14ymedio, Julio César Contreras, Cienfuegos, 14 September 2024 — It is difficult to guess that behind a quiet soccer game or a conversation between friends sitting on a bench in José Martí Park, in Cienfuegos, there are various ways to “earn a living” among children who are barely 15 years old. The “business” begins after four in the afternoon, when the teenagers arrive at the park, still wearing their school uniforms and making sure that no stranger interferes or invades their territory.
“Here we form a big group and play at anything we can think of. Most of the time we bet money, because it’s very boring to play without winning anything. A very clear rule between us is that losers have to pay. That’s how things are settled,” says Marlon, who at just 14 participates in the bets that are being arranged in the park.
Although it doesn’t seem like it at first glance, Marlon and many of his friends come from families in a bad financial situation, and they have learned to “resolve” things any way they can. “We collect empty soda and beer cans to sell them; we bet on cockfights in clandestine cockpits; we make money with the first thing that appears. We do it or we go hungry,” the teenager tells 14ymedio.
Playing soccer is one of the ways that young people prefer to earn “a few pesos,” and with bets, Marlon has incorporated other habits into his routine that his friends copy. When someone wants to stop the game for some reason, several players go to the rusty metal chairs in the park. Then, the smoke that the cigars give off can be seen from the roundabout or the small Arc de T