LETTER N°1 - THIS IS THE ONE THAT HAS TO BE GRADED

4^th of March of 1930

Rocket Avenue, 666, Alabama, United States

Dear Franklin:

My friend! I’m writing to you because I miss you and because I can’t understand all the changes that are happening to my life since me and my family came to live to the middle of Alabama. You don’t imagine how much hard had been to me to find a pencil to write.

As you may know, I used to live on an enormous 3 flour’s mansion but, because of the great depression that is affecting USA since 1929, my father had to sold it, and now we live on a tiny one floor’s house, in which me and my 3 siblings are completely uncomfortable… Unfortunately, I can’t call this my “sweet home” just because I hate it! There are only 2 rooms, one for my parents and another one to us; a little gray kitchen and, the worst thing, only 1 bathroom! It’s horrible! In “my” room there are two cabins where we sleep and nothing else… I used to have everything I wanted and I’m really sad because my life changed completely in only some few months!

Something I don’t know is why my whole life changed so fast, but there are some things that called my attention. The main one is that the people are referring to my father as a “White Trash”… I don’t know what does it mean, but probably it’s related with his job or with his money. My mom don’t want to tell my why they call him as that but I guess that he is unemployed!  I’m praying for this to be only a bad dream!

Another thing I miss a lot is to play in your home, Franklin ha, ha!  We used to spend hours and hours laughing at them and playing some amazing games, but know I lived on a place where all my neighbors are Negroes, and my parents don’t let me play and even talk with them. The house that is beside mine is worse than mine. Full of dirt outside, with one floor and the next thing I’m going to say will impact you… They don’t have beds! They sleep on the floor of their house, it’s disgusting!

Please answer this letter soon, Franklin, because there are a lot of thing I want to continue telling you. Good Bye!!

                                                                      

Youssef Eltit