My mum moved to Medellin from Cali when I was 6 years old. Efrain was ok for a whole year, I think as I can't remember much about him, and you know, you can only really remember your childhood if it was spectacularly good or bloody awful. A normal childhood cannot really be registered in our concious mind.
After a year, I was having a normal life for a chubby child, few friends, lots of bullies for my chub and ignored by any member of the other gender. Learnt how to jump at the back of the buses, while they were driving away, so I didn't have to pay for the bus ticket, that was my first and last time I stole money from someone thanks to my mum, who saw me and brought me home by pulling my ear, she was saying: "why? you're meant to be clever John, why?". I told her I wanted to buy something fancy with the money I was saving, she asked me to buy something that will remind me of what I have done, so I bought a t-shirt of KISS, yes, the rock band. I was 7, so I used to believe in everything & anything back then. I thought they were demons, so I was punishing myself by wearing something that made me scared every time. My mum laughed when she saw the t-shirt and say: "perfect!".
I thought the decision then that I wasn't going to steal or commit any crime to get money ever again.
- I could talk about the bulling for being fat and all of that, but it wasn't a big deal to me deep down really. I used to say to myself, it doesn't matter how I look like now, I need to do something about it by the time I am 15 as I would need to look good for the girls then, not now. So I kept enjoying my mum's food very much, when the food was around anyway. -
Anyway, Efrain started to be a horrible man, I rephrase that, Efrain was showing himself more, he started being super possessive and stop paying for things and treating my mum a bit violent. She found a solution for this, she got pregnant, *&^%$^*, then she got pregnant again few months after my first brother was born. Then we were in the shits.
Efrain started punching my mum in a regular basis, kicking and throwing my brothers, especially my middle brother, poor brother he got most of the abuse. I have to claim up the roofs top get inside the house after my school to get my mum and brothers out. Not police or neighbours or anyone helping.
Efrain is used to leave us for months with no money, I learnt how to connect the electricity again by myself, because the utilities companies cut don the services when you don't pay. So I used to connect the water and electricity back on at 10.
I started selling everything I could to get money, my biological dad used to send peanuts to help by law, so I used to get everything I can to pay for bills by 10. My brothers were growing up, I was very much the big brother, dad figure, went to their school parents' evening and everything. I used to walk with holes in my shoes to be able to save money so my brothers have better shoes and clothes than me. However, I ended up wearing quite nice clothes, somehow I got them given.
I started selling raffle tickets all week every week to get more money, I was quite lucky as they went from 01-99 and sometimes the last lottery numbers came and no one bought those two digits, so I could start all over again with the same prize next week. Same investment for double the revenue.
By 13 I was selling raffle tickets, sweets made at home, my services as a dancer, copies of the homework and the chance to pass the school year with better grades to my classmates.
I discovered I was good at school at the same time that my classmates were either lazy or too busy doing clubs to do the homework, so I used to made different copies with different hand writings to be sold on the day at break-time. No much money but it helped, also the bad guys used to like me as I used to help them from time to time with the exams, all in the name of survivor.
If you want to copy my school test answers you had to pay a different amount depending how far you were seating down from me. That way I could get different customers with different incomes.
As Efrain decided not to ever help me with money for my school or transport, I had to walk for 1 along a highway to get to school, I saved money for 2 years to buy myself a push-bike that I loved so much.
I paid for the telephone at home myself so Efrain couldn't be shouting at me for using it. Bought the weekly food as my lovely mum used to over spend the money in nice things that we couldn't afford.
I decided at 12 that I couldn't afford a normal girlfriend, as you have to take them out or buy them things or soft drinks, money I didn't have, so I only went for older women (5-20 years older) with enough money from their jobs or husbands, I'm not proud of this at all by the way, remember it was about surviving. At that age, I used to dream about actually getting in love with someone just for the sake of it, without any need to be with her or any savings. I used to even paid for my mum's debt by going out with the woman that my mum used to owe the favour or money from. It took me a couple of hundreds of occasional, crazy or convenient lovers and two ex-wives to find the woman of my life. - Beautie and I did it, I din't need her or it wasn't convenient or anything, I just love her so much as admire her as a wonderful human being. I think yes is my reward for all the good things I have ever done in this life.
I was quite good at dancing, so I used to get paid just for dancing with rich girls at their 15 year old parties, in USA is sweet sixteen, in Colombia is bitter 15. Anyway, the rich people of the other side of the city used to pay so I danced with their daughters a waltz and then some salsa in front of their guesses. Easy money that was.
I did Kung-Fu for two reasons: one I didn't want to be as fat as I was went I was little and the other reason was to feel more confident when I was stopping Efrain hitting my mum & brothers.
I loved this, I found it another passion and another tool. Exercise!
To resume, what to sell when you don't have anything to sell? EVERYTHING!
Home made food or sweets or anything you can make cheaply but nicely. Or think about anything you can do, a skill. These days is easier to find people who want to learn how to do anything. You must have something that you can do good. An easier way to change a nappy, how to wash a car, some sort of DIY, maths, typing, the t-shirt that you'e wearing for more money that you bought it for, dance competitions, eating competitions..... Have fun finding your trade or service offered. And please don't do anything illegal, be more creative than that.
