The daughter-in-law urged her husband to kick his father out of the house to take the land—But just a week later, the two faced a bitter end…
“If this old man is still here, when will we have land to build a big house? Don’t you feel cramped? For so many years, your father has been stubbornly holding onto that piece of land. If you don’t kick him out, don’t blame me for not having any love between us!”

Liza’s words—the daughter-in-law who was known for her calculating ways—made the atmosphere in the warm house suddenly sink. Marco, Mang Tomas’ only son, was silent. He knew that his father was over seventy, his health was getting worse, and he had spent his whole life farming to raise his children. That piece of land of more than 400 square meters in the suburbs of Quezon City was all his savings, and it was also where he wanted to spend his old age.

But Liza was not willing. Since marrying Marco, she always felt sorry for herself when her friends all had nice houses, while she and her husband had to live with her father in an old house. Jealousy and greed grew.

One evening, after dinner, Liza brought up the topic again:
– “Think about it, if we sell half of the land and build a house on the street, we will have both a place to do business and a place to live. Father is old, let him go back to Bicol to live with Uncle Hai. Why stay here and make it cramped?”

Marco sighed, but his heart was also wavering. He loved his father, but he did not deny his dream of having his own, more spacious house. Gradually, Liza’s tactful and harsh words made Marco soften.

A week later, Marco mustered up the courage to tell his father:
– “Dad… I’ve thought about it. Our house is too cramped. Why don’t you go back to the countryside to live with Uncle Hai, we will send you money every month.”

Mang Tomas was silent, his old eyes filled with tears:
– “Do you really want me to go? My whole life has been attached to this land, where your mother’s altar is, where every tree my father planted…”

But Marco avoided that gaze. Behind him, Liza crossed her arms, looking determined. Under the pressure of her son and daughter-in-law, Mang Tomas just quietly packed a few sets of clothes, took the old wooden chest, and left the house where he had lived for more than half his life.

The day he left, the whole barangay was in an uproar. Some blamed Liza for being cruel, others criticized Marco for being unfilial. But both husband and wife ignored it, busy dreaming about their new house. Marco quickly completed the procedures to transfer the land title, to prepare for a bank loan to build a house.

But just a week later, the incident began to happen. The bank refused to lend because it required documents proving full ownership, while Mang Tomas still kept a part of the land. Not only that, the uncle from Batangas suddenly spoke up, claiming that the land was his inheritance.

Meanwhile, the news that Marco and Liza had chased their father away spread throughout the barangay, causing them to be shunned by neighbors and scorned by friends. The gossip behind their backs became an invisible burden.

Liza was angry:
– “Why didn’t you make your father sign over everything from the beginning? Now there’s trouble!”
Marco was silent. He knew that his father was cautious and would never give up all the land without being satisfied.

The uncle also presented documents proving that the land was jointly inherited by Marco’s grandparents. For many years, because he felt sorry for his widowed younger brother, he kept silent, but when he heard that Marco and Liza were planning to sell the land, he decided to reclaim his share.

Paying the price

Unable to borrow money, Marco and Liza turned to black market loans to repair the house. But the interest grew and the debt piled up. When the court officially accepted the land dispute, Mang Tomas brought an old wooden chest – containing all the original documents – to testify.

Before the barangay officials, he said:
– “This land is the part my grandparents left me. I kept it for worship and for my old age. I only let Marco live with me, and never allowed him to sell it.”

Marco bowed his head, his face red with shame. Liza muttered:
– “This old man is so stubborn…”

The final verdict: most of the land belonged to Mang Tomas and his uncle, leaving only a small part for Marco.

With no way back, they were forced by the lenders to sell their small land at a low price to pay off their debts. From their dream of “a big house, a bustling store”, they finally lost everything – no more land, no more money.

The rumor spread throughout the village, and everyone shook their heads:
– “Mayabang kasi. God is fair.”

The bitter end

The house was unfinished, surrounded by debt, the couple argued endlessly. Marco remembered the image of his father silently carrying the wooden chest and walking out of the gate, his heart tormented. One night, he returned to his hometown, knelt before his father:

“Inay… Tatay… I was wrong. Please forgive me.”

Mang Tomas put his hand on his son’s shoulder, just sighed softly:

“It’s okay to know you’re wrong. But mistakes come at a very high price.”

The whole village knew about it. Marco and Liza could no longer hold their heads up. They had traded everything – land, honor, happiness – to realize a bitter lesson:

Pushing their father out of the house was pushing themselves into the abyss