Just Because of a Meal of Vegetables and Tofu, I Hurt My Husband—and I Will Carry Regret for the Rest of My Life

Dinner that night seemed like just another ordinary day, but it turned out to be a wound that would never heal in my heart.

On the table, there were only a few simple dishes: a plate of steamed spinach, a bowl of sweet potato root soup, and fried tofu that was golden brown. My wife Luz—who used to be so attentive—now served a simple meal that my mother, Aling Rosario, was not pleased with.

My mother frowned and said firmly:
– “There is no shortage in this house, why is it that there is no meat or fish? Other daughters-in-law know how to be attentive, but you…”

Luz looked surprised, her face clearly tired. She had been working in the office for several days while still taking care of our feverish daughter. She no longer had the energy to cook a fancy meal. My husband couldn’t help but reply:
– “Mom, I’m sorry. I’ve been busy all day. I thought, if dinner is light, it might not be bad. Tomorrow, I’ll cook it better.”

But instead of my mother’s head cooling down, it got even hotter. To her ears, the son-in-law seemed rude and combative.
– “I raised my son to be taken care of, not to be talked to like that!” – he replied firmly.

Suddenly the air in the whole house became heavy. I, Rogelio, sat there, listening to the exchange of words between the two most important women in my life. My chest was rumbling, and the only thing that came to mind was: “My husband answers to my mother!” I forgot how much Luz had been tired and sacrificed.

Anger consumed me. I stood up, shouting:
– “Enough! Stop answering to your mother-in-law!”

And in a flash of emotion, I pushed and kicked her.

Everything was silent. Luz fell to the floor, her eyes wide, tears flowing silently. Our son Jomar, who was seven years old, cried loudly on the side. Mother herself, stunned and unable to believe that I could do that.

As I gasped for breath, looking at Luz who was shaking, only then did I feel the weight of my sin. But because of the thickness of my pride, I did not support her. I turned my back on her, leaving her to cry and hug her knees.

That night, Luz did not let go of me without a word. She quietly set the table, put Jomar to bed, and lay down with her back to me. In the darkness, I heard her weak cries. It hurt me, but I pretended not to hear.

The days passed, and it seemed as if a wall was separating us. Her gaze was no longer so tender, her smiles were no longer so warm. She was still doing her duty as a wife and mother, but her heart seemed to be slowly drifting away.

One afternoon, after picking up Jomar from school, she uttered the words that shattered my world:
– “Rogelio, we should probably break up for now. I’m so tired.”

I was shocked, not knowing how to handle the situation. She picked Jomar up and went home to her parents’ house. I was left alone in the cold house.

Only then did I finally understand the value of a table full of vegetables and tofu. That was not a sign of neglect, but a sign of my husband’s overwork and exhaustion that left him almost powerless. I was the blind one who couldn’t see before.

Mother herself repented:
– “Rogelio, I got angry with your son-in-law because I wanted to take care of you. But the biggest mistake was yours. When a man hits his wife, the family is useless.”

My conscience weighed even more heavily. That one kick not only knocked Luz down, but also destroyed our home.

I tried to apologize several times at Luz’s parents’ house. But she accepted it without a word, without expression. The eyes that were once full of love, were now cold and distant. Jomar, on the other hand, was hugging his mother tightly, looking at me with anger and fear.

Every night, I thought about that scene—Luz falling to the floor, Jomar crying, and Mother in a daze. I tried to think: “If only I could turn back time, I would have stopped myself. Instead of hurting her, I would have just hugged her.” But there was really no more “just in case.”

To this day, I am still here in that house, but there is no longer any laughter or smiles. The simple spinach and tofu we once ate are no longer just food—but shadows of my mistakes, memories of an action that ruined everything.

And I carry my regret with me for the rest of my life.

The Person I Can’t Go Back To

A few months have passed since that night—the night that marks me as the darkest day of my life.

The house that used to be full of laughter, now feels like a graveyard of memories. Every night I come home from work, silence greets me. Luz, who used to reach for my slippers, is gone, Jomar is no longer happily clinging to my leg. Instead, there is a cold floor, no light, and me—alone.

I can’t stand this lifestyle. So almost every week, I muster up the courage to go to Luz’s parents’ house.

At first, she ignores me. I’m just air in her eyes. She holds Jomar tightly, as if she’s afraid I’ll snatch her away. And every time our eyes meet, I feel like there’s a wall I can never push through.

– “Luz… forgive me. I don’t know how I can ever make up for the pain I caused.” – I repeated, almost kneeling in front of her.

But she was silent. I didn’t know if the tears in her eyes were for me, or for her own wound that would never heal.

As for Jomar, every time I approached, he would turn to his mother and hold her tighter. His eyes—the eyes of a child—were filled with fear and anger. That was when I was completely crushed. It wasn’t just Luz I had hurt, my innocent daughter too.

Mother’s Advice

One night, while I was coming home carrying alcohol to escape my conscience, my mother, Aling Rosario, met me. He looked deeply into her eyes, and said softly:

– “Rogelio, stop drinking. If you want to get your family back, the answer is not in the bottle. Do it, one step at a time, every day, show that you have changed. Sorry is not enough.”

I bowed my head. What he said was true. I have apologized many times, but what is the use of words without action?

The Beginning of Change

So I started to fix myself. I stopped drinking. I focused more on work, saved money, and every Saturday, I went to the barangay to help with volunteer activities.

One day, a neighbor whispered to Luz:

– “You know, I saw Rogelio, helping to feed the children in the plaza. He is different now.”

I don’t know what effect this had on him. But my only wish was: even if he couldn’t accept me back, at least he could see that I was truly sorry.

The Reunion

One day, Jomar fell ill. He had a high fever, and Luz was not at his parents’ house. My mother-in-law called me.

I rushed to the health center. There I saw Luz, holding Jomar’s hand, obviously awake and tired. When I entered, she did not push me away. She did not speak either, but she let me sit on the side.

I held my son’s hand. He slowly opened his eyes, and for the first time in months, he did not push me away. Instead, he said softly:
– “Dad… don’t hurt Mom anymore.”

I felt like I was nailed to the chair. My son’s voice, thin and weak, was the strongest slap I could get.

A Trial of Fate

A few weeks later, Luz invited me to join them at church for mass. I don’t know if that was a sign of forgiveness, or simply an acknowledgement that I was still Jomar’s father. But for me, it was a ray of hope.

Inside the church, as we knelt together, I closed my eyes and prayed fervently:
– “Lord, give me one more chance. I won’t ask for more. Just one chance to make up for my mistake.”

When the mass was over, Luz still hadn’t spoken to me. But outside, when she took Jomar’s hand, she didn’t let go when I came to support them.

And that’s when I felt it: my steps may still be small, but I was starting to get back on the path I had broken long ago