Something Lovely Happened Yesterday...

It was Bahram's birthday yesterday, and he had a party at his place. It was so much fun! There were heaps of people, more food than you could possibly imagine, the music was pumping persian techno (haha... oh dear) and a good time was had by all. I met a friend of B's, an Iranian woman named N, who had two beautiful little children with her. Her two sons are named M & R and they are absolutely gorgeous- black hair and chocolate eyes and they're both cheeky and mischievous and sweet. When I was talking to N, she told me that she thinks she remembers me from the detention centre. I didn't remember meeting her at Maribyrnong, but she said no, not Maribyrnong, but Baxter! And in a moment I had a flashback to a woman at Baxter, pale, drawn and anxious, and her two little boys in blue and red tracksuits slumped listlessly on the ground in the outdoor visit area. They were both very very sick, the littlest one coughing so much that he was vomiting phlegm. Their state of illness and depression made a sardonic joke of the play equipment standing a few metres away from where they were. To be honest, theirs is the picture I get in my mind every time I think of the horror of children in immigration detention.

Anyway, yesterday I met those two children and their mother again, in my friend's living room in Footscray. We blew up balloons together, scratched the dog's tummy, and when nobody was looking I snuck spoonfuls of leftover cake from the fridge and gave them to the boys who were beside themselves with conspiratorial glee!

It was so beautiful to see them free and happy and carefree, running around a party terrorising the guests with the energy, vitality and giggles that kids that age should have every day.

As I was leaving the party, N said to me, "since the day I met you at Baxter, I always hoped that one day I would meet this beautiful girl again, and now here we meet again". We hugged, and I flat-out nearly cried in the kitchen.

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