Harvy’s Second Mom

CEBU, Philippines — Harvey was trying to sneak into the classroom one morning. He thought his teacher, Ms. Mae, didn’t see him. But before he could even take his seat, he could hear her asking, “Why are you late, Harvey?”

He is the eldest among five siblings. He lives only a block away from school, but there are days that he arrives when classes have already started. His mother, Mrs. Digos, is a laundry woman and a manicurist in the neighborhood. Because Harvey’s father left them the day after his youngest sister was born, Mrs. Digos has to work from sunrise until late in the evening to provide food and other basic needs for the family. She has no time to personally take care of each child, so Harvey has to assume this role.

At four o’clock in the morning, before everyone else is up, Harvy goes to the neighborhood’s common water source to do his laundry after washing himself up. He then fetches water for his siblings’ bath. It is the only time he can do this because it gets too crowded once the sun is up. As soon as his brothers and sisters get up, they help each other clean the house and the yard while he cooks breakfast and prepares their lunch boxes. He makes sure to place these inside each of their bags. This is what Harvey’s morning is like every day. He is used to this routine but there are days when he does not feel well.

And Harvey was sick that day. “Harvy? Is everything alright?” Ms. Mae asked again. She approached him when he didn’t reply. She touched his forehead and learned that he had a fever. After giving him paracetamol, Ms. Mae told him to lie down since he didn’t want to go home. When he woke up, his teacher asked, “Why did you come to school when you’re sick?”

“I don’t want to be absent because I’m worried about my younger siblings,” Harvey answered. “I am in charge in taking them to school. I don’t want to disappoint my mother.” Then he added, “Ms. Mae, thank you for the medicine. I feel better now…”

That afternoon, before Harvey left for home, Ms. Mae called him to ask how he was feeling. “Don’t worry too much about me, Ms. Mae. Honestly, I’d rather be at school especially when I’m sick because you look after me. You make sure I’m okay. No one at home can do that for me if I stay there. Thank you so much. It’s true what they say – My teacher is my second mom.”  Zaida Marie A. Tambis