I’m not entirely sure where to start. They told me to speak, to tell my story, so here I am, letting the words come as they will. I’m 89 years old, and strangely enough, I remember things from sixty years ago far better than what I ate last night. I suppose that’s how age works.

At this point in life, memory matters more than plans. Memory becomes a place to rest.

Growing up with cold and hunger

I was born in 1936, in a small town in Jaén—one of those places that barely exists anymore. My father worked as a day laborer. My mother washed clothes for others. There were five of us children; I was the middle one.

I don’t remember toys or gifts. What I remember is cold and hunger. They were constant companions.

I was very young during the war, but I lived the postwar years fully. I left school around nine or ten, attending only when I wasn’t needed in the fields. I learned to read a little, write poorly, and do basic math. That was all.

Losing my father and being sent away

When I was eleven, my father left. He said he was going to find work in another city. He never returned.

My mother held on as long as she could, but with so many mouths to feed, it wasn’t enough. One day she sent me to live with an aunt in another town, hoping I’d have a better chance there. When I arrived, I learned she had died months earlier.

I was fourteen—alone, broke, and without a home.

Sleeping in an abandoned car

I found an old car without wheels or windows and slept there many nights. That winter was brutal. I ate whatever I could find. I knocked on doors asking for work—cutting wood, carrying stones, anything. Often there was nothing.

Yes, I stole bread once. I’m not proud of it, but the hunger was unbearable. That kind of hunger never leaves you.

The workshop and endless labor

Eventually, I found work in a small workshop. The owner let me sleep there and gave me something to eat. I worked from sunrise to sunset, every day.

He was strict but fair. He never hit me, which in those times meant a great deal.

Realizing something had to change

Years passed like that—just surviving, never thinking about the future. Then one day, I understood something clearly: if I kept going like this, this would be my entire life.

It wasn’t a sudden revelation. It was simply the truth. I realized how little I knew, and that those who could read and write well had more possibilities.

Discovering reading

I began reading slowly. It was hard. Many words made no sense. But there was a small library in a nearby town, run by an elderly woman named Doña Carmen.

She taught me how to use a dictionary, explained words, and let me stay longer than allowed. One day she gave me a small pocket dictionary. I carried it for years.

Reading didn’t make me rich, but it opened my mind.

Military service and learning the basics

Then came military service. For me, it wasn’t terrible. I ate three meals a day, slept in a real bed, and learned more—writing, math, history, geography.

I finished with a basic certificate. It wasn’t much, but it mattered.

Work, family, and a modest life

After that, I worked wherever I could—factories, warehouses, shops. Some places closed, others didn’t last. That was life.

I met my wife at a village festival. We were together for 62 years. She’s gone now, but the memory remains. We had three children. They never went hungry, and they all went to school. That alone makes me proud.

I opened a small repair shop. It never grew big, but it kept us afloat. Some years were very hard—we nearly lost everything more than once—but we endured.

What others might call little, I considered a lot.
We ended up with our own apartment, with heating. For someone who once slept in a windowless car, that was enormous.

I was never wealthy. I didn’t expect to be. But we survived.

Watching the next generation

Now I look at my grandchildren. They struggle too, in different ways. They study, they work hard, and still everything feels uncertain. That must be exhausting.

We were never promised anything. We knew life meant work. Today, promises are made that often lead nowhere.

The one thing I’m sure of

I’m not here to lecture anyone. I only know this: learning—even slowly, even little by little—saved me.

Reading showed me paths I didn’t know existed. It doesn’t guarantee money, but it teaches you how to think. And no one can take that away from you.

Time, memory, and still being here

At 89, you remember more than you plan. I sit by the window and think of my wife, my children when they were young, the old car where I once slept in the cold.

I don’t know why I told all this. They asked me to. And here I am—still here. And that matters.

Final thought

Not every life is filled with great achievements. Many are built from endurance, small progress, and quiet love. Sometimes, reaching the end with memory intact and honesty in your heart is a true victory.