Em Gessen

Remember there were shortages of masks and other protective equipment?

The scheme didn't work out.

During the first year or so of the pandemic, all of us spent more time on Cape Cod.

My baby brothers attending college remotely, me and my kids, and Alan and Nana and O visiting frequently.

My dad got an oyster license.

O became an oyster enthusiast.

We all got closer.

The rest of the world receded.

In the summer of 2021, Priscilla got word that her Hague petition was finally scheduled for a hearing in the U.S.

District Court in Boston.

Priscilla's lawyer arranged for a visa and raised the money to get Priscilla to the U.S.

It had been two years since Alan took O from Russia.

So when was your court date?

The lawyer had warned her that the Haig Convention case would take weeks or months, and now she also had to deal with Allen's custody case in family court.

It would all surely drag on.

But to Priscilla, just coming to the U.S.

felt like a victory.

Finally, she was in the same country as her son.

She would see him.

For most of the 25 months of their separation, Priscilla had only sporadic contact with Owen.