The Silent Dreamer. Johnny Martinez-Carroll
The Silent Dreamer
Johnny Martinez-Carroll
Copyright © 2020 Johnny Martinez-Carroll
All rights reserved
First Edition
NEWMAN SPRINGS PUBLISHING
320 Broad Street
Red Bank, NJ 07701
First originally published by Newman Springs Publishing 2020
ISBN 978-1-64801-196-2 (Paperback)
ISBN 978-1-64801-197-9 (Digital)
Printed in the United States of America
Table of Contents
This book is dedicated to my mother and father, Sanie Martinez and Mason Carroll. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of you both. You still remain the biggest influences in my life! This book is to honor you, and it’s the best tribute to you both for loving me so much. You gave me what you could with what you had. For that, I love you forever!
My family and friends have been a constant love and support for me during these two years of working on this project. Thank you!
Introduction
I can say that this book is another story about a guy who grew up with nothing and suddenly became rich! That he made it to the top and now he is taking the world by storm, but that is not the case in my story at all. No, my story is different; it is a story filled with hard work and lots of tears. There are many people in my life who helped pave the way for me. My parents were the most important people in my life—my mom who worked the cotton fields for very little money just to help put food on our table and my dad who worked the same farm. They would be so vital in my life; they taught me about being a good person.
I am happy to announce that the kid with nothing growing up made something of himself. He grew up helping others; he grew up making a difference in people’s lives. In my opinion, that is a rich life! Humble beginnings seem like such a small word to use to describe my life. It’s so much more than anyone could ever imagine. The house was not even worth living in. The house was cold in the winters and very hot in the summers; it was not made for the elements, but then neither was I. I was not made for anything easy; nothing came easy to me. When I say nothing, I mean nothing! Growing up poor can really have an effect on you. It really makes you feel so inadequate, and it makes you feel like you really don’t belong.
When you grow up with nothing, it is embarrassing to even invite friends over to your house, but then again, the friends that I grew up around has just as little as I did—if not even less! My story is more about survival than anything else, making things work with what you had. I can, to this very day, make a meal out of literally anything! I can fix just about anything that I can put my hands on! I am the guy that you want around in chaos. I am good under pressure, so they say! I want my story to encourage and inspire others to soar high, to look for the silver lining; and even when you don’t see the silver lining, keep looking up. Keep pressing forward; never stop dreaming and reach for the sky. Go for the things that others say you will never achieve, but you know deep down, you were made for greatness. I can say that all my life even from a kid at an early age, I wanted to do great things, make a difference, and make the world that I live in a better place to leave my mark!
Maybe this book will do so. Maybe this book will leave an impression on the reader that they see the real me. I know that I have been misunderstood many times. My quiet nature isn’t the best first impression. I know that I come across being a jerk at times. At least that’s what I have always thought of myself: the classic introvert. I can assure you of one thing about my story—I have come to where I am, the long way around, the hard way. I have worked to be the best me that I can be. Dreams come true to those who work at making them reality. It takes a lot of hard work, a great attitude, and people in your corner who believe in you. That is what it takes to be a winner in this society, to be a success. Poverty has a way of making you who you are in life. For example, to this very day, I worry about having enough food in the house even when the fridge is full! I find myself buying groceries all the time, making sure that I never run out of anything. I worry about money even when I have it, not wanting to spend it on things that I don’t need and being very careful of how spend it.
This book is filled with dreams that came true, doors that were closed in my face, and how some were opened. This story is about hope; this is my story!
1
The house was old, and it was a wooden frame structure. I can hardly remember how many rooms were in the house—three, maybe four. The house had no running water, meaning, no indoor plumbing. I had no clue what it was like to have indoor running water until I was maybe eighteen years old. I can remember a picture of Jesus walking on water that hanged in the hallway. I always felt we were safe with that picture in the house. We hauled water to use for cooking and bathing. I can remember always wondering what simple indoor plumbing would be like. I would visit my cousin who lived in town just to experience what taking a shower and using the bathroom would feel like. It’s always been the simple things with me. In our front yard stood a chinaberry tree. The tree still stands there today. In that same tree, I built many tree houses that I would play in. The dirt road in front of our house was always dusty, and when it rained, it was muddy. This house was on