My father bought a shoe box with all the stuff required to have shiny shoes at home, so I asked why he did that, so he explained me that if we pay, we needed to expend 2 pesos on each pair, but with the supplies he bought the cost will be minimum, so it could be a great saving… when he mentioned the amount some one paid, I ask myself, why not to use the box… to get some money… and that’s exactly what I did. To have an idea of how much a peso worth, the exchange rate was 8.25 pesos per dollar, so a peso was about 12 cents.

I took the box to the street and started offering the service for 1.50 pesos… to get customers faster than regular shoe cleaners… on my first day I made more than 20 pesos, because my satisfied customers paid me 1.50 plus a tip… on some pairs I earned more than 2 pesos. I was happy, so I went to the store, I bought one Red Mundet soda ( 45 cents) and animal cookies (5 cents) and I went to the shoe repair store to get more supplies, and to be ready for the next day. So, after supplies and refreshments, I got 15 pesos, that I gave to my mother, I don’t remember what she said, probably she was speechless, but I was so happy to find out that I was able to earn money and I was able to help my mother with some… I discovered on the following days, that not all people want to do their shoes every day, so on those days I just made few pesos… My first business was productive until my dad discovered that I was using the box outside the house… after a close encounter with his belt, I stopped doing shoes, but for the first time I discovered that I was capable to generate some income… I thought that was unfair not allow me to do something, I was sad… thinking what to do…

One day my dad brought to the house a used bike it was a little big, but it was for me, he taught me how to ride, and I learned really fast… so I started riding my bike outside the house, first just around the block but then I started to go far and farther every time… When I rode my bike I felt free and happy… I also learned to patch the wheels and how to repair the bike, to adjust the breaks, some afternoons I was at the bike shop helping the owner to fix bikes, and some days he gave me few pesos or other days he just allowed me to fix my bike for free… I never told my mother that I got the money, but I liked to open his purse and slip in my earnings there… (After get some refreshments, of course or supplies for my bike), I was afraid to be punished for getting money. One day my mother cached me with money on one hand and with her purse on the other, she though that I was taking money from her and she hit me really hard, she was really upset, but I never explained… I just walked out with my bike. When I was sad or depressed I just jumped on my bike and rode as far as I was able to go… then, tired I returned home.

Then I started on the new school… fifth grade, I learned to use a public bus… the ticket was 25 cents, and guess what… the new school had a chorus! On my first school day the teacher asked if some one knew how to play guitar or any other instrument and… I knew it… a new chapter in my life was about to start… but as I said… that, is another… Chapter 