Do you remember the first love letter you ever wrote? How about the first one you received? Can you spare a minute to try recall the emotions which flooded you as you opened the envelop (usually scented) to read the words of your dearest one? I believe your heartbeat went a notch up as the sweet "nothings" of love filled your head. The wait between the time we so quickly reply such letters and get a response is often an intense one. If you were in the boarding house then, you looked forward with feverish anticipation to the days letters are delivered. Stories were told of people writing letters to themselves when it appeared they were not favored much.
If you were not in school then, it was a mad dash for them when daddy was back from work and he passed by the mail box to pick up letters. It was always easy to go back to the letters and reread them, feel all mushy-yummy again as butterflies of love gush through your tummy and render you momentarily silly as you waded through the day effortlessly carried along on the wings of love.
In these days of social media, SMS, Whatsapp, E-mail, and Twitter, I wonder if these same emotions, which the love letters of old evoked in us still exist. Methinks that whatever loveydovey emotions there are these days, they are transient and well, with one click of a button or swipe of a finger one can easily delete any memories or records of such letters.
I remember my love letter writing days with such glee. Those days, you needed a special pen for such letters; thankfully a cute stationary shop down the street was my haven. I would carefully choose my pen, and move on the next must-have accessory; the writing pad. Over here, one did not pick just any kind of pad to write on. Which ever one you settled on often reflected the interests of the recipient; a pad with flowers on or butterfly were quite popular then. One could also settle for a beautiful seaside picture which added some softness and serenity to the letter.
Back in those days, it was quite popular to start a love letter with the following lines (after the affectionate salutation):
"Dear Lorlor,
The sweet chocolate hills (i have always wondered if these hills really exist) have given me the opportunity to write you these few words........."
These opening lines (or a revised standard version of them) were often a constant in most love letters; and according to connoisseurs were enough to melt the hearts and emotions of one's loved one. Letter writing in general is (was) an art and a writer had to sit down, cogitate and come up with the perfect lines to convey the perfect mood to the recipient, and love letter writing was no exception of this requirement. Very often, I would read such letters several times over right at the post office as I smiled like a satisfied kitten with careless abandon.
When I finally made it home, it was one last read before bed, and you guessed right, I had sweet dreams the whole night. I was sure to spend the next day plotting my most appropriate response and by the end of the second day, it would be in the post before night fall. Oh, it appears I have forgotten something; a rather unpardonable error if our love letter was to be well received. The envelope!!
The envelope was the carrier of love tidings and hence must reflect thus. A colorfully decorated one was most preferred in such dealings but then if the cost was too high and the budget was too tight for a young boy like me who was 'powering" his love with pocket money, then a white Eno Serwaa envelope should suffice. This was often well decorated with flower patterns and some went further to add a dash of their favorite perfumes. I must mention here that much care was taken in addressing the envelope appropriately and the best handwriting was utilized at this point.
And so it went that the love affairs of our teenage days were carried on the wings of an aged and almost outdated craft of love letting writing. An art which sadly is fast eroding for nothing ever replaces a good mood, a nice pen and a beautiful note pad to trigger a flurry of words meant to evoke the wildest passions in a love interest.
These days, with fast SMS, Whatsapp & Facebook, much thought is not given to the art of constructing a sweet love letter. If push comes to shove and love turns sour, a quick phone call to terminate ties is deemed appropriate behavior these days. Sadly enough, when my lover's attention waned, a phone call to me was all it took to break off the friendship and the art of love letter died with it.
After all, who had money to spare on love lost? But, that is another story all together.
For Lorlor Adi Gbafa
