Little Boy Blue

Bodie’s mummy went away on his third birthday. He doesn’t know why she went. Or where she went. But everyone told him she wasn’t coming back.

Big people can be so insensitive at times … well ... big people can be insensitive nearly all the time. They must think little people don’t care. Or don’t think. Or don’t feel. But they do.

And Bodie desperately misses his mummy.

Aunty Chez said his mummy is the brightest star in the sky and God is looking after her. Bodie hasn’t met God yet so he isn’t sure whether he likes him or not. Can’t God look after someone else? Then mummy can come home.

Aunty Kimmy showed him a brick wall at Beenleigh that had a shiny brass plate on it. She told him mummy was resting there.

Bodie knows Aunty Kim wouldn’t tell fibs. And Aunty Chez wouldn’t tell fibs either. But he swings towards Aunty Chez ‘cos then he can look for mummy every night before he goes to bed. And he does.

Bodie doesn’t know about heroin and cocaine, or the dealers who prey like sharks and feed off the little fish.

They don’t bother Bodie ‘cos he’s got no money anyway - not unless Aunty Chez or Aunty Kim gives him some. Smarties and Cornettos are so expensive these days.

And when Bodie hears the big people say, ‘Ya wanta get on?”, he feels like yelling out, “Yep. I wanta get on too!”

He knows the swings are in the park near the Sorrento shopping centre on Bundall Road. And nobody knows Sorrento shopping centre better than Bodie. That’s where the fish pond is.

Bodie remembers the first time he saw the goldfish in the fish pond. He nearly fell in. Uncle Bern got real snarky. He can be a real grouch sometimes. Bodie only wanted to pat the fish and Uncle Bern started “air-raiding” about it. Big people have just got no sense of adventure.

Bodie has heaps of big people friends at Sorrento shopping centre. There’s Ray the butcher who is always good for a lolly from the lolly jar near the chops and the mincemeat. Sometimes Ray’s wife lets him take two … but if he smiles ... real sweetly ... well ... the sky’s the limit.