I wrote this film from a deeply personal place. Growing up as an only child, I never had my real father by my side; my mother worked out of town, leaving me in the care of my uncle, a tricycle driver who stands as my father. From my earliest days, he made sure I got to school on time, gave me whatever allowance he could afford, and did his best to keep food on the table despite our financial struggles. Often, I was left alone at home, finding small ways to pass the time while waiting for him to finish his long day of ferrying passengers in a borrowed tricycle.

This story captures the joys and heartaches of that life—those silent nights I spent wondering when he’d walk in, and how each minute with him felt like a gift. Sadly, he passed away before I could repay even a fraction of what he gave me. Losing him, and knowing my biological father had also left, made me feel the world had denied me that fatherly presence I always longed for.

Yet, in sharing my experience, I hope to speak for many children who, like me, grew up with a single parent—or someone stepping in to fill that parental role—longing for more time, more closeness, and more certainty in a world filled with questions. This film is my love letter to “Papa Manny,” who drove me towards my dreams in his tricycle—now “coding” for a long time and beyond, never to be driven again by him. He may have now reached his last pasada, but the ride he gave me never truly ended—it lives on in the roads I take, the dreams he set in motion, like an unseen force steering this story and my heart toward honoring the countless real-life heroes who give their all so we can keep moving.