By now, you know the story of the Mother Letter Project. See the FAQs for more information.
On Mondays, I have decided to share with you a bit about the journey that started this project. These are the people I remember from Mozambique. These are the people that I hope will one day benefit from projects like the Mother Letter Project.
FILLING THINGS UP
There were three of them. Two on the outside sizing up the tallish girl in the middle—staring her down with squinted, high-noon eyes. It was clear that she was the eldest of the three girls, but she had somehow managed, or manipulated, her way into the middle of the raggedy dodge-ball game. She was smiling “come and get me.”
The shortest of the three, one of the end-caps of the game, held a ball made from a tattered Jimmy Hendrix or 2-Pac tee-shirt. She had turned western charity into the perfect weapon. She pulled the rag-bullet to her ear and flung it furiously forward. The prey watched and twitched to the left, evading the dusty old rag-ball, which sailed past her, past the other end-cap, and past a pile of roof thatching material before coming to rest at my feet. I did not insert myself into the game. I was told to watch.
The little boys surrounding the game laughed and mocked the throwing motion of the little girl. Her tongue poked between her closed lips. So many things are universal.
The other end-cap, the one closest to me ran to pick up the rag, and while she did, the middle-girl began to fill an empty Coke bottle with fists full of baby powder soft dirt, the kind that’s been used for years in the same kind of game. If she filled that empty bottle before she was gunned down by 2-Pac, I was told, she would be the winner. The mark kept one eye remaining on her adversary who had by that time picked up the rag-ball sitting at my feet. The newly born sniper turned to throw the rag-ball and the middle-girl instantly stopped her task—the Coke bottle only quarter full. The game of cat and mouse continued and the little boys all smiled.
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For more about the village, read HERE.
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i love your stories.