Back to my history

Well, my little brother was born. I loved him and hated him at the same time. He was my blood, yet he was the reason Manolo was part of the family again in my eyes.

I think I dropped him too many times, and now I'm not sure if it was accidental out of inexperience handling a baby or out of anger.

I changed diapers and did my part I think, most it seems like a blur now. At one point my father convinced my mother to let him take me for weekends. My guess is that she knew I would never see Manolo as a father and that I needed to reconnect with my real father.

Let me explain something first. In the states and other countries like the USA corruption in law enforcement is the exception. In third world countries like Peru, it's not the exception but it seems like a rule. If you have a badge...you can make more money if you look away, help (or not help) certain people. There is almost no hand you can't "grease" to get whatever you want.

My father was a detective of the PIP (Police of Investigations of Peru) and from what I saw, he was living above his pay grade.

Once he took me to his job, a precint and I saw a few times 
people asking "favors" of him,  I looked away because that is what was probably expected of me.

If you have the right connections, you can even avoid the military draft. My godfather was in the navy, he was an officer and engineer. All I had to do was decide, join the navy and get a good start or join the army, air force or...not join at all. I decided the armed forces was not for me, I was scared back then. It was all arranged, I went, filled some papers and I was somehow ineligible for duty.

My father had another 2 sons with his wife (who was the woman my father left my mother for). I hated those guys and decided to use them to pay back my father for abandoning me and my mother. Yeah...avenge a mother who also betrayed me, doesn't make sense now, but it did then.

I ended up leaving school, my mother said get a job or go back to school. I ended up joining a friend of mine working in the beer factory which was around the block. 

My job was to remove broken bottles from the assembly line.

Of course we sometimes would take a few undamaged bottles, open and drink up.  We would then drop them and break them to cover our asses. We wouldn't get drunk of course, but there was nobody in that place without beer taste in their mouths, heh.

I've forgotten so many names, except my mother's. Nelly and of course Manolo. I've forgotten the names of my little brother, or my father's son, or his wife, and pretty much anybody I knew in Peru. I'm not sure if I want to remember.

Well, I was working, visiting my father weekends and in all that time I was happier at work because outside of the factory I was miserable and full of resentment for the world.

I made a mistake that I regret to this day. I took out my anger on my half brothers. I betrayed my father. I underestimated him. He was furious, and threatened to kill me, and my mother and I knew he meant it.

I needed to get out of town, but him being in the PIP meant that he could find me eventually. I couldn't just leave town, I needed to leave the country. I was hidden in different houses, family members who I don't remember anymore.

I think it was 2 weeks into hiding when my mother told me she had arranged passage for me to go to the states to join my mother. I was happy, and sad. I was leaving everything I knew in my life behind for a strange place but I would be alive.

So, I was smuggled into a boat and for 2 weeks I was hidding in a cabin with a member of the crew. They had someone in the kitchen I would guess 'cause they brought me food twice a day and it was better food that I had ever eaten before. They stopped at Ecuador and was offered a beautiful hooker for $10, my mother had given me about $100 and to be careful not to spend it.

But then, you only live once right? When I was 15 my uncle Jhonny took me to a brothel and that is how I lost my virginity, so I knew a hooker knew how to show me a good time. And she did, best $10 I ever spent in my life so far.

At this point in time I had no idea, that mother had made a risky deal. She had promised my grandmother would have $2,500 at my arrival in California. My poor grandma had to borrow money from everyone she knew to make it happen because she was given very little advance notice on this. I'm fairly sure my mother told her after I was already in the boat.

Then I didn't know, that if someone doesn't pay up, you may end up dead on the street or thrown out the boat to drown. Thank god grandma came through.

During my stay in California I was living with a religious family, they were nice, spoke spanish and I think there were from Peru originally. I do remember their daughter was nice looking, heh.

Well, I was taught the ropes...Home Depot, corner, wait for a guy in a truck to come by looking for workers and try to jump in before 50 other mexicans got on. It wasn't easy because I was not used to that kind of work, mostly landscaping. I was 18, young and whatever I got paid made me happy. Sometimes I got $2 an hr, sometimes $5 depending on how generous the boss was and the kind of work involved.

In a few weeks I had the $200 needed to get me to NY to join grandma. I had not been in an airplane since the trip from Germany to Peru and I was a bit nervous but of course all was fine.

My grandmother's sister's son (which I called cousin) picked me up. His personality can be described in one word: Asshole. Didn't take me long to know him, but I had to kiss his ass to get a job.

He was working at Chevy's, a Manhattan club with a 50's-60's theme. Man those were fun days!

Everyone was in oldies attire, the place was owned by a latino (which is why I guess some mexicans were in the kitchen with me). There was this dance on the bar every night the staff did for the customers, it was fun. I was even asked to join the dance a few times.

I still have a shot glass from the place and postcards. 

Chevy's will always have a place in my heart. The people were kind to me, the americans
were different from I thought they would be. They shared their tips with the kitchen staff.

Good times.

I think I will leave today's post on a good note. Chevy's..."Be Bop Was Never This HOT"...yeah, good times.