The Dreamer Boy

I was thinking on what to write after the strong performance of the PSEi in the first day of 2013.  Would it be best stock performers? My picks? Then I decided, stocks will have to come later.  I went for this instead...

November 2012, I was jogging in a circle in Cordon Isabela, nearby a high school, as I recalled it's Cagasat High School - Magsaysay Annex.  Jogging was a daily routine to my friend Joel, Thursday morning I joined him.  I just wanted to sweat and let my body and muscles stretched.

On my third round, a boy started to run with us from a distance.  He was fast and with an athletic look, he passed through me several times for he runs with speed.  I kept on my jogging pace, he passed me again.  Then, I noticed something that broke me.. the boy was running without shoes.  He was running with barefoot in the circle which is not concrete, it's rough gravel and sharp rocks.  Ohh! my eyes widened...  While many are throwing old shoes and others have hundreds on their shoe racks, here's a boy running in this graveled circle without any shoes.  I was torn, I ran faster and approached the boy.

His name was Geamer Merano.  "Why you don't wear your running shoes?" I asked. " The rocks are sharp and might injure your feet," and he responded, "Kuya wala po akong sapatos."  (Brother I don't have a pair of shoes.)  I felt my body jitters, I was sick to my stomach, then I said, "wait for me here tomorrow morning @ 6am."  "Yes", he said.



Geamer  in Jolibee Santiago City

I didn't have the energy to jog the following day, I didn't feel well, and at 6am I'm still lying in bed.  I was thinking to go directly to my classroom to meet my students for a short lecture in Santiago.  Looking at my watch, it was 6:30.  I ran out of the house and drove directly to the circle.  I looked around and spotted Geamer.  He was waiting for me. I greeted him and he smiled, it was 7am.  After the flag ceremony, I asked the teacher if she knew the boy.  I told her that I had seen him running without shoes, the teacher then invited me to see Geamer's adviser.  I was amazed, Geamer - was track and field athlete.  An athlete with a big potential but incapable of having the basic gears he needed. 

We headed to Santiago City together with her adviser Ms. Lilian Bermosa.  After buying shoes,  Jolibee Santiago City was the next stop.  Geamer Merano, 13 years old, first time to enter Jolibee, (To him this is a big place where only people with money could enter).  He was speechless while I was talking with her teacher and Joel.  Then suddenly he spoke,  "This is the happiest moment in my life."   I looked around and said to myself, how blessed I am.  Joel's generosity filled Geamer with joy, MP3 player that he bought in Dubai, jackets and jogging pants.  As we finished lunch, I drove them back to school, I stepped out of my car and took a last view of the circle.

I took Geamer's details, her teachers number, but I did not promise anything.  One thing  sank deep in me, Geamer Merano - the Dreamer Boy, I want to be a part of your journey towards success.  May God the Almighty bless you.

PS:  I shared this story to Ben, a friend of mine in Fitness First IBM Batutta, and he asked  the size of the feet of Geamer.   It's 6.5 to 7 asian size.  DSF has just opened, hope that Geamer will no longer jog barefooted.