Letter comes, family celebrates, girl sheds tears, stoically packs bag, thinks, Must go, am family’s only hope. Puts on brave face, promises she will return as soon as contract complete. Her mother feels, father feels: We cannot let her go. But they do. They must. Whole town walks girl to train station/bus station/ferry stop? More tears, more vows. As train/bus/ferry pulls away, she takes last fond look at surrounding hills/river/quarry/shacks, whatever, i.e., all she has ever known of world, saying to self, Be not afraid, you will return, + return in victory, w/ big bag of gifts, etc., etc.

Why not take kids to Europe? Kids have never been.

As for Pam, Pam very beautiful, raised w/ money. Do not want former wealthy beauty wearing same clothes over and over, feeling, When young, had so many clothes, but now, due to him (i.e., me), badly dressed.

Eva facing wall, lower lip out in her pre-crying way

SGs up now, approx. three feet off ground, smiling, swaying in slight breeze.

In America of my time, want them to know, anything possible!

paucity

largesse

Maybe “Girl Reading to Little Sister,” as that is cheapest? Although maybe giving cheapest sends bad signal? Signals frugality even in midst of attempt to be generous? Maybe best to go big? Go for “Resting Fierceness”? Put cheetah on Visa, hope she is happily surprised?

inadequate.

Watched to see if kids would take initiative and pick up. But no. Kids only slumped past and stood exhausted by front door. Knew I should take initiative and pick up. But was tired and had to come in and write in this stupid book.

biotronic

kitsch

Leslie’s mother, dressed in Indonesian sarong:

Vegetable garden tended by guy named Karl. Lilly: Wow, this garden is like ten times bigger than our whole yard. Flower garden tended by separate guy, weirdly also named Karl.

Have to do better! Be kinder. Start now. Soon they will be grown and how sad, if only memory of you is testy, stressed guy in bad car

tufts

Who cares about stupid bumper, we’re going to get a new car soon anyway, when rich, right?

One end of bumper had to hang out Eva’s window and today she has sniffles, plus small cut on hand from place where bumper was sharp.

if any future person is reading this, if you want to know what a “demon” was, go look it up, in something called an encyclopedia, if you even still have those!

quaint

Will future people be aware of concept of “demons”?

Will future people know sometimes cats fought in night?

passé

weaverbirds

hove

My employer thrusts out his chest. "Look, Alibhai!" He says that if I walk about stooped over like a dotard, people will get the

You will need seven sticks in order to get away.

There is a strange pleasure in this writing and not-writing, these letters that hang between rev-elation and oblivion

"When the child goes into the forest, it wears a red necklace. And when the ogre sees the necklace, it spares the child."

He rides a hyena.

There will be no end to this catalogue. The ogres are eve where. Number thirteen: A l i b h ai M. M o o s a j ee of Mombasa

His enemy is the Hare

Somebody!

To tell one’s name – the livelong June –

Then there’s a pair of us!

Bog!

How public

dreary

I’m Nobody! Who are you? Are you – Nobody – too?

empower