Don Rodrigo resided in a farming area in southern Mexico where one family lived on small plots of land and worked long hours building things. He was a widower who wanted a lot for his young children.
Rodrigo just learned to read after taking some adult classes when he was young. All he wanted was for his twin daughters, Lupita and Dalia, to have a better future via school.
When the girls turned ten, Rodrigo made a choice that changed everything. He sold everything he owned, even the straw-roofed house, the small piece of land, and his broken bike, which was the only thing he used to get extra money by transporting things. He took Lupita and Dalia to Mexico City with the little money he had, determined to give them a true shot.
Rodrigo stayed with them and worked at every job he could find. He worked all day and night to pay for their food and school. He brought bricks to work sites, unloaded produce at marketplaces, and picked up cardboard and bottles. He was always near by, even when they weren’t together, to make sure they never went without.
He said, “I don’t care how hard things get for me as long as they have a future.”
But it was hard to keep alive in the capital. Rodrigo slept under bridges at first, using a plastic sheet as a blanket. He didn’t eat for many nights so his daughters may have rice with salt and some boiled vegetables. He learned how to wash their garments and clean their uniforms on his own. The detergent and cold water would make his hands crack and bleed in the winter.
He merely held the daughters as they skipped their mother, and tears streamed quietly as he whispered:
“I can’t be your mother, but I can be everything else you need.
Years of giving up things left scars.
He passed out at work once, but thinking of Lupita and Dalia’s bright eyes pulled him back to life, teeth clinched. He only smiled at them and never told them how tired he was. He read books at night by a dim lamp, letter by letter, so he could help them with their homework.
He hurried through streets looking for inexpensive doctors whenever they became sick, spent his last pennies on medications, and even borrowed money to make them feel better.
His passion was like a fire that kept them warm through every problem.
Lupita and Dalia were always the best students in their class. Rodrigo kept stating the same thing over and over, no matter how poor he was:
“Study, girls.” I just want you to have a nice future.
Rodrigo was old and weak twenty-five years later. His hair was white and his hands shook, but he never lost trust in his daughters.
One day, Lupita and Dalia came by as they were resting on a little cot. They were sure of themselves and wore clean pilot uniforms.
They took his hands and said, “Papa, we want to take you somewhere.”
Rodrigo, who was perplexed, got in the car with them… After that, he went to the airport, where he used to do them through a rusty fence and say,
“Seeing you in that uniform would make me very happy.”
And there he was, in front of a huge plane, with his daughters next to him. Now they work as pilots for Mexico’s national airline.
He embraced them and his face was soaked with tears.
“Papa,” they whispered softly, “thank you.” We fly today because of every sacrifice.
Seeing his kids walk a poor man in worn-out sandals on the tarmac really affected everyone at the terminal. Lupita and Dalia later told him they had purchased him a nice new house. They also started a scholarship foundation in his name to help young women with big goals, much like they did.
Rodrigo’s eyes had gotten darker as he got older, but his smile remained brighter than ever. He stood up straight and stared at his kids in their beautiful clothes.
His tour inspired others all throughout the country. He went from being a bad worker who fixed school clothes under a weak light bulb to having girlfriends who floated across the sky. His love finally led him to the heavens he had only dreamed of before.