Ah Min-Someone I Respect

To many people, Ah Min is a worthless person. This is because he is special from us; he has Dawn’s syndrome. Despite his illness, he still leads a normal life independently. Working as caretaker of my school, he often wears grey
T-shirt and the same faded trouser. His boots, which were given by Headmaster three years ago, shine brightly when he puts them on.
If you look at him, he looks like a Mongolian. His eyes are small that when he laughs, they almost disappear from his face. He has small nose, chubby cheeks and bud lips. On his left cheek, there is a big, hairy mole. He tells me everyday that the more hair that grows on the mole, the more happiness he will get in the future. Unfortunately, happiness itself seems to be away from him.
He has short arms and small hands with stout fingers. On his left shoulder, there is a tattoo which resembles the alphabets “MM”. He told me that it was a tribute to Marilyn Monroe, his idol. There are also two toes missing on his right leg, lost in an accident last year; he was cutting grass with the cutting machine, where suddenly, he accidentally cut his own toes!
He is a man of few words. He seldom speaks and only speaks when necessary. But what I find interesting in him is, despite his low profile, his humorous part. For example, when you really look at him, he will give you a thumb up, followed by a generous smile while moving his eyebrows up and down. Another example is that when he cries, he makes that funny nose-blowing noise with his handkerchief.
Most of my schoolmates do not really like him but I am the opposite. To me, Ah Min is a kind person. Once, there was a Standard One student, waiting for his parent alone at the school gate. Ah Min saw him. He gave him a lollipop and waited together with him for an hour. But his good deeds were mistaken by the student’s parent. Not only was he not thanked but he was also cursed with rough words. Still, he never regretted for helping the boy.
Moreover, he has positive thinking. Everyday, while he is working, my schoolmates will call him with words like “nerd”, “scum”, “worthless bastard”, “so cai” and many more. But never once does he feel offended or upset. He explains to me that perhaps those fellows do not truly understand his condition; he even feels sympathy for their foolishness.
As a worker, he is very hardworking. He is always the first person to arrive school and always the last one to leave. Though there is no additional salary offered for overtime, he still works more than he is supposing to. In fact, he does it almost everyday! Furthermore, he never takes his leaves. I remember he told me:
“I must work harder. Then I’ll not be fired. Then I can be independent.”
Ah Min is special but his heart is what the most normal person does not have. He is the person I respect, the person I look up at.