The Rhino

Note: This essay can be used for any type of question that requires you to write about a person who has made a strong impression on you, or someone you admire.

I can still remember clearly the day I first met The Rhino. I had recently obtained my driving licence, and it was the first time that I was driving my father’s car. It was a two decade-old Honda Civic. I was on my way home from school when I noticed some sort of commotion near my house. I still don’t know why I did what I did, but I parked the car and went down to have a closer look.

                The crowd became larger as I approached. I pushed my way to the front and saw an elderly man being shouted at by two younger men. The elderly man kept his head down as the men continued to hurl abuses at him. I noticed that the old man was holding an empty pail in each hand, one red and the other blue. I heard someone said that the old man had put out the flames of some burning rubbish and he was being scolded for it. I decided to intervene when one of the men started shoving the old man.

                I lied to the men that the old man was my uncle. Knowing that it was pointless to argue with them, I apologised profusely instead. Fortunately, they relented but not before trying to reason with me that what the old man did was wrong. Honestly, I didn’t care. I only wanted to get him out of there before the situation became worse.

                I led the old man to my car and surprisingly, he did not protest. As I started the car, the crowd slowly dispersed. My parents were away on vacation so I decided to take him home. On the way, I stopped by at a restaurant and bought lunch for the two of us. After lunch, I found out more about The Rhino.

                “So why did you put out the fire?”

                “Don’t these people read the newspapers? Don’t they know how polluted the air is? Right now it is so hazy and yet these stupid people are still burning rubbish! Don’t they know? Don’t they know that they’re poisoning the air? If they enjoy open burning so much, maybe they should try burning their own house instead!”

                There was great passion in his words and they made me feel guilty. After all, I was supposed to be the educated one, and yet, what have I done to preserve the environment? Certainly, I have written numerous essays but those were merely done to obtain a grade in school. It was different for The Rhino. He turned his ideas into action.

                I later found out that he did more than just extinguish open fires. Using broken branches and rocks, he fashioned warning signs for potholes on the roads.

                “It’s dangerous. I’ve heard that someone had died as a result of riding his motorcycle over a large pothole. If the municipal council doesn’t care, I’ll do whatever I can so that fewer people will die needlessly because of a stupid hole on the road!”

                This was how I found a friend in The Rhino. I would buy him lunch on weekdays and on weekends, he refused to see me because he insisted that I spend the time with my parents.

                “Your parents are not getting any younger. You should spend more time with them. I’m just an old man nobody cares about.”

                “Except for me. You’re the coolest old man I know!”

                He smiled and continued eating.

                I soon left for Canada to further my studies after acquiring my SPM results. In order to lessen the burden on my parents, my first trip home was two years later. I tried looking for my friend The Rhino, but failed to see any sign of him. I still find myself thinking about him whenever I pass that spot where I first met him. Perhaps he has gone to a better place, a place where there is no open burning and the environment is unpolluted.