Karen Lynn Vidra, The Texas Tornado, click
here to update your pages on AuthorsDen.
Dear Kendra: A Letter From Louisiana's Friend, M'Buti Ayala Moore-Sormiento (Part One) by Karen Lynn Vidra, The Texas Tornado
Tuesday, June 15, 2004
Rated "G" by the Author.
M'Buti Ayala Moore-Sormiento has gotten wind about Louisiana's friend in California, and she felt compelled to write her a letter.
Tuesday, June 15, 2004~
Dear Miss Williams (or is it Mrs.?)~
Jambo! Habari Gani? (That means "Hello! How are you?" in Swahili, which is the national language of Kenya, the nation in which I was born.)
My name is M'Buti Ayala Sormiento (nee' Moore), and I am a very good friend to Louisiana Sandusky. She has told me so much about you and your daughters, and I somehow felt compelled to write to you after hearing about your story by way of Miss Louisiana.
You may notice that my writing may seem strange. It's because my English isn't still that good, and I am still uncomfortable at times with writing in it. I am more comfortable with my native language, Maa, the language of the Maasai people, and also the national language of Kenya, Swahili; but I don't think you know Swahili. Therefore, I will just stick to English, to make things easier for you!
I am married with three children of my own: Jubaki Miguel, who will be five years old next week on Saturday (he is the oldest), and the twins, Eshe' Ayala and Kibarake Miguel, who are both one year old. The twins and Jubaki all keep me pretty busy, as does my husband, Roberto (sometimes I think he is the biggest kid of all!). We also have a beagle dog named Rodriguez. We used to have cats, but the one cat died, and the others went to a zoo because we did not want them to hurt the babies. So they went to the zoo, where I am sure they are much happier.
I do work, but I work part-time. My health isn't that great (I am in a wheelchair most of the time, but I do walk on a walking frame or crutches for short distances; I also have problems with muscle pain and have problems with my blood pressure--it's too low, and a lot of the time I feel dizzy--; and in addition, I was burned in a fire and still carry the scars on my legs). I also had necrotizing fasciitis, or flesh-eating disease, and that is what has really caused my health to go bad. I work at a newspaper place.
My husband is a nurse; he works in the burn ward at Nashville (TN) Memorial Hospital. In fact, that is where I first met him: I was a patient in the Burn Ward, and he was the one who took care of me (as did Louisiana). We fell in love, and we have been together since.
To describe myself, I look like your typical woman from Kenya, Africa: that is, suffice to say, I am tall and thin, very elegant to most people (but I don't think so, for reasons I will not discuss until later), very dark of skin, and have black hair done in a short Afro, as well as amber-colored eyes that have a tendency to change color. Although I am only in my middle 20's, I appear much older because I have wrinkles on my face, and I think I look very bad. I speak with a clipped, precise African/Kenyan accent, and I am embarrassed when people look at me.
I have two older brothers, Keserian and Naiser, both, of whom, still make their home in Africa, in Kenya, the land of our birth. Keserian still lives in the village in which we were born (he raises cattle for a living), but Naiser, the older of the two, lives in Nairobi, where he is a children's doctor. Our parents, N'gaire (mother) and M'baki (father) are both dead; they were murdered shortly after I was burned, and I still can't talk about it or think about it without crying. They were getting money to go back to Africa after being with me a while, and on the day before they were to return to Kenya, they were brutally murdered. (The killer has been caught, but the trial is still ongoing, and it is a hard and emotional time for me and Roberto.)
Because of my disability, I do not have a good self image of myself. I never have; I have always been shy in temperament, and I still remember Father teasing me saying that I was like a gazelle: I was quiet, and I was speedy fast; he also said that I must have been born part cheetah! But now I am unable to run or walk well, so I am more like a slow-moving elephant than a cheetah or a gazelle (except, of course, I am much skinnier!). I am more like a giraffe, I guess.
Well, Kendra, I have told you about myself. Please do tell me about yourself and your family. I hear you have 12 little girls. What are their names? I know Louisiana told me the names of your daughters, but with my head being so fuzzy all the time, I can't remember things five minutes later! It seems that my mind is always in a thick fog, and I absolutely LOATHE it!!
Thank you for letting a lonely Maasai maiden tell you her story, and thank you for putting up with my ramblings. Once I start talking, I can't seem to shut up, and from my letters in comparison to how I really am in real life, you would be surprised when you met me for the very first time because I am NOT at ALL like the chatty person in the letters! I am very quiet, almost to the point of being painfully shy!
I do hope to hear from you, Kendra. I think you are doing a very wonderful service by taking kids in that nobody else would want: you remind me a lot of Miss Louisiana and her husband, Bill: the Sanduskys have taken in many kids that nobody else would even THINK of adopting, and the kids have flourished beautifully under their love and guidance; and you couldn't imagine a nicer (or more beautiful) group of children!
Thank you again, and I will be awaiting your letter!
Until then, Kendra, do take care, and God bless! As they say in my country of Kenya, Kwaheri! (That means "goodbye" in Swahili.)
~Most sincerely, your new friend in Tennessee by way of Kenya, Africa, M'Buti Ayala Moore-Sormiento.
Want to review or comment on this short story?
Need a FREE Reader Membership?
Reviewed by Robert Blackwell
6/16/2004
As usual, you've penned a soulful, poignant letter. It is a pleasure to indulge in your skills once more.
It's almost Christmas. Lynn Basil is writing her last book about a secret entrance into the magical doll land of Sha Bebe that she loves so much. Bagannos have taken over the world! Lynn finally meets her dolls in real life. Can she write in a Secret
A wicked Cajun Fairy named Robes Pierre entered the impenetrable Magical doll land of Sha Bebe. Queen Faustina, the ruler of the doll land, thought she had destroyed him, but he's back! Will the doll land survive his evil ways?
Tuesday, June 15, 2004~
