Helix of Fate & Love: An Immigrant's Story

This book explores how fate has intervened in the lives of two people from opposite ends of the earth. It describes how each grew up in very different cultures and families. How they fatefully met in college, after an argument went their own ways, including marriages and jobs, for thirty-five years until fate brought them back together again. Through their eyes we see the historic, political, social, and cultural changes that have taken place in this country over the last five decades.

What was it that caused an immigrant from Austria to meet up with an immigrant from Chile at a small conservative college in west Michigan in the late 60s? A time of social unrest here and war in Asia. Each came shaped by events in their lives, like abuse, violence, bullying and loss of family members. Both witnessed political turmoil in their own countries. Yet love struck when they met. Sadly, after a minor argument, they never saw each other again for thirty-five years. During these intervening years, unbeknownst to them, like the DNA helix, their lives revolved around each other - never knowing the other was close by. They worked in the same city, blocks apart, had common personal and professional friends, Both married twice, had children, and had significant professional achievements. When their marriages ended in divorce, fate intervened again by giving Maria a clue where to find Manfred - something she had wanted to do for some time. It was an early email message that brought them back together again.

The author lives with his wife in the Minneapolis area where, in his retirement, he has been teaching English as a Second Language to adult immigrants for eleven years.