The husband worked abroad, the wife borrowed 500,000 pesos for him to protect himself. In the first months, he regularly sent money home, then gradually stopped calling and writing letters. Until the woman received a gift box from her friend – and what was inside stopped her from speaking.
Marco and I got married in 2018, in a small town on the coast of Batangas. On the wedding day, there was no dowry or gold in the wedding, only his heart and a simple promise:
“I will work in Japan for a few years, save money and come back to open a shop for you, to give our children a better future.”
Because of my trust in my husband, I borrowed money from everywhere, saving up enough 500,000 pesos to take care of the processes for him to work abroad. The small house my parents left at the beginning of the village also had to be mortgaged to the bank.
The day he flew, I carried my three-year-old son, standing in the middle of the airport to say goodbye to him, tears streaming down my dress but still trying to smile. For the first few months, he kept his promise. Every month, he sent 20,000 pesos, as regular as clockwork.
I raised my children, paid my debts, and dreamed of his return. In my heart, I had only faith – my husband had the will, and he would succeed. But the happiness was fleeting.
In the sixth month, I received a handwritten letter, several pages long, from Osaka, Japan:
“Work has been difficult these past few days, the company has reduced working hours, and wages have been reduced. Please try to save, I will send less from now on…”
I loved him, without hesitation. Since then, the money returned was only 10,000, then 5,000, then occasionally.
In 2022, he sent a total of 30,000 pesos. In 2023, that number was only 10,000. Since the beginning of 2024, he has completely lost contact.
The phone is off, social media is silent, and people from the same town are saying:
“Marco left his old home, no one knows where he went.”
I started to worry. Every night I would hug my child and cry silently. The debt was still there, my son was about to enter first grade, and I was so tired.
Every time my son asked:
“Mom, when is Dad coming home?”
I would just turn away, biting my lip to stop crying. With no news for the eighth month, I decided to fly to Japan to look for my husband. I told my mother-in-law:
“Mom, I’m going to Japan.
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