Family relationships are delicate. The author recalls fond and poignant memories of her childhood growing up in a tropical island-paradise and her closeness to her parents as an only child for nine years. Coming to the United States put them in a new environment and society that required fast “Americanization.” Then tragedy hit the family changing their lives. It took years to bring some normalcy back to their lives but soon a stranger from a foreign land entered their lives and disrupted their family and peace. Every option the family tried to get back their victimized parent hit blocked walls. The frustrations and tribulations made the author wonder what “Truth” meant from different perspectives. This led her to an understanding that brought an uneasy closure to the whole traumatic drama in her life. An ingenious but horrendous case of elder abuse became the impetus for this memoir-autobiography-biography because something like this could touch anyone’s lives. One family’s ordeals and loss ended with another’s gain. The laws of the country and the cracks and inefficiencies of various government agencies allowed conniving and clever tricksters to get away with a bounty. The victim’s family was left dumbfounded and unable to fathom how they could be bilked in this advanced country with all types of checks and balances. The rights of the perpetrators of the crime were protected while the victims had no recourse!

The author has had travel adventures published in community magazines. Her professional work involved software engineering responsibilities, in addition to writing scientific and technical documents while working in the medical-related and software industries. This is the author’s first publication in this genre. Now retired, she likes travelling and exploring the natural beauty of the world. She finds that it enriches her life learning about the traditions of other cultures. She takes every opportunity to view their performing arts and unique native crafts. Her interests are varied and include photography, scrapbooking and journaling her travels, playing the piano and singing, watching movies and theatrical productions with friends and family. Some of her creative challenges have included interior decorating, landscape designing, upholstering furniture, painting murals, sewing drapes, quilts, bedspreads and costumes for performances etc. The author lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has two married children and five granddaughters.