9-year-old Addie Rodriguez, a student of St.
John Bosco Elementary School in Santa Antonio, Texas, was very disappointed when her father could not make it to her school on Parents day.
Addie, together with her school’s cheerleading squad at St. John Bosco Elementary School recently had to perform at Central Catholic High School’s football game, and their particular performance honored “Parents Day” for the girls.
Unfortunately, Michael Locklear, her father was not able to make it to the ‘Parents Day’ to participate in his daughter’s performance.
He was a senior airman currently training at Travis Air Force Base and had left earlier for California earlier in the week. As a member of the military, he served our country in Iraq and Afghanistan. According to WGME News, Addie and her mother had missed the memo that her father would not be around on the D-day.
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With disappointment written all over her face, she stood on the field faced with the broken reality that her father was 1,700 miles away, as she watched her fellow cheerleaders being lifted on their father’s shoulders. She was reminded of how much she missed him.
On the other hand, Addie’s mother, Alexis Perry-Rodriguez, shared with News 4 San Antonio,
“It was really heartbreaking to see your daughter standing out there being the only one without their father.”
To her surprise, a young man quickly jumped over the fence and rushed to her side. His name was Mathew Garcia, a senior at Central Catholic High School. He asked her if she was okay and told her that she could sit on his shoulder. Addie was delighted and shocked. She could not believe what had just happened.
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Her mother, Alex was equally happy and amazed at the actions of this young man. She shared,
“… And then I realized what he was doing and my heart just melted. It was just the most beautiful thing.”
Addie was all smiling on the football field when she sat on Matthew’s shoulders during the parent celebration. The tears that she had earlier had been washed away. Matthew had put her distressed emotions at ease. His compassionate and quick thinking made her day.
She said,
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“I just felt like somebody saved my life. I thought that was so nice. Especially since my dad is serving for us.”
Mathew came to her rescue during when she was at her lowest. He filled the gap of her father, who was absent, not because he wanted to but because he had obligations to fulfill at his work place.