It was one of the rare sunny winter weekends in Melbourne when the air feels nice and warm. I had been avoiding my volleyball group’s calls for months with different reasons: work, weather, or just not feeling up for it. But my friends weren’t ready to let me drift away. So they all showed up, one by one, at my doorstep.

I had no choice but to host them. I rushed around, borrowing extra chairs from my Polish neighbour, setting up tea, fruit and whatever snacks I had. In Afghan culture, hospitality doesn’t wait for planning – it kicks in the moment a guest arrives.

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Once we were all seated in the back yard, they got straight to it. No small talk. Why had I been skipping our weekly games? Was I losing interest? Their questions came fast, wrapped in jokes but serious underneath. I tried to laugh it off and blamed........

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