José and Nice

José is Portuguese, and Nice was born in the Brazilian state of Bahia. José met Nice in Portugal, where Nice was trying to make some money to help her family at home. They married, and after a few years of living in Portugal Nice wanted to go home. She missed the Brazilian way of life. 
When José and Nice arrived in our town five years ago, they bought a little patch of land and started building their house. During two years, they basically lived under a roof and between walls without proper doors and windows. At the same time, they opened a little restaurant for truckers, where they made and sold good food for little money. José refused to ask the bank for money. "I didn't want to be owned by no-one", he told me. From 5 AM until 2 PM he helped his wife in the restaurant. From 4 PM until 11 PM he worked as a waiter in an Italian restaurant downtown and continues to do so. 
With patience and determination, they invested every cent they made in their house and business. And that's how they look today: 
A bit tired, still in love with each other. 
When José comes home late at night, he can now lock the door behind him, knowing that he and Nice earned themselves a short, but good night of sleep.