If his aunt saw his sketches, she'd know that his letter wasn't a fake.Īmir took his sketchpad and pencil case out of his backpack. They would look a little different after all this time-but not that much. He decided to draw pictures of himself and the children on another sheet of paper and include it with the letter. Joneses and two Gloria Joneses that he had found on the page torn from a Manhattan telephone book. It would make something happen.Īmir planned to send the letter to the fifteen G. This time his father's deep voice ringing in his ears strengthened him, making him confident that his letter would end his long search. You gotta make things happen-can't just sit and wait for something to happen. No, better not-there'd be too many telephone calls, and some of them might be crank calls. I am 14 years old, he added.Īmir rewrote the letter and wondered whether he should add the Smiths' telephone number. In his small, neat script that looked almost like printing, he included the ages that the children would be now: Olivia, 12.

In detective stories the cops always wanted to know the missing person's age. He read the letter once more and recalled one of his father's favorite sayings: You got to make a good first impression if you want folks to pay attention.Īmir made sure that every word was spelled correctly. He'd apologize to her face if he ever saw here again in life. He wanted to add, If you are Aunt Gloria, I'm sorry for what I did. Thank you very much for any help you can give me.Īmir reread the letter very carefully. Before moving to Syracuse I lived in the Bronx, and before that I lived in Manhattan and Brooklyn. I've been here for the past three months. My brother Ronald has been living with the Smiths since he was two years old. I have another brother, Ronald Daniels, who is seven years old, and we live together in Syracuse with Grace and Alvin Smith, our foster parents. If you are Gloria Jones, or know where she is, please write to me at 324 Sylvan Lane, Syracuse, New York 13299. We were separated about 2 ½ years ago when my parents died. I think they all live in Manhattan, in New York City. Their names are Olivia, Shawn, David, and Sharon.

I am also looking for my brothers and sisters.

One True Friend by Joyce Hansen