On December 17, I wanted to sing karaoke really bad in a bar of my city. When we arrived, the parking lot was full, and we parked on the sidewalk of the house next door. An older man approached us; he couldn’t walk well and had a full, white and long beard. He told us that he would take care of the car in exchange for food.

That is how I met Juan, and through him, Eliza. The Pulgar siblings. That night they told me their story.

For more than twenty years, during his active working life, Juan worked as an officer in the Courts of Justice in San Carlos del Zulia. He married hundreds of people, typing marriage and divorce certificates. Ironically, Juan never got married, after observing the amount of couples who got married, and divorced after a few months. Juan feared marriage. Currently, he resides in Maracaibo with his sister Eliza; they’re both beggars.

Today, the Pulgar siblings, aged 84 and 86, only have each other. They live in poverty conditions, almost absolute, that is, they get the << Daily Bread >> of those who take pity on them. They live in a house in deplorable conditions: holes in the roof prone to flooding when it rains; they do not have artifacts to meet essential services (refrigerator, stove, etc.); destroyed bathrooms; and an entrance that lacks any security, placing them at the expense of the crime they have been victims of in the past. Thieves in the area have deprived them of the few belongings they had.

Within the limitations in which they live, Juan and Eliza lack access to personal hygiene due to the condition of the water they get, and their health and diet are affected. Just as two infants can fit in a single bed, these two siblings sleep in the only bed they have.

Just like Juan, Eliza did not marry either. For more than forty-three years, she worked as a stenographer and typist for the Ministry of Justice. Her monthly pension was canceled. She is the one who goes out on streets to beg for food for both of them. She is smiling, caring, full of energy, and as reckless as a child.

It is inconceivable how two professionals who gave their best years of life to the nation as public servants, have not aged with dignity, and this story is repeated in many more cases. It should be noted that Juan and Eliza are grandchildren of the famous Br. Francisco Javier Pulgar, a notable citizen of our state. The municipality Francisco Javier Pulgar was named after him.

It is impressive how Juan still keeps in memory how to write judicial statements. He keeps the information of the law articles as fresh as in his glory days and always suggests marrying following article 69, rather than article 70. At that moment in the conversation, he set out to give me an example, stating that I, Andrea Surena had been at his house that night, at that time, in the city of Maracaibo. Having understood the example, I will dare and attempt to write the following statement:

“I, Andrea Surena Cardozo, Identity card N°. xxxxxxx, declare having met siblings Juan and Eliza Pulgar. I declare that Mr. Juan Pulgar continues to write judicial statements on his walls, with a pencil or chalk, with his shaky handwriting, about those who have both helped and harmed them. And although judicial statements usually are not subjective or personal, I declare that they are charming and that Eliza’s favorite food is fresh sweet bread. I declare that they struggle to make ends meet, that it is entertaining for them to tell their story repeatedly, just like two children looking for someone to talk to, to fight boredom, and that they give advice even if no one asks for it. I declare that they will be remembered in this declaration. “

I ask for solidarity, if you are in the city of Maracaibo and if you go through avenida 11, with 69th street, and if you see two older adults on the porch of their house. They will appreciate hygiene products, cold drinking water, a mattress, some bedspread, or even flowers and a compliment for Eliza.

Andrea S. Cardozo

P.D: They are aware of the existence of this article. Eliza did not want to appear in the photographs, because she didn’t feel well-groomed. On the other hand, Juan expressed that he can still find a girlfriend at his 84 with these photographs; he said he is ready to get married.

Translated by: Pascual Díaz