Dark Silences

My story begins in the bosom of a family of profound humility, where communication and the expression of affection were not precisely the common language. My father, a man of quiet and reserved nature, loved us in his own silent way, being the provider and hardworking pillar of our home without expressing his feelings. My mother, deprived of formal education, left her home at the age of ten to work, and at sixteen, her life intertwined with that of my father, initiating our family history, where I, the eldest of six siblings, emerged.

I grew up in an environment where protection became my instinct, especially towards my sisters. The innocence of my childhood was tainted by inappropriate actions from people in whom we should have been able to trust. These events, which began when I was five or six years old, remained in deep silence, a burden that only I knew and which pushed me to be the guardian of my siblings.

School was another battlefield: bullying marked my days and my father's lack of understanding of my suffering taught me to keep my sorrows secret. My education, interrupted by violence and the need to work, led me down diverse career paths, where happiness was a fleeting visitor.

In this story, short-lived loves and betrayals left scars, and the search for refuge in harmful relationships became a cycle I struggled to escape. Life tested me with losses, grief and economic and emotional challenges, teaching me that strength is forged in the fire of adversity.

This is a journey of self-discovery, of struggle and resilience, a testament of a woman who, despite the storms, rises with the hope of a new dawn. Life has hit me hard, but it has also taught me that each dawn brings with it the promise of a new beginning.