January 2000

Martin

THANKS TO CAITLIN, WE ATE chicken for Christmas that year, a miracle considering what our friends and neighbors were experiencing. In Zimbabwe, if you have food, you share it, so our neighbors ate chicken with us. Once again, we said it was a gift from the uncle I had visited in Harare. Everyone knew I had spent the past August there. It was an easy ruse. Now that Caitlin was concealing cash in her letters, we had to be extra careful.

In every letter, Caitlin asked me to respond. I hesitated. Things were so difficult, and as much as I appreciated her family’s efforts to get me back in school, I was starting to lose hope. It also dawned on me that I had never been 100 percent honest with Caitlin about my life. I kept so many things hidden from her because I was ashamed. I didn’t want our relationship to be in any way impacted by my family’s poverty. With every new card or photo or dollar bill she sent, I saw that she truly loved me for who I was, not for where I came from.

I decided to write her a letter that told the truth about my life. The whole truth.

January 13, 2000

Dear Caitlin,

Hello! I am very glad about the way your loving family and you are helping our poor family. Words cannot express how deep your love is for me and my family’s life. Caitlin, your mom, dad, and Richie, you are really larger than life as Backstreet said. May the Lord bless your unconditional love. If I had money I would buy something expensive for you. When I sit and think about what you have done, I start to cry because no one has ever helped me like that. My poor parents are really happy of you.

I told about our life in Chisamba Singles in full detail:

Because of poverty and too many poor people, the one-room houses are shared by two families.… There is no constant supply of electricity and therefore we use wood as a source of fuel to cook and sometimes homemade paraffin lamps. The life we live here is tough but it has been reduced because of your love and help.

I reiterated that without her, we would be homeless: If we don’t pay rent on time, we are chased out and another family enters. There was so much else to say—including thanking her for the Christmas money. I also wanted to respond to her concerns about sending money:

I too was worried about people stealing the money you sent here but I have been inquiring about how to get money safely and was told that THE WESTERN MONEY TRANSFER would help by making the money travel safely and quickly. How about that?

Caitlin and her mom were so focused on my schooling fees, which were critical. But with so much time passing, I also had another concern: the registration for O-level exams was fast approaching, so I decided to be bold once again.

This is my last year at school, as I am doing the ordinary level (SCE). If I pass, I will proceed to advanced level education. I must pay for these tests, which cost roughly $585. If you could help me please. The headmaster of our school is Mr. George Samupindi. I am very sorry for troubling or annoying you with “large” figures. The deadline for the payments has not been announced yet but I think it is mid-February.

You can contact our headmaster, Mr. George Samupindi, at the same mailing address where you sent the very first letter:

Sakubva High School

PO Box 3059

Mutare

Zimbabwe

I am very sorry for making the letter so long! I hope your sore mouth has healed and you are back at school.

I was also curious what Caitlin’s plans were after high school. We had not talked much about that, and I was interested if she felt the same way I did about university. What are your plans for college—what do you hope to do there? I asked.

There was no room left on the page, so I signed off: See you my “sister” Caitlin. Your “brother” Martin.