I think people work to get ahead. To get a house. To buy food and clothes for their families. I have never had a paying job, but I help a disabled lady nearby clean her house. I also fix her meals because she can’t do it herself. She reminds me of my grandmother, who lacks strength in one arm and can’t lift heavy stuff. She didn’t get some vaccine when she was little and now needs crutches to move around.
My grandmother used to work at the maquiladora (assembly factory), and when my mom was old enough she worked there as well. Back then they didn’t ask you for papers. I have pictures of the two of them working together; mom was about 15 or 17. The job was not so bad. My grandmother wasn’t on crutches yet, but over time she lost strength and had to stop.
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