I Will Always Write Back

Caitlin receives a letter from Martin after having not heard from him in a while. She is relieved to know he is doing well. At school, Caitlin distances herself from her friends who have not offered any support to her while she has been worried about Martin.

Caitlin wakes up one morning to the sound of her mother on the phone. Her mother has been talking to the American embassy in Harare to figure out how to get in contact with Martin’s school. Together, Caitlin and her mother draft a letter to the address that Martin has sent them for his school. In their letter to Mr. Samupindi, they request the most efficient way to support Martin’s education, enclosing a $20 bill to help Martin with other school fees. They request to know the registration fees for Martin’s exams and ask that they pay them without having to involve Martin in the process. Caitlin makes a copy of this letter to send to Martin. Before she sends her next letter to Martin, Caitlin’s mother encloses a check with a note that says that the money can be used to help with the registration fees if Mr. Samupindi does not respond in time for the exams.

The postman tells Martin that he has received a large package in the post office that he will have to retrieve with someone’s help. Martin calls on his brother, Nation, to help him. Together, they carry a large box from Caitlin and her family back to their home, where they open the gift in private. They are astounded to find that the package contains candy, many of which the younger children seldom have a chance to eat. They are overjoyed to find a Walkman with a cassette for Ricky Martin’s “La Vida Loca.” The family hears music in their home for the first time since the family had to relinquish their boombox. This fills everyone with joy. They also find shoes for Martin, which do not fit him. He offers the shoes to his mother, who has never owned a pair of sneakers before. She commends Martin on his kindness, to which Martin replies, “Mother, Caitlin is the one with the good heart!” (177). Moved by the contents of the package, Martin writes a heartfelt letter to Caitlin and her family thanking them for their generosity. He also updates them about the deadline for his registration fees and the final cost of the exams. In the closing of the letter, he tells her that he wants to be a student at a US university one day, in order to become an accountant, and hopes he can live somewhere near Caitlin.

After receiving Martin’s letter thanking her for her generous package, Caitlin continues to examine her privilege more closely. She thinks about how much money informs popularity at her high school. She recalls in particular one girl named Marie whose mother bought N’Sync tickets for her and several of the popular girls in an effort to get her daughter to join the popular clique. Since Marie is considered nerdy, the popular girls are uninterested in being her friend, but accept the concert tickets anyway. As one of the popular girls, Caitlin turns down the ticket, as she disapproves of the other girls’ self-centered behavior.

Caitlin also grows more aware of other people’s impoverished circumstances. When she and her mother come across free food at a university luncheon, Caitlin suggests they bring the leftover food to the Vietnam veteran who wanders the town. Additionally, Caitlin vows to be kinder to her poorer classmates, which includes a girl named Amanda. Caitlin used to participate in making fun of Amanda’s odor and unwashed hair, but through her exposure to Martin’s impoverishment, she vows to stand up for disadvantaged people like Amanda.