Samir

By Leonie Postma

Samir has endured a long and torturous journey after fleeing the violence in his homeland, and is relieved when he's welcomed into the tranquillity of the Centre. It offers him sanctuary, a new lifestyle and the chance to finally be who he really wants to be – until he's invited to sit quietly and meditate on his deepest fears and explore the darkest secrets of his past.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: May 31, 2017
• ISBN: 9789082689211

Book preview

Jouvenel.

PART 1

Chapter 1

The man said he had come a long way, and he appeared relieved to have finally found someone who wanted to help him. She introduced herself as Irene and asked him his name and where he’d come from. She took the time to listen to him and gave him her full attention. He said his name was Samir and that this was the first time in a long time that he’d been treated like a human being. She saw that her concern made him feel good, and noticed how the colour returned to his face until it almost glowed, as it does when you know someone is sincerely interested in you.

He freely told her his full story, about the city he had fled, about the grief he felt after leaving his parents, younger sister and her children, and having to make the journey alone. And he told her about the many agonies he had endured on his trip.

She continued to listen attentively. She had been ordered to take her time with each of the people assigned to her, to listen carefully and to make the new candidate feel at ease, if possible. She didn’t need to take notes. Someone else, unseen in another room, followed the conversation and wrote everything down. Irene only had to smile kindly, ask a question occasionally and encourage responses in a way that the other person would feel understood and at ease.

Actually, Irene wasn’t sure what happened after she spoke to them. She wasn’t sure where the newcomers went after the interview, or what the next step was. All she knew was that she had to make them feel safe, so safe that they would want to stay in the centre. It was her job to put the newcomers at ease and to agree to take part in the centre’s introductory day.

She and her colleagues worked an average of four days a week. And she usually had four or five such interviews a day. She didn’t wonder too much about what happened elsewhere in the centre, she just did her job. She didn’t spend much time following the news or politics anyway.

The interview with Samir was her third that day. Earlier she had spoken to a young boy and a middle-aged woman. She never had any trouble letting go of a story after an interview; she was quickly able to focus on the next. Not that she was indifferent. Not at all. She just felt that she could best help the people by listening attentively, helping them to process the journey and their grief, and finding them a new and safe place to live, a place in the centre.

This time it was different. From the start, she found Samir compelling. His story touched her. The love with which he talked about his parents seemed genuine. The sadness and frustration at having to leave them behind, along with his sister and her children, was touching. He asked several penetrating, interested questions about the centre too, but she didn’t know the answers. It was like that twinkle in his eye could see straight into her heart and take a hold on her mind. She felt his concern about the future and how much he was relying on her to take care of everything for him. She felt this personally, and this level of dependence unsettled her. For the first time, she suddenly wanted to finish the interview as quickly as possible. She tried to distract herself from this feeling by thinking about something else, something pleasant, and she thought about being at home later with her grandmother and playing their regular game of cards.

Chapter 2

Two weeks later, and Samir had settled into the centre. He was ready for the first day of his new job. It had been two intensive weeks in which he’d had to answer many questions, undergo all sorts of medical examinations as well as tests to find out what job would suit him best. Not that there had been a lot of choice. According to his papers, he had studied law. According to his test results, he could choose between a job on the assembly line or work in the kitchen. He chose the assembly line.

There was some doubt about whether Samir would be able to stay, mainly because he wanted his parents, sister and her children to join him. Other men who wanted to bring their wives and children had faced no such problems.

When he asked, he was told that it would be difficult to find suitable housing for someone in his position, without a wife and children, and it would probably take a while before this could be arranged. He decided not to worry about it too much and concentrated more on preparing for their arrival. In the short time he had been in the centre, he had seen that it was better to let the staff get on with their work.

Throughout the introductory weeks, he and the group of men with whom he had arrived, learned the ins and out of the centre. The staff had gone into detail on the rules, the possibility of them reuniting with their families and the willingness of the centre to take full responsibility for this, so that the men could focus fully on their jobs and learning the new language. In the weeks leading up to reunification, only the staff would have contact with the families abroad. This would avoid any misunderstandings or irregularities.

The centre would take care of them, help them settle in, make them feel safe and at home as quickly as possible. To give them the best opportunity for a fresh start in their new home, they were asked to hand over almost all of their personal belongings since everything – from food and drinks to soap and work clothes – would be provided for free. And, to offer maximum protection to the newcomers, especially from any possible threats or even blackmail, everyone was obliged to hand over their mobile phones, laptops and any other means of communication.

Samir had no problem with this. He was still recovering from his long trip, and his main concern was for the safety of his loved ones, so he liked the idea that the centre would take on this responsibility. Like most others, he wanted to rest, regain his strength, get back into shape, read and relax. He didn’t want to know anything about the misery he had left behind. All he longed for was a safe place, a quiet, regular life and time to enjoy the relative luxury around him.

He had not seen Irene after that first time. At first, he had asked about her, struck by her smile and genuine friendliness. But no one seemed to know her or know where she worked. With his busy schedule, he didn’t have time to look for her or even try to find the offices where they’d had that first conversation.

Now, getting ready for his first day of work, he thought of her again. Where could she be? Did she, like some of the other employees, live in the centre? Or did she live outside, in the area where he could not yet go? The area he knew nothing about.

Chapter 3

For the first couple of weeks at work, Samir had to drag himself out of bed each day, startled awake by the sound of his bedroom’s built-in speaker, which the centre used to convey messages. He had to hurry to wash and shave to arrive at breakfast on time and fully enjoy everything they had on offer.

The working conditions were good, and the atmosphere was pleasant. The team of men put boxes together based on specific product numbers for a variety of customers. They didn’t know what went in the boxes, and no one was really interested. They were all grateful for the work and the chance to enjoy the freedom and the facilities at the centre.

Three times a week, after work, Samir went to the gym in his building. It was a bright, well-equipped room with a sauna to relax in after a workout. On other evenings, Samir went with the other men in his arrival group to the club. They enjoyed pots of tea, cards and dominoes. They rarely discussed the past or politics. Those topics didn’t seem appropriate. They were happy to enjoy their new freedom, and were so afraid to lose it again that they kept away from anything that could cause trouble.

They also didn’t talk about reuniting with their families, afraid they would rekindle their emotions or be reminded of their fear for their loved ones. Instead, they relied on the commitment of the centre’s staff and hoped for a successful early outcome.

Samir mostly spent the weekends alone on his bed. Wonderful, he thought, to finally have the time to sleep peacefully, to read the books from the library when he felt like it and watch the many films offered on the centre’s video channel. There were no disruptions with distressing news items or documentaries showing the horror of situations he wasn’t able to influence, and no discussion programmes trying to inform him about right or wrong. This is what he had missed so much, to be