Diego, a single father of a beautiful girl, wakes up to the sound of crowing roosters. His visions are not that clear, as the sun is yet to rise. He did his morning routine and greeted his hens, and he had noticed that some had laid eggs already. He took a few and prepared breakfast for himself and his daughter.
As the little girl woke up, he immediately gave her a warm greeting to start the day full of positive vibes. Sofia, while rubbing her eyes with her delicate hand, came closer to her father and gave him a kiss on the cheeks and then a tight hug. Despite how frugal their life is, and how they only have each other's company, as her mother died when she gave birth to her, they can still be seen happy and living each day with contentment.
Sofia is just eight years old but already knows many things, especially life responsibilities. During the daytime, she is a schoolgirl. But after her class, she helps her dad sell food in the plaza where his valued customers wait for his daily delicacies. It happened that today he would sell taho.
Diego has already prepared everything he needs-from the small sago," to sweetener and soya, to plastic cups and the two enormous metallic pals tied in knots on a piece of bamboo, which he carries on his shoulder.
"I'm ready, pa!" Sofia cheerfully said to her father.
The school she studies at is just a few blocks from their home. Diego, with the taho on his shoulder, accompanies her precious child to school. With all eyes on them, Sofia never feels ashamed of her father and his work, for she knows that her dad is working hard in a clean way to provide for their needs.
"Bye, pa!" Sofia, full of energy, said to her father after bringing her to their room. One more time, she kissed her dad and waved afterward.
Such a scenario is typical in their lives. Despite being simple, it's already enough to boost his energy for the day. Speaking of it, he enthusiastically uttered the word taho for a more extended period. So classic yet so modern.
He greeted his first customer warmly. As usual, it's Juan, the old guard at the school.
"Good morning, Mang Juan. How are you?" Diego stated.
"I'm good, Diego. It seems like you're delighted today. Anyway, can I have my usual order?"
As Diego is scooping the ingredients of Taho adjusted to Mang Juan's liking, which is less sweet, the regular amount of tiny pearls, and more soya, he answers his question.
Image from Unsplash by Joshua Salva
"Well, you know it already, Mang Juan. My child is my strength. I'll just see her happy. I'm already okay."
Mang Juan, at the back of his smile, is very proud. "I see a great father in you." For almost ten years, he has seen how Diego crawled just to provide for his only family—his daughter. He always buys tea for him every day, even if in this way only. Sometimes, he does it with the intent of paying bigger bills so as to give him help by letting him keep the change.
"You're not supposed to be giving me this amount of money, Mang Juan. You have your own family, too, that you support. I may not take it."
"Don't feel that way. I know how hard it is on your part. I've been there also, and believe me, you need that. Besides, they already have their own jobs. I only have myself to support now." Mang Juan explained with a bit of sadness in his tone.
He patted his shoulder and said, "Don't worry, Mang Juan, I'll always be here. For this money you gave me, I want to return it to you, but if you really don't allow me, I'll just take it as a gift for my child. You know how thankful I am to you."
He then closed the cover of the container, then waved goodbye to the old guard, and, with a smile on his face, enthusiastically yelled, taho. Meanwhile, Mang Juan checks the ID of the pupils entering.
Most of the time, people who have the same or similar fates or experiences are the ones who understand each other.
As for Diego, he may have lost his wife, but he has Mang Juan, who became a friend, a father, and a great adviser, and most significantly, he has his pretty and well-mannered daughter, who never missed a chance to make him happy, even with just her little achievements.
On the other hand, despite being left alone after having been able to let his children finish their studies, land the jobs they envisioned, and build their own families, Mang Juan never felt totally alone. He has friends like Diego that are already considered family to him and never forget him, his children, who may have been busy in their own lives, and the pupils as well, who somehow bring joy to his heart.
