Chapter 9 – Hunger and Cold
The two constant presences in Salimo's life were hunger and cold. His empty stomach ached as if it were full of stones. Sometimes, he would find scraps of hardened bread in the market's trash and chew slowly, trying to trick his body. Other times, someone's discreet kindness would appear—a piece of fruit "accidentally" left by a vendor, a piece of cassava shared with other boys.
But the hunger never completely went away. It had become a shadow that followed him everywhere.
At night, the cold prevailed. The asphalt held the ice of the early morning, seeming to penetrate his bones. Salimo huddled behind walls, wrapped in cardboard or an old cloth he'd found. Even so, his teeth chattered, and his body trembled. At those times, he closed his eyes and remembered the warmth of his mother's lap, as if that memory could warm him.
Between one shiver and the next, he discovered that survival meant resistance. It wasn't just a fight against an empty stomach or the biting wind: it was a battle to maintain hope. Because hunger could weaken the body, but despair had the power to kill the soul.
You Can: Resisting hunger and cold is hard, but each day overcome proves that your strength is greater than the pain.
