when he started running his
workshop out of our yard. It’s also
when my mother divorced him.
In African culture there’s legal
marriage and traditional marriage.
Just because you divorce someone
legally doesn’t mean they are no
longer your spouse. Once Abel’s
debts and his terrible business
decisions started impacting my
mother’s credit and her ability to
support her sons, she wanted out. “I
don’t have debts,” she said. “I don’t
have bad credit. I’m not doing these
things with you.” We were still a
family and they were still
traditionally married, but she