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<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The small village in Batangas was bathed in a red sunset that afternoon.<\/p>\n
In a thatched house on the edge of the village, Ramon, a 27-year-old man, sat hunched over by his father’s hospital bed.<\/p>\n
The small village in Batangas was bathed in a red sunset that afternoon.<\/p>\n
In a thatched house on the edge of the village, Ramon, a 27-year-old man, sat hunched over by his father’s hospital bed.<\/p>\n
The old man was coughing nonstop, gasping for breath.<\/p>\n
The doctor at the clinic said:<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we want to save him, we need to operate on him immediately. The minimum cost is 400,000 pesos.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ramon was stunned.<\/p>\n
He mortgaged his family’s only land, went around, but no one would lend him money.<\/p>\n
Those who had helped his father before were now avoiding him.<\/p>\n
When he was at his saddest, his neighbor passed by and said softly,<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a very rich old woman in town, seventy years old, her husband and children are dead.<\/p>\n
She is looking for a husband\u2026 just marry her, you don\u2019t have to live together.<\/p>\n
If you agree, she will give you 400,000 pesos.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ramon was stunned.<\/p>\n
A marriage with a woman forty years older than him \u2013 it seemed like a cruel joke of fate.<\/p>\n
But when he saw his father lying in bed, gasping for breath, he could only say through his teeth:<\/p>\n
\u201cI agree.\u201d<\/p>\n
Three days later, the wedding took place quietly.<\/p>\n
The groom was 27, the bride was 70.<\/p>\n
There was no music, no party, only a few neighbors as witnesses.<\/p>\n
Ramon’s father was still in the hospital.<\/p>\n
The woman was Do\u00f1a Rosario \u2013 neatly curled silver hair, elegantly dressed in a baro\u2019t and saya dress.<\/p>\n
There was still a cold and sad look in her hazy eyes.<\/p>\n
She handed Ramon a thick bag of money and whispered,<\/p>\n
\u201cSave your father.<\/p>\n
But remember, don\u2019t ask me why I chose you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ramon bowed and simply thanked her.<\/p>\n
He couldn\u2019t understand why someone like her would choose him over hundreds of others.<\/p>\n
The operation was successful.<\/p>\n
Ramon\u2019s father was out of danger.<\/p>\n
He was so happy that he cried, thinking that the tragedy was over.<\/p>\n
But ten days later, Mrs. Rosario called him to her private home in Makati.<\/p>\n
The old mansion smelled of incense and the walls were covered with old photographs.<\/p>\n
He sat by the window, holding a faded photograph.<\/p>\n
His voice was hoarse:\u2026\u201cRamon, do you know your real mother\u2019s name?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes\u2026 she d:ied early. Her name was Luz.\u201d<\/p>\n
She smiled weakly, a sad smile as if she had just touched a distant memory:<\/p>\n
\u201cLuz\u2026 The woman who stole the man I loved the most 50 years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tim Ramon paused.<\/p>\n
He opened a drawer and took out an old photo \u2013 one of Ramon\u2019s father when he was young, and Rosario herself as a beautiful young woman.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe looks just like you,\u201d he said, his voice trembling \u2013<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s why at first I wanted to hate her, to make up for it.<\/p>\n
But when I heard that he was about to die, I couldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
He paused, took a deep breath, and continued:<\/p>\n
\u201cA worker in my house told me about your father\u2019s situation. When I saw your picture, I could hardly breathe.<\/p>\n
You are a replica of the man I used to be \u2013 the man who left me to marry your mother.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told myself, if I had the chance, I would want him to know:<\/p>\n
The woman he left behind is still strong enough to save his life, no matter what.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ramon was silent.<\/p>\n
He understood everything.<\/p>\n
That wedding \u2013 that money \u2013 was not to embarrass, but Mrs. Rosario\u2019s way of settling an old feud.<\/p>\n
He knelt down, tears streaming down his face:<\/p>\n
\u201cGrandma\u2026 I don\u2019t know anything.<\/p>\n
If my parents ever hurt you, please forgive me.\u201d<\/p>\n
He gently placed his hand on his shoulder:<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s okay, son<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve had enough of this.<\/p>\n
Now, I just want to rest in peace.<\/p>\n
Go home and take good care of your father.<\/p>\n
I consider my debt paid.\u201d<\/p>\n
When Ramon left the mansion, the sun was just setting behind the tall buildings of Makati.<\/p>\n
He looked up at the sky, his heart heavy.<\/p>\n
There are relationships that seem ironic, but in reality they are the way of fate that forces people to learn to forgive.<\/p>\n
A few months later, Ramon received news that Mrs. Rosario had passed away in her sleep, without her relatives by her side.<\/p>\n
In her will, she had left him an envelope \u2013 inside was an old wedding photo of her father and mother, and a written line:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe hatred is over.<\/p>\n
Live for the sake of those who have passed away.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ramon fell silent, tears streaming down the photo.<\/p>\n
He understood that love and hatred are sometimes only a breath apart,
\nand that forgiveness \u2013 even when it is too late \u2013 is still the only way to bring peace to the heart.<\/p>\n
Since then, every year on the anniversary of Rosario\u2019s death, Ramon has gone to the cemetery in Laguna, carrying a bouquet of white chrysanthemums.<\/p>\n
He prayed softly:<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you.<\/p>\n
Because thanks to you, I have learned \u2013 there is no pain too great to let go.\u201d<\/p>\n
The afternoon breeze blew, the scent of incense lingered, like a final farewell to unfinished romances, and to two souls who had passed with love and resentment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The small village in Batangas was bathed in a red sunset that afternoon. In a thatched house on the edge of the village, Ramon, a 27-year-old man, sat hunched over by his father’s hospital bed. The small village in Batangas was bathed in a red sunset that afternoon. In a thatched house on the edge<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":25562,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36,42,37,43],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-25552","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-moral","8":"category-moral-stories","9":"category-new","10":"category-relationship"},"yoast_head":"\n