Christmas joy and pity..

San Francisco De Espada Mission - San Antonio

On the way to have the car (fondly" Micro T") checked out, we drove by obviously freezing, barely bundled up 'day laborers' huddling against curbs..usually near construction supply stores, but even more frequently near gas stations waiting for a 'construction Santa' or ?? to offer them a couple hours work at minimum or less wages. If they even get paid those!
And no, these were not your panhandlers and beggars that one is used to seeing at crossroads holding their various signs.
These were real people trying desperately to earn some money to feed themselves, their families and/or their 'coyotes' who may have smuggled them into Houston for "travel expenses".

Not too long ago, I re-read the story about Manolo Benitez, El Cordobes, Matador de Espana who was such a 'fenomenon' during the Beatles era.
BTW, I actually saw him perform (he had guts, but little style as is rather obvious in the video..he is always on the move - 'running' from the bull - and hardly stands still for the pases with the red muleta as should be done) in Barcelona (long time ago) on a cartel with

Paco Camino(the elder-an elegant and suave Matador)

and Diego Puerta

(workman like but mostly in control),
El Cordobes was then the lowest man on the cartel.

The authors are respected writers Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre who co-authored "Is Paris Burning", which I have also read, some time ago.

El Cordobes comes from a farm/daylaborer family in the, then very poor, South of Spain. Whose father, as many in his village, stood daily on the Plaza de Trabajadores waiting for the Encargado (Foreman) of the nearest Finca (ranch) to come and march them off to pick olives, or whatever labor the ranch may have needed... for so little money.. getting paid in peanuts would be getting paid in riches nowadays. If they were not selected the family ate -in luck- once a day bread soaked in olive oil, maybe!

And seeing these men huddled in the morning cold reminded me of reading about those days in Spain before the Spanish Civil war. So what has changed? Seemingly not too much.
Being poor is bad, being poor and having a family to care for must be hell on earth, even more so. And these men try to work. They do not beg, they not claim to be injured... they JUST want to work and get paid, pittance or not. Anything ! And most refuse alms....they are still too proud to take pure charity. One has to respect that. Alas, what a Christmas is ahead for these people?
I don't know exactly why I brought this up just now, but it was such a striking impression I am still reeling from the impact.