The Hard Truth

I have a pen pal in Tamale, Ghana. His writing, in my language since I can’t begin to write in his, is very poetic. Upon hearing that the Lennon had the flu, he wrote to me.

Am so sorry to heard from you that your Grandson had a bad flu, may the Good lord blow his healthy air on your grand son. Know that youre always in my prayers and there is a saying that with prayers everything is possible as well.

He tells me about his living situation.

I have 1 sister 1 brother but my sister left to sleep forever and i am living with my granny who is 81 years old now, she was a trader. She can't walk again, I am a student and the same time working on the street by selling Ice water for a lady to get funds to take good care of my grandmother and school but the my grandmother days are numbered she will soon join my sisters….now she is old so I have to make her happy by cleaning her urine and other things. As for today she can't work anymore and i have to also take the position to help her with the hpuse work, i will never stop loving my granny and will never forget what she did to me when she was still strong in live and I will keep loving her still her day is up

He says he is eighteen, but I believe he may be much younger than that. He is very small and his writing has the hope and hopelessness expressed by children who have not quite given up on this world.

Well, the name of my school is Bagabaga junior high school and it is located in the northern part of Ghana called Tamale and the name of my Headmaster is Manan Abdul Rashid. Yes i used my school computer lab computer to replied you back always. after my junior high school. i will be moving to the senior level where i can learn the course i want . But all my dreams is to be a Doctor in future, that all the dreams i have.

He wrote to me that he is trying to teach his little brother to read and write because he cannot go to school, but in the next sentence he writes that last night they slept with hunger. In another email he writes:

Today i just went to the city chop bars and eat the left over and my granny and brother is in the house with empty stomach.

His letters to me are filled with the things that he loves about Tamale and blessings flow from his words in the most beautiful ways, but his life lies heavy on my mind. I want to be absolutely sure he is who he says he is and I have written to the high school asking since the junior high address is not available to me, but I haven’t heard anything back yet. And, in all honesty, I don’t have much to share.

But I can’t do nothing.