Chapter Seventeen – 19 years 2 months before the collapse
Jim and Annabel queued for the bus along with the elderly and those with difficulty walking. Annabel was having second thoughts on whether the trip was suitable for a three and a half year old.
On the bus they sat behind an elderly couple who chatted so loudly that Annabel and Jim couldn’t help but overhear them.
“I know he was an immigrant, but he was such an excellent doctor,” said one.
“And such a nice family,” said the other.
“Imagine being deprived of his livelihood like that.”
Annabel and Jim exchanged glances and tried to focus on the pithy jokes of the tour manager, who also was the bus driver.
When they stopped for drinks, the tour manager staged some kind of cabaret act with jokes, songs and even a bit of poetry whi
