I got the urge to write tonight, and for those who might be thinking uh oh, I'm not up for a hard luck story right now, don't you worry, today I am happy to say that I have some good news to share!
You may remember some tidbits that I wrote about Luis while I was in Guatemala...
Luis is another guy that I like a lot. He's in his early 20s, good looking, and you’d never think he’s homeless as he takes good care of himself. Well his story is that he is separated, not by choice, from his wife and two young daughters (2 and 3 months) who live in a town about 2.5 hours away. Apparently his mother in law kicked him out of the house in December and ever since he has been sleeping on the streets of Antigua.
Luis admitted to me that he used to drink a lot and wasn’t the most stable husband and father. So the mother-in-law took matters into her own hands by the sounds of it.
Since being kicked out he has been in Antigua, and like Walter, earning money washing and guarding cars. When the shelter isn’t open he sleeps in the park. He talks a lot about his wife and girls and very much wants to be reunited with them. He has been drinking a lot less and trying to earn money for a home for him and his family.
Last month he saved 400 quetzales (about $35) and rented a house for his family in the town where he is from. But when it came time for the move, the mother-in law threatened that if the daughter left with Luis that she would take the children from her. So she stayed put, the house was rented for nothing and Luis returned to Antigua to sleep in the park.
After that he went back again to try and speak with his mother-in-law, to convince her that he had changed, but unfortunately she refused to talk to him. So not surprisingly he hasn’t been in the best spirits ever since. Poor guy..
Sometime later I wrote...
Luis, the young guy whose in-laws hate him, showed up last week which was great as I was thinking I wouldn't see him again. Turns out Luis, his wife and daughters were together for a month after he scrounged enough money together to rent a place. Their time together was shortlived though unfortunately as he didn't have a stable job to support them ongoing. So Luis returned to Antigua to find work while his wife and daughters returned to the in-laws' home.
He and I have talked a fair bit since he returned and he's clearly depressed about the situation, drinking at times to cope. He is back to sleeping on the street and to earn money, washing cars, probably the worst job to have in rainy season. And he knows it too, which must make him feel worse as things probably aren't going to get better anytime soon.
I ran into him the other night in the spot where he often waits to wash cars. It's killing him that he doesn't know how his family is. He can't even call his in-laws home anymore, which he says is worse than before. He just wants to know that they are all okay. He talked a lot about just wanting to move forward with his life, for things to be better. Unfortunately he has a criminal record though and because of that he can't get a decent job. So washing cars is it for now. He gets about 20 quetzales per car ($3) but again, when it's rainy all the time, most people don't want their car washed. He's thankful the shelter is open again so he can at least have a good sleep in a warm place. Besides the cold nights, he said that the "bolos" (drunks) cause problems in the park (Maria knows this all too well) which makes it hard to rest. Having to deal with bolos also makes him nervous as hr doesn't want to get into trouble with the law again.
Honestly, I still don't understand how homeless people manage. Talking to Luis shed some light for me though.
He has nothing with him, no possessions, no extra clothes etc. because he has nowhere to keep them. So every night that he is going to sleep on the street, he buys a fruit/vegetable sack that they sell in the market for 1Q which he covers himself with. He then throws it away the next morning. Same goes with his clothes. He buys an outfit in the used clothing shops for next to nothing, wears it until it is no longer usable and then throws it away. I never really thought about this before but I imagine a lot of the homeless do this. That's why it's even harder when it's raining, as when their one outfit gets wet, they have nothing else. I saw him again last night and he was going to be sleeping in only a t-shirt as his hoodie had got wet. And it was a cold, wet night. I felt so bad for him. To me he's really unique out of the whole group as he's a clean cut, good looking guy that you would never think lives on the street. He is clean, and the clothes that he does pick are pretty cool. You could picture him waiting tables at a nice restaurant or doing any "mainstream job" really. But unfortunately that kind of job is out of reach due to his past mistakes.
So the last 2 nights I have seen him, he was going to be sleeping in the street, on a cool, rainy night, the last time without a sweater, and probably an empty stomach. I felt so guilty walking away, off to buy food for myself, in my warm clothes, and then back to my cozy apartment, even if there is no toaster, coffeemaker, blender or corkscrew. Off to change into the clothes that I am sick of. To write and call those that I care about.
When I left Guatemala I left with Luis as a Facebook friend. He's the only one actually, as most of the shelter's clients probably don't even know what Facebook is. I knew that he used the internet at times, often just to kill time or stay out of the rain. Thankfully it isn't too expensive to do. I could tell after a couple months that there had been some changes in him. It looked like he had got a phone as he was posting pictures of himself, and he seemed to be in good spirits.
A couple days ago we were able to chat for a bit and he shared the best news! Not only did he get a job working in a church serving meals to the homeless (ironic I know), but this income plus his car washing has allowed him to rent a room for himself! For the 3 months he has been off the street :) No more sleeping in the park, dealing with the cold, rain, the police harassment, the drunks. No more having to throw out his clothes every few days and most importantly, it's a start to a new and better life. He still goes to the shelter to eat, just to make things a little easier, and has turned to the church as well. He hasn't been drinking and is focused on moving forward. I was scared to ask about his family but I did. Sadly he has had no contact with his wife and daughters for months and knows nothing about them. But once he has a few more months of stability under his belt and is even more settled and prepared, he plans to go look for them, and I'm sure, to bring them back to Antigua to live with him.
I'm so happy for him, and to hear of his progress. He is one person who I felt could shake being homeless and carve out a life for himself, and I think he's finally on that road :)
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