For many years after we got married there were no children. But then she became pregnant and we had a son. I was very proud, and my only sadness was that my father was not still alive so that he could see his fine new grandson.

My son is not very clever. We sent him to the primary school near our house and we kept getting reports saying that he had to try harder and that his handwriting was very untidy and full of mistakes. My wife said that he would have to be sent to a private school, where they would have better teachers and where they would force him to write more neatly, but I was worried that we could not afford that.

When I said that, she became very cross. “If you cannot pay for it,” she said, “then I will go to a charity I know and get them to pay the fees.”

“There are no such charities,” I said. “If there were, then they would be inundated. Everyone wants his child to go to a private school. They would have every parent in Botswana lining up for help. It is impossible.”

“Oh it is, is it?” she said. “I shall speak to this charity tomorrow, and you will see. You just wait and see.”

She went off to town the next day and when she came back she said it had all been arranged. “The charity will pay all his school fees to go to Thornhill. He can start next term.”

I was astonished. Thornhill, as you know, Bomma, is a very good school and the thought of my son going there was very exciting. But I could not imagine how my wife had managed to persuade a charity to pay for it, and when I asked her for the details so that I could write to them and thank them she replied that it was a secret charity.

“There are some charities which do not want to shout out their good deeds from the rooftops,” she said. “They have asked me to tell nobody about this. But if you wish to thank them, you can write a letter, which I will deliver to them on your behalf.”

I wrote this letter, but got no reply.

“They are far too busy to be writing to every parent they help,” said my wife. “I don’t see what you’re complaining about. They’re paying the fees, aren’t they? Stop bothering them with all these letters.”