Adil Cheema, left, with his father Mohamed Cheema, work together at the Vacero on West Main Street in Rochester, NY.
Ten years ago, Mohamed Cheema moved to the United States from Pakistan for a better life for his family. After working as a limousine driver in New York City, he moved to Rochester where he said, “there’s more business opportunities here and it’s less crowded here.”
After moving to Rochester in 2001, he has achieved a considerable amount, owning the Vacero and Sunoco on East Main. He says, “I have a house, I have a store, all my children are here, what person can do more than that?” While his disposition is optimistic, he has faced several challenges financially and otherwise. With two wives, one in Pakistan and one in Rochester, and four daughters and just one son, he faces an upward struggle to take care of them.
Mohamed, a traditional Muslim, believes it is his duty as a Muslim man, to take care of the women in his life. As such, he and his son, Adil Cheema, must travel back and forth between Pakistan and the United States with the Cheema women.
He explains, “Adil has been here eight weeks this time, before he was here for four months, but had to go back with older sister before, now he will need to go back with her in a few weeks, our women cannot travel alone.”
“I have daughters there, and they need one man in the house it’s not very safe there,” he says of his daughters in Pakistan.
Yet, although safety is a concern for his daughters, he also worries about his son Adil, saying, “Right now he’s helping me, but I don’t want him to get stuck in the store.” And yet, Adil confesses that he shares concern for his father’s health, as he has suffered serious back problems that have hindered his work at the Vacero.
While Mohamed openly talks of his blessings, there is no denying the challenges he faces day in and day out.
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