Playing a Father's Role

I want to start this post saying that it's amazing to see what a family member is willing to do for the benefit of his whole family. It is a sunny morning and I am walking around the very downtown of Chimbote (after attending an event of social work performed by Chimbote Rotary Club.) I stop at a corner formed by "Pardo" avenue and "Elías Aguirre" street to drink a glass of natural orange juice.

So I ask the seller for it and as I am waiting I see he takes oranges out of a big box and peels them one by one using a device. He is very focus on what is doing and nothing seems bothering him. After that He uses another device to squeeze out juice from oranges. Finally he gives me my drink and shares his story with me.

His name is Félix Milla Lino and he was born, 30 years ago, in "Pamparomás" a place located in Pamparomás District, Huaylas Province, Ancash Department in Highland of Perú 6 hours away from Chimbote by bus. He is single and has several brothers and sisters. Eight years ago he came to Chimbote City leaving his entire family in Pamparomás seeking a better opportunity to improve his family's life condition.

His mom is dead and his dad is 80 years old. Félix doesn't want his dad to work anymore as a farmer because now he is and old man. In his homeland, Félix continues, there is no chance to improve his family's life condition and that's why he came to Chimbote to build a better destiny for him and his family.

Here in Chimbote he decided to work as an orange juice seller on streets of Chimbote, specially around downtown. He got a licence from Chimbote Municipality to do that and even though he studied at elementary school for only a year however this doesn't discourage him on the contrary he keeps on working every day from 6:00 am to 1:00 pm selling orange juice.

He has rented a room to live at 561 Balta street, 21 de Abril neighborhood and he lives there alone. The money he is able to save he sends to his family in Pamparomás for his 16-year-old sister and his 20-year-old brother to continue to study at school there. Now he is taking care of his family specially of his sister and brother and this way is playing a father's role.

He likes what he is doing for a living. Sometimes when there are no customers at a corner asking for orange juice for him to sell them he has to move to another one pushing his selling car. In the future he would like to be the owner of a post where he sells juice of many fruits. He would like to have a great business selling fruit juice and is very encouraged. Félix knows that it won't be very easy but even so keeps up with his goal.