It’s Payday. It is the 15th of the month. This was Marco’s first salary as a regular employee.

Her co-workers were delighted.
“Marco! Let’s get a shot! “It’s your first job, it’s your first job!” one of them exclaimed.

“Hey, we’re going to buy new rubber shoes, sale at the mall!” said one.
“I’m going to buy a new phone, my old one,” her best friend said.

Marcus nodded his head. The result of his fatigue was there for 15 days.

He smiled and nodded to his co-workers.
“I’m going to go ahead guys. I have an important mission now,” Marco said.

When he left the office, he didn’t go to the store to buy shoes or gadgets. He went straight to an appliance center.

The lady approached him.
“Sir, what are you looking for? Flat screen TV? Air conditioning? Sound system?”

Umiling yes Marco.
“Where’s the Automatic Washing Machine?” “Are you going to take off your clothes?”

He was taken to the washing machine section. Marco pointed to a model that was known to be of good quality. It’s expensive. Almost all of his salary was exhausted.

Mark, however, didn’t hesitate.
“Kukunin ko ‘to, miss. pa-deliver pio nagyan din sa address na ‘to.”

AT MARK’S HOUSE.

It was afternoon. Her mother, Rose, was in the back of the house. It sits on a small bench, facing three large basins of laundry.

Sister Rose was tired.
Her hands were wrinkled and white from the soak.

Her fingers were already crooked from rheumatism.
Every time he pulled his pants off, he would suffer from joint pain.

“There is… My back hurts…” Which Rosa whispered as she rubbed Marco’s brother’s uniform.

He has been doing hand washing for decades. That’s what Marcus learned. Every piece of cloth, every piece of cloth, was a sweat that he had sacrificed for his family.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Beep! Beep!

It is a delivery truck.

Which Rose came out, wiping the wet hand on her duster.
“Delivery po para kay Mrs. Rosa!” sigaw ng driver.

The two of them pulled out a large box.

“Honey, we didn’t have any orders. “We don’t have any money,” Rose said quietly.

“It’s paid for, Mom! Fully Paid! “It was a gift from your son, Mark.”

The owners opened the box and installed the new Washing Machine.

Sister Rose closed her mouth. Her tears flowed.

Marcus came home from work on time.
“Mom!” exclaimed Mark.

Rose immediately approached her son. Her hands trembled with the smell of soap and sparkle.
“Son…” Sister Rose was crying. “Why did you spend your money here? You need to buy new shoes. Do you have your shoes on? You need to buy a cell phone.”

Mark grabbed his mother’s hands. He stroked the rough palms and the calcified fingers.
“Mom,” Marcus said softly. “The shoes have been replaced. The phone was ringing. But your hand… It’s all alone.”

Marcus nodded to his mother.
“When I was a kid, I used to hear the sound of your screaming every morning. I can see how you wriggle with rheumatoid arthritis in the winter. I told myself, my first paycheck, you’re going to be resting.”

Sister Rose leaned over her son’s shoulder.
“Thank you, son…” The mother sobbed. “Thank you for not forgetting. It was the best gift of my life.”

On that day, Marco wasn’t wearing new shoes, but he felt like he was walking on a cloud. Because no material thing could match the comfort he had given to the woman who had given all his strength for him.

The next morning, Rose woke up to a strange silence.

There was no sound of squeaking.
There is no basin next to the well.
There is no pain in the fingers.

For the first time in years, he didn’t get up to do the laundry.

He was just standing in front of the new washing machine. Stroking its smooth edge, as if afraid that it might all be just a dream.

“It’s really automatic…” He muttered to himself.

He put on dirty clothes. Pressed a button.

The machine was running.

Rose sat down on the couch. She watched silently as the washing machine spun around—the work that used to consume all of her strength, was now being done by the machine.

Her tears began to flow. Not from exhaustion, but from relief.

In the living room, Mark was having breakfast. He noticed that his mother had been sitting for a long time.

“Mom, are you okay?” she asked.

Rose smiled, with tears in her eyes.
“It’s okay, baby… my whole body feels like it’s lightened.”

The days passed.

Marco noticed that his mother’s homework was finishing early. She didn’t get tired of sitting down. They were eating at the same time. Rose was laughing again.

One afternoon, Marco found his mother in front of the house, with a cup of coffee in his hand, talking to the neighbor.

“Rose, you look like you’re going to die!” one of them yelled.

Rose just smiled.
“I have a son who has a sense of humour.”

But one night, Marco noticed that his mother was quiet. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, as if thinking.

“But?”
“Hmm?”
“May ba problem?”

Rose took a deep breath.

“Son… I’ve wanted to say this for a long time. Your gift to me is not just a washing machine.”

Napatingin si Marco.
“Yes, after?”

“You’ve taken away my dignity. I’ve been trained to endure pain for a long time, to think that I have no choice. But now… I feel like I still have value.”

Marcus nodded, tears streaming down his face.

“Mom, all your sacrifices… it’s not enough.”

The next day, there was a knock on the door.

A health worker from the village. There is a free check-up for seniors.

A few hours later, the doctor came out with a serious face.

“My mom has arthritis. She needs to rest. Hard work is forbidden.”

Upon hearing this, Marco shook his head.
If she hadn’t bought a washing machine… her mother’s body would have been completely destroyed.

When they got home, Marcus was silent. He sat down next to his mother.

“Mom,” she said softly, “from now on, you’re not going to do the laundry, you’re not going to do the laundry. I’m going to do it.”

Rose smiled and touched her son’s face.

“Son, I don’t ask you to be tired. All I ask is that you be a good man.”

Marco nodded.
“And you, Mom, you’re going to live a long time. It’s time to take care of yourself.”

That night, while the washing machine was spinning in the back of the house, Aling Rosa slept soundly.

For the first time, not out of fatigue—but out of comfort.

And that’s when Mark came to understand:
True success is not measured by salary.
And you are the one who gave it all to the person who gave it all for you.