As soon
as Fabiola and her mother, who she calls Manman, arrive in New Yorks JFK airport from Haiti, she
begins to have harsh, disturbing experiences. Her mothers detention is the first major obstacle
they encounter. As they are powerless to stop the immigration service from holding her mother,
Fabiola is forced to travel alone to Detroit, which had been their destination.
Fabiola describes how the immigration agents pulled Manmans hand from mine and how
she heard her mothers desperate pleas trailing behind me. Her mother encourages her not to
fear and states that she will soon follow.
Fabiolas fearful flight alone is
also impressive. On the connecting flight to Detroit, she feels small and alone, like America
was a huge mountain and she was a pebble in a valley. When she lands, she does not know what
to do or how she can arrange to meet her mother. English words desert her and she cannot
translate quickly from Creole, as how to translate detained: I search my brain€¦, trying to
find a Creole word or the French one€¦. She can think only of Creole insults for the officer who
refuses to help her.
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