{"id":12,"date":"2011-09-15T17:52:45","date_gmt":"2011-09-15T07:52:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dubuisson.com.au\/dubuisson\/?page_id=12"},"modified":"2012-11-13T18:07:18","modified_gmt":"2012-11-13T07:07:18","slug":"cyrils-page","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/www.dubuisson.com.au\/dubuisson\/?page_id=12","title":{"rendered":"Cyril&#8217;s Page"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>The following is the prologue of a novel I&#8217;m begining to write. I will appreciate your comments<\/strong><br \/>\n<em><br \/>\n<\/em><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_89\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dubuisson.com.au\/dubuisson\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/100_0385.jpg\"><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-89\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-89\" title=\"100_0385\" src=\"http:\/\/www.dubuisson.com.au\/dubuisson\/wp-content\/themes\/grey-opaque\/plugins\/lazy-load\/images\/1x1.trans.gif\" data-lazy-src=\"http:\/\/www.dubuisson.com.au\/dubuisson\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/100_0385-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"Cyril\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.dubuisson.com.au\/dubuisson\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/100_0385-300x225.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.dubuisson.com.au\/dubuisson\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/100_0385.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><noscript><img aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-89\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-89\" title=\"100_0385\" src=\"http:\/\/www.dubuisson.com.au\/dubuisson\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/100_0385-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"Cyril\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.dubuisson.com.au\/dubuisson\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/100_0385-300x225.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.dubuisson.com.au\/dubuisson\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/100_0385.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-89\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Cyril on the rocks!<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><em> \u2026 turn the other cheek!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Rarely seen in public, a past that had remained a mystery, his personal relation that was a well-kept secret Jeremy Wallis was nicknamed \u2018<em>the taciturn\u2019 <\/em>by the press. His philanthropic work however, had been much advertised, which had made him a legend, a sort of mystical benefactor. According to the myth he wasn\u2019t always rich and ready to throw money at the destitute; the popular belief favoured the idea that during the Great Depression he was just a bare footed young boy with running nose, looking for food among the rubbish in the back lanes of Victoria Market. It was common knowledge however that he made his fortune after negotiating a contract with the Defence Department to supply wheel chairs and other disabled aids to \u2018Repat\u2019 during the Second World War; after the war his company was exporting its products internationally.<\/p>\n<p>He left his mansion that morning like a thief, making sure none of his domestic staff saw him. Outside it was cold and still dark like midnight, thick clouds over the Dandenong Ranges stopping the awakening rays of the sun to break through. It didn\u2019t matter, everything was well planned and he believed that God was on his side. He stood outside the wrought iron gates that showed his coat of arms and waited for a taxi.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf Edgar had heard the slightest noise,\u201d he thought, \u201cthat would have been the end of my plans.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He would have found it hard to explain, even to his own butler, the reasons he was sneaking out his own home so early in the morning without telling anyone.\u00a0 He was obviously embarrassed of what he was on his way to do. The press would surely crucify him if they had knowledge of his intention, people would be shocked and his reputation would be shattered. That worried him.<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy thought of his bank manager, the only weak part of his plan. The manager was indirectly involved but had no idea why Jeremy offered to pay off the Island Guano Co-op\u2019s bad debts.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s still convinced that it\u2019s an act of charity,\u201d Jeremy reassured himself.<\/p>\n<p>In fact he had revenge on his mind when he noticed the unpaid mortgage statement on the bank manager\u2019s desk. Perhaps it was just luck; yet he believed that it was a helping hand from the Almighty.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople would be on my side too if they knew the whole story,\u201d he told himself. \u201cBut the truth was too shameful to tell.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He sighted.<\/p>\n<p>He waited for a while and was relieved when he hailed a passing cab and it stopped. He sat comfortably in the back seat and watched through the closed window, on which twinkled drops of rain, the moving sceneries to clear his thoughts. The wet road reflected the streetlights like mirrors.<\/p>\n<p>He stepped out of the taxi at North Port. The sun had started to peep through the clouds. He pulled down the rim of his felt hat, up his black scarf and surveyed the surrounding. He was satisfied that the chance of finding an acquittance or reporters in this crowd of busy stevedores and sailors, was very remote. Yet despite his effort to hide his identity, he looked like a new shilling in a bucket of old washers.<\/p>\n<p>The ferry he was about to take was already berthed at the far end of the wharf. Jeremy took his briefcase and an engraved silver handle walking stick from the back seat of the taxi, paid the driver and with a haughty gesture refused the change.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThank you, sir,\u201d said the grateful driver before driving away.<\/p>\n<p>He waited for the taxi to disappear beyond the gates before starting to walk. As he came closer to the ferry terminal and seeing trucks loaded with guano, he had a strange feeling, as if he was walking right back into the past. Wasn\u2019t it his intention, to go back into the past and settle the scores?\u00a0 He was however a bit apprehensive; if Mary Jones weren\u2019t living there anymore, would his revenge have any purpose?<\/p>\n<p>He stopped and inspected the ferry he was about to board. He was rather shocked to see its condition. It was all rusty, in desperate need of maintenance and a good paint job.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIs it the same one I was a stowaway in seventeen years ago? He thought. \u201cIt was a Friday, the 8<sup>th<\/sup> of June 1935, a day that I have to erase from my memory.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>It was however still clear in his mind, as if he had seen it in a movie the night before, but he was positive that these memories wouldn\u2019t bother him after completing his mission. He felt better as he walked into the waiting room and was pleased to see that it was empty. He sat and took a magazine from an old coffee table. He was going through the pages without interest when he heard someone walking in. He didn\u2019t look up and tried to ignore the presence of the new arrival.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood morning. Are you mister Wallis?\u201d He heard the man said.<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy looked up and saw a young South East Asian man in white, with a bright smile.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes,\u201d he replied.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m Ricardo Cruz, the captain of the \u2018Eigamoya\u2019, the ferry you\u2019re about to come onboard. On behalf of the company and the islanders, I welcome you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy looked at him, and was wary.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe man can still call the newspapers,\u201d he thought, and after moment, \u201cdo the islanders know I\u2019m coming?\u201d He finally asked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t think so,\u201d said Ricardo, \u201cwould you like me to contact them by radio?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo, no,\u201d replied quickly Jeremy, \u201cI don\u2019t like welcoming committees.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt has been a good surprise to see your name on the passengers\u2019 list,\u201d said Ricardo, \u201cI\u2019ve read about your charity works and I\u2019m honoured to have you onboard.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPassenger\u2019s list?\u201d Inquired Jeremy<\/p>\n<p>The captain smiled and added, \u201cit\u2019s not really a list; we only have you and Reverent Pat O\u2019Brien as passengers.\u00a0 \u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cReverent Pat O\u2019Brien!\u201d Jeremy slowly repeated the name, trying to remember if he had met him before.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes, he\u2019s one of our regular,\u201d replied the smiling captain, \u201che\u2019s a missionary who\u2019s trying hard to build a church for the islanders, but money is scarce. I really hope you can make the difference.\u00a0 The islanders desperately in need of one.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy didn\u2019t comment and after a moment of uneasy silence, Ricardo lost his smile. He turned and was about to exit through the door leading to the waterfront when Jeremy asked him, \u201cdo you know Damien Macadam, the farmer?<\/p>\n<p>Ricardo stopped, faced him and smiled again.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes, yes,\u201d he said. \u201cHe\u2019s the chairman of the Islanders Farming Co-op.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIs Mary, his wife still living with him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOf course,\u201d Ricardo said. \u201cShe\u2019s a nice lady. Do you know her?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy nodded and smiled. \u201cYes, I believe I do know both her and her husband,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m glad,\u201d said Ricardo, before leaving, \u201cenjoy your journey, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy flicked through the pages of a magazine without much attention.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt had to be God\u2019s will,\u201d he thought, \u201cwithout stress, everything is falling into its right place.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A few minutes later a sailor came to guide Jeremy to his cabin.<\/p>\n<p>It was so claustrophobically small that he couldn\u2019t stay there. He found his way back to the lounge and bar, which was surprisingly in better condition than the rest of the ship. There wasn\u2019t anybody in the quite large room, so he sat on one of the black vinyl sofa, made himself comfortable and closed his eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019d be good if I could take a nap,\u201d he thought. After all he had woken up very early in the morning, but the anticipation was too overwhelming.\u00a0 He tried to imagine Mary\u2019s face when she would recognise him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter what she had done,\u201d he thought, \u201cI guess she\u2019ll be too ashamed to even look at me. But she\u2019ll know! They\u2019ll both realise that judgement day has come.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He felt the ship moving and resisted the urge of going to the bridge to watch the coastline slowly disappearing. He didn\u2019t have that luxury when he was a stowaway; he wanted it to be the same, a way to really feel that he was sailing back into the past. He was also relieved; as the ferry was leaving the harbour, there was no chance of meeting a reporter.<\/p>\n<p>He opened his briefcase and took out a file. It was a deed to repossess the farm for unpaid loans. He studied the contents for a while before he heard someone entering the room. He quickly closed the file and put it back in his brief case. He looked up and saw a priest in black robe walking towards him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJeremy Wallis, I presume?\u201d He asked, with a laugh.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m Pat O\u2019Brien, missionary,\u201d presenting a friendly hand to shake. \u201cRicardo told me that you were sailing with us and I\u2019m very excited.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy shook his hand and without adding another word, observed him. His first impression was that he looked more like a salesman than a priest and guessed that his enthusiasm was probably about fund for his church that the captain had previously mentioned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRicardo Cruz, the captain,\u201d repeated the priest, noticing Jeremy unresponsiveness, \u201chave you met him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh yes,\u201d replied Jeremy, \u201cdon\u2019t you think he\u2019s a bit young to be a captain?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s all the company can afford; like the island, the ferry isn\u2019t doing well. I guess it\u2019s good for him because it\u2019d be hard to find a job like this in a normal situation. But he\u2019s knowledgeable, very religious and I trust him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis makes me feel a lot better,\u201d smiled Jeremy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know what you have in mind for the island,\u201d said the priest, \u201cbut I\u2019m sure it will be for the good of the people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy hesitated for a moment, but knowing that the media couldn\u2019t be contacted, he was confident to declare the reason of his mission.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m not going there to help anyone,\u201d he admitted.<\/p>\n<p>The priest stared at him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have a court order to repossess the Macadam\u2019s farm due to failure of mortgage payment,\u201d Jeremy continued, \u201cthe farmer owes a lot of money to my company\u2026.\u201d And he added as a sort of an excuse, \u201c\u2026business is business.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut you can\u2019t do that,\u201d exclaimed the priest, stunned. \u201cWhat will happen to Damien, Mary and their kids? And the dozen of people who work on the farm?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI shall appoint a caretaker administrator,\u201d he said, \u201cthe workers may have nothing to fear; they will have time to decide their future before the board will come up to a decision about what to do with the asset. Indeed you can\u2019t continue a business that keeps losing money.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut Damien, you can\u2019t just kick him out of his own farm? You\u2019re not the person the media makes us believe you are.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe couldn\u2019t run his business properly,\u201d Jeremy impatiently raised his voice, \u201cit doesn\u2019t have anything to do with me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere have been a few bad years,\u201d said the priest, \u201cyou have to realise the situation and be more compassionate. You have really disappointed me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLet me tell you,\u201d said Jeremy, trying to control himself, \u201cI knew Damien and Mary a long time ago; believe me they were not as nice as you think.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPerhaps he did a few bad things when he was young,\u201d said the priest, \u201cboys are boys, but what I know is that Damien has worked harder than anyone to keep his farm and the co-op afloat and provide jobs for the islanders.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe bank wasn\u2019t going to give him any more fund,\u201d insisted Jeremy, \u201chis loans exceed the value of his assets. How was he going to pay the workers? In a way I did him a favour by taking over the mortgage, at least he had a few more months of finance to pay the wages and come up with the payment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo it was you who took over from the bank?\u201d said the priest, \u201cDamien told me about it; he wasn\u2019t too sure what was going on; the bank wasn\u2019t asking for any payment. He thought that they were helping him getting out of bankruptcy. That was only about three months ago, you can\u2019t expect him to repay you in such a short time?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGood business men usually read the fine prints before signing a loan contract,\u201d said Jeremy, \u201cI have sent him all the required papers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou have tricked him,\u201d said the priest, \u201che could have gone somewhere else to find the fund. Even the bank would have been more sympathetic than you, sir.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat Mary and Damien had done to me was unforgivable,\u201d shouted Jeremy impatiently, but he quickly calmed himself, then continued with a softer voice,\u00a0 \u201cyou have to know the whole story before you cast the first stone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat can they have done to you?\u201d Asked the priest, \u201cplease tell me the story.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy stood up, feeling uneasy. \u201cOnly Mary, Damien and I know what happened. I\u2019m sure that they haven\u2019t told anyone either.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis revenge! I guess you had it on your conscience for a long time,\u201d said the priest, \u201cit&#8217;s a sin you know. If you wish to confess this is the time&#8217;.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cConfess?\u201d Mumbled Jeremy.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy not? I\u2019m a priest\u2026 And there\u2019re only you and I.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy hesitated.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you had talked to a priest then,\u201d said the missionary, \u201cyou wouldn\u2019t have a problem now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The missionary sat on one of the black vinyl sofa and made himself comfortable.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy walked away from him, but he wasn\u2019t completely against the idea. It took him some time before he could persuade himself that this could be in his favour.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat\u2019s better than having a religious man as an ally?\u201d He thought, being certain that if Pat O\u2019Brien, the missionary heard his story he would be on his side.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWell, I guess we could try,\u201d Jeremy finally said, and after a long moment, putting his thoughts together, he began, \u201cI was born on the island.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s how you knew Damien,\u201d said the priest, \u201cHasn\u2019t the shipping Co. notified him of your arrival?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter,\u201d said Jeremy, \u201cI\u2019ve changed my name after the Salvos found me covered with manure near Kensington\u2019s abattoirs in the morning after I spent a freezing night in a rubbish trolley. They took me and made me a human being again. When I was born my name was Jim Martello.<\/p>\n<p>He started walking slowly around the room before gaining enough courage to continue.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t have an easy childhood, we were very poor,\u201d he began, \u201cnever knew my father, my mother was a very irrational woman. She drank and smoked too much and had too many men friends. I moved out of her flat above the <em>\u2018The Pirate Cave\u2019 <\/em>hotel as soon as I could and the old farmer, Damien\u2019s father gave me a job. Later I realised that he had been one of my mother\u2019s visitors and somehow he wanted to give me a chance because of her. But Damien, perhaps knowing his father\u2019s reasons, was against the decision to employ me. He argued that I wasn\u2019t strong enough to work as a farm hand. Of course I couldn&#8217;t walk properly, I had polio when I was seven. but I tried hard to do the work a fast as anybody else. \u00a0The old farmer however had a deaf ear to his son\u2019s complains. It made Damien even angrier and he started to bully and abuse me. I endured all the abuses for the simple reason that there wasn\u2019t work anywhere else on the island at that time. Nevertheless I would have probably forgiven Damien for the abuses, but Mary\u2019s arrival changed everything. She and I became quickly friends, perhaps because she pretended to dislike Damien as much as I did. I became very fond of her. Although I never told her that I was in love with her, yet she must have known of my sentiment and I thought she felt the same way. One afternoon after work she told me to meet her near the old barn the next morning and we\u2019d both go to work together\u2026 I was so happy. \u201d<\/p>\n<p>Suddenly he was overcome by his emotions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c\u2026But when I arrived there that morning\u2026. \u201d\u00a0 He tried to continue, but stopped talking, covered his face with his hands and let himself down on a sofa. For a while he didn\u2019t say a word; he seemed to be sobbing softly.<\/p>\n<p>The priest observed him in silence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOh God!\u201d Jeremy cried, \u201cI still can\u2019t understand why she went out of her way to humiliate me\u2026\u00a0 why? I know I was just an insignificant crippled young man. I would have understood if she wasn\u2019t interested in someone like me. Damien was better looking and had the security of wealth; but why did she lead me to believe? The fact was that she made me fall in love with her just for a cruel joke. They must have laughed their heads off when they saw me running away in tears.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He stopped talking and didn\u2019t move for a while.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened in the barn?\u201d Asked quietly the priest.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe\u2026 she was making love to Damien. I couldn\u2019t see her because she was in a bale of hay and he was on top of her, but I could hear her moaning. She had the decency to muffle her voice as I walked in, but he lifted his head, looked at me with defiance and smiled. God! It was the most evil smile\u2026 He seemed to say I\u2019m making love to your girlfriend what can you do about it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy couldn\u2019t hold back his tears; took a handkerchief out of his pocket and blew his nose.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did you do?\u201d Asked the priest.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2026 I felt so demeaning that I didn\u2019t want anyone to see anyone, frankly I wish I were dead. I got out of the barn and ran without knowing where I was going. I found a cattle truck on its way to the ferry. I jumped in, hid myself among the cattle. It drove onto the ferry; we sailed to the mainland. I got out of the truck near the Kensington Abattoirs, loss, cold and covered with manure. For years I could smell it on my skin regardless how many showers I took.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy closed his eyes and felt drained of all energy. The priest remained thoughtful for a while.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat will happened to my church if the farm can\u2019t operate?\u201d\u00a0 He murmured, almost to himself, \u201cand the ferry? Ricardo will lose his job.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then he stood up and without looking at Jeremy, \u201cyou should forgive,\u201d he stated. \u201cRemember Mathew chapter 5 verse 33 \u2018<em>If someone slaps you on your right cheek, turn your other cheek to him as well<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can\u2019t,\u201d mumbled Jeremy, \u201cAll these years I\u2019ve heard her voice in my sleeps and every time I\u2019ve looked at a woman I\u2019ve seen her laughing at me. I have to stop the nightmares and start living a normal life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The priest slowly left the room. Jeremy watched him until he shut the door behind him. He closed his eyes.<\/p>\n<p>After a long while, the ship horn took him out of a stupor. He stood up and went to the porthole; saw land at a short distance and a few small boats approaching the ferry. He took his briefcase and his walking stick, walked to the door. He couldn\u2019t open it. He tried another door but it was locked too. Puzzled, he went back to the porthole and recognised Damien coming onboard, a woman and two Police officers accompanying him. The captain and the priest came to meet them. They talked for a moment and then disappeared from his view; soon the door opened and the policemen stood at the threshold, Damien, the woman and captain behind, Jeremy could see the priest peeping behind the door.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJim Martello, alias Jeremy Wallis\u201d called one of constables, \u201cyou\u2019re under arrest for the rape and murder of Mary Jones on the 8th of June 1935.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jeremy looked at them in shock. He opened his mouth, but there was no sound. He then glanced at the woman standing next to Damien.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou may remain silence,\u201d continued the constable, \u201cbut whatever you say or do will be taken as evidence in a court of law.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Damien put his arms on the woman\u2019s shoulder, looked at Jeremy with defiance and smiled. The same evil smile he had seventeen years ago in the barn. It was on the 8<sup>th<\/sup> of June 1935, the day Jeremy wanted to erase from his memory.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>This is a prologue of a novel I&#8217;m writting. Jeremy will be imprisoned, accused of Mary&#8217;s murder, he will be sentensed to death by hanging in a kangouroo court.<strong> I will appreciate your suggestion to get him out of jail. WAIT FOR THE NEXT SHOW.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Turn the other cheek (the book)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dubuisson.com.au\/dubuisson\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/FILE0028.mov\">FILE0028<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dubuisson.com.au\">Click on this link<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The following is the prologue of a novel I&#8217;m begining to write. I will appreciate your comments &nbsp; \u2026 turn the other cheek! Rarely seen in public, a past that had remained a mystery, his personal relation that was a &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.dubuisson.com.au\/dubuisson\/?page_id=12\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.dubuisson.com.au\/dubuisson\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.dubuisson.com.au\/dubuisson\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.dubuisson.com.au\/dubuisson\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.dubuisson.com.au\/dubuisson\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.dubuisson.com.au\/dubuisson\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"http:\/\/www.dubuisson.com.au\/dubuisson\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":180,"href":"http:\/\/www.dubuisson.com.au\/dubuisson\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/12\/revisions\/180"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.dubuisson.com.au\/dubuisson\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}