Mandy

This is Uta’s pen pal Mandy. She sends Uta long hand written letters, sometimes with tiny (and silly) illustrations drawn in the margins that make Uta laugh. They are happy letters. Uta is always ecstatic when one arrives, for him (and me) it’s like discovering a buried treasure amongst the bills and junk that ordinarily crowds our mailbox. I think there is nothing better than getting a real letter in the mail. Today Uta received one on our way out. I read it to him while we walked to the train. Her letters are always loaded with delightful tidbits from her life, colorful details of everyday happenings that fill Uta’s mind with vibrant pictures. After I got through reading the letter I didn’t say anything, opting instead to let Mandy’s stories drift along with us in the silence as we walked. Uta smiled to himself for three full blocks before uttering a single word. (That’s a long time for Uta not to talk.) Then he said, ‘I love her.’

(Recently we got to visit Mandy in Maine. She gave Uta this party hat to prepare him for his upcoming birthday and generously let him run around abusing her camera.)