She took a ruler and hit my legs hard. I was to blame for the children pinching and spitting at us. I was to blame for my brother hitting out. She left saying nothing. Words are important.
Names are important.
It got so bad for our family that we left London to take refuge in one small room in the poorest part of Liverpool where we found people like us. People who welcomed us, who saw the beauty in us. We had come so far - half way across the world. I grew up in a Christian family. My mother cradled us when we came home crying about what happened.