Tiny Stories

  I am driving home from my occasional on-call work, on a busy and stifling Saturday afternoon, cars and truck and cyclists impatient at the intersection. They have been shopping, desperately needing a new pair of shoes, a bigger screen, fast fashion from the giants that lurk in the mall 300 metres up the road. And then I see it, out of the corner of my eye, as the lights are yet to change. It is in front of the service station, where the price of fuel is eye-wateringly high. High because of decisions made across the seas, where conflict is on-going and devastating, not for the Fat Cats who sit all powerful in their private air-conditioned planes, but for the people on the ground, those whose homes are being destroyed, leaving their lives in tatters. Grief and sorrow like I will never know; grief and anger like I will never understand. The shopping trolley is there, to my left. I have to focus on the road, but I glance over at it. Cardboard, flattened to fit; a jacket or shirt....

It is our second day in India, and I am standing near the shore, hundreds of people milling around me. They are dressed in their best, having come to this place: a place of celebration, a place of horror, a place of remembrance. To the side, there are enormous speakers and the beginning of a stage, technicians preparing for tomorrow’s concert. Further back is the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, its magnificent architecture in stark contrast to the dirt and dust coating the nearby squalid buildings on this hot Mumbai day. Later, we will dine on fancy food in the air-conditioned restaurant looking out across the harbour, while the throngs below buy bottled water and sliced cucumber to quench their thirst. Over lunch, we hear of the terrorists who came unseen on boats, racing through the corridors, up the exquisite staircase, firing as they went. Across the city, more than 166 people are slaughtered, an attack that lasted for days. I tried to watch the movie once, but recoiled at the violence, no...

I am sitting at my kitchen table. It is mid-afternoon, I think, and the cat is sleeping in the sun. She is my constant companion, the ball of fluff so warm and soft, the purr that drowns out most sorrows. She needs me, especially as the years roll on. It’s a reciprocal relationship, unconditional and uncompromising. Back to the table. My laptop is switched on, and I am perched on the uncomfortable chair that looks good in the shop, but isn’t designed for good posture. I click on the link, and tune in before the livestream starts, seeing the back of heads, a sombre mood in the large space. He was well known, my friend David, so when the MC opens by saying how the skills of Toastmasters will get him through, I’m encouraged. I wear two hats: a curse and a blessing, a distraction and a focus. As a friend, I am gutted that my famous friend has died, so unexpectedly, before I had a chance to say goodbye. And yet, as a celebrant, I am appalled – there is no ceremony, no ritual, nothing th...

It is 1990, the year of the Commonwealth Games in Auckland, amongst the cast of volunteers, my old and vivacious friend, Elizabeth. She’s an ardent volunteer, joining her family at the Mission for Christmas lunch, doing great things that make a difference. Generous with her time, her enthusiasm. She is unstoppable, I think. I am newly arrived in Auckland, and have casual work for a crew who bring exchange students to NZ from my other home, Japan. I’m tasked with finding host families, securing a local venue, creating a programme, and delivering it to the 10 or so students, in a mix of English and Japanese. Friday the 23rd of February, and the kids come to my house, a low-key party for one of the women who is celebrating her birthday, far from friends and family in a foreign land. Lizzy drops by, and true to form, she brings a gift for the guest of honour, even though this is the first time they have met. We take a photo on the bare deck with my tiny camera, long before mobile phone...