When my eleven-year-old daughter was four months old, I had to go back to work. I took the bus to the office every day. I was impressed by a bus attendant, a well-built young man with black hair, good teeth and a beautiful smile. He always helped all of the passengers on the bus. 

I remembered the first day I took the bus. It was very crowded on the bus. He told a man to give his seat to me. I said to him, “Thank you, but no need, I’m not pregnant.” My belly was so big, I thought that everybody thought I was pregnant. I entered the bus at the first bus stop and exited at the final bus stop. Sometimes when I was tired, I would fall asleep on the bus and the driver would wake me up. 

When there were not many passengers, he often talked to me. He talked about his family. He loved his wife, who seemed beautiful and supported him so much. He loved his son, who would jump up and down and shout excitedly, “Daddy came home!” He loved his work and he was hardworking, even doing overtime to make extra money to travel with his family each year. He gave me some pictures of his family with happiness shining brightly in his eyes. 

 I’ve learned so much from him about positive thinking, gratitude, love of family, and all that is around me.

Ngoc (Ruby) Bich Pham is from Vietnam. She writes, “Before coming to the United States, I worked as an accountant. I am the mother of two children and love cooking and traveling. My favorite saying, by Lao Tzu, is ‘A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.’ This quote inspires me to improve my writing skills. I like writing about my past experiences.” At the Queens Public Library’s Elmhurst Adult Learning Center, her teacher is James McMenamin. Michelle Johnston is the center’s manager.