Saudale is a Portuguese word that can mean several things. Homesickness, longing, or nostalgia are appropriate for the author's story. In July, 1968, Marie Helena dos Santos Oliveira Liberato (called Lena), age 18, arrived to live with the Johnston's as an AFS student and attend New Trier with their daughter Molly. She said little and wrote long letters home. She only seemed comfortable with the family's young son, who learned her family's tragic history during World War II, when her parents were captured by Japanese, and her father/family support for dictator Salazar. She grew up to run and win a seat in Parliament of the post Salazar democracy. Friendship between the families grew over time. Lena is truly the author's daughter.