A GREEDY MAN RUTHLESSLY CHEATS A MOURNING MOTHER ABOUT HER LOST SON AT SEA TO EXCEED MONEY BUT HE DIDN’T EXPECT IT TO TAKE A LONG TIME FOR THE WOMAN TO KNOW THE TRUTH

The sky was dark in the town of San Juan, Batangas. Strong waves were crashing against the rocks, accompanied by a relentless downpour of cold rain. Inside a small, simple house near the beach, Aling Rosa sat in front of a small altar. A candle was lit next to a photo of her only son, Tomas. Tomas was the pillar of their home, a hardworking and kind fisherman who had no other dream than to provide a decent life for his widowed mother.

Two weeks had passed since Tomas went out to sea on his small motorboat to fish, but he never returned. Authorities said it was likely swept away by a powerful storm, and search and rescue operations were called off after the first week. But in a mother’s heart, the absence of a body meant a thin thread of hope that her beloved child might still be alive.

While Rosa was praying silently, there was a loud knock on her door. When she opened it, a man soaked in the rain appeared. He was wearing a black jacket and had a deep scar on his cheek. He was Dante, a stranger in their town who was known for being an agent for various businesses in the market and owned a small pawnshop.

“Which Rosa,” Dante began, whispering and looking around as if he were hiding something. “We need to talk. It’s about Tomas.”

Rosa’s eyes widened. She immediately let the man in and carefully closed the door. “What do you know about my son? Is he alive?” the old man asked, trembling and full of hope.

Dante nodded, letting out a deep sigh that seemed full of pity. “He’s alive, Aling Rosa. His boat was washed ashore on the other island. My colleagues working in a secret harbor found him. He was injured, his head was badly hit from hitting the coral, but he was still breathing.”

Rosa sobbed. She fell to her knees and held her chest. “Thank God! Where is he? Take me to him right now! We need to get him to the hospital before his condition worsens!”

Dante grabbed the old man’s shoulder to steady him, his face serious. “That’s where we have a problem. The people who got him are not good people. They are the ones who lead the illegal trade on that island. They won’t let Tomas go for nothing. They need a hundred thousand pesos for medical treatment and for your son’s freedom.”

“A hundred thousand?” Rosa said in tears, her forehead aching. “Where will I get such a large sum of money? I’m just a lowly vendor complaining here in the market!”

To prove his story, Dante reached into his pocket. He pulled out a necklace with a silver cross. “Look. Tomas gave it to me. He said it’s proof that I really came from him. You know this necklace, don’t you?”

Page: SAY – Story Around You | Original story

Rosa took the necklace. She looked at it as her tears continued to flow. She hugged it tightly to her chest. “Yes… it’s for my son. I’ll do anything. I’ll sell the land my husband left me. I’ll borrow from the cooperative or the neighbors. Just give me some time to raise the money.”

Dante smiled secretly, his eyes shining with greed. “Okay. I’ll wait for you at eight o’clock tonight at the abandoned lighthouse at the end of the bay. You’re going alone. If you’re with the police or anyone else, you’ll never see your son alive again. Is that clear?”

“Yes, yes,” Rosa nodded quickly, filled with desperation and fear.

By eight o’clock at night, the rain had become heavier and the wind from the sea was howling. At the foot of the dark and abandoned lighthouse, Dante was waiting. He was wearing a thick raincoat, anxious to get his hands on the large amount of money. A few moments later, he saw a figure walking closer from the darkness. It was Aling Rosa, carrying a heavy black duffel bag.

“Do you have the money?” Dante asked as he eagerly reached for the bag.

Rosa handed him the bag without a word. Dante quickly opened it and shone his flashlight on it. But instead of bundles of blue and yellow money, what he saw were torn old newspapers and large rocks used as weights.

Dante’s eyes burned with intense anger. “What nonsense is this, old man?! Do you want your son to die right now?!” He pulled out a gun hidden in his coat and mercilessly pointed it at Rosa’s forehead.

But Rosa didn’t scream or cry. Her face that had been filled with fear and desperation was replaced by a cold and brave expression. She stared at Dante in the eyes without blinking.

“You can’t kill him,” Rosa replied calmly, ignoring the cold steel of the gun pointed at her. “Because he’s been dead for two days.”

Dante stopped. His whole body went cold. “W-What are you saying?”

“Yesterday morning, the Coast Guard found Tomas’ boat. His cold body was hanging from the nets. He had no wounds from the storm. He had a hard blow to the head, and his boat’s engine was stolen,” the old man coldly explained as he stood under the rain. “The pirates killed him before the storm even arrived.”

Dante’s hand holding the gun was shaking. “W-If you knew, why did you come here? Are you crazy?!”

“I came to find out who the animal was that did this to my son,” Rosa replied bravely. She took the silver necklace from her pocket and held it up in front of the man. “When you showed it earlier as proof that he was alive, I knew right away that you were lying. Because Tomas never wore this necklace at sea because he was afraid of losing it in the water. He pawned it at your very pawnshop three weeks ago so he could buy crude oil.”

Dante’s eyes widened. Before he could speak or run, the entire area suddenly lit up. Bright spotlights came on from cars parked behind the trees. Armed police and Maritime Group personnel were already surrounding him.

“Put down your gun! Hands up and get on the ground!” shouted the police chief from a megaphone.

Dante could do nothing more. He dropped his weapon as the authorities handcuffed him. It was discovered that he was not just a lowly scammer, but the very brain behind a series of piracy and theft of boat engines throughout the province that claimed the lives of many innocent fishermen.

Rosa approached the handcuffed and prone Dante. She stared at him with determination and anger. “A mother’s love does not always result in blindness. Sometimes, it gives us the clarity to see demons pretending to be angels.”

The next day, the beach was peaceful. Rosa had obtained justice for her son. And even though the law could never bring Tomas’ life back, the old man knew that he had saved the lives of hundreds of fishermen from the greed of a man who used death to make money.