Out of Captivity : Surviving 1,967 Days in the Colombian Jungle

446 OUT OF CAPTIVITYhappy he was and how much he loved me. It wasn’t a time for eloquence,it was simply time to immerse ourselves in the emotions of themoment. The people responsible for our reintegration program onlywanted me to speak to him for a few minutes; they’d been throughthis before and had a specific program designed to keep us from beingtoo overwhelmed. I said good-bye to my father regretfully, and withoutrealizing how strange the words sounded, I said I would see him tomorrow.I learned from my father that my mother was in France. She’d gonethere to participate in several peaceful protests and to take part in variousceremonies designed to bring attention to the plight of the Colombianhostages. Part of the plan was to climb to the top of Mount Blancto place photos of hostages at the highest point in Western Europe. Shehad been informed of our rescue, and with the aid of Northrop, was onher way to Texas.Sleeping in a real bed for the first time was wonderful, but even thatcomfort couldn’t prevent me from having a nightmare. All throughcaptivity I’d dream at night that I’d been rescued. That first night inthe BAMC I awoke from a nightmare in which I was in the jungle andeverything that had just happened—the rescue, the flights, the returnto the States, the conversation with my father—everything was only adream and my reality was that I was still in the jungle. As clichéd as itmay seem, that vivid and disturbing nightmare startled me awake, andin the darkness, I wondered if everything in that hospital room was aproduct of my imagination.On day two of our return, I got to see my mother and stepfather,Mike, as well as my father, stepmother, and stepsister and brother.Again, all the visits were carefully regulated and somewhat brief. Whenmy mother clamped her arms around me, I thought either I had becomethat frail or she’d become that strong. I felt like she could crushmy rib cage, but I didn’t mind.“I am so glad to see you. My prayers have been answered. I love you