I send my mother 1.5 million pesos monthly for my postpartum wife. Coming home early, I found my wife eating spoiled rice with fish heads. Furious, I confronted my mom, who sneered, “She doesn’t deserve better.” Then, I checked the family safe and found…

more violently than any physical blow I have ever received.

And then, the universe decided to shatter my carefully constructed illusion. Shortly after the midday whistle, a catastrophic surge blew the primary transformers at the plant. The massive hydraulic presses groaned and died mid-cycle. The overhead halogens flickered and surrendered to the dark.continue reading …