A Little Help That Boni Would Never Forget

         By Vic Odarve

One summer afternoon while on the bus stop station, the man overheard a familiar voice alongside the bus terminal. As he went down from the local bus, he carefully looked to the crowd of passengers and street vendors. Boni instantly recognized him at once. Caught in mild surprise, he asked, “Oh Boni, I think you are schooling, why are you here? He merely inclined his head and confided later that he was advised to stop schooling by his parents, and instead, looked for a job.

Boni's residential residence - Mayana Village

Boni was undoubtedly on his concluding years in high school. The man and Boni’s family were very closed neighbors in the local village. The man learned that Boni instantly abandoned his class almost a week since he could not attend the ongoing final exam due to unpaid tuition fee and that his father was sick. Hence, he decided to stop schooling. “But why not ask the principal to have a promissory note and take the final exam? “the man refuted. Boni modestly replied that he had tried, but his request was not granted. 

As the man drove away, the innocent picture of this adolescent boy kept on playing on his mind back and forth that convinced him to see Boni’s parents. Boni’s parents were one of his best friends and a neighbor for around 30 years. 

Upon arrival on their local village, he visited their parents. On their engaging conversation, the parents admitted their son’s stoppage in schooling. The man also learned that the family is struggling in pain over the local school financial obligations. Without hesitation, the man did offer a little financial assistance for the tuition fee and advise them to let their son to go back to the class, take the final exam, and complete high school education. In return, the parents humbly thanked him for his needed help. 

A Man's residential house

Finally, the son returned to the class, took the exam, and successfully attended the graduation ceremony.

Ten years had passed. The man had virtually forgotten the incident when he received a letter from Boni, the village’s neighbor’s son. It fondly recalled that summer afternoon when he was selling goods as street vendor in a bus terminal and how he convinced his parents at his village home to resume his study. 

On top of that was an enclosed round-trip ticket to Davao City and humbly asking the man to be one of the main sponsors on his wedding day held in one of the most glamorous hotels in the city. At that place, the man met Boni and his wife, his parents, and together with the bride entourage, spent their time in one of the momentous moments in their life.

The young man is now the project engineer of the DPWH with main office in Davao city. He is a Civil Engineer.

 This humble man never foresaw the turn of events. For him it was just a little help but somehow did touch someone’s life.