Chapter 23

Abstract

The next morning, Omar sat down at a rickety table and wrote a letter to Chantal, Adam, and Lilly. Up to that point, Omar had been too self-consumed to find his new path in the world. It was Fati who had wherewithal to lead Omar to a crossroads. Standing there, he wanted to express himself in just the right way. He wanted the letter to be the first step on a long, new, and winding path of life. Omar had no idea where that path would lead to, but could anyone know the unexpected surprises that life could bring?He re-read the letter and took a deep breath, hoping that Chantal would read it in the open spirit in which it was written. He then carefully folded the thin sheets and placed them inside an envelope. Normally, Omar would ask one of Abdoulaye’s sons to take the letter to the post office. For this letter, though, he wanted to go to the post office himself to make sure it would be properly stamped and sent. He also wanted to phone Chantal to tell her that he would soon be coming home. Things might have been easier if he had been using his cell phone, but since coming to Tillaberi, the battery died, and it couldn’t be recharged.