Summary

The female narrator in “The Woman of Letters” by Angela Readman is the only woman who can read and write English in her area, a skill that she uses to help girls marry men from overseas.

Sitting in front of the computer, she acts as an interpreter between May, a woman from her village who works as a prostitute and a dancer, and a Canadian man. The narrator does not translate accurately, telling May the romantic things she wants to hear, while the man is making sexual advances.

The narrator charges the woman for her services and looks around her house to see if anything is missing because the girls she helps often steal from her. Outside, the narrator notices that May has a bruise on her face. Feeling bad, the narrator gives May’s daughter some sweets. The narrator lets May get her hopes up about...