Rhelyn Harder
- Tatay Dong is a taho vendor in campus who made a big impact in her life
- He was her sole rescuer; making sure in filling up her empty stomach with taho for breakfast, even in rain or sunshine
- The taho vendor washed his only jacket and gave it to her the following day with a cup of taho
“‘Tay, may abogado ka na!”
These were the heart-warming words of a lawyer, Alex Castro, who wrote on Facebook to his Tatay Dong, a taho vendor in campus who made a big impact in her life.
Alex was so excited to visit UP again, as she reminisced on her past experiences during her college life of eight years; including the man who helped her throughout all those years in college. While driving around the campus, she kept on searching for the great magtataho named Tatay Dong.
“I imagined myself saying those words to you as I was driving along the University Avenue this morning. Coming home to UP always meant coming home to everything I loved and cherished for eight years, including you. So as I drove around campus, I kept throwing glances at large crowds, or the places you used to frequent, searching for the great magtataho — my Tatay Dong,” lawyer Alex Castro wrote on Facebook, thanking the taho vendor who made a big difference in her life back when she was still in college.
Due to financial struggle most of the time, Alex would go to school hungry and Tatay Dong, who was stationed near the building where she had her morning classes, was her sole rescuer – making sure in filling up her empty stomach with taho for breakfast, come rain or sunshine.
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“I met you when I was a wide-eyed freshie. We’d see each other at 7 am every day, because you were stationed at the building I had my morning class in. We’d chat every morning over taho. Eventually, you found out that I’d always go to school with an empty stomach. So you made it a point to wait for me in the morning, rain or shine, with a fresh cup of taho, every single day for four years, until I finished my undergrad degree,” Alex narrated.
Tatay Dong sees Alex as her ‘adopted daughter’ who supports her in all her endeavors. Upon knowing that she didn’t have a jacket when it rained, the kindhearted taho vendor washed his only jacket and gave it to her the following day with a cup of taho.
“I was just a daughter you picked up along the way, but you were so protective of me. One rainy day in December of 2009, I went to school without a jacket. I remember you were so concerned. So the following morning, you handed me a package along with my taho. When I opened it, it was your jacket. The one you were wearing the previous morning, and all the mornings before that. Your ~only~ jacket. You wouldn’t take it back, and the only thing you said to me when I tried to give it back for the last time is, ‘Nilaban ko na ‘yan, ‘Nak. Iyo na ‘yan,’” Alex shared.
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The taho vendor was willing to give his one and only jacket, showing his love and concern for Alex. In return, she bought a new jacket for Tatay Dong to wear.
He wore it with so much pride and a huge smile that every time somebody would ask about it, he would proudly say ‘Bigay ng anak ko yan.’
“Eventually, I was able to return the favor. I got you a new jacket to wear. You wore it with so much pride and with such a huge smile the morning after, and all the mornings after that. Whenever your friends asked about it, you’d always say, ‘Bigay ng anak ko ‘yan,’” Alex added.
Now that Alex is a lawyer, a heartwarming reunion happened when she went back to UP to visit her honorary dad.
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“Fortunately, earlier today, word got to you that I was in UP. I couldn’t help but smile when I saw you rushing to the Sunken Garden from afar. When you saw me, you immediately embraced me and exclaimed, “I missed you!” It truly felt like a homecoming. You held me so tight, and finally, I was able to tell you the words you said you’d wait to hear from me — “‘Tay, may abogado ka na.”
“I hope I made you proud, ‘Tay. You deserve all the love in the world.”
A simple act of kindness could make a big difference in someone else’s life. It’s not about the quantity you give but the quality of sharing to the one who needs. Alex had found not just food but also an unconditional love from a man with a big heart.
