Humble Me, Mr. Handyman

It is time for repairs at my parents' house. Mom asked for the services of a handyman from Dallas. Today is Mr. Handyman's third day, working on my parents' closet and the garage. It is lunchtime, and the typical Filipino family that we are, we eat together with Mr. Handyman. Little did I know, that this meal would be the most nutritious one... my soul could ever have.

"So where are you originally from?", I ask. "Iran", he says, and so the story of his life seasoned my meal.

Mr. Handyman (Let's call him Mr. H) used to be a fighter pilot. He trained in Iran and the US Air Force, even flew commercial flights. He went back to his homeland and flew fighter planes in the Iran-Iraq war. F-4 Phantom, way cool! My sister dreamed of flying those fighter babies when we were younger.

But with the difficult life in Iran, Mr. H chose to move to the US to be with his siblings, leaving his family behind. Holding a visitor's visa, he started his life in Dallas, hoping to provide more for his family. Then the 9-11 attack happened.

All Muslims who trained in the US Air Force were detained and investigated on. Mr. H was taken into custody and was imprisoned for quite some time. All his belongings were confiscated, they stripped his house clean. The only good thing is that all his previous flights were tracked. Another officer recognized him as they were in training together and helped him out.

In prison, Mr. H had USD140 which was valued in his tag. Since they spend money in prison, too, with food and supplies, all expenses were credited to his tag. He had money in the bank, but used it to pay the lawyer. By the time he was about to get out, he had USD90. With a clean record, the lawyer was able to get him through the case. The judge asked "What do you plan to do when you get out? Are you going back to your homeland or are you staying in the US?". Mr H said, "I have nothing but 90 dollars. If you let me stay in Dallas, I don't know how to start again, but I will. If you send me back to Iran, I will never get back on my feet again.". And so the judge released him with a refugee visa on the condition that he renounces his religion (remember how strict the US was with the muslims during the 9-11 time). Mr. H is free and a Christian.

Now he does repair works for homes like ours. Waiting for his green card, perfecting his repair skills. By referrals, he gets business. My mom's friend asked Mr. H to repair her toilet, asked him how much he would charge. It took him a day to finish the work, and just said "How much do you have?". Mom's friend took out a 20 dollar bill and some singles. Mr. H took the payment with a big smile.

I told him it must be difficult to live a life when you have nothing. He said, in prison he learned to just let go and let things happen for the Lord has a plan for each one of us. 26 bucks will feed him for a few days and brings him closer to his goal of getting his family... and he can't be more thankful.

From a fighter pilot to doing odd jobs as a handyman. Who wouldn't have twirls of questions in mind? Especially when you see him smile as he eats my moms' adobo, genuine, so heartfelt. It just made me stare and think...

It really doesn't take much for one to be happy, just the will and the desire to live this beautiful life that we are all blessed with.

*Smile*