I was at the KFC across the road from the plaza recently and a woman was waiting for her food with us in this busy store.
asserted
woman → wait → store
She had most of the waiting area to herself.
asserted
She → have → herself
Her fidgeting and verbal ticks signalled: keep your distance.
asserted
ticks → fidget → distance
It was difficult to know her age.
asserted
It → know → age
I suspect she was in her mid-20s, yet the face and eyes looked like they had seen way too much for such tender years.
asserted
they → suspect → years
The only spare seat was near her, and it was from this vantage point that I saw her spill her drink, spoiling some of her meal.
asserted
her → see → meal
She threw the bottle and wept.
asserted
She → throw → bottle
I was leaving at this stage and decided to put my unopened can of drink on her table.
asserted
I → leave → table
She saw me for the first time and her eyes were a mystery.
asserted
eyes → see → time
Did she not recognise kindness?
asserted
she → recognise → kindness
I think this was the case.
asserted
this → think → ?
What I saw was coldness and probably suspicion.
asserted
saw → see → What
So I left the can and exited without a word.
asserted
I → leave → word
Inala is great; however, occasional sobering encounters such as this do leave a mark.
asserted
encounters → leave → mark
Growing up in Central Queensland and on a cattle farm, my world was monocultural, and the fare was steak and three veg, every night.
asserted
fare → grow → farm
Moving to the inner west of Brisbane in the early 1990s, life took on a new, heady mix of sounds and smells.
asserted
life → move → sounds
Settling into the lifestyle of a cab driver, I received a few words of wisdom from the older hands that I mostly ignored.
asserted
I → settle → that
One message that stuck with me though was: avoid Inala at night.
asserted
that → stick → night
This was my first hearing of the word “Inala” and because of the advice, it seemed to be a scary unknown I didn’t need in my life.
asserted
I → seem → life
I did, however, bravely venture to the Inala Plaza during daytime, and it was a sensory assault.
asserted
it → venture → daytime
Unfamiliar languages, foreign faces, food I did not recognise: enough to send this country boy scurrying back to the relative safety of Taringa.
asserted
I → recognise → Taringa
Life has taken many twists and turns since then, and early this year, I was faced with the prospect of living in Inala.
asserted
I → take → Inala
Fifteen minutes from work, comparatively well-priced: a lot of boxes were ticked.
asserted
lot → price → boxes
Unconfirmed opinions from decades earlier still resonated, but were pushed aside to embrace a new chapter.
uncertain
opinions → resonate → chapter
The diversity in the suburb has to be experienced to be fully appreciated.
asserted
diversity → have → suburb
Some of the best people I have ever met call 4077 home.
asserted
I → meet → 4077
I have seen generosity and kindness.
asserted
I → see → generosity
Often this generosity comes from people who have little or nothing to give, but they look and want to help anyway.
asserted
they → come → little
There are also the desperately unfortunate who are fighting an often losing the battle with drugs.
asserted
who → be → drugs
It is easy to go about your business without interacting with any of this, and most do.
asserted
most → go → this
It takes some serious tunnel vision not to see, though.
asserted
It → take → vision
Much of the melting pot which is Inala comes together in the plaza.
asserted
which → come → plaza
It is the hub of the community, parking is at a premium, and no matter the time, the lanes and corridors are heaving with a broad cross-section of humanity.
asserted
lanes → heave → humanity
It is loud, and interesting to watch the vendors and customers frantically going about their business.
asserted
vendors → watch → business
In the outdoor square, the dominant scene is a large group of elderly Asian gentlemen playing a board game I don’t recognise.
asserted
I → play → game
They never leave; the game never finishes.
asserted
game → leave → ?
I don’t know their stories.
asserted
I → know → stories
What is clear though is that they are very much at home – and they are not to be interrupted.
asserted
they → interrupt → home
Lebanese, Korean, Chinese and Japanese are all here, but Vietnamese is naturally the star, given the state’s largest Vietnamese community lives here.
asserted
community → give → ?
Pho, bun bo hue, and the banh mi look, smell and taste amazing, and it feels a million miles from my childhood days of eating a different version of beef every day.
asserted
it → look → beef
…and 8 more, not listed.
The Aporia
