Chapter Ten
Miriam looked up at the tall building on the east side of Barrington Street at Spring Garden Road. Squaring her shoulders, she entered the lobby and looked up the law firm on the directory before taking the elevator up to the sixteenth floor.
The receptionist asked how she could help and Miriam informed her that she had an appointment with Margaret MacDonald. The receptionist asked her to take a seat while she informed Ms. MacDonald that Miriam was here.
Margaret MacDonald turned out to be a trim thirty-something brunette not much taller than Miriam. Her blue eyes shone with intelligence and there were laugh lines showing around her mouth and eyes. Miriam liked her immediately.
“Hi, I'm Peggy MacDonald. You must be Miriam Nadif. It's good to meet you.” Peggy smiled broadly at Miriam.
Miriam returned the smile. “And I'm pleased to meet you.”
Motioning Miriam to follow her, Peggy said, “At the risk of sounding snotty, can I ask you where you learned English? I'm more used to speaking French with new Canadians from Lebanon.”
“I learned basic English at the girl’s school in my town then I did a four year business degree at McMaster. I also speak French and Arabic, but my English is a bit better than my French now.”
Peggy motioned Miriam into the visitor chair in her office. The desk between them was clear, but the credenza was neatly piled with file folders. The view out the window showed the library lawn and part of Citadel Hill through a maze of high rise buildings. Tucked into a corner of Peggy’s bookshelf were a Bible and a small set of commentaries and there was a small framed poster of a family in silhouette with the word ‘Integrity’ and a quote from Psalm 25.
“Miriam, I'd like you to start at the events that led up to your decision to flee your home country.” Peggy took out a notepad and pencil.
In the next forty minutes, Miriam told her story with Peggy making encouraging noises at various points. Miriam finished with, “And now I'm living with a friend in Hubbards while we figure out what to do.”
Peggy gave a comforting smile. “Canada is a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which says under article 16 that marriage can only be entered into if both partners consent and in article 18 that everyone has the right to choose their religion. So you have two grounds to claim refugee status especially with the risk of violence you would face if you returned to Lebanon.”
Peggy continued, “I think it's a fairly straightforward case of religious persecution and violation of freedom of marriage. In order to stay in Canada, you have to prove that you have reasonable grounds to doubt that the Lebanese government can protect you. Our firm has some research briefs that have been prepared by Christian watchdog agencies about persecution of Christians in areas controlled by Hezbollah and some proven stories of apostates being kidnapped from Beirut and brought back to face punishment in their home communities. Christian families who have been in the area for generations suffer routine discrimination, but it isn't anything compared to what converts like you face.”
“Our research paper on marriage rights in areas where strict Islamist groups are in control has already been accepted by the Immigration and Refugee Board as proof that various governments in the Middle East do not protect women's rights to marry as they choose. Although Lebanon is a signatory to the Declaration, the situation there has deteriorated to the point where the government of Lebanon is not willing to enforce all of those rights, especially where they apparently conflict with Shariah in the parts of Lebanon where there is a Shiite majority. If you are granted asylum I don't think you will have a problem convincing the IRB to let you stay in Canada.”
Miriam relaxed slightly. Peggy looked at the clock which showed 10:47. “When are you getting picked up?”
“Half past noon at the library.”
Peggy looked like she was calculating something. “We have plenty of time. Let's go over to the Port of Halifax offices and have you formally ask for asylum.” She stood up and indicated that Miriam should follow.
When they got to reception, Peggy asked the receptionist to phone over to the port authority building to let them know that Peggy was coming over with a refugee claimant. “If you can get Dan Carleton to help us that would be best.”
As they were in the elevator down, Peggy said, “Officially the officers aren’t supposed to let their biases influence whether they refer refugee claimants to the IRB, but everyone is human. I asked Donna to see if Dan was working today because I know that he’s a fellow Christian and that he has a couple of grown daughters who have done mission work in the Middle East.”
“So even here in Canada it sometimes comes down to who you know?”
“It’s like that everywhere. The immigration officers are very busy and like most of us have a tendency to make judgements on first impressions. The highest hurdle is to get your claim for asylum started and Dan would be the most sympathetic to your predicament.”
They walked the few blocks over to the port building. Dan Carleton greeted Peggy like an old friend and asked after mutual acquaintances. Miriam was introduced and Dan asked if she’d like a seat.
Dan took out a form with a questionnaire and asked her to show her identity papers. He took a copy of the ID page from her passport and a copy of her tourist visa then transferred information onto the form. Dan asked her about her education, work experience and marital status. She told her story once more and asked if she could be granted asylum because she feared for her life if she returned to Lebanon. When she was finished he asked if she had a criminal record.
She got an impish look and said, “Not when I left my uncle's house.”
Dan snorted in appreciation and said, “I will refer your case to the IRB in Montreal. It will be up to the Board to make the final determination. Until then, you will be under a conditional removal order. This order gives us the power to deport you if your claim is refused.” He took an official looking form from the printer, signed it and gave it to Miriam. Then printed two more copies, one for his file and one for Peggy.
He got up and walked to a display rack, selected three large envelopes and sat back down at the desk. Handing them one at a time to Miriam he said, “This contains a Personal Information Form, a medical screening form and the guide book you need to fill them out. They have to be mailed within 28 days starting today. In effect, this is the application form to stay in Canada. You are probably looking at three month wait for the IRB to give a preliminary assessment.”
Dan indicated the second envelope. “This is the application for permanent residence and its guide. If your application for protection is approved, the IRB will send you a protected person certificate. You can then apply for permanent residence.” He gave her the last envelope. “Last, this is an application for a temporary work permit. If you need to find a job so you can support yourself before the IRB makes its final decision then you would fill that out.”
Miriam was a bit confused. “So if I have this straight, I need to get a medical certificate and fill out the personal information form within 28 days. The rest can wait a while.”
“That’s right. We can give you a list of doctors that are willing to provide certificates if you would like.”
“Thank you. Please explain this conditional removal order again.”
“There are three things that the conditional removal order does – two of them to your benefit. First it authorizes you to stay in Canada until the Board has made a final decision about your case. That can take up to three years if there are serious problems investigating your claim. The average wait now is around eleven months for a refugee claim. Second, it allows you to find temporary work in Canada to support yourself. Last, the down side, it authorizes us to deport you if your claim is rejected. The order stays in effect until you receive either your protected person certificate from the IRB or the rejection letter.”
Peggy said, “Dan can’t tell you what he thinks your chances of staying are, but I don’t know of anyon
e in your situation being refused protection.”
Dan only raised an eyebrow at Peggy’s statement. “Do you have any more questions?”
Miriam looked at the envelopes in her hands and said, “Not at this time, but if I have some later, can I call you or should I go through Peggy?”
Dan gave Miriam his card and said, “If I can answer your question, I will. Some questions I’m not allowed to answer, but I’ll say that up front. For those ones, you’ll have to speak with Peggy.”
Miriam tucked the papers into her day pack and stood up. Dan shook hands with both women as he said good bye and wished Miriam luck with her application.
Peggy felt like dancing as she walked with Miriam to the library. “Don’t worry about payment for now. We’ll work something out after you get your permanent residency.”
Miriam didn’t feel that comfortable with more charity. “You seem very sure about my chances of staying.”
Peggy just grinned broadly. “I was holding my breath all the way through your interview with Dan. Because you can’t get to Canada directly from Lebanon, it would have been within his authority to deport you to the last safe country you were in and make you apply for asylum from there.”
Miriam gave a hopeful look. “So he could have sent me back to Israel?”
“Yes. But he whether he overlooked it on purpose or just forgot, he issued you the conditional removal order and gave you the information forms to fill out for the Board. I was so relieved. Now, you have to fill out the forms and get that medical certificate.”
Miriam smiled brightly. “That’s something I can do. I should be able to get the forms completed by Monday, but I don’t know about the doctor.”
“If you don’t mind sitting in an office waiting for a cancellation, I can give you the names of a couple of women doctors who are Amnesty International activists. They will make room in their schedule for refugee claimants.” Peggy dug into her purse and wrote two names on the back of her business card.
“I’ll get this done as soon as possible. Jerry will be very pleased.” Miriam found an empty spot on the retaining wall and sat down. Peggy sat next to her.
“Jerry?” Peggy asked curiously.
“Jerry Ernst, my boyfriend. He was my best friend at Mac but we couldn’t let anything develop between us at that time because I had obligations to my father and the family business. Jerry was one of the main reasons I became a Christian. When I had to escape my uncle, Jerry was the first person I thought of.” Miriam blushed. “Well, really I'd been thinking about Jerry quite a lot while I was trapped in the house. I hoped that he was free to help me and that there would still be that spark between us. I’ve given so many thanks to God in the past week that I was right. I’m staying in Hubbards with his aunt and uncle.”
“Are you thinking of marriage?” Peggy had a look that suggested she was thinking about the legal ramifications.
“It’s far too soon for that. Jerry’s wife abandoned him and their daughter several years ago, but they aren’t divorced yet. And while I know that Jerry could sponsor me if we married, I’d rather be here legally before we married. But if the divorce is granted quickly I could change my mind.”
Peggy’s sympathetic expression touched Miriam’s heart. “Well, I'll pray that things work out for you.”
Miriam gave a wistful smile as she thought of Jerry. “Me, too.” Then Miriam straightened up and said, “I’ll bring a small retainer with me when I drop off the forms. I’d like you to review them for me to make sure that my story makes sense and that I haven’t forgotten anything.”
Peggy thought about trying to convince Miriam to keep her money but saw the determined look on her face. Instead of arguing, she stood up and shook Miriam’s hand. “It will be my pleasure. I’m very happy to have met you, Miriam, and if you have any questions feel free to call me.”
“I will.” Miriam watched Peggy make her way back to her office.
Rose was only five minutes late but that was long enough for Miriam to grow famished from the smells wafting from the hot dog and French fry vendors that lined the sidewalk.
“So how did it go?” Rose asked.
“Well, the first step was a success. My claim has been accepted for review by the Immigration and Refugee Board. The immigration officer gave me a paper that allows me to stay in Canada until the Board makes its decision. I can also apply for a temporary work permit, which I will do soon, but I’m going to take your advice and not start looking for work until the middle of August.” Miriam relaxed back into the seat of the car.
“That’s great news, my dear. So what happens next?”
“I fill out a bunch of forms and get a medical exam. Peggy, that’s my lawyer, will review everything and forward the applications to the IRB in Montreal. She gave me the names of a couple of doctors that she says would be able to get me the certificate quickly.”
“Well, I suppose that will mean another trip into Halifax next week.”
“Yes, I suppose it will.”
“Do you think we can do this again next week, Mitchie?”
“Do what, Auntie Rose?”
“Come into Halifax for the day?”
“That would be okay.” Mitchie sounded a bit bored.
They went to the Commons to find a playground and eat their picnic lunch. Michelle perked up when she saw the big play structure and became a whirlwind but eventually calmed down enough to eat her lunch.
On the way home they stopped in again at Frenchy’s where Miriam picked up a long tee shirt style nightgown, a bathrobe that she didn't swim in, two modest summer weight dresses, two pairs of Capri pants and three short sleeved blouses. With the prospect of getting a work permit, she didn’t feel she had to pinch her remaining pennies quite so hard.
Jerry was marking exams in the kitchen when Michelle burst through the door. “Did you have a good day, squirt?”
“Really good, Daddy. Mireeyum pushed me on the swings and helped me build a sand castle.”
“Where did you do that?” Jerry asked as Miriam and Rose followed Michelle through the side door.
“In Halifax.” Michelle bounced as she replied. “Can I have a, may I please have a glass of milk? Pleeeeze?”
“I’ll get it.” Miriam grinned and went to the cupboard for a plastic glass. Pouring the milk she said, “Here you are, little one.” Michelle sat and started to drink. “Rose, I put some chicken and onions in the crock pot this morning. If you and Jack want to come over I’ll just put on some extra rice.”
Jerry and Rose both looked at each other. Miriam looked sheepish and said, “Sorry, Jerry. I suppose I should have asked you first.”
Rose laughed and said, “I’d love to come over. I was just going to heat up leftovers from the freezer.” She looked pointedly at Jerry. “It’s a good thing someone can plan ahead.”
It was Jerry’s turn to look sheepish. “If it was just me, I would have made Kraft dinner with either tuna or hot dogs.” He got up and folded Miriam into a hug. “I didn’t say it before, my love, but please make yourself at home.” He bent down to claim a kiss.
Michelle piped up. “Auntie Rose, Daddy’s kissing Mireeyum. Is that good?”
All the adults laughed. Rose said, “Yes, sweetie, it’s very good.” Michelle finished her milk and ran into the living room.
Miriam looked up at Jerry. “I’m sorry, my love. I just feel so at home here and I knew we might be late and I wanted us to have a good meal waiting…” Jerry stopped her babbling with another kiss.
“It’s fine, dearest. I really appreciate you doing this for us.” He released Miriam so that she could attend to supper.
Rose was smirking as she waved goodbye. “I’ll be back in half an hour with Jack. See you.”
Jerry turned to Miriam. “So how did it go?”
Miriam related her morning as she busied herself with shredding carrots to put in the rice. “So after I send in the personal information form I wait. It’s a minimum of three months to process
and then only if it’s expedited. The officer said that the normal processing time is a year and it could be as long as two or three. But in the interim I can get a work permit and try to find a job.” Miriam put the rice on to boil then came to sit across from Jerry.
“However, I will take Rose’s advice and not look for a job until you are preparing for next school year. I’ve never had a vacation before, not really, and I have enough money left to contribute to the groceries and a bit of fun until then. So, you’re stuck with me for the summer.”
Jerry beamed at her from across the table. “That’s wonderful. If it goes like last summer, we’ll have two weeks to ourselves before Annabelle shows up for her two weeks then three weeks after she goes home before I have to start preparing for the new classes. I was planning to visit each of my brothers and my sister. If you don’t mind, I’d like to introduce you to them.”
“Are they far away?”
“Well, I have one brother, Bill, who works for the National Research Council in Fredericton, but the rest are closer. Maggie’s in Kentville working at the university, John’s in Moncton managing a restaurant and Richard is in Cole Harbour. He works at the airbase in Dartmouth. Richard and his wife are coming for lunch on Sunday after church. Bill’s the only one we’d need to stay overnight to visit and they have lots of room, although it might be easier to stay overnight when we visit Moncton. That would be at a hotel, though, John's apartment is pretty small and it's not very visitor friendly.”
Miriam contemplated this. “It will be good to meet all of your family.”
Jerry laughed. “I don't know if I've met all of my family. That was only my brothers and sister. Mom has eight brothers and sisters including Rose and an uncle I’ve never met. Between them I have thirty six first cousins on that side that I know of and I’m not sure how many kids the first cousins have. I think there’s at least fifty-one and counting. Dad’s side is almost as big and when I get to second and third cousins and their kids I think you’d find that I’m related to at least a third of the people who live between Tantallon and Lunenburg. Maybe half.”
Miriam decided to change the subject. “So how did your day go?”
“Well I got all but these last two papers marked, so I can relax this evening. There’s one more exam on Tuesday that I have to mark, but that’s my Grade 10 class, so I’ll have until the Friday to hand in the marks.”
The phone rang as Jack and Rose entered the kitchen. Jerry answered. “Hello…Oh, Aunt Ethel. How are you?...What did Jaclyn say?...The custodian said we had to find a different way…Well, you know how much of a perfectionist she is…Ethel, I’m just not allowed to make random holes in the gym walls…Yes, I know…Well, have her pack a lunch and we’ll go over the plans tomorrow afternoon. There are no exams in the gym tomorrow…Yes, Ethel…Yes, I know how important this is to Jaclyn…We’ll figure out a way to make it work…Sorry, Ethel but Miriam just said supper was ready…Miriam…My girlfriend…Yes, she’s from away…Lebanon…Look, why don’t you and Jaclyn come over for dessert after supper on Monday?...The rest of the girls'd be welcome, too...I’ll look forward to it…Yes, I’ll be at the school tomorrow afternoon…I’ll speak with Jaclyn…Yes, Ethel…It’s good to talk to you, too…Sorry, Ethel but supper’s getting cold…Yes, Monday…Bye…Love you, too, bye.” Jerry rolled his eyes as he hung up the phone.
Jack stifled a snicker then asked, “And how is your Dad’s baby sister?”
“About the same as usual.” Jerry carefully moved his marking to a clear dry space on the counter and began to set one end of the kitchen table for supper.
Miriam looked a little confused. Jerry explained. “My first cousin Jaclyn Mader is in charge of decorating the gym for the graduation and the graduation dance next Thursday and Friday. She’s my Aunt Ethel’s oldest girl and she takes care of Mitchie quite a lot. Jaclyn’s great, but she does tend to the melodramatic and Ethel backs her up. So any time Jaclyn has a complaint about anything at the school, Ethel’s on the phone to me. And I have her other four kids, all girls, to look forward to. The twins start at the high school next year.” Jerry paused to call down the hall, “Mitchie! Time to wash your hands for supper.” A muted response came from somewhere upstairs.
“Anyway, I’m back at the school tomorrow afternoon to meet with Jaclyn and her committee. She wants to hang some murals to try to transform the space, but the custodian won’t let her fasten anything to the walls. They repainted the gym this year and he won’t even allow masking tape.” Miriam transferred the serving dishes to the table.
“I’m sure you’ll figure out some way to make it work. You’ve always had a creative streak, Jerry.” Rose took a helping of chicken and put a bit on Michelle’s plate.
“Yes, I’m sure we will, if I don’t throttle my melodramatic cousin in the process.” Jerry sounded exasperated.
Jack said, “Then you should have Miriam and Michelle with you. They’ll calm you down enough so that you’ll be able to deal with Jaclyn.”
Jerry looked dubious. Then he looked at Miriam and realized that Jack was probably right. “Would you like to come along, Miriam?”
Miriam shrugged and said, “If you’d like me to.”
Jerry thought for a moment and said, “I think I would. But there will be lots of curious people looking at you.”
“I’m as curious about them, especially your cousin. You come to get us and I’ll have a good lunch waiting here for you so that you’ll be in a good mood when we get back.”
Jack changed the subject and bored everyone with the options the township was considering for the new storm drains along old Highway 3. Everyone else just listened and enjoyed their supper.
When Jerry went upstairs to put Michelle to bed, Miriam turned on the news. There was a brief report about escalating tension along the border between Lebanon and Israel. When Jerry returned the Newsworld feed had cycled back to the same story.
“What's your opinion, Miriam? Is there going to be another war?”
“I don't know.” She looked at him with shining eyes. “I need a hug. I'm worried about my sisters and I don't dare contact them. Elena should be fine, her husband is working at a hospital in Tripoli in the north and Sara is just outside Beirut, but Micheline still lives close to the border in Nabatieh.”
Jerry lifted Miriam onto his lap and folded his arms around her. “Sweet Miriam, I'm sure they'll be fine, but I'll mention them in my prayers tonight.”
Miriam let her head rest on Jerry's shoulder. With his long capable arms around her she felt safe and loved. After a moment she lifted her head and asked, “What did you call me?”
Jerry blushed but said, “I called you Sweet Miriam.”
Miriam pulled Jerry's head to hers for a kiss, then sighed and relaxed against his shoulder. “I should be going.”
Jerry gave Miriam a gentle squeeze then let her go. Reluctantly, Miriam got off Jerry's lap and walked to the hall to get her rain jacket. He followed and helped her into her coat and claimed a good night kiss. “Sleep well, my sweet.”
“You also, light of my eyes.” Miriam followed this with another tender kiss then paused to look into the depths of Jerry's wonderful blue eyes. With an effort she released his hands and said a final good night.
Jerry returned to the kitchen to tidy up the tea mugs and put away his marking. As he read his Bible and said his prayers he prayed an extra thanksgiving to God for leading Miriam back to him.
Miriam said a sleepy goodnight to Jack and Rose as she climbed to her bedroom. Her prayers were short but included prayers for courage, her sisters, for Michelle and for the heart of her heart. She fell asleep remembering the warm safe haven of Jerry's arms.