Fearing that no one would marry me, my mother forced me to marry a dishwasher whose daughter was three years old. On my wedding day, as I was going to pick up the bride, my mother suddenly fainted—and I was astonished to see who would emerge…
For ten years, my mother feared only one thing:
«You’re forty, Miguel! If you don’t get married now, you might grow old alone!»
In our small barangay outside Manila, I was known as Miguel, the plumber and electrician—dark-skinned, quiet, and not particularly handsome.
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Family Games
Whenever marriage was mentioned, the neighbors would say,
«Oh, it’s hard to find a wife.»
I grew accustomed to being alone, until one day my mother said:
«Maria, there’s a woman on the corner. She’s nice, quiet, and hardworking.
She has a three-year-old son, but he’s a good boy. Marry him, my son. Don’t choose.»
I fell silent.
I didn’t love her, but I felt sorry for my elderly mother.
It was just the two of us in the house.
I agreed. If not for myself, then for my mother.
The wedding preparations were simple. My mother was very happy and even boasted to the neighbors:
«My future daughter-in-law is poor, but she respects others and is hardworking.»
The wedding day arrived.
The sun shone brightly, as if it were burning my skin.
I wore only a rented coat, and my hand holding the bouquet was still trembling.
The procession stopped in front of an old house in Quezon City.
Mom asked,
«Why don’t I see her three-year-old son? She always takes him with her when she washes dishes.»
I also said that maybe the woman’s family was hiding him so people wouldn’t gossip. Family Games
Mom nodded, clearly relieved.
I stood outside, my heart heavy. I had no idea how this wedding would end.
When the music started and the bride descended the stairs, I heard a loud «thud!» behind me—Mom had fallen!
Everyone panicked. I went to her, but I saw her staring straight ahead, her mouth open and her hands shaking.
When I turned around, I froze—I stiffened, and a cold sweat broke out on me.
The woman in front of me was no longer the same dishwasher I knew from the cafeteria.
She was no longer wearing her old clothes or sandals. Instead, she wore a white wedding dress, and gold jewelry adorned her neck, hands, and hair—glittering in the sun.
Our family whispered,
“Wow, just a dishwasher, and yet she looks rich?”
Even the bride’s family was surprised:
“Maybe the groom’s family is rich, but that’s not obvious!”
Then the bride’s parents emerged—dressed in barongs and elegant attire, calm and smiling warmly:
“Good morning, friends. Today we present to you our youngest son.”
My mother smiled, but suddenly a three-year-old boy ran up and hugged the bride’s dress, crying:
“Sister, take me with you!”
Everyone was shocked. They all thought it was the bride’s son. But the bride’s mother smiled and explained,
«He’s my son too. He’s our youngest.
He’s very close to his sister, so wherever she goes, he wants to go too.
Last summer, he and his sister went to help wash dishes at our cousin’s cafe.»
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Family Games
Everyone laughed—it turned out we were wrong.
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Family Games
The wedding went off without a hitch. It was full of laughter and joy.
I thought I was getting married just to make my mom happy, but in the end, I got a good, beautiful wife with a heart of gold.
So everyone, don’t be afraid of a late wedding.
Sometimes the right person comes along—even if you’re forty.
Just like me, Miguel, from a quiet barangay in the Philippines.
