At 16 with an Empty Stomach: Skipped Breakfast Due to No Money at Home, Facing My Maths Final and Bills on the Same Day!

At sixteen, I faced the day hungry. Breakfast wasnt an optionno money at home. To make it worse, math finals loomed, and the monthly fee was due.
As classmates filed inside, I lingered outside, eyes fixed on my worn-out sandals.
Professor Ortega noticed.
*Whats wrong?*
*I cant pay, sir. I shouldnt enter.*
He paused, then did something that still moves me:
Swinging the door wide, he announced,
*Step in! Today, all you need is the will to learn.*
Tears blurred my vision as I took the test. Later, he leaned close.
*Money returns. Opportunities dont.*
*I spoke to the principalyoull get extra time. Dont fret.*
He didnt excuse my debtjust extended the deadline. I met it.
Years later, visiting him, he embraced me like family. Since then, whenever I can help, I recall his words and act. Sometimes, that small push is all someone needs.
—
Months before his passing, I visited again. Silver-haired, trembling, yet his eyes burned with the same warmth as that morning at the door.
On his porch, I shared my journeygraduation, work, aiding struggling students. He listened, then murmured,
*Thats the real mathnot figures on paper, but multiplying hope for others.*
My throat tightened. Every achievement traced back to his kindness.
As I left, he pressed an old pen into my palm.
*This wrote countless exams,* he grinned *now let it draft more chances.*
Today, that pen hangs framed by my desk. Not as a trophy, but a pledge:
Knowledge unlocks doors, but kindness keeps them ajar.