Thanks to him
By: Jason
The air was humid. I could see my one-year-old sister crying and my two older brothers dancing and giving jokes just to comfort her. My mother was washing the dishes and I was squatting on the floor feeling the sweats making their way out of my back. After a few seconds, I heard someone knocking behind the door so I opened it. “Congratulations to the graduate” said my father who had just arrived from this construction works. I gave him a smile as a response, pretended as if I was very happy and hiding the sadness inside me. Yes, it was already seven in the night after I graduated in elementary with nothing to eat. “Go and give this to your mom” commanded my father as he handed to me a kilo of rice and three fishes and I immediately ran and gave them to mom. She cooked the rice, cut the fish into two pieces and fries it then my older brother set the table and we ate.
After eating, I went upstairs, got a pillow and laid on the floor and ready to sleep. During that time, I did not have any plans of going to high school and college, I tried to forget my ambitions and all my dreams and then fell asleep.
“The President of the Country is ready to help those people living in slum by supporting 50 children and send them to school”. Mother told me after I took a bath “Jason, you have to prepare and study hard this month so that you can pass the exam and become a scholar. “Yes, I will and for sure I will pass the exam, go to high school, finish college and become the best lawyer in the Philippines”. I exclaimed as I realized myself to study.
The examination day came and I took the exam together with other children of my age. After the exam, I went out and met my mother. “Hey, how's the test?” she asked. “It is difficult yet fine but I assure you I will pass”. After a week, mother and I went to the City Hall to see the result of the exam. After flipping several pages at last, I saw my name and said “Mom I ranked top fifty among three hundred applicants.” What?” she asked. Yes, I am one of the lucky fifty children!' I shouted as I jumped then hugged by my mother.
Suddenly, I could feel a pinch on my leg and heard my mom shouting “Jason wake up!” I stand immediately. “Why were you smiling while sleeping? Asked mom as she went downstairs. “Oh that was just a dream!” I said.
Yes, it was a dream. It was a dream of hope that totally changes my views in life.
It was dream that gave me courage to stand up once again and begin my struggle for success against a cruel society.
Indeed, I was able to finish college. That was because of a non-family-related man named Sean who showed mercy to us. He said he knew us but we did not know him. He was 39 years old and suffering from disease, we did not know. He was neither rich nor poor. He was very simple yet kind to everyone. He sponsored my studies since high school including uniforms, books and the like. In return, as an appreciation of his kindness, I gave him no regrets. I studied hard, endured all the pressures and sacrifices and offered all of my effort and time in becoming excellent or if not at least tried not to fail in everything in school.
Now I am reviewing in preparation for my bar exam. Now, after his death several months ago, I remember his reason of helping us that he wants to share to us his resources so that he could give me, a boy who once forgot his ambitions in life, a chance to taste and feel the sufferings and struggles in studying and in the end feel the satisfactions of education. Because of him, I become stronger as a person, more prepared to face the next fights of life and more invulnerable to problems and even to failures. Thanks to him.
