The Man In The Background

I wake up every day at the same time for over 10 years now, waking up from the bed and shuffling to the bathroom in my trailer home which is small, but it provides enough space for a guy with no family. I go about by my daily routine taking three tablets after a cup of coffee and toast, that I must take without for fail for my heart or I could die, that’s what my doctor said although no that dreadfully. I am happy that at least he cares for me, so I feel obliged to follow his orders. I live near a school where I have spent my productive years in, it a small building but its got some big brains and big hearts. I open the school doors an hour and half before the school opens and open my office and go about my daily errands. Mopping up floors, clearing out the dustbins in all the rooms of the school. When the young minds walk in they should have a clean ambience to learn.

As I walk through these halls every day I see and hear a lot of thing because I go around doing everything from fixing the toilets to gets the canteen ready for break time. Just before the first period the jocks walk in from the field all dripping in sweat, football season is coming soon and they are all giving their hundred percent because not everyone gets the opportunity gets in to college on a scholarship. Students walking with big textbooks, the cheer leading squad being peppy as ever, music band stumbling with their music notes and instrument, these school halls are always bustling with dreams and passion and I’m a grateful that I get to see them. High school is not always easy and not everyone’s gets what they want. Today was like any other day or that’s what I thought so.

During break time two young boys got in a fight over something I could wrap my head around, a girl. Ah, young love and love triangle but it started getting to brutal that I had to step in and I have no idea why I don’t have body of a 18 year old!. All I remember is trying pull them off each other, one of them took a swing and missed. Next thing I remember is waking up in the hospital with a splitting headache like someone had played whack a mole on my head. The doctor came in checked on me told me I had a mild fracture in my skull, which was the first I have fractured many bones in my life but not my skull, guess I can check that off my list. After the medications and the minor surgery, I was advised bed rest, although I advised the doctor that I was completely fine he didn’t seem to take it. So, I was in the bed for about 10 days, but to my surprise I had visitors for someone who had none come over for a cup of coffee. I was visited by the school principal, few teachers, and the student council president and of course the two guys who knew how to throw a mean right hook. They came to see how I was doing and expected me to come back as soon as possible.

I thought I was invisible, I cared for these children so much watching them win football matches, consoling each other when they didn’t, take extra classes to get their grades up, participating in all possible activities to collect points to get into college and achieve their dream. But to know now that they noticed my presence and that the wanted me to come back soon, I can ask for nothing more. I wanted to leave the hospital as school as possible when I came back I was welcomed by so many smiles. Ive never regretted taking this job as a janitor, this wouldn’t have been my dream initially, but I believe dreams change and if you find the one that make you happy, you would anything to purse it. That’s what I witness everyday within these walls big or small, these young minds burn with passion for their dream, it is something they would die for but once they catch those dreams then those dreams are the reason they live for. I now live for this life of mine to watch these children become dream catchers one day. What’s my dream you ask? It’s simple... ‘To serve’.