This is what I imagine: The Indian doctor from Calcutta would use his stethoscope and listen to my father's chest. "Breathe in, breathe out," he would say. "And again, please." Amplified in his ears, the doctor from Calcutta would hear the gurgling and dying of the haggis. He would close his eyes to this sound as he listened and he would imagine himself driving on the long road to the city with the Bollywood starlet sitting beside him in his American car. Under the vast African sky, a young boy is forced to come to terms with a whole new reality. Abandoned by his father, his new playground is the open plains, and his new family, a deeply-rooted local community with some seemingly unorthodox ways-among them, Swazi warrior Mabuza, and stern, religious Afrikaner Meneer Gerber.
But Mark soon finds that this unconventional upbringing might be exactly what he needs to fill the emptiness created by his life-altering loss. While he imagines his father fighting for his life in a distant hospital, the boy learns to find solace and hope through the wisdom and traditions of his new community-including important lessons about life, overcoming obstacles, and how to walk with bare feet.
This inspirational memoir documents the author's unique adolescence spent in 1960s South Africa, and his struggle to move toward a brighter future after the abrupt disappearance of his father. With equal parts insight, emotion, and humor, Two Feet takes a candid look at the realities of family life, while evoking the adventure and curiosity of childhood.
About the Author: Mark Roper's unconventional life has led him to many destinations throughout the world. Born in South Africa, he lived in Swaziland in the 1960s, and returned there in the 1970s. He has taken backpack excursions through Eastern Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and Scandinavia. These travels were the basis for his first screenplay and directorial debut.
Roper then spent some time in Washington, DC, working at the Australian Embassy. Bitten by the film bug, he chose to return to South Africa, where there was a boom in the field of television production.
He now lives in the United Kingdom as a recognized film director, and is married with one daughter. Roper is the author of post-apocalyptic story The Bone Traders and autobiographical novella Two Feet.
