A BEGGAR COUPLE CAME TO THE WEDDING OF A BILLIONAIRE’S SON — GUESTS THOUGHT THEY WOULD BE SHUT OUT, BUT WHEN THE GROOM SPOKE, THE ENTIRE CHURCH KNEELED IN CRY
THE UNEXPECTED VISITORS
The wedding of Dr. Mark Andrei Lim and Sophia Go was held at the most luxurious cathedral in the city. Mark is a famous Neurosurgeon, and Sophia is the daughter of a business tycoon. The guests were all elite—in gowns, tuxedos, and smelling of luxury.

As the ceremony began, a commotion broke out at the church door.

“You’re not allowed here! Go beg outside!” shouted the security guard.

An elderly couple forced their way in.

Father Berto, wearing a faded polo shirt full of stains and holes. His shoes were flip-flops of a different color.

Nanay Ising, with her duster disheveled, her hair white, and a bag full of plastic and bottles.

They smelled of the sun. The smell of the road. The smell of hardship.

“Please have mercy,” Tatay Berto pleaded with the guard. “Our daughter is getting married. We just want to see her.”

The wealthy guests murmured.

“Yuck. Who are those?”

“It ruins the view. Why is there a beggar?”

“Guard, get them out before the church stinks.”

Mark heard the commotion from the altar. He turned.

His eyes widened. His heart stopped beating.

THE GROOM’S RUNNING
Everyone thought Mark would be angry. They thought he would drag the beggars out so he wouldn’t be embarrassed in front of his wife’s family.

But everyone was surprised by what happened next.

Mark ran.

He left Sophia at the altar. He ran quickly down the aisle.

“Mark! Where are you going?!” his mother-in-law shouted.

Mark didn’t listen. When he reached the door, he pushed past the guard blocking the elderly couple.

“Don’t touch them!” Mark shouted.

In front of hundreds of guests, Mark knelt down and hugged the “beggars” tightly. He didn’t care if his white tuxedo got dirty. He didn’t care if they smelled of sweat.

“Dad… Mom…” Mark cried. “Why do you look like that? Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? I wish I had picked you up.”

“Son…” Mother Ising caressed Mark’s face with her dirty hands. “I’m sorry. We don’t have plane tickets. We just got on the ship and walked here. We just wanted to see you get married.”

Father Berto bowed. “Mark, don’t hug us. We’re dirty. It’s embarrassing for your guests. We’re leaving too, we’ve seen you.”

“No!” Mark shouted. “You’re here. Next to me.”

Mark put his arms around his parents and led them to the altar.

Sophia’s parents and the guests were disgusted and shocked.

“Mark!” Sophia’s Daddy shouted. “What is this?! Who are these scumbags?! You’re ruining my daughter’s wedding!”

Mark took the microphone. He faced everyone. His eyes were filled with tears.

THE TRUTH BEHIND SUCCESS
“Don’t call these people scumbags,” Mark’s voice rasped. “Because without them, I wouldn’t be here.”

Mark pointed to Dad Berto and Mom Ising.

“Do you know why I became a Doctor? Do you know how I managed to study at the most expensive Medical School?”

“I always thought we were rich in the province. Because whenever I asked for tuition, they sent it right away. Whenever I needed an allowance, it was there right away.”

“What I didn’t know…” Mark sobbed. “They sold our land. They sold the buffalo. They sold our little house.”

Mark looked at his parents.

“Mom, Dad… I only found out a month ago when I came home suddenly. You don’t have a place to live. For ten years I’ve been studying… you’ve been sleeping in the market.”

The guests gasped.

“They trade bottles and plastic in the morning. They beg at night. They go without eating three times a day just to send me every cent I need for my doctor’s appointment.”

Mark raised his father’s hand, which was covered in calluses and sores.

“These hands… the dirt you see… these are the ones who paid for my Medical License. These are the ones who fed me while they were hungry.”

“So don’t be arrogant. In my eyes, they are the cleanest and richest people in the world. They are my parents.”

THE ENVELOPE OF LOVE
Mother Ising took something out of her old bag. A crumpled brown envelope.

Trembling, she handed it to Sophia, the bride.

“Sister…” said Mother Ising. “I’m sorry. We can’t give you any gold or land. This is all your father and I have saved from trading this past year.”

Sophia opened the envelope.

Inside were all coins and crumpled twenty pesos. The total was less than five thousand. This was the old man’s blood and sweat under the heat and rain.

“That’s for a start,” smiled Father Berto. “Love our child, huh.”

Sophia’s tears flowed. The woman accustomed to luxury and wealth felt something that money could not buy—True Love.

Sophia couldn’t hold it back any longer. She hugged Mother Ising and Father Berto. He hugged them tightly even though their clothes were dirty.

“Thank you, Mom, Dad,” Sophia cried. “This is the most precious gift I have ever received. I will accept you as my true parents.”

THE KNEELING OF THE RICH
The guests who had been disgusted earlier were now crying. Sophia’s poor Daddy slowly approached.

He took off his expensive coat and gave it to Tatay Berto so that it wouldn’t get cold.

“Father,” Sophia’s Daddy said to Berto. “Forgive me for what I thought earlier. You are greater than me. I salute you.”

That day, the reception at the hotel was canceled.

Instead, Mark and Sophia took their parents home to their new mansion. They were bathed, dressed in beautiful clothes, and fed with delicious food that they hadn’t tasted in ten years.

Mark, now a successful doctor, vowed that his parents would never again go hungry or suffer.

Everyone at that wedding proved: True wealth is not seen in the shine of the clothes, but in the extent of the sacrifice a parent makes for their child.

END