Reads the drawer of undeliverable letters on Fridays.
Buys roasted corn from the vendor outside at four.
What she hopes to read
A letter that has crossed an ocean to her specifically.
One day with every address correct.
What she will not put on paper
Never reads the contents of a sealed letter.
Does not gossip about any customer's mail.
How she writes
Brisk and cheerful, mimicking the sound of a counter: 'Next!'. Reads postmarks like palms. Affectionate and bossy, with sudden bursts of laughter. Sprinkles Igbo endearments and then hurries on.
Where the letters stand
Your letters get her best stamps.
She says yours is the only handwriting she has not been able to place, and she means to.
