us off at the Brooklyn Bridge. As we stepped out of Julien’s sedan and into the pleasant night, with a late summer breeze in the air, walking onto the bridge filled my mind with memories from the last time we were in that place, and I marveled at how much had happened since then. It felt as if we had been through a decade of time – drama, pain, intimacy, love, heartbreak, renewal, and countless other emotions surrounding the story of my crazy journey with the man holding my hand.
When we got to the middle of the bridge, where, during our last visit, Julian had first opened up to me a little about the dark despair that haunted him, he stopped and faced me, this time with an exponentially happier and more confident look. He pointed towards the Brooklyn side of the bridge towards which we had been walking. “On that side of the bridge is JFK airport – the route back to Syria.” He then pointed to the side of the bridge from which we had come. “And on that side of the bridge is Manhattan, where the rest of your life is waiting for you. With me.”
Then he took my hand and got down on one knee, and looked me straight in the eye. “Will you marry me, Anissa?”
I was overcome with emotion and began to cry tears of happiness. I could barely speak, I was so moved. “Of course I will, Julien,” I finally said, as elated joy filled my chest, and tears fell down my cheeks. I wanted to say more but I was too emotional.
He got up off his knee and took my head in his hands and brought my lips to his. I could hear the sound of a passing ship and some ambient traffic noise, but as we held each other ever more tightly and our tongues passionately intertwined, the rest of the world faded out into a moment of perfect bliss. But I eventually noticed that there was a photographer there who had been discreetly taking photos of the entire thing. When Julien saw that I was wondering who this man was snapping our pictures, he said, “Oh, don’t mind him – that’s Tom, one of our wedding photographers. He’s one of the best in the business,” he said, as he looked at him approvingly. Tom nodded in humble gratitude and continued capturing the two of us in his lens. Julien looked back at me and playfully asked, “Why do you think we had to get all dressed up for this bridge visit?”
Later, when we were back in his car, heading to the same extraordinary, vegetarian restaurant where he had taken me on our first date (The Lotus Flower), I was finally able to say what the flood of emotions had prevented me from expressing on the bridge, after Julien had proposed.
“You know, Julien, I’m just in awe every time I think back on how conflicted I was about whether to make you my first – long before I knew if you’d be the one. But now I know that you are the one. And instead of making me break the promise to my parents to keep my purity, you actually helped me to fulfill it. Not only did I indeed save myself for my husband but, thanks to you, I heeded my father’s urgent appeal to help our community from the USA more than he or I could have ever imagined I would. It’s as if you redeemed my decision to give myself to you when I did, and all of the decisions before that – including the selfish decision to escape and survive, rather than die with my parents and older brother.
As the geometric shapes of New York’s architecture passed us by in the car windows, he pulled me over into his lap and looked down, deep into my eyes. “I can think of no greater honor than to be Anissa’s redemption.”
Chapter 38: For You, My Dearest
Wednesday, June 1, 2039
To My Dearest,
Now you know how I met your father. Many years have since passed, and he’s finally comfortable enough with his dark past that he allowed me to share it with you in our combined diary/journal. But this is only for you, My Dearest. You are the only person on Earth – besides your father and me – who has read our most private writings (minus some intimate details that will always remain just between him and me, and which I removed when preparing this for you).
Now that you’re a twenty-two-year-old woman and understand the nature of trust and confidence, we have both decided to give you our combined diary/journal as a present for your graduation from college. We cherish you more than you will ever know, and grow prouder of you every day, and we felt that it was time for you to have these family secrets. You always wanted more details about how your father and I fell in love, and how we helped the State of Antioch to grow from a fanciful dream to an inspiring reality, and now you know.
If you take away only one thing from our story, let it be this: In a dark world, love is all that illuminates the path forward.
THE END
Dear Reader
Thank you for taking time to read Anissa’s Redemption. If you enjoyed the novel, please help to spread the word about it by telling your friends and posting a review on the book’s Goodreads page and Amazon page. Word of mouth is an author’s best friend and much appreciated.
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About the Author
Zack Love graduated from Harvard College, where he studied mostly literature, psychology, philosophy, and film. After college, he moved to New York City and took a corporate consulting job that had absolutely nothing to do with his studies. The attacks of September 11, 2001 inspired him to write a novelette titled The Doorman, and heightened his interest in the Middle East. A decade later, that interest extended to the Syrian Civil War, which provided the backdrop for his latest work. In late 2013, Zack began releasing his unpublished works of fiction and became a full-time author. He has published comedy, psychological and philosophical fiction, and romance. Zack enjoys confining himself to one genre about as much as he likes trying to sum up his existence in one paragraph.
You can follow Zack at these links:
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https://www.facebook.com/ZackLoveAuthor
–Twitter:
https://twitter.com/ZackLoveAuthor
–Website/Newsletter:
http://zacklove.com/about-me/newsletter/
And if you need a good laugh after such a heavy read, check out Zack Love’s extremely objective review of his own book on Goodreads (where you can also connect with him): http://tinyurl.com/epicGRreview
Related Reading
Crucified Again – details the history of Muslim persecution of Christians
Chronicle of Pilgrimage to the Holyland – a beautiful, coffee table book that chronicles the 2,000 year history of Christians traveling to and residing in the Holy Land
Published Works by Zack Love
The Syrian Virgin (a novel – contemporary fiction, romance)
Anissa is traumatized by the most brutal conflict of the 21st Century: the Syrian Civil War. In 2012, Islamists in Homs terrorize a Syrian-Christian community and destroy everything that a young woman holds dear. Narrowly escaping death, Anissa restarts her devastated life as a college student in NY. She is bewildered and lost – a virgin in every sense.
But despite her inexperience with men and life in the United States, Anissa is quickly drawn to two powerful individuals: Michael Kassab, the Syrian-American leader working to found the first Mideast Christian state, and Julien Morales, her Columbia University professor who runs a $20 billion hedge fund.
Complicating matters, Michael is still attached to his ex-girlf
riend and Julien is the most sought after bachelor in Manhattan (and has hidden demons even his therapist can’t extract). Anissa’s heart and her communal ties pull her in different directions, as she seeks hope and renewal in a dark world.
WARNING: This book is about a young woman’s difficult journey: her escape from Syria’s Civil War, her transition to a new a country, and the relationships that she forms along the way, including her romantic interests in two very different men. The story is set against the backdrop of the Syrian Civil War and makes reference to violent acts, sometimes in detail. There is some occasional profanity and a few scenes that depict sexual intimacy. Accordingly, the recommended minimum age for readers is 16. The novel might be compared to books like The Diary of Anne Frank or The Kite Runner.
Get it now on Amazon (for other retailers, see the book link at the top):
Amazon
Amazon UK
Anissa’s Redemption (a novel – the sequel to The Syrian Virgin)
Anissa Toma fled war-torn Syria after narrowly escaping the massacre of her Christian family by Islamists. Fortunate enough to rebuild her shattered life in New York City, the young refugee gained admission to an elite college, where she excelled. Her beauty, brains, and purity soon captured the interest of two powerful men: Michael, an activist working to establish Antioch, the first Mideast Christian state, and Julien, her professor and one of the city’s wealthiest bachelors.
As Anissa’s saga continues, the refugee-turned-rising-star must navigate between Michael and Julien, while trying to help her surviving relatives and other vulnerable Christians in Syria. As she gets closer to both men in a complex and evolving love triangle, can she unlock Julien’s traumatic childhood to open up his heart? Or will Julien find greater solace from his nightmares and other demons in the sessions with his intriguing therapist? What will Michael do for Antioch and for Anissa, and what will Julien’s role be? How far will each person go to help Anissa’s remaining family and other persecuted Christians at risk in Syria? Find out in this stunning sequel to The Syrian Virgin.
WARNING: This book is about a young woman’s difficult journey: her escape from Syria’s Civil War, her transition to a new a country, and the relationships that she forms along the way, including her romantic interests in two very different men. The story is set against the backdrop of the Syrian Civil War and makes reference to violent acts, sometimes in detail. There is some occasional profanity and a few scenes that depict sexual intimacy. Accordingly, the recommended minimum age for readers is 16. The novel might be compared to books like The Diary of Anne Frank or The Kite Runner.
Get it now on Amazon (for other retailers, see the book link at the top):
Amazon
Amazon UK
Sex in the Title (a novel – romantic comedy)
New York City, May 2000. The Internet bubble has burst and Evan, a computer programmer, is fired with an email from his boss. The next day, his girlfriend dumps him, also via email. Afraid to check any more emails, Evan desperately seeks a rebound romance but the catastrophes that ensue go from bad to hilariously worse.
Fortunately, Evan meets Sammy – someone whose legendary disasters with females eclipse even his own. To reverse their fortunes, they recruit their friends – Trevor, Yi, and Carlos – to form a group of five guys who take on Manhattan in pursuit of dates, sex, and adventure.
When Evan, a closet writer, falls desperately in love with a Hollywood starlet, he schemes to meet her by writing a novel that will sweep her off her feet. Sammy knows nothing about publishing but is confident of one thing: Evan’s book should have the word “sex” in the title.
With musings about life, relationships, and human psychology, this quintessential New York story about the search for happiness follows five men on their comical paths to trouble, self-discovery, and love.
Get it now on Amazon (for other retailers, see the book link at the top):
Amazon
Amazon UK
Stories and Scripts: an Anthology (a collection of stories in various genres)
Thought-provoking, dreamy, sad, and hilarious, this collection of works takes the reader on a diverse and unforgettable literary journey through a variety of topics, themes, and emotions.
The anthology totals about 73,000 words and contains a novelette, four short stories, a theater play, and a screenplay. These seven spellbinding stories spanning several styles and genres include a dramatic romance, a satire of the mega-rich, a somber and soulful reflection on the problem of evil, humorous dating adventures, and stories driven by philosophical musings.
Get it now on Amazon (for other retailers, see the book link at the top):
Amazon
Amazon UK
This book includes the following seven works (note that the first four works listed below can be purchased individually, but the collection offers the best value).
1) The Doorman – a novelette (literary/philosophical fiction)
Alex seems to have it all: a great penthouse apartment, a lovely girlfriend, and a prestigious Wall Street job. But below the surface he is sure of nothing but his angst-ridden doubts. And when he realizes that his doorman may be God, or sent by God, he will question things like never before.
This novelette is a story of New York doormen, tormented love, empty office life, and the theological questions that arise in response to the horrors of evil.
2) Central Park Song – a screenplay (romance)
Can love really conquer all? Rodney is a passionate black man with brilliant talents but a mental illness that leaves him homeless. Melinda is a white Manhattan law partner with an artistic soul, trapped by the pressures of corporate law, her wealthy father, and her three-year boyfriend. A charming, chance encounter leads to a magical courtship and life-changing choices that make an unlikely New York romance possible.
3) City Solipsism – a short story (literary/philosophical fiction)
Have you ever been on a train, bus, metro/subway – or any other shared space with strangers – and started to wonder what that person right next to you is thinking? This story takes you on a journey into the mind of a man in a suit and tie on a New York City subway car, as he thinks about the woman standing awkwardly close to him. They are total strangers but their proximity is almost intimate as their hands share the same metal subway pole.
4) Waiting for 2000 – a theatrical play (comedy)
Inspired by and reminiscent of Samuel Beckett’s absurdist stage play Waiting for Godot, this Y2K theater comedy satirizes the frivolous extravagance of the mega-rich.
Bob’s Billionaire Boat boasts the world’s 2,000 richest people on it, and will enable them to celebrate the arrival of the year 2000 twice in a row by crossing the International Dateline on New Year’s Eve 1999. The co-captains of the boat — two regular guys — keep themselves amused with endlessly silly banter while occasionally debating whether the whole thing is just a fictional stage play.
Meanwhile, two Wall Street traders who are bitter about missing the wealth cutoff for the billionaire cruise are determined to blow up the boat and thereby become the two richest people on earth.
In this satire, the zaniest billionaires ever to gather on a single vessel prove that there’s still plenty to complain about at the top.
5) The Grand Unified Story – a short story (literary/philosophical fiction)
What happens when a man and a woman meet in a way that magically involves the entire universe? When both are so keenly aware of their place in the cosmos that their connection seems to transcend their union and capture the very essence of life. This story shows how each person is a world to be discovered and how sometimes, when two worlds collide, the universe seems that much smaller.
6) My Best Valentine’s Day. Ever. – a short story (comedy)
Sammy Laffowitz is legendary for his dating disasters and sex mishaps. This time, misfortune strikes on Valentine’s Day – but with a fun twist that makes Sammy seem studly for a change.
7) My
Worst Valentine’s Day. Ever. – a short story (comedy)
Yi Wang is a NY bad boy who plans to make history on Valentine’s Day with his female exploits. The handsome, alpha-male, Chinese-American is a corporate lawyer who usually gets his way with women, but this time he makes one stupid mistake that leaves everyone but him laughing hysterically at his epic fail.
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[1] Note that all of the background events from the Syrian Civil War depicted in The Syrian Virgin and Anissa’s Redemption are based on extensive research and news reports that are believed to be accurate. However, to accommodate the chronology of the fictional story, the date of one major incident – the Islamist invasion of Kessab (the Christian-Armenian village in northern Syria) – was moved by a few weeks (from March 21, 2014 to April 18, 2014). The death toll from the attack on Kessab is disputed. Asbarez Armenian News and International Business Times cite a figure of 80 killed. But reports from the Christian Science Monitor and Al-Monitor paint a less violent picture while still confirming significant population displacement.