That was when—
Lola Caring laughed.
A soft, amused laugh.
Glenda sighed.
“That wasn’t regular chocolate.”
The room froze.
“That’s laxative chocolate,” Glenda continued calmly. “Medicine for Grandma’s constipation.”
Silence.
“Extra strength,” she added. “Only half a bar per serving.”
She looked straight at them.
“And you ate… the whole box.”
INSTANT KARMA
Nothing happened for a second.
Then—
GRRRRR…
A loud stomach growl echoed.
Uncle Boy began sweating.
Boknoy clutched his stomach.
“Uh… why does my stomach hurt all of a sudden?”
Aunt Baby turned pale.
“Oh no… it feels like my insides are twisting…”
BANG!
“BATHROOM!” Uncle Boy screamed and ran.
“I’M FIRST!” Aunt Baby yelled.
They rushed together.
SLAM!
The door locked from inside.
“BOY! OPEN THIS DOOR!” Aunt Baby banged desperately.
From inside came the sounds:
PRRRT! BOOOM! SPLASH!
Boknoy panicked and ran outside to the neighbor’s house.
“Please! Can I use your bathroom?! Emergency!”
With no other choice, Aunt Baby grabbed Grandma’s chamber pot and ran to the backyard—straight into the chicken coop.
LAUGHTER FROM THE INNOCENT
Glenda and Lola Caring laughed until they cried.
“Good thing they ate it all,” Lola chuckled. “I actually hate the taste.”
That night, the greedy relatives lay exhausted and dehydrated, while Glenda and her grandmother happily enjoyed real Toblerone with hot tea.
THE NEXT DAY
The house was unusually quiet.
No one dared open any boxes.
No one asked for more gifts.
Glenda taped a sign on the refrigerator:
“DO NOT TAKE WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW.”
Aunt Baby sipped her coffee carefully.
Boknoy still held his stomach.
Uncle Boy refused to look at chocolate.
Lola Caring smiled and whispered,
“Next time, buy that again…
It’s very effective at teaching manners.”
AFTER THE “CHOCOLATE STORM”
After that horrifying night, the house entered a period of unprecedented silence.
No more karaoke.
No more ripping open Balikbayan boxes.
No one dared to ask anymore:
“Glenda, is there anything left in the box?”
The next morning, the “victims” slowly crawled out of their rooms like defeated soldiers.
Aunt Baby
Once the fearless Spam-grabber, she now sat staring blankly at a cup of coffee diluted like the tears of her life.
Every time she heard the word “chocolate,” she flinched and clutched her stomach on instinct.
From that day on, her favorite line changed from:
“Just a little won’t hurt!”
to:
“Better ask first… just to be safe.”
Boknoy
He was banned from the neighbor’s house for two weeks due to excessive bathroom borrowing.
He swore solemnly:
“If I ever eat something without knowing what it is again, I’ll change my last name!”
Uncle Boy
The only one who, from then on, read labels more carefully than loan contracts.
Anything with the words “HERBAL,” “MAX,” or “EXTRA” sent him backing away three meters.
A SMALL BUT REAL CHANGE
In the days that followed, Glenda noticed something strange.
When she opened the remaining Balikbayan boxes to personally distribute the gifts:
No one rushed
No one grabbed
No one complained about getting less
Aunt Baby even said:
“Take your time… no hurry at all.”
Lola Caring watched the scene and simply smiled.
“No need to scold,” she whispered to Glenda.
“Some lessons… have to pass through the intestines before people remember them.”
ONE MONTH LATER…
Glenda prepared to return to the States.
There was no loud farewell this time—but this one was sincere.
Aunt Baby slipped a small package into her hand.
“It’s nothing much… just some homemade snacks.”
Boknoy lowered his head.
“I’m sorry, Sis. That time… I was too greedy.”
Uncle Boy only said quietly:
“Thank you… for the lesson.”
Lola Caring held Glenda’s hand tightly.
“Don’t be sad about what happened.
Because of you, the whole family learned something:
Not everything labeled ‘imported’ is meant to be swallowed quickly.”
FINAL WORDS
Before closing the door, Glenda taped a small note beside the refrigerator:“Greed leads to regret—
but the worst regret is not knowing what you’re putting into your body.”
Lola Caring chuckled softly.
“Next time you come home, buy some more, okay?”
“Chocolate, Grandma?”
“Yes…
the kind that teaches people good manners.”