Carrying On

Yesterday, sometime after my shock began to wear off, I got a phone call from the Canadian Embassy in Athens. They informed me that:

1. Everyone at the Public Prosecution Office - judges, officials, lawyers - would be working on the day the trial was scheduled to begin, except for ONE clerk. But, as it was explained to me, you cannot have a trial without a clerk. How one clerk going on strike can hold up an entire judicial process I don't really understand. But then again, this is a country where striking is pretty much a national sport, from the sounds of it.

2. Because the trial has been "canceled" rather than "postponed", there is actually a chance that a new trial might be scheduled in the next couple of weeks. Somehow, postponing a trial takes longer than creating a whole new trial. Again, it makes very little sense, but there you go.

Ultimately, what happens next is now completely out of my control. Until yesterday, I was empowered by the fact that I had made the decision to fly to Greece and testify. Now, I have to wait until a decision is made on when/if the trial will be rescheduled. And I have to draw a deadline, after which, as much as it pains me, if the trial is scheduled, I will choose not to participate.

That's the tricky part. So much of me, despite dreading this, wants to plunge in, deal with this hell and then put it behind me forever. But at the same time, I can only put my life on hold for so long. I have made a second request to Foreign Affairs to give my testimony by video. (I was informed in 2007, when the initial trial was scheduled, that this is often done. However, it was up to the Greek authorities to decide whether that was acceptable, and they deemed it was not.)

Being able to travel to Ottawa rather than Athens and give a video testimony would be a dream come true in this situation. Having the trial rescheduled for the very near future would be the second best option. But for now, I just have to wait, and put this all aside for the next couple of days or weeks. I recently came upon a print of a poster, which I believe was posted around England during World War II. I am not a proponent of war, but I believe in this 100%:




The sun was shining in Montreal yesterday. This can only cast a shadow if I choose to let it.