June 2000

Martin

I WAS CLEANING THE MORNING dishes when a boy my age came running down the path shouting, “Martin, America is calling. For you.”

I started sprinting toward the post office and could hear both Nation and Simba running behind me.

Once there, I pushed through the heavy glass door and past the long queue of people waiting to send or collect packages. The phone operator was in the corner, holding the receiver in both hands.

“You must be Martin Ganda,” he said.

I took a deep breath before I placed the phone to my ear.

“Hallo?” I said.

“Martin?” a high-pitched and twangy voice responded.

“Caitlin,” I shouted. “Is this really you?”

“It’s me!” she answered. “I have good news!”

Goose bumps blanketed my body.

“My mom spoke to your headmaster,” she said. “You don’t have to worry about school fees anymore!”

By then, Nation and Simba were on either side of me straining to hear the conversation.

“Caitlin, this is the best news ever,” I said, fighting back the emotions swelling up in my chest and throat. I thought I might choke on them.

“How will I ever repay you?” I asked.

“Knowing that you and your family are okay is the only payment we need,” Caitlin said.

I don’t remember much else of the conversation. I do remember hanging up the phone and knowing, deep in my bones, that my life would never be the same.

I ran straight to Mr. Samupindi to tell him I had heard the good news.

“Martin, these people care about you,” he said. “You must not take that lightly.”

“Yes, sir,” I said.

“If you study hard, you can go to any university,” he continued. “These people will help you. You must make the most of this opportunity.”

“Yes, I know,” I said. “And I will.”

The O-levels were only a few months away. If I aced them, then I really could do anything. This was my chance.

I started sneaking into the teachers’ college library again that August and September to prepare. In between, I got another note from Western Union that more funds had arrived. My mother and I went to collect them on August 31. The note said:

TO: MARTIN GANDA

FROM: ANNE NEVILLE

AMOUNT: US$100

Caitlin was not the only angel in my life.

This money was in addition to the first wire we received in June and the check she had already sent Mr. Samupindi for my schooling as well as Simba’s, and Lois’s, too, as she had just started school.

When I handed my mother the Western Union receipt, I saw something in her face that was new to me. The deep lines carved into her face between her brows and around her eyes softened. This money gave her relief.

12 September 2000

Dear Cait and family,

Hallo! First I would like to apologize for a late reply. I first wanted to make sure that the large sum of money you sent had arrived. Thank you very much. May the Lord bless you. You are the greatest. I have enclosed the receipt/invoice. We used some of the money to pay some bills, and food, and saved the rest.

Right now we are on a holiday. I will begin our General Certificate of Education public examination on 13 October 2000. I am working hard and hope to pass. I thank you for your efforts you are taking in order to help me and my family.

Life in the community as you know is deplorable but your efforts are reducing the problems. Thank you for that. Sometimes it’s difficult to believe how we live because in the US there is nothing like that. The families sharing a room, unemployment, poverty. I wish you could one day visit us and see how many Zimbabweans in Chisamba Singles are living. For food, Mom and Dad sometimes go help clean the churches and the houses of the rich, though this is very infrequent. Here they are given a few coins from which they buy food (very little) and keep a few dollars for rent. This is a very difficult task, as the money we are paid cannot even buy a loaf of bread costing Z$20. Imagine how much money we need for bread only! The government is doing nothing to help us.

They say if you cannot afford to live in town or city, then go die in the rural areas and give chance to those who can afford to live in the city.

Thank you again for your love. My family feel great about your unconditional love.

From that moment on, I spent all my spare time cramming for the O-level exams. Elias started joining me at the library as well. He, too, wanted to go to university. We took mock tests and grilled each other on the more difficult questions. We studied problems that we thought might show up and asked our teachers to borrow textbooks that we studied all night and returned the following morning. This meant spending two to three nights every week studying until three AM and then falling asleep beneath the desks in that quiet space lined with books. The sun streaming through the big windows acted as our alarm clock, waking us each morning in time to get home for breakfast before heading back to school.

The day of the exam, I felt well prepared. And a little bit excited, too.