Anne Farrar
She was driving my father for some debriefing. .. So they met like that. And being two amazing romantics, actually, they were married actually, I think a few weeks later. .. And my eldest brother was born well before I think nine months of gestation happened. So obviously, you know, sex wasn't invented at the latter part of the 20th century and they went on to have six children.
Doing the maths, if they married within a few weeks of meeting and your eldest brother was born well before nine months of gestation, guess they had sex in the first couple of days they met? Either that or she was already pregnant when they met?
Whereas your father seems somewhat distant, your mother was a writer and artist - she painted the above picture when she was pregnant with you. You describe her as slightly bohemian - an adventurer - a person of blended and sometimes divided personalities. She was a pretty good painter - I’d love to read some of her writing - did she have anything published?
For a bohemian, she had a good relationship with the US military whilst living in Singapore.
In 1964 .. (s)he used to hitch rides with the American military on a plane and used to go shopping in Saigon. So Saigon has been sort of part of my background since the early 60s and had such a profound influence on me.
Although you remember having big arguments with her, the sense is you connected with this remarkable woman - army truck-driver, artist, writer, bohemian, itinerant adventurer, forceful family ruler, military plane hitch-hiker…
Have i got this wrong? Was it maybe your mum, not dad, who was a spy? Or both?