It was a rainy day and I was barely four. I had only known so little of the world and myself. Yet, my dad was the last to give up on me…
It was a regular Saturday afternoon and my dad and I were heading out to our usual routine of bike riding to the piano school for my weekly lessons. My dad, a poor tenant living in the tightly packed rusty apartments in Chinatown hastily removed his bike from the chains of the wall and rolls it across our miniscule living room to the door as the bike bangs against everything it passed. I followed him, oblivious to all the troubles he went through just to get his bike out.
Because elevators were unsuitable for such low working class apartments, the stairs were our only choice. Dressed in a scrawny T-shirt along with ragged jeans, my dad lifted his bike slightly with his two bare arms and rolled it down the uneven rocky steps. Upon the last step, he released his bike and breathed a huge sigh as if he had been carrying a huge burden. With one hand holding onto the handle of the bike, he used his other hand to wipe off the sweat around his face and neck. He glanced at his watch and realized we were almost late despite the extra minutes he prepared for us to get ready.
Next, he seated me on the front seat of the bike. But before doing so, he checked to see that I was fully covered from head to toe in warmth and comfort, especially since it was raining. He did not look once at himself. When we were outside, my dad saw that the rain was harder that it seemed. Yet, that did not stop him. He pedaled harder and harder, with each pedal bursting with persistence, hope and love. His scrunched up eyebrows, tightened lips and determined look meant everything to me.
Although I may just be a puny, obnoxious, stubborn being watching my dad bike, I knew from that moment on my dad was my hero. He was giving up his time, money and efforts for me to learn and grow into a someone. He made sacrifices for me to know the world and to expand my door of possibilities. Till this day, there is no greater gift than the unconditional love from my dad.