I still can’t clearly forget that morning when I held the plane ticket in my hand, my heart pounding. Twelve years. Exactly twelve years have passed. Since marrying a Korean man, María Luisa hasn’t returned home even once. But every year, she sends exactly 8 million pesos, without missing a single one.
People are amazed.
You’re so lucky, your son is good, you even married a rich man
. But I’m the only mother who knows the pain of receiving money and not seeing your child. You have money but your son doesn’t, that hurts a lot.
My name is Theresa, and I’m 63 years old. I was widowed young, raising my only daughter, Maria Luisa, on my own so she could go to school. She was intelligent, kind, and beautiful. Everyone said she was going to have a good life. And it turned out to be as good as some might have thought.
At 21, Maria Luisa met Kang Jun, a Korean man almost 20 years her senior. I objected, not because of discrimination, but because of the age difference and because I lived in a foreign country. But my
daughter’s mother is stubborn; I know what
I’m doing. In the end, I accepted because of the determination in her eyes.
The wedding was simple. Less than a month later, she followed the man to Korea. The day he left the airport, he hugged me and cried. I cried too, but I tried to hide it. I thought he would come home after a few years. But he didn’t. One year, two years, three years, then the fifth—I didn’t dare ask any more questions. Only the money kept coming.
Every year, exactly 8 million pesos along with a
short message: “Mom, always be careful. I’m
fine.” That word “okay” is what worries me most. The neighbors are whispering
. The size of the package, but it’s not going home; maybe something’s already happening.
I smiled, but I didn’t feel well that night. We had a video call once; she was still beautiful, but her eyes were different, always in a hurry, always distant. I asked her why she didn’t come over. She was silent before
replying that she was very busy with work, Mom.
I didn’t ask any more questions. Sometimes, a mother becomes cowardly because she’s afraid to hear the truth.
As time went on, I grew up, and I got bigger. My house improved thanks to the money he sent. Everyone says I’m lucky. But how can you be happy if you eat alone? Every Christmas, I still set a plate and spoon for him. For years I’ve been cooking his favorite stew, watching the steaming broth with tears welling in my eyes.
Twelve years is a long time. Finally, I decided to do something I’d never considered: go to Korea to visit him. I didn’t tell him. For a 63-year-old woman who had never been on a plane or even left the country, it was a huge decision.
I asked my neighbor for help with the fines and paperwork. There were just over four hours left, and my hands were practically white from gripping the seat. When I arrived at the airport, I was overwhelmed by the number of people and the language I didn’t understand. I took a taxi to the address my son had given me.
A two-story house in a quiet area. I rang the doorbell and no one answered. The door wasn’t locked, so I pushed it open and went in. The garden was nice but cold, with no human noise, no sound of a television.
I approached the front door, my hand trembling as I grasped the doorknob. I took a deep breath and slammed the door shut. At that moment, I was stunned.
The room was spacious, clean as if it were almost lifeless. Everything was in order, like a model home, but there was no trace of a man. There were no slippers scattered about, no jackets hanging around, no smell of food or tea—normal things in a house.
