Have you ever seen the world naked in public, or when it
stripes off right in front of you and can see it’s all shaved? What would you
do?
When I arrived in Ireland from Zambia on 30TH January,
2012, it was clear to me, I was here for the birth of my daughter and I would
be back home to Zambia with my family. My daughter came like rain down on earth
in Irish style the same day I arrived in this country, lots of things was going
on that day, meeting her grandparents for the first time who drove me from
Dublin airport to cork for 4 hours, how I wish we had lots of things to talk
about. It felt strange to be in a different country at the same time I was
filled with excitement to finally meet my baby. I had seen her before a couple
of times during one of the visits to those machines they put on a beautiful lady’s
tammy whenever they are pregnant, it was absolutely amazing seeing her kick and
clap her tiny hands in her mother’s belly. She was 5 months’ womb old when her
mother left my country, I had missed her for 4 months, and was looking forward
to hold her, have nappy times, chat to her in my language (Bemba), give her a
name and just look after her which is still do able except the nappy thing coz
now she is 4 years old.
Anyways Dublin has been great with me but strange things
have started to happen. I went in immigration on 1ST of August with
my daughter to have my visa renewed, I was told I don’t qualify to get my visa
through the counter as I don’t live with my daughter, I was told to send in an
application which is ok, but it’s now 5 months of waiting and have lost my Job
in the process. One morning a lady from HR came to me while I was sitting on my
desk just after booting my computer, she leaned forward, thank God my eyes were
at their very best behaviour, I didn’t look much at her chest. She said to me
‘when are you bringing your passport,’ My speech jammed a bit, all all my.. my
documents are are in immigration, she is from HR and her chest is leaned right
in front of me, I have never had speech problems other than that morning. She
went on ‘you should show me any correspondence you have with your immigration
otherwise we won’t have you working here from Thursday next week, lets’ not go
there Mosten! I couldn’t say anything all I saw was her waist swinging away vividly
as my eyes slowly came closing, it shouldn’t happen. I sprung up to speak with
my manager and took a day off to get it all sorted. It didn’t yield any results
the following day. When I went in immigration and asked about my visa status
and explained how this is affecting me and that it has taken 4 months without
any response, the lady at the reception told me I just had to wait they will
get back to me, I asked if there was
anyone I could speak to, a manager or supervisor, she told me there is nothing
like that in your case, the best thing you can do is write a letter explaining
what you want and they will get back to you, that blonde… she didn’t even know
how long it would take before I could get my response after sending them my
letter. However, I dropped my letter addressed to Irish Naturalisation and
Immigration, Department of Justice and Equality.
After weekend, going to work on Monday knowing you’ll be
fired on Thursday is a strangest feeling. My letter from immigration didn’t
come through the door despite checking for it each morning and evening, Europe
can be slow sometimes I told myself. Nothing came in after 5 working days! In
work each time my manager looked at me and whenever I saw the lady from HR in
the kitchen, I would want to just burry my big head in my small hands, I must
have survived by working in trans that week, it was the strangest week I have
ever had in work, you can’t quit you need the money for bills and all. But many
thanks to my legs for taking me to work till my last day on that Friday morning.
Other strange things have come along after me and my
daughter’s mother could no longer live together, when we broke up after 10
months of me and my baby being in Ireland and living together, one of the
things she told me was that she didn’t want to be poor for the rest of her life,
how could she know the future when she is not even a palm reader? And that I
was born in the Goat’s month, according to Chinese calendar, I asked her about
the Irish calendar, she is Irish, anyways in some way I was still reminded that
as well none of the Hollywood stars shares a birthday with me, not even one of the
Kadashians or any of the X-Factor judges …Anyway after all this talk I was
single again, now with this it means I’m an international dad, even more
complicated, I don’t know if there is a name for a person who has two children
in two different countries. Dublin is multi-cultural, to deal with this I try
to avoid ladies from South and North America, Asia and other continents, I
don’t want to became an intercontinental dad, I wouldn’t know how to deal with
this, right now I’m going to court fighting for Access and Guardianship, I
can’t see my daughter even when we live in the same country. I haven’t been
allowed to see her even on baby Jesus day!
I have been sending
texts to her mother trying to make an arrangement in most cases I get no reply,
so one day I said to her, since I’m not getting any reply from you I might just
drop by your place in Cork and give my daughter a short visit. Her mother
replied ‘I have been advised to inform you that if you attempt to approach our
residence the police will be notified immediately’ I felt a hit in my stomach…I
started reflecting about when we were lovers, how she asked me to give her a
chocolate baby who will have no need to go to a tan studio, I told her you are
European and I’m African, two right people….There was no Gardai (Police)
involved! Very strange. I support my daughter financially, I want to be there
for her, right now I have her xmass and birthday present in my house, I haven’t
see her for the last 5 months, God knows when she will get her gifts.
I finally got my letter from immigration after waiting for 7
working days, too late to save my job. I know things have changed because I
don’t live with my daughter, who wouldn’t want to live with their child/children
Mr. Immigration? Sir have some manners!!! In this case I wouldn’t know what the
naked world would like to show me, but that’s life!
Recently my court case came up to try and finally sort my
access and guardianship at Dolphin’s house. I was called twice, first for
registration in court room to check if was present by show off hand which I
did, the second call was to queue upstairs and wait for my turn to go in the
same court for court procedure. But I later learnt that my name was called in a
different court as my documents were swapped for some reason, so my name was
called in a different court without anyone informing me, since when did the
courts started working with telepathy? Strangely I didn’t appear and was marked
absent, that’s life! I had to reregister again for a later date sometime next
year in April for my next hearing, I tried to ask for an earlier date but the
man explained to me that there isn’t much staff in the Judicial system and he
wasn’t surprised for me to have found myself in the centre of the whole
confusion. I would probably say that’s what happens when you are born in goat
year, and what a coincidence maybe that’s why I keep a goatee for my beard!
Otherwise I was in comfort of friendship, many thanks to Sive, Michael, Mide
and Jenny for being there and to Valery and Ana for writing me recommendation
letters, fair play to you guys you never let me saw the nakedness of the world
alone on that day!! Hope you had a great Christmass, wishing you a happy new
year Friends
Your Goatee friend,
Mostigo!!!!!!
