TRANSCRIPTION
Did your have any childhood memories?
My best one was that when I would dig holes next to the house so that I would go under it, I would remember that I stuck a bottle in my thumb and it got stuck, I managed to get it out but ended up cutting myself, and I still have the scar to prove it.
Were you a terrible kid, a troublemaker?
I was a normal kid but would make my parents mad because I would always avoid eating.
How was Brownsville back in the day?
Back in the day, I would sneak out the house to check out the County Jail (which is named Cameron County Jail), I would enjoy the outside view when they would hang the prisoners.
How would you know when they were going to hang somebody?
They would alert the fellow inmates that it was time for the suicidal event.
Would you ever go to the other side of the border to visit/party?
Not really, I would just do vacation in Matamoros at it would last about one month, it was mostly done by walking, but there would be bogeys.
What was your first job?
I helped my dad out with carpentry (mostly frames of the houses), it was hard work and I lasted two years doing it.
Did you ever go to the movies at Brownsville, where there any theaters?
Oh yes, I wouldn’t go often because of the money but one way that I would get the money was by buying ice for a older lady, every bag of ice cost 3 cents and I would get 2 cents for every bag that I would buy for her. The cost of the showing was 5 cents.
Did you ever have to deal with hurricanes while you were in Brownsville?
I wouldn’t remember exactly but my mother used to tell me that the hurricane winds would move the houses out of their places and back again.
You told me that you worked at the Shoe Factory. What exactly did you do there?
I would only sell them, my shifts were 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, shoes would be worth $1.99, it was pretty easy, usually spend the time looking at the young women and I would also like to help them try the shoes on.
How was the population at Brownsville?
Hmm, it was so small, I would say about 10,000 people, and it wasn’t even crowned.
What was your first car?
It was a Nash.
Did you have any friends when you were small?
Hmm, I didn’t have a lot, but I would have around 15 to 20 friends, they were mostly guys and a couple of girls.
Who was the most spoiled of the five?
I was, usually me and my older brothers would give my two younger sisters a very hard time by treating them so bad, it would be so much fun because since i was the smallest one they'll think i'll be the innocent one so they were the ones that were always get yelled at.
How did you meet Dora?
Here in San Antonio, it was one of those high school parties my cousin was invited to, lucky for me that I tagged along, if not I wouldn’t have met her.
How many girlfriends did you have before meeting Dora?
I had a couple and one of them was called Lupe Longoria, my parents would call us the once (which means eleven in Spanish) because we were both skinny, but her parents hated me.
Did you have any particular hobbies? Play any sports?
I only played baseball, I would play all positions except pitcher and catcher, I would usually get hit by the ball and I would get bruises.
Why did you want to work as a custodian, did you have other options?
Well, after I had my back accident all the other jobs required to be injury-free. It actually wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.
Which music would you hear?
I would hear Cumbia, and Ranchera. They would also have the novellas (the soap operas) in the radio, but they would be very interesting.
What advice would you give to young people?
My advice to young people is to take advantage of school because if you’re not going to attend school then go work with your dad or find another job. Life without a job is very difficult.
Would you like to include something important that I missed in this interview?
I would like to include that Hugo has helped me out in regular things that i can't do anymore around my house (because of my right removed leg),like cut the lawn, and fix the garage.
