Advisory: this story contains depictions of violence.
I have worked doing a lot of things. I’ve installed internet cables and electricity. Done construction work and sold clothing downtown. One time I even helped tear down a hill with one of those huge machines that you use to make holes.
I started looking for a job when I was 14, maybe 15. I wasn’t studying – I wasn’t doing anything – and I didn’t want to be wasting time. I wanted to buy things for myself. The first thing I bought was a pair of sneakers and some clothes. I gave the rest to my mother. Whenever I got paid I’d give some to La Jefa – my mom – and whatever I had left I spent on what I wanted.