For the previous two hours, I had been at the hotel with my boss to discuss a new business plan. It may sound ambiguous, but my boss is a woman, older, and treats me like a younger sister. The company was having difficulties, I had to take care of my husband and earn money, so I had to take on more work, taking advantage of every opportunity. The hotel was just a private place to work without interruption.
As soon as I put the key in the door, the phone in my pocket vibrated continuously. I glanced down at the screen – a notification from the bank:
“Your account has just received ₱5,000.”
Before I could be surprised, another message came:
“You have just received ₱3,000.”
Within a minute, the numbers kept jumping: ₱500, ₱1,000, ₱2,000… My heart was pounding.
I pushed the door open and entered. The light from the bedroom was shining, the fan was still running. My husband – Miguel – was lying still on the bed, but his eyes were unusually bright. Next to him was a phone on a stand, the screen was open to an application… livestream.
I walked closer. Miguel looked at me, a smile on his thin face:
– You’re back? I’m… singing for everyone.
I stared at the screen in shock: hundreds of people were watching, liking, sending wishes. Next to it was a list of donations that kept popping up – from unfamiliar names everywhere.
Miguel’s voice was hoarse, not perfect, but full of emotion. In the introduction, he wrote:
“I am a husband trying to help my wife. Thank you for listening to my story and singing.”
I was speechless. For days, I thought he was just lying there, helpless. But it turned out, during the hours I was at work, he had found a way to contribute something to the family – with a trembling voice and a sincere story.
My eyes stung. I put the rice package on the kitchen table, my hands still shaking with emotion. Outside, the rain was falling harder, but in the small house, I felt a strange warmth.
The husband who did not surrender
That night, after Miguel finished the livestream, I helped him adjust the pillow and cover him with a blanket. He was tired, but his eyes were still bright like a child’s.
– When did you start doing this? – I asked quietly.
– Since the day I saw you staying up until 2-3am to work extra, I thought I couldn’t just lie here. I watched a video of a disabled person singing for money through livestream, then followed suit. At first, no one watched. But a woman in Cebu listened, shared my story online… and everything changed.
I opened my phone, read the comments again:
“Come on kuya, your family will overcome!”
“I’m sending you a little gift, hope you and your husband will be okay soon.”
“You sing very well, please sing again!”
Most of them were strangers, but there were also familiar names – old classmates, old colleagues, even a neighbor I hadn’t seen in a long time. They didn’t say much, just quietly sent some money and words of encouragement.
For the next week, the donations continued to come in regularly. Not much – a few hundred, sometimes just a few dozen pesos – but it contained faith and humanity. I realized that, in the midst of a noisy society, there are still hearts that open up for a small family like ours.
One night, I received a message from a strange account:
“I was also in an accident and was paralyzed for a year. Seeing you sing, I remembered the day I was helped by everyone. Today, I am sending something back to you.”
I was speechless. Kindness is truly like a circle – you give it away, it will come back to you, when you least expect it.
Light in the Rain
Now, every night I no longer work overtime until I am exhausted. Instead, I sit next to Miguel, help him adjust the machine, read the comments, and sometimes sing with him. In those moments, though tired, I feel that life is not just a series of days of struggling, but a journey of two people fighting together.
The rain is still falling outside, but in my heart there is a clear sky. I know that, even though the future is full of challenges, we will still go together – with the faith gathered from strangers who turned out to be extremely close