A Club…Addendum 1 – The Pilgrim

Greetings:

After the “clubbing” post of February 21st, I got this FB message from one of the volunteers in an earlier group:

Bill, We only met a couple of times when you were in PC and I know nothing about the circumstances of your leaving PC, other than your blog (and rumors, of course!). Albeit not succinct nor really a page turner, I believe that, in the closing paragraphs, your blog calls out Bonnie Scott for what she is. If you want to make good on the suggestion in your final paragraph, you need to be aware that she is (or was last time we spoke before she dropped me like a stone) planning to leave Albania in March or April to take up grad school in the US.

“Not succinct nor really a page turner…” What the hell! It reads better than the first four hundred pages of Moby Dick! OK. I’m getting off track.

Yeah, I had heard of these rumors about the Pilgrim heading back to the states – evidently she felt her service to the Albanian people was complete. Frankly, given the difficulty I was having with the legal side in Albania I was hoping she would go back to the states for a change of venue; and perhaps my “clubbing” posts would give her some incentive to get out of Dodge.

The very day of my March 22nd post, I got this message: “Just saw BS touched down in the US 3 hours ago. Good luck with whatever you plan now.” Yeah, plans, what are the plans?

***

Mmm…my plans. Let’s be succinct:

The week before, under the direction of my Albanian attorney, the court translator and I met with a detective who offered to investigate my complaint. It was quite the process. There were a lot of questions, but I remember the exact words of two of them. “How long have you known Bonnie Scott?” “I’ve never met Bonnie Scott; I don’t know her. I knew very little about her before she started writing about me and giving interviews to the press.” The detective looked at the translator wondering if he had heard correctly. Some exchanges in Albanian, to which the translator kept answering “po” – yes. The detective then looked at me speechless.

 

With Gazi, the court translator, and Detective Augostino

The second question: “What do you want?” Well, in a stateside criminal matter I don’t believe it’s a question of what anyone wants – you commit a crime, charges are filed, you’re brought to trial, and if convicted you pay the penalty. I didn’t know how to answer this. The translator said, “Jail, money, apology, etc?” I blustered out, “I want her prosecuted to the full extent of the law!” After the translation, the detective just looked grim, went back to the computer and said, “Shume mire, shume mire” – very good, very good. I mentioned the possibility of Ms. Scott moving back to the US; no problem, if the prosecutor recommends action she can be tried in absentia. So, the criminal complaint went forward to the prosecutor the next day and then we waited for her decision.

***

This last Thursday I travelled back to Elbasan from Vlora to finish my packing and head back for classes (yes, the graduate term starts Wednesday!). Well, it’s late afternoon and I get an email from the court translator:  “Hi Bill, Come by to meet tomorrow morning as we have news and need to talk things over.” I immediately text: “Good news or bad news?” Response: “Good.”

Yes!!! The Pilgrim and I will have our day in court – still a lot of work to do but moving ahead. Yay!!! The bad thing though, I considered, the Pilgrim isn’t around to defend herself. Wait a minute, an idea. Perhaps those who have information supporting her accusations can appear in court and testify in her behalf? It would be a shame if those who bought her assertions as gospel didn’t take the opportunity to take the stand. Perhaps the volunteer who accosted the organizer of the Shkodra ELTA Conference back in October? Well, you guys (you know who you are) think about it, really, have a meeting – do some good.

Some immediate news: I’m receiving more notices retracting the articles which included her defamations. This one from the corporate attorney for TVKlan – one of the major news sources in Albania: “Following the receipt of your letter concerning the publication dated December 01, 2015, I would like to inform you that it was retracted from the portal of TV Klan and ABC News Television.” Cool.

My best – which is happily getting better – to all of you. XOXO