My Grandfather, the Real Superhero
This photo was taken when my mom had just turned 18 years old. She was about to finish high school at a classical lyceum, a tough school where only eight students made it to graduation—two girls and six boys.
Most of her classmates were children of doctors, professors, and lawyers. But my mom was different—her parents were an electrician and a homemaker.
My grandparents had only finished elementary school, and my mom had to wake up at 5 AM every morning to catch the bus with the working men to get to school. By her final year, her grandfather told her it was time to get a job. A secretary was considered a respectable and well-paid position for a young woman.
Mom was sad because she loved school, but they couldn’t afford for her to continue. There just wasn’t enough money.
Then, one evening, her father—my amazing grandfather, Lidio—took her aside and said:
“This money was meant for your dowry. Take it and enroll in university. You can always buy sheets later.”
It was 1960, and my grandfather hadn’t even finished middle school. He had been an orphan from a young age, but he was wise beyond his years.
When people told him, “Poor thing, it’s a shame you never had a son,” he always proudly answered, “My daughters are the best thing life could give me.”
With his support, my mom graduated in five years. She studied in the mornings and tutored in the afternoons to pay for her education. She became a teacher and, after retiring, started writing books and editing theses.
All of this happened because my grandfather believed in her future. Instead of spending the money on household linens, he invested in something far greater—her education.
My grandfather was a real superhero.