Cherry is silently watching her husband chatting with his workmates. She waited with hope to catch a glimpse of a woman that he was hiding. She had already been there for an hour but found nothing suspicious, so she decided to return home.
That wouldn't be the last time she investigated. She wouldn't stop until she knew the truth. In the following days, her suspicions grew stronger when it happened to see the calendar.
Her eyes widened in surprise upon realizing the date.
"It's already August 17? Tsk. I didn't even notice Alfred had his salary."
She forgot to ask him to give her money for their household expenses. She'd been so busy taking care of the kids and handling household chores that was completely slipped her mind.
When Alfred came home from work, she immediately served him a dinner to help him relax.
"How's my baby?" He said affectionately to Cyprus, brushing past Carina. He only acknowledged their biological child.
Cherry felt a pang of sadness for Carina, who was being ignored of the man that she considered to be her father.
"Come and eat, I have just finished cooking," She invited warmly.
"Can you get me a glass of water?" Alfred ordered. Cherry quickly got him one—he didn't even thank her.
They began eating together. Cherry tried to bring up the topic about the salary.
"By the way, I forgot to ask you the other day for a money for the household budget. I ran out of cash paying the water and electricity bills."**
"So what if you forgot?" He snapped. "And you've got some nerve asking me the budget after you bitterly talked to me in the hospital with your neighbor meddling with us that seems better than mine?"
"I speak like that to you, Alfred," Cherry clarified gently.
Alfred smirked. "Don't even try to deny it now." He slammed his spoon down. "No matter how nice you ask, you will not get anything from me anymore."
"The kids are here,"** Cherry said, trying to stay composed. Despite her husband's attitude, she tried to remain positive.
After that, Alfred left her to feed the children. Cherry couldn't help but cry from the way he treated her. Once the kids had eaten, she washed them up and went with them to bed. When they were asleep, she quietly stepped out of the room and went to the toilet. There, she took out her phone and tried to call one of her siblings—but no one answering but it only ringing.
The next day, she left Cyprus and Carina with their neighbor, Aling Marietta. She didn't explain where she was going or show any sign of the emotional turmoil she was in. She didn't want to be a burden.
She returned to the place where she used to live. The area was still crowded, full of people hanging around drinking. Kids played in the streets. Nothing much had changed since she left. She headed straight to the house.
As she arrived, her siblings and parents came out to see who it was.
"It's Cherry!" exclaimed her older sister, Jessa. They hadn't seen each other in a long time.
"What's she doing here?"** her brother Henry muttered.
"What are you saying? You should be happy she's here,"** Jessa replied.
"Yeah, Kuya,"** Daryl agreed.
"Tsk, tsk. She probably needs something. That's why she showed up,"** Jonald chimed in.
Jessa didn't say anything further and rushed to greet her only sister. Her five children followed, as did Henry's seven.
All of them lived in the same house.
Cherry smiled and greeted her siblings.
"Good morning, Kuya Henry, Ate Jessy, Jonald, and Daryl," she said, then looked to the last two who came out. "Mama, Papa!" She smiled again. "How have you all been?"**
"You really have the courage to ask that after leaving us because of that man?" her mother said coldly. Henry and Jonald smirked, Daryl stay in silence.
"Why are you here?"** her father asked, it clearly displeased.
"Mama, Papa..." Jessa interjected. She looked at to their siblings. "Can we just forget the past? That was a long time ago already. What matters now she is here.."
"Us, will forget?"** Romualdo, their father, said again. "If you've forgotten how she left us, we haven't."
Cherry's smile faded. She felt deeply hurt by their words. She thought they'd be kinder—but they were still full of resentment.
"It was her right. We should respect her choices," Jessa said, trying to defend her.
"Stay out of this, Jessa. You don't know how much damage she caused after she left. She forgot about us, and now she's here just to ask for help," their father snapped.
Cherry lost the courage to explain why she had come. She bit her lip, clenched her hands, and began to sweat.
She gathered her strength and tried to speak again.
"That's not true, Papa."
"What's not true? You left us for that man. Why don't you ask him for help?" Henry added.
"Maybe he left her too. Just look at her—she's nothing like she has used to be," Jonald said with a laugh.
"Stop it, Nald!" Jessa scolded.
"That's not true," Cherry answered. "I came here to ask for a loan to help with some household expenses."
She finally stated what made her brought back. Henry and Jonald laughed mockingly while their parents frowned. Daryl and Jessa, however, looked at her with concern.
"You've got a lot of nerve, Cherry! After leaving us, now you showed up because you're in trouble?" Elena, their mother, scolding her.
"I didn't abandon you, Ma and Pa." She looked at her siblings. "I just fell in love. Is that forbidden?"
"You're the one asking for help, and you dare talk back?" Henry snapped with rudeness.
"You'd better leave now, Cherry, before we drag you out of this house," their father said without a hint of care.
"Please... I'm begging you. I just really need money to cover some bills. We're short this month," Cherry pleaded, trying to reason with them—but it seems useless.
"We have nothing to give you, Cherry. You'd better go. You've already ruined our day,"** Henry said, pushing her out of the compound.
"Wait, Kuya. This isn't right,"Jessa said, holding Henry back. Daryl joined her. "It's wrong to cast her aside just because she left. It's wrong to push her away now just because she has nothing to offer."**
"What are you talking about, Jessa?" their mother asked.
"Wasn't she the one helping us back when she was still single?"**
Everyone fell silent for a moment.
"Ate Jessa..."** Cherry motioned her to stop.
"No, Cherry. They need to hear where they went wrong."
"It's fine, Ate. If they won't help me, I understand."
Cherry slowly walked away, her sadness and disappointment appeared on her face. It hurt so much that after all the years she spent helping her family—giving nearly her whole salary to them—this was how they repaid her. She only stopped helping when she married Alfred.
She then went to her friends, who would be her last option. She forced a smile as she entered the restaurant.
She spoke to a waitress there. "Kristel, Olivia, and Rhea?"
"Just a moment, I'll call them," the waitress replied with a smile. The staff already knew her.
"Alright, thank you."
Few minutes later, the waitress returned alone and spoke to her again.
"I'm sorry, Ma'am. They will not see you from now. They said they had a meeting."
"Okay, thanks." Cherry gave a tight-lipped smile.
It was clear she had lost hope of finding someone to ask for help. She thought she could count on her friends, but they had left her behind too. After everything she did to help them back in school—with projects, assignments, their research, and more—this was how they repaid her.
Bad luck came to Cherry one after another. Their house lost electricity, which was why Alfred didn't come home. What would she do now?
They had just finished eating when someone knocked on the door. She placed her children in a safe seat and peeked through the peephole. She quickly opened the door.
"Aling Marietta, you came," she greeted.
The older woman noticed how dark Cherry's house was. She immediately commented.
"I'm sorry. We lost power, so we're managing with candles."
"When did this happen?" the woman asked again.
"Just yesterday. Please, come inside." Cherry tried to hide what she was really feeling. Getting upset wouldn't solve their problems.
"Where's your husband, by the way?" Cherry froze for a moment at the next question. She couldn't lie anymore.
"He's not here. He hasn't come home," she answered awkwardly.
Aling Marietta frowned. "What kind of husband he is? Leaving you in this situation?
He's the one who deserves to be left behind."
Cherry busied herself with taking care of her children. She wiped their faces and arms with a towel.
"It's not that simple, Aling Marietta," she said in defense. "We made a vow to altar infront."
"Your relationship means nothing if there's no concern for each other," The old woman said again, stepping closer to Cherry. "Here, take this."
"What is this for?" she asked timidly.
"It's to pay your electric bill. I can't bear to see you suffering like this."
Cherry was moved to tears by the woman's kindness. Of all people, it was those she least expected who showed her compassion and generosity. Unlike the ones she expected help from, it just abandoned her and then speaking such hurtful words.
She didn't hesitate anymore to accept the money. She really needed it to cover household expenses. She had no other option.
"Just don't tell your husband that I gave this to you," Aling Marietta reminded her.
"Yes, Ma'am," Cherry nodded in reply.
After settling the bills, another problem arose. She rushed Cyprus to the hospital due to a high fever.
She tried to call her husband, but the line just kept ringing.
At that moment, Alfred was out drinking with his coworkers.
"Hey, Fred, someone's calling you," Kenneth said, checking the phone that kept ringing. "It's your wife."
"Let her be. She'll just ask where I am," Alfred replied, continuing to drink.
He glanced at his phone briefly as Cherry kept calling. He took it and silenced it so it wouldn't distract him and his friends again.
"Maybe it's important. Your wife still calling," Lauro said.
"I know Cherry. She just talks nonsense," Alfred said as he poured himself another drink. "Let's just drink. Cheers." He continued with the drinking session while his wife was deeply troubled and looking for him.
Cherry later found out her son Cyrus had dengue. He needed a blood transfusion. Fortunately, they quickly found a donor with blood type O, which eased her burden a little.
"Here's money to pay the hospital," Aling Marietta said.
Cherry now felt embarrassed and almost tried to decline the favor.
"Oh no, Ma'am. Thank you, but that's okay."
"Take it, dear. Don't be shy. I know you need to pay the hospital." The woman gently took Cherry's arm and handed her the money.
"Don't refuse. Just take them," Aling Marietta said softly.
"I'll pay you back when things get better for us." Cherry felt a little lighter.
"Maybe once your family is finally okay."
"Alright. Thank you so much."
When Cyrus recovered, they returned home. Cherry sighed deeply at everything they had been through and wondered how she would ever repay their neighbor. She was deeply ashamed.
She found her husband in their room—sleeping. "Where have you been?"
"At work," The man answered upon hearing her.
"Work?"
"What do you think where would I go?" he asked. "If I went out to hang around, where would we get money for expenses?"
"I called you several times. You didn't answer. The kids needed you at that time," she said, referring to the time when Cyrus was sick and asking for his father.
"I was working, Cherry. Should I prioritize pity over food?"
"Sorry." That was all Cherry could say instead of arguing further. Nothing good would come of it, and she didn't want to stir up more trouble at home.
A week passed, but Cherry's doubts about her husband didn't go away. She often noticed his suspicious behavior. First, he was always annoyed with her and didn't even care. Second, he is no longer givinh money for household or child expenses. Third, he rarely came home, and there sometimes he only arrived in the morning. All of these it suspected her husband.
Now, she was riding a taxi to follow Alfred. But as time went on, the place became familiar.
"This is Brgy. Bagong Pag-asa," she thought as she glanced out the window. She saw the streets the car Alfred was in was heading to. "Don't tell me he's going to his family's house."
She instructed the taxi driver to keep following the car. After a while, she didn't suppose to follow it too closely instead they changed direction. She just stopped at a corner and paid the driver.
"Thank you, Kuya."
She rushed to Alfred's family home and, indeed, found him there. She remained in a distance to observe him. She saw that he was greeted by his mother and father and his brother, Anthony.
Alfred handed his brother some money that Cherry froze.
"Here's five grand for your tuition."
"Thanks a lot, Kuya," his brother said with a wide smile. Cherry knew this brother well—Anthony was a gambler. He often went to the billiards to play. When he was still working at a company, he would sneak off to the billiards during breaks. She wanted to tell Alfred, but she felt ashamed.
Alfred even patted Anthony's head. Then he gave ₱3,000 to his parents, who were in their late sixties.
Cherry couldn't help but to cry. All of Alfred's salary was going to his parents and siblings.
They were no different from her own family, who did nothing but ask her for money. When she had nothing left to give, they forgot about her, and worse, they spoke ill against her.
She immediately noticed Anthony leaving and decided to follow him. She confronted Alfred's brother at the billiards, and even his parent after Alfred left the house.
The next day, she received a harsh scolding from her husband.
"You've got some nerve. You actually went to our house just to pick a fight with my parents, and then you even had the guts to follow Anthony!" Alfred shouted, making Cyprus cry. Cherry quickly comforted the child and picked him up from the crib.
"How dare you even say something like that?"
"Alfred, the kids are here. Can we please talk about this calmly?" she asked in a soft voice.
"Talk about what?" he said in frustration. "There's nothing to talk about."
After a few seconds, he pulled some money out of his wallet. "Here—five thousand pesos!" He threw the bills, letting them scatter on the floor. "Happy now?"
With a scowl on his face, Alfred stormed out of the house. "Go ahead and eat that five thousand," he spat before leaving for good. Cherry let out a deep sigh as she began picking up the money one by one from the floor. Suddenly, tears started falling from her eyes—tears of pain from everything she had to endure.
A month passed. Now, Cherry and the kids were at a drugstore buying diapers, milk, medicine, and other health essentials for the children.
While walking through the store, she froze when someone called her name.
"Cherry, is that you?" A familiar male voice said from behind.