When I went Elementary school, I
rode the public bus. For the most part, it was the worst experience of my life.
Bumpy rides for 30 minutes with no air conditioning are not my cup of tea, yet
as bad as it was, there was a diamond in the rough. Muhammad, an angel sent
from heaven (to say the least) did the most for everyone while asking nothing
in return.
The things he went through every day
are things no one should have to experience. He stood up to bullies. He broke
up countless fights. He somehow kept his cool while 8 year olds mocked him for
his Russian accent. Even so, he had an unbreakable spirit to. Every morning he
greeted the kids with a sincere smile on his face.
There’s one story that sticks with
me the most. I think it really shows what he was about. You see, I live in a
relatively new neighborhood, and when I first started going to school, the bus
stop was six blocks away from my house. For the most part, it was not that bad,
but in the winter, it was a treacherous journey for five-year-old Mariano. For
those of you who are thinking “Stop being so dramatic,” well no, I will not
stop, but also keep in mind it was a new neighborhood, and there was no one in
the area to clean up the snow from the sidewalks.
After a while he noticed my daily
struggle to catch the bus without catching fever. He told my mom “If you want a
better bus stop, just email my supervisor, but don’t tell them it was me. I don’t
have the authority to tell you this.” He put his job on the line for just to help out some
kid, who does that? Thanks to his act of kindness, I avoided getting hypothermia
in grade school. So thank you Muhammad, I may never see you again and be able
to thank you for everything. All I know is that you are somewhere out there
making the world a better place.
