My Unwilling Hero

    

What is a hero? Some would say that a hero is somebody in the likes of Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio, or Ninoy Aquino who gave their lives for the country because of their love for freedom. Others would define it as someone who risks his life to save the lives of others, especially in times where life or death is at stake. Sports have their own heroes too, who lift their teams from the edge of losing to winning precious games. I myself have my own hero. But he’s not what you imagine he is as I have described above. He doesn’t write a book like Noli Me Tangere, got no bolo, and is not even a politician. Don’t go with him on a boat because he doesn’t know how to swim. But I know somebody who plays a lot of sports and won medals and trophies though not serious enough to be a great athlete. Yet, he is always beside me, not your hero who comes with bright and shining armor. He is no superman. He is my Papa.

I always admire people who are very eager to work hard on things they want to achieve, especially for their families. My Papa is one of them. My father works as a Mechanical Engineer in a company at Calamba, Laguna. Though his place of work seems quite far, he is determined to work hard for his family even though it appears to be difficult for him. My Papa puts a lot of effort into everything he does and doesn’t give up until the work is done. Oftentimes, he needs to work overtime just to attend meetings or finish some paper works. However, I believe he always obtains a great amount of satisfaction from all his works. I have been impressed by his eagerness for his work and his commitment to what he does, even if homesickness comes to him once in a while.

My Papa raised me and takes care of me. I don’t know what I’m going to be without him. He has never been that shy to tell us that he cares for us and demonstrates this love through his actions. When I was a baby, he always treated me like the only girl in his life. Even if he knew that a baby will only make him tired every time it cried, he still does his responsibility as a caring father. There are times when I make him upset and sad because of my tantrums, yet the day will not end without his forgiving embrace. I usually do everything I want to do and I don’t listen and obey what he’s telling me, but I know that he’s doing these just for my own good. I have done so many things that fail him and every time I realized those mistakes, my tears can’t stop falling down from my eyes for I really felt bad for him.

After all, things had been said and done, at the end of the day when the world sleeps, I will say my little prayer and thank the Lord for giving me Papa, my unwilling hero.