It was a super excellent, top-tier 'mentor' who saved me from the darkness

There is a teacher who saved my life.

You might think, 'Saving your life is a bit of an exaggeration...' But it is a fact.

Writing this with the full knowledge that it's a 'what-if' scenario, if I hadn't met that teacher, I definitely wouldn't be who I am today.

♢

I wasn't blessed with a good home environment.My childhood is a dark history.

My father was a day laborer. He was a skilled craftsman with great pride in his work, but at home, he was the worst kind of father.

He was a gambling addict and a heavy drinker. On top of that, he was a terrible drunk. He would often blow most of his paycheck on gambling, so we were always struggling for money at home. My mother, who was in poor health, couldn't work, so having no money was the default, and my parents were always fighting about it.

It wasn't just verbal arguments; it was a daily routine of what we now call domestic violence and emotional abuse. Right in front of me, my father would hit, kick, and verbally abuse my mother. My mother always had bruises somewhere. I had become numb to the daily fighting, so I thought that's just how every family was.

Because we had no money, we lived in a rented house. My clothes were hand-me-downs from relatives, and I have almost no memories of going to the movies or eating out.

When my father won at gambling, that money turned into alcohol, and the increased drinking made him even more violent—an endless loop. When he lost and ran out of money, my mother would have to bow her head to relatives to borrow money.

That kind of life continued until I was in my second year of junior high.

It was time to start thinking about my future path, but since there was no money at home anyway, I figured I'd just go to a nearby high school and find a job locally. I imagined that vaguely, and I didn't take my studies seriously.

One day.My father disappeared.It was the summer of my second year of junior high.

My father took everyone's bankbooks and suddenly left one day, abandoning my mother, who couldn't work, and us children. I thought to myself, 'Is this what they call desertion?'

I thought the house might become peaceful now that my father, who committed domestic violence and emotional abuse, was gone, but that was impossible. Because we had no money. Our income became zero, and we were even more strapped for cash.

Could I even go on to higher education in this state?

I lost the motivation to study. Even if I studied, I might not be able to go to high school. Even if I could go to a nearby high school, I might have to drop out because I couldn't pay the tuition.

♢

When I became a third-year student, a teacher who had transferred in became my homeroom teacher. It was Mr. T.

Even before he transferred, the school was buzzing with rumors about Mr. T. They said he was incredibly scary, strict, and like a demon. He always carried a bamboo sword and would mercilessly hit students who did something wrong.

My junior high school was known in the area as a 'bad' school, famous for having many flashy students and a poor reputation for safety.

There were rowdy students wearing the long school uniforms and long skirts that were popular at the time. They would skip class to smoke behind the school building or disrupt other classes.

Their hair was permed, dyed, or styled in pompadours. Lipstick was a given. They would call teachers out after school to beat them up, grab teachers by the collar during class to pick fights, or ride motorcycles onto the school grounds.

There is simply no end to the stories, but it was a school like the drama 'Kyo Kara Ore Wa!!'.

Mr. T's mission upon being sent to this 'bad' junior high school was to correct the students and create a healthy school environment. I heard later that he was like a savior to the Board of Education, sent to improve a school that never got any better no matter who they sent.

♢

I was surprised when I entered the classroom.

It was because many of the students labeled as troublemakers were in the same class. While not all were delinquents, many came from complicated family backgrounds. I figured I had been placed in Mr. T's class under the 'complicated family background' quota, since my father had walked out on us.

'From now on, I will be keeping a diary exchange with each and every one of you every day. Got it? Even if it's just one or two lines, you must write in it every single day. Everyone, do you understand!'

As he said this, Mr. T slammed his bamboo sword against the podium. The students who had been talking loudly and wandering around the classroom fell silent in an instant and returned to their seats.

At first, I wrote about trivial things like club activities, but gradually I began to write about my inner thoughts.

Mr. T always replied in red pen.

Judging by his replies, I didn't think Mr. T knew the true situation of my home. I wrote in detail about my father's situation and the state of my home in the diary. I wrote about the situation I had been too embarrassed to tell any of my friends or anyone else until now.

I think I had wanted someone to listen to me for a long time.

♢

The next day after school, as I was heading to club activities, Mr. T called out to me.

'Do you have a moment?'

Based on the diary exchange, I talked with Mr. T in the career counseling room. He listened to me, saying things like 'I see,' 'I understand,' and 'It must have been hard for you all this time.' He had a reputation for being as scary as a demon, but he wasn't a demon. He wasn't a demon at all.

A few days later, Mr. T came to my house for an unseasonable home visit. It seems he had asked my mother about her thoughts on my future path. That was written in our exchange diary.

I wrote this in my reply.

After school, Mr. T told me to come to the career counseling room.

"I understand how you feel. If I were a middle school student in your position, I might think the same way. But listen. I am an adult, and I know more about the world than you do."

"Camino,do you want to change your life?"

--- Change my life? Can I really do that? In this situation? When I don't even have money for high school?

"If things stay as they are, your life will remain like this forever. You'll graduate high school, get a job, and live around here. You'll live your life just like your parents. Is that okay with you?"

"What else is there? How am I supposed to change my life? Especially in a rural place like this?"

"Study. Camino, study and keep raising your grades. If you do that, you will definitely be able to escape your current life. Once you escape, your life will undoubtedly change."

--- Study?

"If you study hard and your grades improve, you'll see the next step. Then, a path will surely open up from there.It's the path of your life, so you must open it yourself.To do that, you need to study. I know you can do it."

♢

From that day on, I began to study recklessly. I wanted to escape my current home environment. I wanted to believe in Mr. T's words.

We still didn't have money at home, my mother was borrowing from relatives, and my father had vanished without a trace. I still had doubts about how I could go to high school without money, but I felt like I was clinging to Mr. T's words.

I want to escape. I will escape from here and change my life. That thought grew stronger every day and became the energy for my studies.

My grades had originally been about 'average,' but once my study switch was suddenly turned on, my grades improved rapidly. Mr. T and I were the ones happy about my improved grades, but my mother wasn't very happy.

The reason was that any high school I could reach by bicycle was fine with 'average' grades. She said that even if my grades improved further, she couldn't let me go to a college-prep school that required a train commute, because she couldn't even afford the commuter pass.

When you don't have money, all sorts of walls stand in your way.

In my diary exchange with Mr. T, I wrote that my mother told me I couldn't go to a preparatory school because she couldn't even afford the commuter pass. Upon learning this, Mr. T made his umpteenth home visit and spoke with my mother.

"Don't worry about what your mother says. Just focus on improving your grades. You will definitely be able to go to the high school you want."

Believing in Mr. T's words, I continued to study, thinking only about improving my grades.

♢

The time came to decide on my preferred school. It had been a year since my father disappeared. He still hadn't been found.

My grades had risen enough to easily get into the top preparatory school in the district. Even so, my mother kept repeating that she wanted me to go to a nearby high school I could reach by bicycle.

I had realized that studying was fun, and I wanted to go to a preparatory school. My desire grew day by day.

The day of the three-way parent-teacher-student conference.

I wanted to go to a preparatory school, and my mother wanted me to go to a nearby high school. Our discussions at home had reached a stalemate. In the silence of the conference, Mr. T spoke up.

"Mother, Camino-san has studied very hard and her grades have improved. That is why I believe she should go to the best school possible. I am well aware of your family's situation. I understand how you feel, Mother. But if she could receive a scholarship, wouldn't that change things?"

Mr. T handed my mother several envelopes containing documents.

"With Camino-san's grades, she will pass the screening for a scholarship grant, not a loan. There will be no need to pay tuition. Mother, please let Camino-san go to the high school she wants to attend."

Mr. T stood up and bowed deeply to my mother. Mr. T, who was feared as being as scary as a demon, was bowing his head to my mother for my sake. As a middle school student, I was incredibly surprised that a teacher would do such a thing for me.

♢

Thanks to the teacher's persuasion, my mother allowed me to take the entrance exam for the preparatory school. I received a scholarship and was able to go to the preparatory school. Thanks to going to that school, the path to university also opened up for me.

If you study with all your might, it leads to the next step and you can change your own life. It was Mr. T who taught me that.

If I hadn't met Mr. T, it is highly likely that I would have remained stuck in that life.

The person who brought light into my life, the person who saved me—that is Mr. T.

It has been about 35 years since I graduated from middle school, but I am still in contact with Mr. T. I never fail to give him Valentine's Day chocolate every year, and we exchange letters and LINE messages. Whenever I return to my hometown, I always contact him to catch up and go out to eat something delicious together.

After retiring, Mr. T spends his time on his beloved gardening and painting, and occasionally takes care of his grandchildren. Several times a year, he sends me fresh vegetables from his garden along with a letter written in his beautiful handwriting.

Seeing that handwriting, unchanged from when we used to exchange diaries, makes me feel incredibly nostalgic.

When I told them I was thinking of becoming a freelancer, they supported me, saying, 'Camino, you'll be fine. I'm not worried. I know you can do it.'

I trust T-sensei from the bottom of my heart and am always grateful to them. What should I call a 'mentor' who is so much more than just a 'mentor'?

To me, T-sensei is a super excellent, top-tier 'mentor'.

When I am lost on the path ahead. When I suddenly come to a stop. I close my eyes and remember these words from T-sensei.

'It is your life's path, so you must pave it yourself.'

I whisper that to myself and steel my resolve. To take the next step. To see a new landscape.