However, my mother did not care. She complained, “If I hadn’t paid for Mateo's studies back then, how could he be as successful as he is right now? He was born for wealth and prosperity. Looks like I made the right choice.”
My father sighed. “You can’t blame Santiago for all of that happened. You used his money to send Mateo abroad. He never really got over it.”
“We couldn’t let Mateo suffer, could we? My sister only has one son!” my mother refuted him.
I had lost count of how many times I’d heard those words. Each one was a dagger to the heart cutting deeper every time. I thought I’d grown numb to their cruelty, but it still hurt. So much that I could barely stand because the one who was supposed to study abroad … was me.
At that time, it was my mother who ripped my bank card from my hands and handed it to my aunt. The money in the card was everything that I saved since childhood from scholarships and wages from years of part-time jobs. It was meant for my future, for my graduate studies.
However, my mother tricked me, took it all and gave it away without hesitation to my aunt.
My mother had always favored my cousin, Mateo. I had known that since I was a child. My father permitted it though reluctantly, even when she gave the money to my aunt back then.
What was I to this family? Was I just a stepping stone for Mateo?
Well, for my mother, I was nothing but a fool who was dumb and easy to manipulate.
I was her real son, her flesh and blood. Yet, she always chose someone else over me. All they ever left me with were wounds.
Since I did not look where I was going, my foot slipped. The damp hillside was covered in thick, tangled weeds and I was covertly climbing the mountain but accidentally missed my footing and tumbled down the slope.
"Show yourself!"
Since the sound was not small, it startled them. My mother’s face darkened as soon as she saw me.
She immediately cursed me, "You worthless thing! I told you not to come and you still showed up!”
I struggled to my feet. My arm was scraped and bleeding and my face burned where it had been scratched by the rough earth.
I placed a large basket of paper flowers on the ground, each one of them was carefully folded by my own hands.
However, my mother looked at them with sheer disgust and said, "Take them away, take them away! My father doesn't need your offerings. Mateo already burned his. Get them out of here!"