Julio: Part Iv

By Dorila A. Marting

Julio, a ten year old bright boy, is the only survivor of his family when the flood of the century killed about five thousand people on Saturday, December 7, 1941 at the northern part of Huaras, Ancash, Peru. His cousin, Esperanza, takes charge of him. Together they go to Lima, suffer hardships to earn their secondary diplomas in order to enter the United States of America as immigrants and become worthy, naturalized citizens.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jun 17, 2015
• ISBN: 9781503575707

Dorila A. Marting

Dorila A. Marting gives us a riveting portrait of a land and a culture very unlike our own. At the same time, her universal themes—the eternal struggle between the generations, the ties that bind—make for an astonishing debut novel filled with colorful characters and intriguing situations anyone can relate to. Coming to the United States as an immigrant, Dorila A. Marting is proud to be a naturalized American citizen. From 1959 to 1968, the author was a correspondent for the Arizona Republic in Phoenix and the Arizona Daily Sun of Flagstaff. A member of Arizona Press Women and the National Association of Press Women, she has received ten State Press awards and one national award for her journalism. Following graduate work at the University of Arizona, she became a Spanish language and ESL teacher. Now in her golden years at age eighty-seven, Marting is in perfect health and continues to write creatively from her home in Tucson.

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Copyright © 2015 by DORILA A. MARTING. 703471

ISBN:     EBook     978-1-5035-7570-7

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Photo by Barton Robinson

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Rev. date: 06/15/2015

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JULIO

J ulio, the seventeen year old orphan boy, native of Huarás, Ancash , Perú, is on the fifth and last year of the academic high school, European style of education, established long time ago in the capital city of Lima, formerly The City of the Kings.

Esperanza, Julio’s cousin, another orphan, who at age 18, assumed the responsibility of rearing Julio as if he were her own brother, left Lima in search of a better future for Julio and for herself. Thanks to Martha, one of Esperanza’s former employers, she had made it possible for Esperanza to fulfill her aspirations and have them become a reality. She considered herself very fortunate to have someone like Martha to do that for her. She now had a pre-arranged employment upon her arrival to the USA, the land of her dreams. Otherwise, it might not have been possible. It was meant to be.

Esperanza’s departure left emptiness in the lives of Julio and Lolita, the kind 87 year old lady, who provided shelter, love and some food to both orphans. Likewise, Esperanza, during her flight, kept wiping her tears, crying without wanting to cry. The blue space was becoming darker and enormous, grey clouds floated by in the opposite direction, which Esperanza could almost touch from the glass window. This added loneliness to the young traveler. For the past seven years, she had never lived alone in Lima, but in the warm and caring company of Julio and Lolita. How she missed them now! When would she see them again? The seat next to her was empty and no one with whom to converse even just a few words. Julio would have been there making the best of the situation. He would have been engaged talking to the flight attendant. She could almost hear his voice. With her limited knowledge of English, she tried to read magazines printed in English like other passengers did but she was frustrated. However, the pictures did have universal language. She was glad for that. From time to time, the flight attendant would pass food or drinks efficiently, with a smile. Esperanza smiled back. At least in this manner, both young ladies were putting into practice the universal language of smiling.

Landing in Santa Ana, California, was exciting for Esperanza. The Pacific Ocean reminded her of Perú. This was the place in California, where the more affluent people resided. Mrs. Peggy Robertson was there with her two small daughters to receive her and to claim her suitcase. The bonding with the little girls: Sandra, three years old, and Roberta, eight months old, took place right there. Mrs. Robertson was very happy to meet Esperanza and right away, she started practicing a few Spanish words she had learned in school such as "iBien venida!" which translated into English to say, You are welcomed!

Esperanza’s biggest