The POOR girl took her child to the city to find her father, but he cruelly rejected her. And the ending made everyone choke up
Lani was born in a poor rural area of ​​Sorsogon. At the age of 20, she fell in love with a city boy who worked in a construction site near her house: Marco Villanueva – a warm voice, tall figure, always making her believe that no one would love her more in this life.

That belief was shattered when Lani discovered she was pregnant. Hoping for a marriage, she told Marco. But the cold answer came down:
— “You still have a career, not ready to be a father. You… take care of yourself.”

Lani returned to the thatched house with her belly. Nanay was weak, so she worked in the fields and washed dishes for hire to raise her child. On rainy nights, she stayed up all night holding her child, promising herself that one day she would let him meet his father, even if only once.

Seven years passed. Little Nio was obedient but kept asking:
— “Mom, where is my dad?”
Lani could only whisper: “Your father is in Manila, working hard.”

Thanks to an acquaintance, Lani knew that Marco was now the owner of a mid-sized construction company, living in BGC, Taguig. She saved every penny, bought a bus ticket to Cubao station, and took Nio on the road. In her bag: a few old clothes, some savings, a photo of Marco when he was still in the countryside.

Arriving in front of a high-rise apartment building, Lani’s hands shook as she rang the doorbell. Marco opened the door—his eyes froze and then turned cold very quickly:
— “What are you doing here?”
— “I… just want you to see your father…” – Lani choked.

Nio timidly held her mother’s hand.

Marco glanced at the boy, then turned to Lani:
— “I made it clear before. Don’t disturb my life anymore.”

The door slammed shut. Mother and son stood alone in the windy hallway.

That night, not daring to rent an expensive place to stay, Lani asked to sleep on a folding chair of a karinderya by the roadside. The owner took pity on her and brought her and her child a bowl of hot noodles. Nio ate deliciously, with noodles still stuck to her mouth, then looked up:
— “It’s okay if I don’t see Dad. I only need Mom.”

That needle hit the deepest part of Lani’s heart. She hugged her child, amidst the sound of jeepneys on the street, her heart filled with determination: she would raise Nio to be a good person without anyone’s pity.

The next morning, passing by a construction site in Ortigas, Pasig, Lani heard the manager say she was short of people. Thinking about the bus fare and meals for her child, she took a risk and asked to be a construction worker. During the day, she carried bricks, at night she washed dishes and cleaned the shop; Nio sat at the corner of a nearby sari-sari store drawing random things while waiting for her mother. Every night, Lani came home with dirty clothes but still smiled, because at least the mother and child still had a porch to sleep under.

One afternoon, while Lani was carrying a bag of cement, a black SUV stopped. Marco got out to talk to the manager. Nio stared. When Marco was about to leave, the boy ran up and handed him a piece of paper, making him stop…

— “I drew this for you. This is me and my mother.”
Marco paused when he saw the scribbles and the childish writing next to the two figures: “I love you the most.”

That night, Marco appeared at the karinderya where mother and son had dinner. He sat down, his voice low:

“I’m sorry… I was wrong.”

He said, looking at the drawing, he remembered his foolish youth and the years of fullness but emptiness.

“I don’t expect you to forgive me right away. I just want to provide for you, so that Nio can have the conditions to study properly.”

Lani looked at her child and replied slowly:

“I’ll accept it for you. You don’t need anything for yourself. And you have to keep your word.”

From that day on, Marco opened a savings account for Nio, transferring money regularly every month. He visited occasionally, no longer avoiding her. Nio gradually got used to the fact that “Uncle Marco” was a small part of her life.

Many years later, Nio was admitted to the University of the Philippines – Diliman. On the first day of school, Marco stood silently at the school gate, handing Lani an envelope:
— “Thank you for raising our child better than I ever thought possible.”

Lani received it, only nodding slightly. In her heart, she knew she had won—not against Marco, but against the circumstances, against the cruelty that had wanted to crush mother and child.

Humanistic message:
Sometimes, life does not give us a complete family; but a mother’s love and sacrifice can become the strongest shelter for her child. And if there is still a chance, correct your mistakes before it’s too late—because there are doors that can only be opened by courage and kindness.