Heber

I´ve finally caught up with Heber, and I´m so pleased to have done so. We spent most of Thusday together. He came in to meet me at Maximo Nivel at lunch time. I spoke to my Spanish teacher and he agreed to allow Heber to come to my class for the first hour, and I skipped the second hour. I don´t know what the rest of my class thought about it but they didn´t seem to mind and they got some practice listening to Heber answer some teacher´s quesions.

Off we went to the market and bought him some jeans, trainers and other bits and pieces. I had brought him a couple of t shirts from Edinburgh; the one for hogmanay and the official festival one from this year. I tookj him for a much needed haircut and he was looking very handsome after it all. And very happy.

He´s fifteen now and quite grown up. It´s hard to believe I´ve knowm him for four years. Still a boy though and needing cared for. He´s started work last week in a polleria, which is a restaurant selling chicken stuff. Roast fried etc. He works in the kitchen doing various things. Preparing potatoes, chickens and doing dishes etc.

All for the princely some of 300 soles a month, which comes to about $20 a week and less pounds of course. His jeans, trainers, boxers and socks cost about 150 soles, and not designer stuff, which gives an idea of the worth of his wages. He works 6 days a week and 12 hours a day. Criminal really, but par for the course here. I can´t see him lasting for long as he´s way too young and immature to cope with that routine. I can hardly cope with a 3 day week in Edinburgh, and I feel so sad for him.

But having said that he´s happy and I´m glad he´s no longer a street kid, and so is he. I think he´s had lots of stays in La Policia over the years and is making a huge effort not to end up back there. His brother Robin, is a different story and I can´t really say on here what he gets up, because its not fair on him, and I still hope he will change.

I went to meet Heber at his work and sat at a table with him as we made our arrangemnts for meeting up. We spent about ten minutes chatting. He had told his boss that I was his padrino which is a common thing here, though not so common to have one from Scotland. The kids actually ask you to be their padrino and he had asked me years ago. I think the origins are religious but of course that is not his motive.

I felt so sad for him when he was telling me about his job and he looked so tired that I felt like going to speak to his boss, who was sitting at a table along a bit, all fat and comfortable, but didn´t of course as it would have done him no good whatsoever and their view is that there are plenty more from where he came. Sad but true.

He is living in his dad´s house. He works away a lot as a long or medium distance driver. There are some aunts in the house too. It´s a bit ramshakle and he´s in the same room I saw him in last year. He wants more postcards from Scotland. I must rememeber to send some more often. His mother has left Cusco and is living with her new man some four hours away, which is too far for him to go very often, but he has been once at least. I don´t think he is too fond of new man. His wee brother or half brother is away too so he misses him lots. I think the old granny is out of the pucture, he doesn´t see much of her at all. So mostly left to his own devices, but could be lots worse. He has a home and is sensible enough to work and earn a living. His first wage is going towards a new tele!!!

We will meet again next Thursday nad he wants me to call to see him at work tomorrow, which I shall endeavour to do before I go to Elim. And he wants to come and see me off at the airport. If he gets time off his work, which I doubt.