One stormy night that year, a homeless old man by the river saved a little girl who was almost swept away by the flood. The next morning he woke up and found the girl missing
One bagyo night that year, the rain poured down, the wind howled, the Marikina River was surging. In the patchwork kubo on the shore in Barangay Tumana, the oil lamp of Mang Lino—a lonely old fisherman—flickered in the wind. He was used to the wind and rain, but he was still startled when he heard a cry tearing through the night:

Help… help me!

Mang Lino rushed out and saw a small figure being swept away by the whirlpool. Without thinking, he jumped in and struggled hard in the fierce waves. After struggling for a long time, he pulled a little girl to the shore. Her body trembling, her eyes lost, he put on a raincoat and hugged her close to his chest:

My child, hang in there, Lolo is here…

That night, the child fell asleep in the torn blanket. The next morning, as soon as the sky brightened, Mang Lino woke up and… the girl had disappeared. He ran along the riverbank and asked around the kapitbahay, but no one knew; as if the child was just a ghost in the storm.

Ten years passed. Mang Lino’s hair was white, his back was even more hunched, still by the same river. People asked him why he didn’t move back to live with his son Anton in Quezon City, he just laughed hoarsely:
— I’m used to the river, where can I go.

But in his heart, he never stopped missing the child in the stormy night. One night he dreamed of a tiny hand tightly holding his hand in the flood, and when he woke up, his heart was pounding.

In Anton’s eyes, his father was just a stubborn old man. He blamed:
— Why is Tatay clinging to this river? There’s plenty of room in the city. It’s dangerous here, if something happens, who will know and take care?

Mang Lino was silent. Anton didn’t understand, this was the place where he saved a life, where memories were anchored.

One hot summer day, the volunteer group returned to the barangay to give gifts to poor children. During the ceremony in the covered court, Mang Lino saw a young girl step up to speak. Her voice was warm, her eyes bright:
— I am Jade, 22 years old, working at a charity organization in Quezon City. I grew up in Bahay Ampunan. Ten years ago, I was saved from a flood by someone. Since then, I have dreamed of becoming a support for others.

Mang Lino was stunned. The name Jade—“jade”, that face… was the little girl from years ago! His heart was pounding, his old eyes were filled with tears…

After the ceremony, he approached tremblingly:
— Are you… the child that night of the storm and flood?

Jade was startled. When he recounted each moment of that rainy night, she burst into tears:
— Lolo… was the one who saved me!

The two hugged each other. Ten years of pent-up anger burst forth.

Since then, Jade often visited Mang Lino, treating him as a relative, making up for the years of being an orphan. The Kubo riverside suddenly filled with laughter. But that made Anton upset. He was already upset because his father refused to go to the city; now seeing a “strange girl” who was closer to his father than his own daughter, he got angry:
— Tatay is so funny! A complete stranger is treated like a child. And Tatay doesn’t listen to anything his child says.

Mang Lino pondered:
— Jade is not a stranger. If Tatay hadn’t saved her that day, she would have died. Tatay owes the river his gratitude, and he bears responsibility for it.

— What responsibility! — Anton snapped — She only uses Tatay to gain a good reputation.

Jade listened, tears welling up. She quietly turned away, her heart aching.

One time Anton came home, saw his father and Jade sweeping the yard, laughing and talking, he couldn’t stand it, and shouted:
— Tatay, do you know what people say? That you’re old but still want to have fun with young girls!

Mang Lino turned pale. Jade burst into tears and ran out of the yard.

The next day, she came to say goodbye:
— Maybe I shouldn’t show up again, so Kuya Anton wouldn’t misunderstand. But please believe me, my heart is filled with gratitude.

Mang Lino held her hand, hoarsely:
— You are the blessing of Tatay’s life. Don’t let chismis (words of the world) drive us apart.

Rumors continued to spread throughout the neighborhood. Anton became more and more harsh, forcing his father to move back to the city. Mang Lino was exhausted from the conflict, his heart disease relapsed.

In his critical condition, Jade drove him to Marikina Valley Medical Center, and took care of him. Anton witnessed the girl staying up all night, worrying about every little thing, then gradually woke up.

One night, Anton sat by the hospital bed, watching his father breathing heavily, watching Jade carefully cover herself with a blanket. He choked:
— I… was wrong. I’m sorry.

Jade shook her head slightly:
— I just hope you understand, my feelings for Tatay are father-daughter. Tatay is my benefactor—the only family I have.

Anton bowed his head. For the first time, he saw his father’s eyes light up with joy, even though it was weak.

After that time, Mang Lino recovered and moved back to Quezon City to live with Anton, but he still told him:
— Let Tatay come back to visit the river and visit little Jade sometimes.

Anton nodded, no longer objecting.

Ten years after their reunion, the relationship of the three became a family. Jade called Mang Lino “Tatay”, and Anton “Kuya”. Every holiday, the three of them gathered around a warm tray of adobo, pansit, and sinigang.

Mang Lino was satisfied, holding the hands of his two “children”:
— Tatay’s life seemed to have no regrets. That stormy night, Tatay not only saved a life—Tatay also had a daughter.
Jade’s tears fell on her skinny hands, and Anton smiled:
— I also thank Jade. Thanks to you, I understand what true family love is.