part-two-a

The Bag of rice


"Argentine had packed a bag of rice into a cardboard box, treating me just like her neighbor next door. Without knowing it, she had given me exactly what I had always been looking for."

Mapendo & Joseph's marriage


Baby Claire Neema




"I opened a SHONA box and found a tiny African dress my friends had sewn."

At the hospital


"Au moins hiyi," Mapendo said. "At least this." The words were a mix of French and Swahili, but they made perfect sense in my soul. (p. 160)

Mapendo with Baby Jonathan

Riziki & Baby Daniel


Solange & Baby Promesse


Mapendo's sister's home


Mapendo's sister
with some of her children