August 20, 1951
Havana, Cuba
Dear Mom and Dad,
I really wish you would reconsider letting me fish with Santiago. He is a kind old man with whom I enjoy spending time. He is patient, and teaches me as much as he can about the sea; how to read the weather, how to look for good fishing areas and all those skills that make a good fisherman. The other fishermen make fun of Santiago because he hasn’t caught a fish in eighty-four days but I know his luck will change. Santiago has a great deal of experience fishing and has all the skills he needs to turn his luck around.
Please let me fish with Santiago. He won’t bring me bad luck at all, if anything he will make me a better fisherman. Just last week I caught a bunch more fish because I went to a fishing area that Santiago had told me about. That extra fish brought us 30 more pesos than the previous week. We could really use extra spending money and I know that I can bring us that money with the knowledge that Santiago has given me.
Mom, you have always been very patient with me. I couldn’t ride a bicycle until I was seven years old and you kept teaching me and encouraging me. You never abandoned me on the street when the other kids made fun of me. That’s what I want to do for Santiago. I know he will be a great fisherman again one day and I wan to be there to see the other fisherman’s faces when he does.
Sincerely,
Manolin
Havana, Cuba
Dear Mom and Dad,
I really wish you would reconsider letting me fish with Santiago. He is a kind old man with whom I enjoy spending time. He is patient, and teaches me as much as he can about the sea; how to read the weather, how to look for good fishing areas and all those skills that make a good fisherman. The other fishermen make fun of Santiago because he hasn’t caught a fish in eighty-four days but I know his luck will change. Santiago has a great deal of experience fishing and has all the skills he needs to turn his luck around.
Please let me fish with Santiago. He won’t bring me bad luck at all, if anything he will make me a better fisherman. Just last week I caught a bunch more fish because I went to a fishing area that Santiago had told me about. That extra fish brought us 30 more pesos than the previous week. We could really use extra spending money and I know that I can bring us that money with the knowledge that Santiago has given me.
Mom, you have always been very patient with me. I couldn’t ride a bicycle until I was seven years old and you kept teaching me and encouraging me. You never abandoned me on the street when the other kids made fun of me. That’s what I want to do for Santiago. I know he will be a great fisherman again one day and I wan to be there to see the other fisherman’s faces when he does.
Sincerely,
Manolin