didn’t have food or shoes or even a
pair of underwear, but she had
English. She could read and write.
When she was old enough she
stopped working on the farm and
got a job at a factory in a nearby
town. She worked on a sewing
machine making school uniforms.
Her pay at the end of each day was a
plate of food. She used to say it was
the best food she’d ever eaten,
because it was something she had
earned on her own. She wasn’t a
burden to anyone and didn’t owe
anything to anyone.
When my mom turned twenty-
one, her aunt fell ill and that family