4/22/2023 Entry Five The theme of Day 52: You see bread – eat. You see food – eat.

I woke up early in the morning, there was no one in the small room, it was a sunny morning, but the air was already heavy and heated. I put on my clothes and went out, and in front of the door, I found a beautifully arranged sitting room, with two long chairs and a table in the middle, and a roof over the top. It seemed that everything was done by hand, not by professionals, but by ordinary people. After sitting for a while, I decided to buy a cigarette, I have never tried an American cigarette. I pulled out into the driveway and looked for a store, it was 2 in the afternoon, and the sun was blazing hot, I was in suburban New Jersey, and stores aren’t that common here. On the way, I tried to get to know the place, observing everything in detail. Streets, houses, yards, lawns, everything was exactly as I had imagined and seen. I still did not realize that I was on another continent, America, and thinking about it made me dizzy. I was the only one walking down the street, everyone else was driving and they looked at me like I was crazy because I was walking. They proved to be partially correct as I walked about a mile to the first store in the hot August sun. When I returned, I found a middle-aged man sitting on a chair. He didn’t see me at first because his back was turned to me, I came a little closer and greeted him. The man stood up and turned towards me. He smiled at me and stood up, holding out his hand and greeting me back. The man was middle-aged, tall, and broad-shouldered, with large rough hands, and he was slightly bent at the waist.
Come sit down, said the man and sat down.
when did you arrive? he asked and opened a bottle of beer on the table.
yesterday evening. I answered.
Do you want a beer? he asked me.
no thanks. I don’t drink. I answered.
Wait, you don’t drink at all? The man asked me in surprise.
Very rarely. I answered, trying to defuse the situation.
The man smiled, brought the beer to his mouth, drank it, and said: you will start drinking soon, everyone here drinks, you can’t do without this drink, son, you are a good young man.
I smiled and lit a cigarette, offering it to the man.
It is better to start drinking than smoking. The man told me.
In the meantime, an old man was coming towards us from the road, when he got a little closer, the man shouted: Worker, how are you? and laughed out loud. The old man did not make a sound and came to the table, came to me, and extended his hand.
my name is Saba. The old man told me.
I am Sandro. I shook his hand.
He was an old, gray-haired, thin man, short in height and wearing shabby clothes, I thought he might be a construction worker.
Well, we have a new prisoner here. The man said and put his hand on my shoulder.
Why a prisoner? I asked.
Aren’t you a prisoner? The man was surprised. How did you come to America?
I flew out, I have a visa. I said.
Now it is clear, he was not a prisoner, said the man to the old man.
And who are the prisoners? I asked.
POWs are those who have crossed the border illegally from Mexico, they run across the border, then they are handcuffed to the soldiers, after which they are taken to a temporary prison, where they are dressed in prison uniforms, treated inhumanely, and fed garbage. Tell me now, aren’t they prisoners?
I smiled but still didn’t answer.
I went to take a bath. said the old man and entered the house.
The tall man and I were left alone.
The main thing is to work, you should not be ashamed of work, it doesn’t matter who you were before, president or general, in America we are all equal. It is difficult here, but hard work is appreciated here. The man said to me and got up, and after a while, he also entered the house. I thought a lot that evening, people go through the hardest way to get to America, and even after they get there, they work tirelessly. It was necessary to find a job, otherwise, no one can survive here.