Joy's Story a Sequel to Stolen

By Elizabeth Keimach

This book is a sequel to Stolen,the story of a young girl kidnapped and sold to a wealthy Saudi man. When she is older she escapes, but is re-kidnapped and forced into marriage. Sarah escapes again with her baby Joy. In the sequel Joy eventually finds out about her Saudi father and visits him. What happens there is tragic. This is Joy's Story

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Oct 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9780244721169

Book preview

Joy's Story a Sequel to Stolen

JOY’S STORY A sequel to Stolen

Elizabeth Keimach

© Elizabeth Keimach 2014. All rights reserved

ISBN 978-0-244-72116-9

Prologue

Women in many traditional societies are often little more than baby producing machines, sex objects, household slaves, and in some cases, if they are from wealth, symbols of status for males. And if they diverge from what is accepted and deemed proper they can be stoned to death, tortured, imprisoned, and mutilated. This is undeniably the case in Saudi Arabia, a place depicted in the book showing how females are bound and shackled by a rigid social structure so vastly and profoundly different from England. Women are never allowed outside without a male relative in tow, and in Riyadh they have to be covered from head to toe in black. They are actually not even permitted to travel anywhere without the permission of the dominant man in their family or clan. Men rule and control this oil rich, albeit sparsely populated country where most of the manual and other general labour is carried out by foreign workers. Overlying customs and practices are the teachings of Islam, founded in the 7th century and incorporating a belief system passionately professed by the vast ruling family.

However things are slowly beginning to change in Saudi. Women can now drive and in other parts of the country the abayas are brightly coloured. My sequel tells the story of Joy, the daughter of Sarah. Sarah was kidnapped as a child and taken to Saudi. She had a forced marriage and gave birth to a child called Aisha but Sarah secretly called her Joy. Sarah escapes with the baby and returns to the UK. Eventually Joy finds out about her birth father and is determined to find him in Saudi Arabia.

Chapter 1

Joy was doing the drying up in the kitchen and as usual she began her drilling of her mother.

But who is my father Mum? she asked.

Listen Joy, I told you he passed away and Hamish is your father now.

Joy put down the dish towel and stamped her foot, But who was he, she cried.

Just a man, now leave it! said Sarah.

You never tell me anything, said the 10-year-old sulkily and with that she turned and stormed off to her room.

Sarah sighed, No my love, she thought, And I don’t for your sake.

Sarah had been kidnapped as a four-year-old and sold to a rich Saudi man called Mohammed Abdul. His favourite wife Selina, was unable to have children and he had given her the little girl as a present. Sarah grew up thinking that Selina was her mother and that Muhammed was her father. However one day when she overheard a man speaking English, some of her early memories were revived. Eventually with the help of the British consulate she was reunited with her birth parents and her siblings. Unfortunately Abdul was determined to get her back for his wife who was pining for the little girl and eventually he succeeded. At eighteen Sarah whom he called Laila. was married off to a wealthy distant cousin with three wives. Sarah gave birth to Joy and was rescued by a man employed by her father. On her return she married her former tutor Hamish whose wife had died tragically in a motor accident. Hamish had a young daughter called Amy who loved Joy who became a second mother to her even though she was only 10 years older.

Sarah finished the dishes then joined Hamish in the lounge where he was reading a book.

She sat down and picked up her own book. Hamish glanced at her, despite being in his early 40s he was still a handsome man. Hamish was Scottish and they lived in the countryside in Scotland.

You look troubled Sarah, he said. Problem?

It’s Joy Hamish, she keeps asking about her birth father.

You have to tell her the story one of these days my love, said her husband.

I know, but I wanted to wait till she was much older.

When it’s your decision, said Hamish returning to his book.

Joy skipped up the stairs and threw herself on the bed. Why won’t anyone tell me about my birth father, she said aloud. She’d quizzed her grandparents, and her aunt and uncle but no one would tell her anything about him. She was sure her great-grandparents would have told her as Sarah had lived with them for several years, however when she was two her granddad had passed away and a year later her grandmother had died. Joy even tried questioning her stepsister Amy, but she also refused to talk about him.

Dad’s your father now Joy and we’re sisters.

Now Joy got up from her bed and stood in front of the mirror. We might be sisters Amy but we look nothing alike. She started at her reflection, The only thing I have that's like my mother are my blue eyes, she thought. My skin is darker and my hair is almost black, so I wonder what my father looked like. Joy was a very intelligent young girl and also extremely persistent in her desire to learn about the mysterious man who had sired her. She flung herself down on the bed Why won't Mum tell me, she sobbed.

At school Joy felt a bit of an outsider, because although she was very beautiful, she looked and felt so different from the other girls, so she tended to spend most of the time in her room studying or using her computer. Her mother had told her that her great-grandfather had been a doctor and Joy decided that she too would like to study medicine when she grew up.

Sometimes she looked at the people from various countries to see if she looked like them, I don’t think my father was British but then again there are many immigrants here so maybe he was one of them, but why won't Mum tell me?

Chapter 2

So the years passed and when Joy was 18 her mother decided that now she was old enough to learn the circumstances of her birth. So a few days after her 18th birthday Sarah beckoned to her daughter, Come and sit here my love, she said, patting the seat beside her on the couch.

I want to tell you something.

Obediently Joy joined her mother on the couch.

What is it Mum? she asked.

Well Joy you know you’ve been asking me about your birth father, well I think you’re old enough now to find out about him.

She took Joy’s hand and stared at her. How she loved this child of hers.

First I want to tell you that you saved my life. If it hadn’t been for you I think I would have died.

My goodness Mum whatever happened?

Well you see Joy, my parents your aunt and uncle and four-year-old me, were holidaying in France when I was kidnapped and taken to Saudi Arabia. Remembering the absolute terror she had felt at the brutal tearing away from her beloved family brought tears to her eyes. Joy stared at her mother not daring to say a word.

Sarah brushed the tears away and continued, Anyway I was taken to a man called Mohammed Abdul and given to his favourite wife Selina. Over time I forgot all about England and my family. However I overheard a conversation in English between Abdul and another man and my memories of my earlier life came flooding back. Anyway I managed to escape and with the help of the British Embassy I was flown back to England and reunited with my parents and siblings.

She turned to Joy, her face now looked so happy.

I was delighted to be with my birth family but the reporters wouldn’t leave us alone and so my parents decided to leave me with my grandparents in Scotland for a few weeks. I loved it there. It was so peaceful and calm and that’s how I came to live with your great-grandparents.

"I’m so sorry those awful things