I WASH DISHES EVERY NIGHT IN A RESTAURANT SO MY CHILD CAN STUDY UNTIL COLLEGE.

I WAS WASHING DISHES EVERY NIGHT IN A  RESTAURANT SO THAT MY SON COULD SEND MY SON THROUGH COLLEGE. I WAS ASHAMED OF MY ROUGH AND CUT HANDS, SO I HIDDEN BEHIND THE AUDITORIUM DURING HIS GRADUATION. BUT WHEN HE CLIMBED UP ON THE STAGE, THE WORDS HE SPOKE MADE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE CRY AND CONTAINED A CHANGE IN OUR LIVES.

Cold Water and Calluses

I am Aling Rosa, fifty-two years old. When my husband died ten years ago, I was left with the responsibility of raising our only son, Gabriel. Gabriel is very intelligent and dreams of becoming a Civil Engineer. But because we are poor, I know that I don’t earn enough by selling snacks in the morning.

So, I went to work as a dishwasher at a famous and large  restaurant in the city. From seven at night until three in the morning, my hands were soaked in cold water, strong soap, and dirty dishes.

Over the years, my hands had become damaged. They were covered in large calluses, deep cuts from broken glass, and had become so rough that they looked like sandpaper. Sometimes, I cried in pain every night because my fingers were numb, but whenever I saw Gabriel studying under our little lamp, all my tiredness disappeared.