JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
Time now for My Unsung Hero from the team at Hidden Brain, sharing the stories of people whose kindness left a lasting impression on someone else. Today's story comes from Evelyn Flores. Growing up, her parents were flower farmers in San Mateo, Mexico. One year, when Evelyn was in second grade, they fell on hard times. Money was tight. And school lunches were too expensive, so her mom would bring her food.
EVELYN FLORES: That day, I remember that she didn't make it on time, and I was starving because I was so hungry. So I feel like kind of worried. And I was like, what happened? Why my mom is not here? For lunch, first I eat, and then I play with my friends. But that day, I was kind of sad and worried because my mom didn't make it on time. So I just decided to sit in the classroom. They usually close the classroom because even the teachers take lunch at the same time. And that time, the teacher - she was about to close the classroom. And she checked that there was nobody inside, and she see that it was me. Mrs. Garcia came, and she was like, hey, Evelyn, why are you not going out? And I was like, no. I just want to stay here. I'm in a bad mood. I don't want to play with anybody. I'm starving. And then she was like, wait a second, I'll come back now. And then she brought, like a bottle of juice and then a sandwich for me. And she just goes, hey, Evelyn, here's for you. Eat this because you still have, like, three more hours for school. And then you'll be starving, and I don't want you to feel bad. Just eat this.
And she stayed with me, and we started talking. And - yeah, I love her personality and how she supports. Like, she was my first best friend. And yeah - and I feel so grateful for that. I want to be a teacher. I'd like to be a teacher. She was a huge inspire for me.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
