Chapter 4 - MY NAME IS WHORE...

So it all began. Endless forms to fill out, immigration, social services, school registrations, doctor and clinic forms. And no real translator in sight. Carol and I sat sipping tea at the dining room table. " Let's get all the names and ages first, and birthdates. They do not even have that on the papers that they brought into the country! Or whoever filled it in had to have gotten this wrong, look, all the same! All the same birth dates! Then, we'll we start with the men, they will have the first medical exams tomorrow, let's try to get that much done. Goodren, Lorne Wilkins, and Bert arrived to help, and bring a few extra items, as we had apparently two extra people,

They sat at the table and Lorne, a highly respected medical doctor and head of his department of Family medicine at the Virginia Commonwealth University, said, " I am Lorne, what is your name?"

" Yes." Hout smiled at Lorne.

" no, WHAT IS YOUR NAME?" Lorne smiled back.

" Yes, you are right!" Hout answered

"No, no, I mean, your name, son, what is your name? "

" Yes , yes, my name is what." Hout answered

Carol whispered to me, " How long are you going to let this "who's on first?" go on?" and giggled.

"Let Hout (pronounced what) go on?” I teasingly whispered back to Carol.

I cleared my throat. "Lorne, you spell his name HOUT. You pronounce it What."

Lorne looked puzzled and said, " This may cause a few minor problems."

I said you ain't heard nothin' yet. I pulled Hoar close, and said, " Say your name, dear."

She pulled herself up and stood erect and announced, "I am whore."

Shock and awe. The church Elders a bit taken aback, silence. Then Hout offered, " No Problem, you call me Bobby, call sister Mary." He had anticipated this problem and had worked on the solution. He had learned the word whore, already of course, the kind of words the young men seemed to always learn first.

Lorne began to ask general health questions and to make notes. Bobby helped him ask questions. Grinning and enjoying the importance of his task, and his new American name. His grin was wonderful, bright, and joyous, and yet the blackened teeth, making it a bit painful to witness. A precious young man, whose smile had been ravished by years of malnutrition.

Bobby stayed right next to the doctor the rest of the morning. Slowly, but surely they began to understand each other, and enjoyed each other's company. Bobby explained to all of us about the Birthdate, April 13th, and why was everyone born on April 13th? It is when the Cambodians all celebrated their Birthdays, on the New Year. It got even more confusing, and when a child was born he is considered already one year old. If he is born on April 12th, then the next day is his birthday, and he is two years old, but we would say one day. Still things just didn't add up. Lorne asked again, and Bobby looked a bit sheepish, as Lorne picked up tiny Moi. she was smaller than my 4-year-old. On her papers it said she was sixteen. The same with her 2 sisters, just too small, teeth and development were just not right, for the ages that they had listed. Lorne asked Bobby again, raising his eyes above his glasses, quizzically. Bobby looked down a bit apprehensively and then looked at Lorne. " We are very sorry oh kind Doctor, forgive my stupid family!" His eyes were teary, as he explained." We lied. We know it is better and good to not tell a lie, but we had to do this. We lied. Many gossips in camp. Rumors, It was better to have older children, the Americans didn't like small children. Papa decided. Maybe it is not good to lie. Maybe it is not good for children to have to work in America. But it is better to work and be alive. So we lied." We adjusted the ages, citing translation as the reason for the discrepancy.

It was decided that Lorne would be there to meet the Ngeams at the teaching hospital where they would receive their physicals and lab tests. He had convinced the teaching staff that this was a unique opportunity. When would they get the chance to study, firsthand the possible diseases these refugees might have? When was the last actual case of Malaria in Richmond? And it was decided that Bobby would be there too, as the Doctor's aid and translator.