The sacrifice we thought was enough
For five years we sent money almost every month. I transferred around eight thousand reais. Valeria sent between five and ten thousand. Tomás also always sent his share, without fail. Bonuses, overtime, any additional income ended up in the same account. We estimated that in total we had sent more than six hundred thousand reais.
In our imagination, Mom lived in a decent house, with enough food, no debts or worries. She had earned it all after a lifetime of sacrifice.
The signs we refused to see
But something started to feel off when the taxi entered the East Zone of São Paulo. The streets became narrower. The houses were made of wood and corrugated metal. Children played barefoot in the mud. It wasn’t the neighborhood we had imagined.
The taxi stopped in front of a makeshift building. As we got out, the smell of sewage and hot dust hit us immediately. I felt a knot in my stomach.
