I walked into the embassy feeling nervous. Even though I had only been gone for a an hour, I kept thinking of the possibility that my family had found out and they would be walking into the embassy. Also, with Yusuf with me, I did not want to get in trouble with the Hay'ah. I waited to speak with one of the counselors. I finally did. I had an envelope with weak proof of certain things, like my father's reply to my letter. I talked with an Arab man who was unwilling to help me, but then a western woman, Lily, heard about the situation and decided that she would help me. Thank the Lord!
She took my passport and my situation and they went to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Internal Affairs and the Prince of Riyadh. It was a difficult situation, given the fact that I had no visa at all. Little did I know that it would take over a month.
I stayed at random hotels (furnished apartments) that would allow me to stay as a single woman. If I felt it was looking suspicious, I moved to another hotel to avoid complications. I e-mailed with my mother and facebooked my sister. It was during this time that I found out my father married a third wife from Yemen. At this point I could hardly care. I was not going to let this stress me out anymore.
The embassy would pick up stuff at my house and bring them to me. It was a hard, but exciting time. With every passing day and no news, I felt that my dream would not come true, which caused me to act carelessly sometimes. I asked Yusuf to rent a car and tint the windows for me, and I learned to drive. I drove in the city and in the desert. I loved driving in the desert. I started to wear a different style Niqab and let my hair show a bit. I bought green contact lenses to cover up my brown eyes, and bought a new Abaya and new purse. I did not want to ruin my slim chance of escape by being recognized. My wonderful family in the States sent me money to help me stay at hotels and pay for the plane ticket back. I also did some translation work for money.
Finally, Lily called with good news: I had gotten an exit visa! I was able to leave! Lily came with another embassy representative to pick me up at the hotel and give me an escort to the airport and make sure no one, like my father, would give me trouble. As the minutes dragged on for the gate to open, tiny seeds of realization began to grow. I was not only leaving my family, but they would be in a completely different country, thousands of miles away.
I finally bid Lily and the embassy farewell and boarded the plane. I sat there, still wearing my Abaya and Hijab, but no Niqab. As the plane began to take off, I looked at the lights of Riyadh within the night. I was gone. God had sent help from all over and made it easy for me. I was 18 years old, beginning a new life for myself. I was returning to Chicago after an eight year absence. I was returning to what I then called 'home.'
Lesson Learned: If God wants something for you, He will make the path easy for you.
