American Outlaws

Hascia, a precocious biochemistry major (class of 1966), was newly engaged in New York City and bored out of her mind - until she met and fell in love with Barry, a transfixing salesman and unconventional entrepreneur. When his business fell apart, Barry approached Hascia with a crazy idea: Why didn't they try their hand at building a life in Europe, away from the oppressive bureaucracies of the city? So off to Berlin they went, where they set up a wildly successful company selling educational materials to schools. But that, too, fell apart thanks to a false accusation that they were dealing drugs. This time Hascia came up with the crazy idea that would take them to the drug dens of Morocco, to a remote Spanish prison, and on the adventure of a lifetime: If they were going to be treated like outlaws, why didn't they live like them, too? James McGirk lives in the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and has written for , , the , and many other publications. He has an MFA from Columbia University and teaches writing at Northeastern State University and the University of Tulsa.