August 7, 1678
Dear brother,
The weather is still really hot here. Things at home are getting even worse. Auntie’s condition isn’t any better than the last time, if not worse. Dada’s still ok, but he’s starting to feel warm and more tired than usual. Mommy’s been in bed for days now, and she won’t come out to see Uncle or Auntie or even me. As for me, I’ve gotten better and walking without a toe, but it still feels weird to not have anything there. My coughing has continued, but it seems as though I can control it a bit more. When I went to the doctor’s to see what he could give me, mommy, and Auntie, he gave me some herb things and when away as everyone else in town is getting sick.
The boy I had met earlier is still here! I thought he had left, but turns out his father is staying in town to trade while his partner does all the exporting. His name is Thomas, and he’s just a bit older than me. Dada hasn’t really technically been allowing me to leave the house, but I sneak out when he’s not paying attention to see him. I mean, there are a lot of boys in town, don’t get me wrong. Thomas is just different. Maybe it’s because he doesn’t know the town like we do, so he just seems so new. Or maybe it’s because I’m tired of all the boys at home. But, I may have messed EVERYTHING up with him…
The other night, I snuck out of the house to meet with Thomas. I’ve been able to hide my toe from him (quite literally since it’s gone…), but coughing up blood is getting a bit more difficult. I’ve been keeping one of dad’s old handkerchiefs with me to catch the blood as I cough. I’ve been coughing up blood for the past couple days, and these bumps have been growing on the sides of my mouth. It hurts to chew and everything, but if you look at my mouth you can see them pretty easily. Dada pointed it out to me before I could even tell what was growing. I’ve started wearing a scarf around my mouth again (like mommy made me do when I was younger), but as a result, I can’t cough conspicuously. When Dada was caring for mommy, I snuck out to see Thomas (as I usually do). With the scarf around me, he thought it was cute to have a change in my clothing (I can’t believe he liked it!). But of course, I thought all was fine and I didn’t take Dada’s handkerchief with me. When I was with Thomas, I started coughing so vigorously that the blood was spewing everywhere. I ran home as fast as I could crying. When I snuck back in through the window, both Mommy and Dada were asleep, so I cried myself to sleep.
I found out Auntie is starting to get those bumps in her mouth. Mommy is feeling better, but not well enough. Uncle and Dada have been rotating through Dada’s work so that both can take care of all of us. The heat is making everything ten times worse. I don’t know how much longer I can stand here. Nothing seems to be getting better, and traders are still coming from all around to sell their stuff in the markets. I hope you write back soon. I really miss you.
Love,
Chayana
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