Accounts from my mother about my origins.
(Note: Hulda Salum is the name of a prophetess mentioned in the Bible; this was the name she chose to use.)
Original email — published without editing
I entered into marriage on February 12, 1971. I had just turned 21 years old, the legal age of adulthood. It was done in secret; my parents did not agree with that union.
My husband was a third-degree relative by bilateral consanguinity, and the dispensation had taken one month to be granted by the Catholic Church.
We were married in a church called San Pedro Nolasco (which no longer exists today; there is now a glass factory there).
It was 8:00 p.m., and a cousin and his wife accompanied us as witnesses. From there, we each went back to our own homes; I said nothing to my fam at that time.
I worked in the oversight office for the airmail service and had to arrive early, since my supervisor was frequently absent and I was left in charge of the office.
My husband had just graduated as a police sub-lieutenant and was living in the Carabineros facilities because he was training there.
We continued this way for 15 days, carrying on with our lives without changing anything.
A work colleague offered me a room she had to spare, and we rented it. At that point, I had to speak at home to inform them of my marriage. My mother became very angry, and my father only cried. (Today, I see that scene as very sad. I disappointed my parents… but in my unconsciousness at that moment, it felt as if I were holding the sky in my hands.)
That same night, we moved into the room; we had no bed or anything at all. My husband obtained a cot and a mattress from the police.
This work colleague was a mature woman who lived with her husband, and on weekends I had to clean the apt. One day, a decorative item broke, and that became the reason we had to leave. I had never done housework or cooked before… but in life, you learn everything.
(I WILL CONTINUE SENDING YOU MORE IN THE COMING DAYS)