One hot afternoon, Ken, a 28-year-old rider, was delivering a parcel. He stopped at an old house in Quezon City.

“Man! Delivery for Soledad Cruz!” Ken shouted.

An old woman came out, shabby, with white hair and blurry eyes. She was Lola Soledad. When she saw Ken, her eyes widened. She suddenly ran (as fast as she could) and hugged the rider tightly.

“Mark! Son! My God, you’re alive! Come back!” Lola Soledad wailed as she hugged Ken’s waist. The old man smelled of efficascent oil and old clothes.

Ken was surprised. “P-Po? Lola, I’m just a delivery boy. I’m not Mark.”

The housekeeper, Ate Minda, came out. “Oh, I’m sorry, my dear. Grandma has Alzheimer’s. You look exactly like her son Mark who went abroad three years ago and never showed up.”

Ate Minda tried to push Lola Soledad away. “Grandma, that’s Ken. That’s not Mark.”

“NO! That’s Mark! Son, don’t leave me, okay? You’ve been gone for three Christmases…” the old man cried as he tried to reach out for Ken’s hand.

Ken left feeling heavy. All day long, he couldn’t get the old man’s face out of his mind. The sadness in his eyes, the tightness of his embrace… it was as if he felt his own mother in the province.

“It can’t just be like this,” Ken whispered. “It’s only been three years… maybe there’s still hope.”

He returned to Lola Soledad’s house the next day. Not to deliver, but to ask. He asked Ate Minda for the son’s full name and the latest news on him.

“Mark Anthony Cruz,” said Ate Minda. “Last we heard, he was in Bangkok, Thailand. But communication was cut off since the pandemic. They said he lost his job and was ashamed to go home.”

Ken began his mission.

He used Facebook. He joined the “Filipinos in Thailand” and “Bangkok Community” groups. He posted a picture of Mark (which he got from Ate Minda) and pleaded.

Please share. His mother is looking for someone who is sick. She said he looks like me so I’m the one doing the work.

Many shared. Since it’s only been 3 years, the memories of those he knows are still fresh. Someone immediately messaged Ken.

“Sir, I know him. He’s at Pratunam market, selling water. No job, TNT (Tago ng Tago). He’s ashamed to go home because he has nothing and his visa has expired.”

Ken made a video call to Mark. He was thin and looked very tired.

“Dude, come home,” Ken pleaded. “Your mom is waiting for you. She thought I was you.”

“Dude, it’s embarrassing. I’ve only been gone for three years but I’m already broken. I promised Mom, I’ll come home rich. How can I face her like this?” Mark cried.

“Your mom doesn’t need money, Mark. You. You’re what she needs before she disappears,” Ken replied.

Ken didn’t give up.

He launched a fundraising campaign on social media: “Piso Para Mapauwi si Mark.” Many felt sorry for him. Many contributed.

Page: SAY – Story Around You | Original story.

It took several weeks to get it sorted. Ken contacted the Embassy for Mark’s Travel Document because his passport had expired. He paid for the ticket with a donation. He gave hope to the person who had given up.

Finally, the day of return arrived.

Ken picked up Mark from NAIA. They hugged like brothers even though they had just met.

“Thank you, Ken. I owe you my life,” Mark cried.

“Don’t make me pay. Let’s hurry. Your mother is already in the hospital,” Ken replied.

They went straight to the Lung Center of the Philippines.

Grandma Soledad was in the ICU. Her body was weak. She was hooked up to a machine. The doctor said she was just waiting for her time.

Mark entered the room. Trembling.

He approached the bed. He held his mother’s wrinkled hand.

“Mom…” Mark whispered. “I’m here. It’s Mark. Sorry if it took me so long… Sorry if I didn’t bring anything…”

Grandma Soledad gasped slightly. Her vision was blurry, but her heart heard the voice she had been searching for for three years.

Grandma smiled. Tears welled up in the corner of her eyes.

“Son…” the old man whispered, almost speechless. “Go home… now…”

Grandma closed her eyes again, but this time, her face was peaceful. There was no more sadness. There was no more waiting.

Just a few hours after the meeting, Grandma Soledad passed away while holding her son’s hand.

Ken was by her side, crying. It was painful to lose, but he was happy. Because of the old man’s last breath, he was no longer hugging a stranger rider, but the real blood that came from him.

Grandma Soledad died with a whole heart.

And Ken, he went home tired but full of grace in his soul, because he was the instrument of a miraculous encounter.

Disclaimer: The stories here are just fiction and not news. What is important is the lesson and emotions that can happen to anyone. Thank you, myou’re not SAY! 😊