Seu Zé

TRANSCRIPT

​

​

“I’m retired—I retired about eight months ago, more or less. But my problem is that I can’t feel my legs. So I have to stay here… In fact, the exam I had been waiting for over four years finally came through. It’s ready, but since my phone was stolen, I’ll have to reschedule it again.

​

sleep on the street. I’ve been living here since late 2017, above the restroom—me, Índia, and another man who came from São Paulo and became friends with us. He came just to retire here and has already started the process. I spent four months in Ocidental, living there near Valparaíso. But nowadays, to rent a place, you have to buy a mattress, a bed, a stove—you have to buy everything all at once. I took out a loan, and that really weighed on my budget. But I want to go back to Ocidental, God willing, especially now that the rainy season has started.

But this is my place. Even if I move to Ocidental, I’ll live there, but I’ll still have to come here every single day. You take a shared van, pay R$10 to come and R$10 to go back.

 

Because I have my responsibility—I help carry goods for the street vendors. I move merchandise for them every day, Monday through Friday. I take it out and then, around four in the afternoon, I start bringing everything back until about five-thirty, and it’s done. I also help over there by the food stalls—I clean, I help set up the tables, help close everything. When the guy goes on vacation, I take care of it—I open, close, clean, and pay for my own meals. I’ve never fought with anyone.

​

I don’t argue. I don’t have problems with anyone. The police have never approached me with hostility. People here respect me. Thank God, I’ve never taken anything from anyone. I work—I don’t ask anyone for anything. Some people on the streets go around asking for coffee, lunch, dinner. And people like me. There’s a woman from Santa Maria—every day she brings coffee for herself and for me. If she makes two tapiocas, she makes one for me and one for her. I don’t go hungry in the morning. At lunchtime, I eat over there—sometimes they charge me, sometimes they don’t.

​

Let’s say this: I’m homeless. But I don’t walk around dirty—I dress well, I buy good perfume. I use Kaiak, I use Malbec—I use good stuff. I only like good things, not bad ones. That’s why the women say, ‘Wow, that older guy smells great.’ I’m not bragging—everyone says it. There are women who come from other places and say, ‘Tonight I’m going to sleep here with you.’ They can sleep—I don’t touch them. I’m the kind of person who respects others. If you want to sleep, you can sleep. My space is big, I have my mattress—it’s quite comfortable. But nowadays, most women only think about money. So you have to find someone who truly likes you. And when I do, I’ll take care of her like I took care of my late wife for 17 years—may God keep her in a good place. But it was after she passed away that I really ended up on the streets.

​

But I’ve never been arrested, I’ve never stolen. My name—thank God—my record is clean, anyone can check it. I take pride in who I am. A lot of people have prejudice against Black people, but I’m not just anyone. I’m someone who likes to keep things right, who doesn’t like asking anything from anyone. That’s who I am. I’m sincere. That’s why I say this is my home. This is my place.”