Every month, I give my daughter-in-law ₱4,500 in pension to go to the market to cook. I thought, I’m old, I just want to have a decent meal with my children and grandchildren. But the other day when I ate rice, I saw that the piece of meat was a little fatty, I just blurted out:

– “Next time I buy a little leaner meat, it’s hard to swallow like this.”

Thought it was just a gentle reminder, but unexpectedly, my daughter-in-law turned her face away, not saying no. The next morning, she went to the market to buy a bunch of eel fish to cook soup. I looked at the bowl of smoky fishy soup but couldn’t hold the chopsticks, choking my whole neck.

I was so frustrated, I thought, “I’ve lost my sleeve beekeeping. I’m ungrateful, and I’m angry like a child.” So I decided not to give him any more money, to see how he managed.

But exactly 3 days later, my son suddenly called me down to the living room. He sat solemnly, next to his daughter-in-law who was resisting, his eyes shining with triumph. My son looked at me, his voice seemed to command:

– “From now on, I don’t need to give money to my wife and children anymore. But I also don’t need to cook, give suggestions or interfere in the hammer market in the house. I just need to eat, and the rest is left to us. Ah… and one more thing: Mom, don’t expect to keep your pension, what will you do in the future? I think it’s best for me to give it to my wife and children to keep it, les… I don’t spend it well.”

I was dumbfounded, my ears were ringing, I couldn’t believe that my son, whom I had raised for decades, would utter such words. My daughter-in-law sat there, smiling half-heartedly, as if she had just won a big game.

My chest throbbed, tears kept flowing. In just a moment, I understood that I had become a burden in my own house, and that little money… was just a reason for them to show their true faces.