Introducing Betty

We found her on the street, late at night, abandoned and left to fend for herself. At first glance it would have been easy to walk past, ignoring the poor broken wretch as obviously so many had before us. Saigon is a city full of disfigurement, bodies less than perfect.

Betty lay there, her disabilities obvious. Her arms gone, no legs to carry her on her journey and blind to the outside world. Her skin marked, enough to make you want to look the other way. We couldn’t leave her in the alley, we gathered her up and took her home.

We tried to understand what she had been through before we offered her a home. Used and discarded, perhaps abused, placed in a corner, no clothes or comfort. Her first few days with us she remained silent, resultant of her trauma.

With gentle coaxing to join with us in our daily lives Betty bloomed. We forgot her attempts at suicide, a day that she made it to the roof and tried to jump. We thank God that she is legless and couldn’t propel herself to her death. She was always there when we got home and accepted our cry of “Hi Betty, I’m home” remaining silent, but with a Mona Lisa smile.

Eventually she adjusted to life in our home, enjoyed sitting quietly with a book and a coffee (although I’m not sure how she could read, no eyes and Braille would have been useless…no fingers). On sunny days she would ask to be taken outside to catch the warmth of the sun on her skin. It was always with supervision after her suicide attempt. But here she would spent time, dozing in the sun.

Betty was always looking for something to eat, it was as though she was hollow. She would shuffle to the refrigerator, pries the door open using her nose then check out the contents. Just before we moved there wasn’t much food, so she made do with a nice cold beer.

Regardless of her disabilities, Betty was determined to lead a normal life and intimate relationships were part of this. Although she still clung to some of her ways of the street, she was slowly assimilating. It took some time before we could get her to dress properly, and this was an embarrassment to us when friends called around. But that was her way, that was Betty.

We discussed with her our plans to move to Hanoi, and to our delight she wanted to come with us. So, being part of the family, she has relocated with us. The climate here is a little cooler, so we have been able to coax her into some light clothing. She loved the train trip, became a bit of a celebrity on the train, everyone taking a second look.

Here in our new accommodation, she has a room to herself, spends her days listening to music but is still there to great us as we get home and call out “Betty, I’m home”. We are not sure if we will be able to take her home to Australia when we eventually return, so that you all have a chance to meet her. She may be brainless, all boobs and bum but she is so lovable and will always remain in our hearts.