I decided to give my grandson and granddaughter 50,000 pesos as a reward after their college entrance exams, but their different reactions made me sad.

My life, Maria Teresa Santos , has been attached to the podium for more than sixty years, witnessing many generations of students grow up. Now, in the twilight of my life, when my retirement papers are neatly tucked away in the drawer, my husband – Eduardo Santos , also a retired teacher – and I live a peaceful, carefree life. We are not rich, but with a little savings, plus a monthly pension, life is still stable.

Every morning when he wakes up, the scent of barako coffee wafts from his room, the sound of sparrows chirping on the balcony, all paint a simple yet happy picture.

We have two children, a boy and a girl, both of whom are married and have families of their own. The eldest, Roberto , is six years older than the youngest, Liza . Coincidentally, their children were born in the same year, so our grandchildren are the same age.

My son-in-law Miguel ‘s mother unfortunately passed away early, so when my grandson Paulo was born, my daughter was left to take care of him alone. When Paulo was a little older, Liza had to go back to work, so my grandson was sent to my house, and I took care of him just like my grandson Marco .

At that time, I had just retired. All day I was with the two children, taking care of their meals, their sleep, and guiding them through their writing. As a teacher, I had even higher expectations for their education.

Outsiders often say that in the Philippines, there is a bias towards grandchildren, but I am proud that I have never been like that. With Paulo, because he does not have a grandmother, I love him even more.

Years passed, they grew up and could take care of their own education. I only supported them with tuition fees, found good teachers, and paid for extra classes. I never discriminated: pocket money was divided equally, clothes were bought in pairs, and food was divided equally.

After the university entrance exam, Mr. Eduardo and I decided to give both of them a reward, as a word of encouragement.

That evening, the whole family gathered at their home in Quezon City : son, daughter-in-law, daughter, son-in-law, and in-laws. The atmosphere was warm and filled with laughter.

Before the meal, I held two red envelopes, each containing 50,000 pesos:
— No matter what your score is, my grandparents have promised to reward you. This is a small gift, remember to use it properly.

Marco – grandson – immediately accepted, eyes shining. I told him:
– Buy a laptop for studying, all the documents are needed now.
He nodded, immediately gave it to his mother to keep.

When it came to Paulo, my granddaughter, I also gave her an envelope with the same instructions. But Paulo hesitated a bit, and my daughter spoke up:
— Mom, let us take care of it. We have already bought the computer and phone. You keep the money for yourself.

I still insisted on giving it. She accepted, but timidly.

After the meal, Marco excitedly said he wanted to go to Cebu to travel with his friends, and asked for another 15,000 pesos to buy a flycam to record videos. I agreed, but said I would buy it for Paulo too to be fair.

Paulo immediately refused:
— I won’t play that, grandma. I have enough. You keep the money and spend it, or go on a vacation.

Those words made me tear up. My daughter-in-law praised Paulo for being good, but Marco said:
— You and your parents think it’s normal. Everyone does.

The words were like a knife. I tossed and turned all night.

In the following days, I paid more attention: Paulo always took the initiative to help with housework and asked about his grandparents’ health. Marco was still carefree, doing his work but perfunctorily.

One afternoon, Marco asked for 5,000 pesos to buy accessories for his flycam. When I reminded him that I had already given him a lot, he grumbled:
— 50,000 pesos can’t do much, ma’am.

Paulo came back, saw that I was tired, helped me sit down, made me some tea, and chatted with me. Small gestures but warm my heart.

The climax was the day I accidentally heard Marco brag to his friend on the phone:
— My grandparents are very indulgent, they give me as much as I want. Many times I pretended to be sick to ask for money.

I was numb. The feeling of being taken advantage of hurt more than anything. I told Mr. Eduardo, he said we had to talk frankly.

That night, he made Marco sit down and listen, recounting everything he and his wife had done for their two grandchildren. When he mentioned the phone call, Marco bowed his head, his shoulders shook, and then burst into tears:
— I’m sorry, Grandma, I’m sorry, Grandpa. I was just joking… I was wrong.

We hugged him and told him we just wanted him to know how to appreciate and love.

From that day on, Marco changed: he visited his grandparents more often, helped with housework, and was less glued to his phone. Paulo and Marco also became closer.

In the summer, Marco offered to take the whole family and Paulo to Batangas for a vacation, to film a video of the beach with a flycam. During the trip, he held my hand:
— Grandma, thank you for everything. I love you so much.

Paulo sat next to me, leaning his head on my shoulder:
— You are the most wonderful people.

I hugged them both, looked at the vast blue sea, and felt relieved. I understood that, even though it was sometimes heartbreaking, in the end, true love still connected everything.