first onto the ground. His brother also tortured him by tying his legs to a bike with a rope and driving him around attached to the bike. In fact, his mother made Rodriguez go out to play with his brother while he was trying to hide from him in the closet. Ironically, Rodriguez's brother had a soft spot for Rodriguez, which was to protect him from others. "Pick on someone your own size. Fine get him ... hermano you okay I ask, as he looked at me with tears welled in his eye, blood streamed from several cuts - lips and cheeks swollen" (Rodriguez 25). Rodriguez's memories included red blood as well. His mother cleaned houses all day, then came home to a one-person couch. Rodriguez seamlessly remembers how his mother came home and cut her legs to relieve the pain through her legs. Did not have a home to live in for longer than a year at a time. Directly from his mother not being able to bring enough money in and his father not finding a job caused them to be evicted. He lived with his aunts and grandmothers in a one-bedroom house that had ten to fifteen people living there. His father only had one skill, which was being able to teach young students. However, no one wanted to hear a man that could not speak English very well.
             Rodriguez's teenage years in the barrio were all about sex, drugs, and girls. He had many girlfriends during his teenage years and with many, he became sexually active. However, to pass the time while he was not with his girlfriend, he did drugs such as heroin, weed, coke, and speed. He also, nearly committed suicide by sniffing spray paint with a bag over his head. His isolation from the world created a need for escap
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