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United States of America

A special kid

My name is Tom Odwyer I was born in 1953 in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

I never believed in religion, but I always believed in the existence of God.

When I was a kid I questioned my mother about human existence. My mom always assured me that I was a very special kid, my experiences in life proved so.

When I was around 9 years old I was in a hospital room with anxious doctors around me. When I saw a big white light on top of the room. As I was on my way up, I looked back down to the hospital room and saw my mother looking at me with worried eyes. That was my first near death experience. I distinctly remember the doctor saying “welcome back, son.”

Young Tom was a real hippy, I was a heavy drug user and had a really adventurous spirit.
One winter day my friend and I were hiking. We got caught in a snowstorm and lost our way. Having wondered around to find our way back we were both very tired. My friend wanted to rest a little bit on the snow, but I knew that would be the end. I couldn’t do anything for my friend, but I knew I had to keep on my journey to save my life. As I was about to give up I saw a bright light coming between the clouds. Going towards the light I found the small hut that saved my life.

Tom Odwyer
North Carolina, USA, 06 February 2019

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The Paris photo

I was born in New York in 1950. I came to North Carolina and studied American Literature as a graduate student. Deep down, I always wanted to write a book…

I didn’t know much about my father’s past, he wasn’t very talkative. All I knew was that he served the USA as a soldier during WWII.

When my father died in 1998, I found a picture of him with an unknown woman and a boy in Paris with the Eiffel Tower in the background. There was only the name George Duval written on the back of this picture. I didn’t know if the woman in the picture was his lover or not. This made me very curious about his life.

A few years later after a lot of work, I managed to find George who was about 6 years old at the time that the photo was taken. He remembered my father from his childhood very well but they never heard a word about him after the war. He told me that my father used to visit him and his mom a lot during his time in France. To this day, I am not 100% sure whether my father was a lover of George’s mother.

After my journey to France, I finally found what I wanted to write my book about. I published my first book, The Paris Photo, which is a fictionalized version of my father’s story. I’m glad I dug deeper into my father’s past!

Jane Gabin
North Carolina, USA, 05 February 2019

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