By Sulayman Jammeh
Well I have never imagined that I really got a love philosopher as a student in my class. While I was marking series of books in a hot afternoon, I tumbled on a long and a mighty love letter in one of my students’ exercise books. Well, the student was a shy one indeed and rarely utters a word in class.
I had to pause the marking, and glanced through this powerful letter which seems to be drafted in Queen’s chambers. What actually irritated me was, he got ‘All Wrong’ in the simple exercise I gave them. However, the content of his letter, made me think that he was a professor in English Morphology, or even a theologian.
Initially, I said to myself “No he can’t write this” but when I closely studied the pattern in which the pen was pushed on both the letter and his book, I concluded that he was the scribbler.
It was an A4 size paper, the borderline was carefully designed, and he finally drew a love sign (heart with an arrow) as his mighty letterhead.
At the top right corner of his letter was his address, which was ‘100% of LOVE, 100% of FEELING, 100% of KISSES.
The body of his letter was the most interesting part. For the first time I became perplexed and skeptical with my student’s writing. Each sentence might have different interpretations depending with which lenses the reader was reading with.
He started “Dear Lena, First of all let me abreast you with just a synopsis of the genesis of my prestigious love for you. You see Lena, my love for you was peculiarly and stupendously made between the stratosphere and the ionosphere; it’s an irresistible desire that I desired for you irresistibly. It’s indeed a sacred one, carefully made in the seventh heaven, trust me. My love for you is holistically manufactured in a divine holy tabernacle and continues to rest in the temple of my fragile heart. It’s not my fault sweetheart since Sir Albert Einstein himself said ‘The laws of gravity cannot be held responsible for people falling in love’. Baby if I remember your melodious name, I feel like committing suicide. LENA to me depicts LOVE, EMPRESS, NATURAL ANGEL. I know you were specially created on Sunday morning 6:00am”.
I paused for a while and imagine the nature and behavior of this very student, who always tell me “No idea” each time I post a question at him during classes. I thought of how serious looking he is, calm, cool and well collected young boy. I adjusted my humble self on the chair and removed my spectacle and began to pay more heel to the letter. I was trying to remember who the hell was Lena herself, because that name wasn’t in my class.
His second paragraph nearly crippled me. He continued ” Lena, my heart beats lyrically only to the echoes of your drums. I know you were mad at me when you visited me last week; I want to say I am sorry. Don’t throw away the use because of the abuse, because for inside the abuse resides the use.”
I was getting so confused with the main purpose of the letter, but as I continued reading I received the shock of my life. He said “What am about to tell you is normal but serious and it should stay between you and I, I want to let you understand that………..
To be continued…
