Maureen's Journey Home

By Ian MacDonald

Maureen had decided to explore the world of internet dating in order to find someone to love and to love her in return. It was not an unrealistic expectation and many people had used this route successfully. This time, this young and inexperienced woman would be subjected to a world class nightmare, one few could ever dream of or even imagine. She was drawn into this dark world by experts and Cupid's arrows in this case were far more sinister. The handsome prince that she had sought was now more elusive than Unicorns. One day however he did come - he had even crept through a forest full of wild animals and bears in order to rescue her. This was certainly no fairy-tale, but she did survive it. Once her nightmare had ended, Maureen would now use this horrendous experience to help others who were victimized in one form or another. She had been down a very scary road in trying to find happiness and someone to love - but she had found it. Her life would be forever changed now that she had found her Unicorn. They were quite rare, but she now knew they really existed - and hers was named Paul. Every woman should have one - but not all of them did unfortunately. Maureen now wanted to help other women find the happiness she had in one way or another. Having been through the pain that she had endured- she wanted to alleviate that agony in others. Soon she would be given such an opportunity to do just that – and with a man beside her who truly adored her too. She had found her pot of gold at the end of this rainbow - she had at last found the happiness she was so desperately looking for. Hopefully she could now help other women to find theirs also.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ian MacDonald
• Release date: Sep 14, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311006431

Ian MacDonald

The author was born and educated in England and served in the British armed forces and briefly as an officer in the British Prison Service. He subsequently became a financial adviser and retired as an executive in a financial planning firm. He took up writing as a hobby upon retirement and he now lives in Ontario with his wife. His writing has a military or law enforcement theme to it as his interests lie in that field.

Book preview

Maureen’s Journey Home

By

Ian Macdonald

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Smashwords Edition 2015

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Smashwords Edition Notes

Thank you for downloading this e-Book. You are welcome to share it with your friends. This book may be reproduced, copied and distributed for non-commercial purposes, provided the book remains in its complete original form. If you enjoyed this book please return to Smashwords.com to discover other works by this author. Thank you for your support.

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Cover Designer

Rita Toews

Photo Credit

photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/95012874@N00/1679904060>Mevagissey Cornwall 08-10-2007 15-54-03 via http://photopin.com>photopin https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/>(license)

All characters in this book are fictional and the product of the author’s imagination. Should there be any similarity to persons living or deceased they are purely coincidental and unintentional.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter One-Maureen at Home

Chapter Two-The Drama Begins

Chapter Three-Paul and Andre

Chapter Four-The Logging Camp

Chapter Five-The Hunting Lodge Escape

Chapter Six-Thunder Bay

Chapter Seven-Niagara Falls Delights

Chapter Eight-The Job Offers

Chapter Nine-The Visit Back Home

Chapter Ten-Kelly Robbins

Chapter Eleven-Jacob’s Christmas

Chapter Twelve-Alya’s Rescue

Chapter Thirteen-Clive Harris

Chapter Fourteen-Kelly’s Victory

Chapter Fifteen-The Engagement

Chapter Sixteen-Gwen’s Holiday

Chapter Seventeen-Maureen and Paul’s Trip Home

Chapter Eighteen-Shelter and Cave Residents

Chapter Nineteen-Liverpool

Chapter Twenty-Wedding Plans

Chapter Twenty One-The Wedding

Chapter Twenty Two-Maureen’s Haven

Introduction

Having taken care of her ailing mother until she died, a young woman was now free to set out on a journey to find contentment, love and romance. When the local scene failed to deliver the ever elusive Prince Charming she decided to investigate the on line dating scene. Some swore by it and said they had met some very nice people that way, others warned her about the scams and the creeps who were lurking out there. The web is a minefield of imponderables for the lonely and desperate people seeking to find someone to love and have them love them in return. Joy or heartbreak can be just one mouse click away, but they all feel it is worth the risk to find someone to love. Nobody could have prepared Maureen McLeod for the horrifying experiences she would soon undergo because of it. Everyone talks about the dangers of the internet and they are all too real. There are scams of all types out there and the people on some of the dating sites are not always who they say they are. Maureen had explored a few of the sites, met a few people, some good some less so. She was just about to give up on this avenue – when a particular ad caught her eye. This looked promising she thought. However what she was about to undergo nobody could have warned her about – or even thought of for that matter. This naïve, shy and lovely young woman would go through unimaginable hell first – but she would finally find her Prince Charming. It would be in the unlikeliest of places, and, unbelievably, he would have in fact crept through a dense forest to rescue her from this nightmare too. However, this was no fairy tale. Maureen had travelled down a very dark road indeed prior to being rescued by her handsome prince. She had absolutely no idea of what she was about to face in her search for someone to love. She had been lured by experts who prey on the naïve and innocent and she would pay a high price. While it did have a happy ending – this was one road Maureen would never suggest that others seeking love, romance and eternal happiness might wish to take. However this dark cloud did indeed have a silver lining, one she would never have suspected and it also came with its own rainbow. It was what lay at the end of that rainbow that would change her life forever. The experiences that she and her Prince Charming had endured would now be put to work serving others who were suffering from PTSD and other psychologically induced conditions. They would go on to help start a facility that would help a large number of people to restore their faith in humanity and lead them back to a normal life. Maureen’s journey home would indeed be joyful. It was a road that would indeed have a rainbow and a pot of gold at the end. The rewards they would receive from this would almost make up for the pain that they had suffered in order to get there – almost being the operative word. Read on to learn why?

Maureen’s Journey Home

Chapter One

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Maureen McLeod had lived on the East Coast all of her life. Not always in the same place perhaps, but always in the general vicinity. She was a rather shy girl in her disposition, despite her attractiveness, and she had not gone to university like some of her friends. Instead she had married her childhood sweetheart, Robert Hurst, at the age of 18 and then moved to a nearby village for a few years until he was tragically lost at sea in one of those fierce Atlantic storms. He had been swept overboard by a rogue wave and was never seen again. A thorough search had been conducted, but they never recovered his body.

Like his father and his grandfather before him he had become a fisherman, it was the only life that they knew. Life was harsh in those fishing villages on the coast. Money was always a problem and it was totally dependent on the catches that the fishermen brought home and the going rate for those catches on that day. Everyone was more or less in the same boat so to speak, apart from the fishing boat’s owner that is. As a result everyone led a rather simple life, but the community spirit was high and everyone shared just about everything with everyone else. They were very tightly knit communities and they shared a common bond – the sea. Social activity revolved around the church and the local pub and while sobriety was a rarity on Saturday nights, most folks overlooked those that had a few too many as a rule. Of course, being a small community everyone knew just about everything about everyone else and secrets were all but impossible to keep. The anonymity of the big cities did not apply here. One could live in a city for years and know very few of ones neighbours – not so in the villages of Nova Scotia. Everyone shared in your joy and also your sorrows too. They were always there for you and you simply never felt all alone in times of need. When Maureen’s mother fell ill everyone rallied round as usual. They would visit regularly, bring by books etc. and anything else that her mother might be able to use. Maureen then moved back home with her mother in Murdoch’s Cove in order to provide 24/7 care for her. Her mother had been diagnosed with cancer, but the doctors could not give Maureen an accurate prognosis regarding the time frame involved suggesting it would be in months rather than years. This pernicious disease cannot be predicted with any degree of accuracy in most cases. Sometimes it goes into remission, it often slows down and yet on other occasions it speeds up. The doctors simply cannot determine what it will do in every case as each case is different. Mary McLeod looked just fine, the very picture of health in fact. Anyone meeting her on the street would never suspect that she had cancer and was now on borrowed time. Such is the nature of this disease. Maureen’s boss at the local pharmacy had been very accommodating and had allowed her to set her own hours in conjunction with the other lady who worked there also. She too bent over backwards to help Maureen out as she knew Mary too – as did everyone else in Murdoch’s Cove. As she was casually doing her grocery shopping in the supermarket one day she heard a familiar voice call out to her.

Hi Maureen, are you going to the dance at the church on Saturday night? asked Helen. Helen Logan had been her best friend since her schooldays and had remained in the village as a teacher in the local school after graduation from teachers college.

To be honest Helen I hadn’t given it a thought, it completely slipped my mind.

Well you should come, it will do you good to get out and who knows, you just might meet Prince Charming there.

Yeah and even if he was there I don’t think I’d be his first choice.

Hey don’t be so hard on yourself, Maureen; you still have what it takes when you make the effort. You may be a little out of practice due to looking after your Mom – but trust me girl –you can still turn heads if you wanted to. Get yourself down the Betsy’s hair salon and get with it. Who knows, you could have the guys lined up around the graveyard waiting for their turn to dance with you.

Oh so I’m only good for the ghosts now am I, Helen? she laughed.

That’s not what I meant and you know it. When was the last time you had any fun, Maureen – a long time ago, that’s when. You need a break, so come on let your hair down and come and enjoy yourself. Remember our Graduation Day dance; we really let our hair down that night. I can still see you and Grant Bentall sliding out into the parking lot to do god knows what. The things you remember eh! Anyway, let’s just say you had a great night that night and you could certainly use another one like it. You certainly can’t let those cobwebs build up or let the rust set in. Come on it’ll be fun, let’s kick up our heels and enjoy ourselves, let your drawbridge down for the night.

I suppose I could do with a night out, I don’t think my Mom would mind.

Of course she wouldn’t mind, she’d be delighted for you to get out and let loose for a change. She doesn’t want to keep you chained to the house. She’ll be happy for you and probably relieved too. She doesn’t want to feel guilty about you having to stay in to look after her 24/7. Seeing you having fun will be beneficial for her too. So, Maureen, I’ll expect to see you there on Saturday night, okay?

Oh alright Helen, you’ve convinced me, I’ll be there I promise. Incidentally are you still going out with Nash Jarvis?

Not anymore, he is going with Mavis Jennings now – they are having a baby next month I think.

Oh sorry, I didn’t know, are they married now?

I’m not sure, I don’t think so, but I don’t know and most certainly don’t care. He knocked her up while he was still dating me so I had a narrow escape there. He’d have done that after we were married - had we decided to get married that is, so I consider myself lucky, Maureen. I’m not seeing anyone right now, but hopefully that will change on Saturday night. A girl can hope anyway, right?

Well I certainly hope so; I’m in the same boat myself, Helen.

I have to go now Maureen, I’m sorry - but I’m late for an appointment. I’ll see you on Saturday, Bye.

With that fleeting farewell both women parted. Maureen continued with her shopping and went around with her list of advertised specials for the week picking out what she needed. She was stopped by several people as she walked around the store – all of them enquiring about Mary and how she was doing. They were genuine enquiries from well-wishers and not just idle curiosity mongers. Maureen gave them all an update and told them her mother was doing as well as could be expected. That was perfectly true of course; it just didn’t go into excessive detail.

Once she arrived home and put all the groceries away she sat down with her mother and told her about all the people who had asked about her and what they had said. She also brought her up to date on all the local gossip and told her that she had run into Helen Logan and that she was going to the church dance on Saturday night.

Well good for you dear, said her mother. It’s about time you got out and had some fun instead of staying in with me every night. You are only young once and you have to make the best of it. Robert would want you to have a full life and to enjoy yourself – it’s time for you to do that now Maureen, you need that now

I know Mom and I will, I just haven’t wanted to up until now. Who knows, maybe things will change after this dance. I certainly won’t be rushing into anything, but it might be nice to meet a man again – if we are compatible and he can put up with me.

Oh behave yourself, Maureen, any man would be lucky to have you as his wife, stop selling yourself short – it doesn’t suit you.

On that note Maureen went upstairs to her room and began to sort through her clothes to see what ravishing and alluring garment she could come up with that would turn everyone’s heads and attract Prince Charming if he did put in an appearance. Then there was the question of lingerie. This was cause for considerable thought and the potential message that could be sent if things progressed a little faster that she planned. She hadn’t dated for some time and Maureen was never a fast cat at the best of times, unlike Helen. Helen just had this flirtatious way about her. She was gorgeous to look at and dressed to attract. It was tasteful rather than in your face, but the men certainly got the message. She would display just the right amount of cleavage - nothing out of line or slutty and her perfume was always subtle too. You would be aware of it – but it was certainly not intrusive or getting up your nose all night long. Hanging out with Helen would guarantee some male attention - even if she were to be their second choice. This was an overly harsh assessment. Maureen may be a little on the shy side, but she was still a beautiful woman in her own right. She did lack the self-assurance of Helen, but she was just as lovely to look at. It was Helen’s attitude and outgoing persona that attracted more attention than Maureen’s more demure demeanor, but the right man would see that she was a real diamond and not just another pebble on the beach.

Murdock’s Cove had a long history with the sea and most of the men had been out there fishing at one time or another in order to feed their families. It was a family tradition for most of the people in Murdoch’s Cove and Maureen’s father and all of her uncles had been fishermen of one kind or another. Some had worked in the canning plant or in other related industries, but generally only when they could no longer go to sea due to age or health reasons. The dance on Saturday night at the church would be a welcome change for most of the men. Their drinking arms would get some relief as alcohol was prohibited in the church hall. However, that said, one or two gallant sailors would no doubt show up having had some spiritual courage beforehand - and by spiritual I do not mean religious fortification. That would indeed be a stretch. Like most such dances, the men tend to prop up the bar until almost at the end of the evening and then they all come out of their shells in order to have the last dance and to take the lady home. It was a time honored ritual, or so it seemed. It all boiled down to the fact that they wanted all the rewards without having to put forth the effort first – most of the women were less than impressed by that – but there were always one or two who let the side down so to speak. Thankfully there would be a fair number of single men there on Saturday night and many of them had been away at sea for quite a few days. Their desire for female companionship would more or less oblige them to ask the girls up to dance, girls like Helen and Maureen for example.

Maureen, having now picked out her outfit for the evening, and all the other necessary accessories, was ready to go and kick up her heels. She had made an appointment at Betsy’s hair salon so she was now prepared to go out and have a fun night. Mary was totally delighted to see her daughter going out to have some fun and she told her how beautiful she was too as she was leaving. Maureen and Helen had a fun filled evening and were seldom sitting idle, but Prince Charming appeared to have had a conflicting schedule that night. Despite their having a lot of fun and laughter they did not manage to find the right man with whom to strike a chord. Reputations were another thing one had to be careful of. The wrong one tended to stick – and nobody wanted that. There were also plenty of names to go around too – all of which you needed to avoid, especially in a small place like Murdoch’s Cove. Being labelled, easy, uptight, or a tease, to name a few of the more genteel titles was the kiss of death. Helen and Maureen had so far managed to avoid them all as they had navigated that fine line of having fun but not being a party girl. The men reluctantly respected them and never really expected them to jump into bed with them at the drop of a hat. They were just two nice girls and nobody would be saying anything different. Helen’s aunt on the other hand was another story. She was a colourful character to say the least and was liked by almost everyone. She was outgoing and flirtatious, but only with the younger men. This promoted speculation that she was a cougar. Being divorced, this label tended to suggest that she was not a threat to the husbands of married women and so their marriages were safe. As such they turned a blind eye as to what their sons might be up to with her. They tended not to dwell on that and when the matter did arise, it was always someone else’s son that would be involved in their minds. It was pure speculation as nobody could name names and those suspected of having such a liaison had never disclosed it. This in itself provoked thoughts of spells being cast as they were lured into her web. Perhaps it was the threat of blackmail or some other form of threat that would keep the boys silent thus protecting her reputation. It could be that telling another living soul would preclude a repeat performance in the future – and that the boys dare not risk if she was that good – just a thought, but they all wondered. That said, she was a volunteer at the church and gave of her time freely and frequently visited those in need at their homes. She would go around and cheer them up and get groceries etc. for them. She was highly regarded for this and people were more than willing to overlook whatever other predilections she may or may not have towards the young men in the village. Boys will be boys was the general attitude and as long as it was someone else’s boy nobody was upset by it – and they all thought that way. Divorced women are often considered a threat, especially if they are attractive, and they can be made into social outcasts on the strength of it. That was not the case here as the wives all felt safe in their marriages. Their son’s activities was none of their business and besides – it was all supposition anyway, there were no hard facts and they left it at that – albeit tongue in cheek. Margo Burns, while not considered to be the most chaste woman in the village, was certainly not branded as a scarlet woman either and, Helen, her niece, was quite happy with that.

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A few miles away in the town of Chester a young man had just returned from Afghanistan having served in the armed forces there. He had signed up to see the world and to travel around a little as Nova Scotia, although rather scenic, was but a small part of the world and he wished to see more. Paul Machin had gone overseas and served his country well. He had also enjoyed the fact that he was actually helping the local people and protecting them from the draconian treatment that the Taliban doled out. He was a Master Corporal at the time and he led his team of men on various missions in hostile territory and saw things no human being should ever see. He and his team had come under fire many times and he had seen first-hand the ravages of war and sensed the loss one feels when a comrade is killed. Day in and day out he was subjected to the horrors of this kind of desert warfare and over time it takes its toll. Paul Machin was not the same man when he returned home to take care of his ailing mother and a sister recently diagnosed with breast cancer. Upon arrival back home he threw himself wholeheartedly in to taking care of his mother and his sister. He was also a frequent visitor to the local VA office to receive the follow-up help that he needed for his PTSD. They did their best to counsel him and tried to talk him through it all – but this is not an easy thing to do as these poor men cannot turn the off switch and forget all about it. It can come back to haunt them, not 24/7 as a rule, but quite frequently, and it may be triggered by the most innocuous things, like sounds or smells. Keeping the mind focused on other things often helps and it most certainly did in Paul’s case. His mother’s M.S. had progressed and that meant that Paul had to do most things for her during the day. His sister Margaret had recently undergone a radical mastectomy and had both breasts removed and she was in no shape to help out right now. She was awaiting reconstruction surgery, but somewhere along the line a problem developed as an infection had appeared that complicated things somewhat. Paul took it all in stride and did everything he could for them both. He would take Margaret to the hospital for treatment and follow-ups and pick up things from the store that she might need. It kept him pretty busy and this was extremely beneficial for Paul. He was pretty exhausted every night and so he slept well. The family and their friends all rallied round and did their best for Margaret and his mother, but they all knew that Lillian’s M.S. had now reached the critical stage and the end was near. They had no idea of how fragile Paul really was as he seemed such a tower of strength looking after both his mother and his sister. They were amazed by how well he had coped with it all. He really was an amazing young man. In addition to his compassion, Paul was also considered to be a hunk. He was very well built, square jawed and handsome and his body was muscular and military fit. He was a very attractive young man – but he was not on the market right now and the local girls were biding their time.

When Lillian passed away in her sleep one night it was considered a blessing. She was no longer in pain and suffering. Margaret had fallen apart in grief, but Paul stoically carried on. He organized everything, delivered a beautiful eulogy that was a real tribute to his mother at the funeral service. The church was not exactly filled to capacity as they were a small family and they did not have a large number of friends. Once the funeral was over Paul took care of all the legal requirements and notified everyone that needed to be notified. He gave no thought to the idea that his sister was also pretty ill and could possibly die too. Margaret was still grieving the loss of her mother and this took its toll on her too. Paul was doing his best to keep her spirits up, but it was an uphill battle and one he lost a few weeks later. Margaret too passed away in her sleep – but from an overdose of pain medication. The stoicism that Paul had shown previously now evaporated and he too now simply fell apart at the seams. He had lost his mother and his sister within a month of each other and he was now all alone. He was numbed by it at first as the denial phase kicked in. Then when the anger phase started, things just went to hell really quickly. His demons came back to haunt him now and he sought solace in drink. Paul’s friends didn’t know what to do for the best. They couldn’t let him stew at home and go quietly insane, but letting him get smashed every night to dull the pain wasn’t the answer either. He was on a downward spiral and they didn’t know what to do for him to pull him out of it. Veteran’s Affairs and the Legion had tried to help him and various medical specialties had been consulted too – but the demons kept appearing. Paul had seemingly lost the will to live, and those around him could understand why having been through what he had in the past few years. Then suddenly he was gone. The police called round to his house as they hadn’t seen him for a while, and he had been a regular visitor of theirs lately. In fact there was talk of them charging him rent on his cell he was there so often. When they called round to his house it was simply deserted. It was all locked up and looked neat and tidy as usual when they looked in all the windows. Paul had simply up and vanished – headed to God knows where and in a very fragile state of mind. The police put out a BOLO on him (be on the lookout for) – but no reports had come in. The police concluded that he was still alive at least – but they had no idea where he was. It would be some time before they heard about him again.

Chapter Two

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Maureen tended to Mary over the Christmas period and made her as comfortable as possible. She had put up a Christmas tree and decorations and adorned it all with shimmering lights. It all looked very festive and cozy. They both knew that this would be Mary’s last Christmas and Maureen had done everything possible to make it a memorable one for them both. The presents were all wrapped up under the tree and many friends had dropped by and placed even more gifts under the tree. A bed had been set up in the living room now so Mary could see out of the window and also see the Christmas decorations and the crackling log fire too. Mary herself was in great spirits, although pretty weak right now. She would converse and joke with all her friends when they dropped by and to all intents and purposes she was quite happy. There was no sadness about her and she was doing her level best to cheer everyone else up. Maureen too was putting