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Chapter 8
The nightmares became an everyday thing for me but I never got used to
them. Every time was like the first. I had put away the pictures and their
negatives in an envelope along with some enlargements that were left over
from the ones I sent my brother Charlie and my father. I didn’t look at them
now as often but it was still the first thing I thought about everyday when I
woke up. The issues with the UFO pictures started to fade away. At home,
little by little we stopped talking about it. It was as if we’d all agreed on it.
One day I just stopped opening the drawer where I kept the pictures and
their negatives. My family had started to forget about the whole thing and I
did the same. I gave up trying to remember what had happened during the
lost time. It was easier and more convenient not to. In time the nightmares
were less until they went away all together.
One day at work, in my job as a janitor in an elementary school, I
remembered and old idea I had. Back in New York I used to eat everyday
at a hot god stand on my way to work. While contemplating coming to
Puerto Rico I remember my aunt telling me about the poor job situation and
me thinking that I could set up one of those hot dog stands. But, since I got
those two jobs just days after arriving in Puerto Rico I forgot about it. Now
the idea was strongly back in my mind.
I bought a food cart with an umbrella and all the necessary items. I
complied with all the requirements from the Department of Commerce and
provided all the necessary paperwork and documents. After that everything
was pretty easy and immediately started to sell my hot dogs. I had thought
that the place I chose to set it up was out of pure coincidence. However, it
turns out that I had picked three other “ideal” places to set up shop. Out of
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