The book is in final editing stage and here is an unedited excerpt.
From: Dora Saki
Subject: ALL ABOUT MY LIFE
To: George Smith
Hello My darling,
How are you today? I hope you are doing pretty well. For me here is very cold here in Senegal. Like i think i told you before, i lost my parents.My late father Dr Oliver Saki was a minister of Works and Housing in my country. And he was also the managing director(Olive industrial company LTD) in Abidjan the capital of Ivory Coast my country before the rebels attacked our House one early morning killing my mother and my father as a result of civil war in my country. It is only me that survived the attack because i was in school then and i managed to make my way to a nearby country Senegal where i am staying now in refugee camp.. I am real suffering this moment. It is a great hell and less freedom here in refugee camp. And in this camp we are only allowed to go out every Friday of the week(once in a week). It's just like one staying in the prison and i believe by God's grace i will come out here soon. I don't have any relatives now whom i can go to, all my relatives ran away in the middle of the war, the only person i have now is Rev. Steve who is the pastor of the (Christ the King Inter'l Churches) here in refugee camp Senegal. He has been very nice to me since i came here but i am not living with him rather i am staying in women's hostel because the camp have two hostels one for men the other for women.
Here is the Pastor's Telephone number to reach me ( 00221777053160 ) if you call tell him that you want to speak with me and he will send for me in women's hostel. As a refugee here i don't have any right or privilege to any thing be it money or whatever that might be against the law of this Muslim country. As i told you before i want to go back to my studies because i only attended second year in university before the tragic incident that lead to me being in this situation occured.
My darling I want to confide in you and please listen to this, i have my late father's statement of account and death certificate here with me which i will send to you later because when he was alive he deposited some amount of money in one of the leading banks here in Senegal which he used my name as the next of kin. The amount in question is US $2.2M ( Two Million Two Hundred Thousand Dollars ). So i will like you to help me transfer this money to your account and from it you will send some money for me to get my travelling documents and air ticket to come over and meet you. I kept this secret to people in the camp here, the only person that knows about it is Rev.Steve because he is like a guardian to me.
So in the light of above, i will like you to keep it to yourself and please don't tell anybody about this because i am afraid of loosing my life and the money if people get to know about it. Remember i am giving you all this information due to the trust i have in you. I like honest and understanding people, a true visionary and hardworking. My favourite language is English but our language is french, but i speak English very fluently. Meanwhile, i will like you to call me like i said i have a lot to tell you. Already I have made up of my mind not continue to stay in this camp again! I will be waiting to hear from you soonest.Have a nice day.
Yours lovely, Dora.
MY REPLY
Dear Darling:
I have prayed about helping you. Most of the praying was at the Jehovah's Leanfeed Pentacostal Church in Barleyville. It is a church founded by born-aginners who were gastronomically challenged. You know, big ol' good uns that field dressed out at about 350 pounds and thought of a mile-long buffet as a snack. I used to be one of them hummers but after I went on the grapefruit diet, I lost more than 200 pounds. My wife got tired of eating grapefruit and left me. (That's supposed to be a joke, but she really did.)
My praying resulted in a decision: I will help you soonest!
Anyway, I couldn't help but notice that you didn't answer any of my querying questions in my last email. Why is that? I appreciate your information and especially about your plight. Plights is terrible!!!! I've had some in my life, for sure.
Here's part of what I wrote earlier and would like some commenting commentary:
Dora, from your photo you are gorgeous! For another, I don't believe I can help you. I am older ... a lot older ... and am not in the best of health, due to the wreck I had several years ago. You are 22. I have shoes that are 22, for God's sake.
I am live quietly on my ranch in Arkansas, watching a herd of illegal aliens tending to my herd of thistle-eating cattle and guinea hens and horses. I still get around, if you know what I mean, (there are always women who want something from me) but nothing like I use to.
For one so young, you are so insightful!!!! The world is not a bed of roses, but it is full of saw vines, pigfish spines and meadow muffins.
I would like nothing better than to have a serious relationship with you ... Hell! With anyone! ... but I have nothing much to offer other than my 4,700-square-foot house with a pool and hot tub, sauna, 650 aces in farm subsidy heaven, and a tender, generous heart.
I look at your picture and remember when, maybe, I could have been someone of whom you could be proud. This shell is no longer that person.
I will answer your questions below simply because you asked.
Likes? I like life, not at it is, but as it was. I am going to have a spine operation this fall and hopefully that will help me get back into traveling shape. Nothing I like better than traveling to foreign countries and sighting the seas.
Dislikes? Spam (the meat and the email kind), liver, brussell sprouts and anyone who would harm children and animals. Oh, I hate any bed sheets that are less than 1,000 thread count. Scratchy bastards!
What do I do for a living? Well, I used to be in the investment business, but don't have to do that anymore. I like watching the ebb and flow of stocks that I follow. Hobbies? I surf the Internet and occasionally check on a frisky site or two or look for bargains on eBay or look up recipes so I can get my online gourmet chef's certificate. I love massages and have three rubber-downers come by once a week. Very relaxing.
I am older, I said, and with my physical condition, life is not much fun.
Just looking at your picture gave me the biggest thrill I've had in ages. Seriously, do you know how beautiful and sexy you are?
For that, and your nice letter, thank you.
George "Bubba" Smith
NOW, I said I would help you and I would. My word is my word and I abide by it even when I wish I couldn't.
I tried calling Rev. Steve and he didn't answer. Some woman who spoke some sort of foreign language with a foreigner accent answered and I thought she said should could do my laundry on Tuesday but that can't be right. I do laundry on Saturday.
How much money do you need to get to Arkansas? I can get it out of my truss fund because a truss can't help my condition anyhow. How will I get it to you? What guarantee do I have you will actually come if I send you the money? Do you have to tithe some to Rev. Steve?
I will help but help me understand how and send me the information I asked for earlier.
George "Bubba" Smith
