The bus driver noticed the little girl crying every day, and when she got off, he discovered the terrible truth.

Every morning, Mang Ben – a driver who has been with bus route 08 for more than 20 years – drives the light yellow bus through the barangays from the suburbs to the center of Quezon City. His life is regular with familiar faces: workers going to the early shift, students, fruit vendors… But recently, there is something that has been troubling him.

On the 7 a.m. bus, at the stop near the alley at the end of the street, there is always a girl about 10 years old getting on. She is wearing a white uniform – a typical blue skirt of an elementary school, carrying a backpack with worn straps. She sits quietly in the last row, head bowed; her eyes are red as if she has been crying. At first, Mang Ben thought she was scolded by Nanay/Tatay or something trivial in class. But strangely, every day was the same: when arriving at the stop near San Isidro Elementary, the child quickly wiped away her tears and got off as if nothing had happened.

Loving children, Mang Ben paid more attention. In the rearview mirror, he saw the child peeking under the seat, his eyes full of worry, then hugging his bag and getting off. That image made him feel uneasy: “Is there something under there?” There were many passengers, he had not yet had time to check.

One drizzly morning, the bus was empty, Mang Ben decided to take a closer look. As usual, the child sat at the back, sobbing, but no one paid any attention. Arriving at the stop in front of the school gate, the child bent down on the seat again, then quickly ran out. Waiting for the bus to be less crowded, he got off at the back, bent down to look under the bus. In the dim light, a small object was curled up in the dark corner.

He bent down and reached out to pull it out. His old heart suddenly beat strongly: it was… an old teddy bear, its fur was shaggy and stained with a few stains, its plastic eyes still sparkling. The bear’s neck was tied with a worn pink ribbon, embroidered with two small words: “Na Na”. Mang Ben was stunned: this was the reason why the child looked under the seat every day.

He recalled: the child must have dropped the teddy bear one day, and every day he sat in the back seat to make sure that his “little friend” was still there. But because he was afraid of being scolded, the child did not dare to pick it up, only looking for peace of mind. The daily crying was the only fear of losing a piece of his childhood.

Mang Ben held the teddy bear and sat down on the seat. The feeling of touching the old toy made him nostalgic, remembering when his youngest daughter was a child, also hugging a teddy bear to sleep. He put it in the box next to the driver’s seat. He thought to himself: “Tomorrow I have to return it to her.”

The next morning, the child got on the bus again. Still with moist eyes, still quietly driving to the end. Near the school station, Mang Ben called:

– Child, did you drop this the other day?

He held out the teddy bear, a gentle smile on his sunburned face.

The child was startled, her eyes suddenly lit up. The baby burst into tears, hugged the bear, and whined:

– It’s… mine! I thought it was lost…

This time, the cry was no longer sad, but bursting with happiness. A few passengers looked back and smiled.

Mang Ben asked softly:

– Why didn’t you pick it up these past few days?

The baby lowered his head and mumbled:

– Nanay and Tatay forbade bringing the bear to school… They said I’m grown up now, I have to learn to be independent. I was afraid that if I brought it home I would be scolded, so… I left it here, looking at it every day for peace of mind.

He listened and was speechless. It turned out that behind the tears was a small desire: to keep a silent friend in the lonely days.

From that day on, the bus ride seemed less cold. The baby still got on the bus every morning, but no longer cried; her face was radiant, hugging the teddy bear tightly. Occasionally, the baby sat near the driver’s seat, whispering to Mang Ben. He told her stories about his daughter’s childhood, about the traffic jams on EDSA, about the rains in Manila.

The story spread to the regular passengers. Someone gave her a new bow to tie on her teddy bear, someone bought her small candies to eat and laugh. The atmosphere, which was usually quiet and sometimes tiring on the bus, was now unusually warm.

One afternoon, it suddenly rained heavily. When the bus stopped at the last stop, Mang Ben saw that the girl did not have an umbrella. He took out an old raincoat and gave it to her.

– Wear this, or you’ll get wet.

The child accepted it, nodding:

– Thank you, Lolo… (You’re like my grandfather.)

The simple words made the old man’s heart ache. He never thought that a small thing like keeping a teddy bear could create such a bond.

After that, the child no longer hid the story of the bear. She boldly told her parents that “it was an indispensable friend”. Even though Nanay-Tatay advised her to “be more mature”, they gradually understood and accepted.

The story of the little girl – the bear – the driver became a topic that was mentioned over and over again on route 08. People realized: in the hustle and bustle of life, sometimes a small action – keeping an item, giving a memory – is enough to warm the hearts of others. And sometimes, strangers bring unexpected understanding.

The bus still runs on the familiar route, but for Mang Ben, each trip is not just work. It is a journey of humanity, of the belief that kindness always exists in the simplest places.