The Role Model I Never Had to Search For

By Anitta Tresa Bibin

I still remember that ordinary day. 
A classroom bright with youthful chatter, 
New faces, new hopes, a new English teacher, 
And a little girl rehearsing her introduction 
A hundred times inside her trembling mind. 

I counted every heartbeat. 
Every passing turn, 
Praying the girl before me 
Would not speak for too long, 
For fear would only grow with every second. 

Then came my name. 

I stood. 

My voice, though frightened, found its way. 
I introduced myself without a stumble, 
Relieved that the storm had passed— 

With a gentle smile, she asked, 

"Tell me... 
Who is your role model?" 

The room fell silent. 

My thoughts scattered like frightened birds. 

Only the sound of my heartbeat 
Echoing louder than the whispers around me. 

Perhaps she saw the panic in my eyes. 

"It's alright," she smiled. 
"You can tell me tomorrow." 

Tomorrow. 

Such a simple word, 
Yet it followed me all the way home. 

Who was my role model? 

Did I even have one? 

I watched the traffic police standing beneath the burning sun, 
Guarding strangers, preventing accidents, 
Never asking for applause. 

"Are you my role model?" 

No... 

I kept walking. 

The question refused to leave me. 

When I reached home, 
I ran to my room. 
Closed the door behind me, 
And stood before the mirror. 

I searched my own reflection. 

"Are you my role model?" 

The little girl staring back at me 
Offered only silence. 

Perhaps, I thought, 
Tomorrow I'll simply say my own name. 

Just then— 

A knock. 

I hurried to the door. 

As it opened, 
There she stood. 

A woman weary from the day's endless work, 
Her forehead kissed by beads of sweat, 
Her hands worn by sacrifices 
No one ever counted. 

Yet her eyes— 

Her eyes smiled before her lips ever could. 

And in that single moment, 
The answer found me. 

She wasn't dressed like a hero. 

She wore no crown. 

No medals hung around her neck. 

The world did not know her name. 

But I did. 

She was the one who would stand against the world 
If it meant protecting me. 

The one who hid her tears 
So I could keep smiling. 

The one who waited for me, 
No matter how exhausted she was. 

The one who would rather stay hungry 
Than let me miss the last piece of cake— 
Even when it was her favourite. 

The one who carried love 
In every unnoticed sacrifice. 

That day, 
I didn't just find an answer for my teacher. 

I found the greatest lesson of my life. 

For heroes are not always found 
On television screens, 
History books, 
Or grand stages. 

Sometimes... 

They are waiting behind the front door, 

With tired feet, 

A warm smile, 

And a heart that has loved you 

Long before you ever learned 

What the word "role model" truly meant. 

My greatest inspiration...  

My first home... 

My forever hero... 

Is, and always will be, 

My Mother.