Broken Family

They say family is everything, your fortress, and your stronghold. What if the family is broken? How will the kids be doing? Where should be their place? Who will be their fortress? There stronghold? If the family they believe to be is already broken?

Realyn is my student and Reniel her brother is my godson. She is a neighbor of mine too. She is a grade 1 student right now of the modular type of learning of the department of education due to the pandemic we are facing today. She is with her grandmother while her brother is with her Aunt, a sister of her father.

Before her family got separated

They live very simply in their small hut. Life is so much difficult for them for her father has no stable job and her mother is a full-time housewife. Sometimes they ask to borrow rice from us for them to have something to cook for the day. The poverty continues up until Realyn had her brother who become my godson and made me and her mother, Lourdes close with each other since we are already "kumare". Lourdes always shares with me how hard life is for them and how she wants her partner to be wed in the church, but his partner refuses and money is so difficult for them.

How they got separated

Until the time comes that, Sidro, Lourdes' partner, Realyn's father asks Lourdes to go abroad for their life to become better. At first, Lourdes refuses because she doesn't want her kids to be left behind while she will be in far off place, taking care of someone else. Because of Lourdes' refusal they always fight with Sidro. Sidro constantly drinks with his friends while leaving his family without something to eat. Lourdes realizes how will her kids be in the future if this is the life they will grow. When the time comes that they are needed to be sent to school what would be her resources to do so. That's why Lourdes decided to go abroad even it is painful for her to leave her kids behind. She does this not because Sidro pushes her to do it or because she is tired of the life she is leaving but because she wants a better life for her kids.

At first, the kids with their father stays in the house but later on stays with their grandmother because Sidro, their father, could not take care of them.

In the first few months of Lourdes' stay abroad, it was perfectly fine. Not until they fought with Sidro's family. I heard it was about Lourdes having a new lover abroad and because of that, she wasn't able to send enough amount for the kids. It was chaotic and brought to a very tragic decision of breaking the family apart. I don't know if it is a good thing that the kids can't understand fully what had happened or it is worst.

I don't want to gossip but I am truly sad for the kids, so I ask Lourdes about the problem and she told me it was not true. It was a misunderstanding. She shares with me how hard her situation abroad. Her employer maltreated her and she could not withstand it that she needs to quit the job immediately and find a new employer. But she needs to wait few months for her to be able to find a new one that is why she couldn't earn for few months and was the reason she wasn't able to send money to the family. Sidro's family turn blind to the truth and accused her of having a new lover. She couldn't manage to accept the accusations she never done. The issue had gone on and on and Sidro turned deaf to her explanation. She can't force herself to people who are narrow-minded and fool. She was devastated that all her effort will be put in vain, the very reason why she went to work abroad even though it would mean not having her kids beside her. And it is not what she wants in the first place.

After our long chat, I could not hear from her. I could still see her on her social media posts. But we did not reach each other anymore.

Due to the chaos, the situation had made. Realyn and Reniel got separated from each other because their grandmother couldn't raise them both. So, they decided that Realyn would stay with her grandmother and Reniel would stay with her Aunt. And because of the separation the father left home and went to Manila to work for him to still sent the kids to school.

When pandemic hits us, everything has been more difficult for them, especially for the kids. Luckily, Lourdes reach out to the kids, that ag first Sidro's family refuses but Lourdes insisted. She explains that what she does is for her kids and nothing more.

Right now whenever I ask Realyn if she misses her parents she always says she is off course. But if I ask her if she understands what happened to her family, she would tell me that her parents are working to have money. That is why they are separated.

How did I become Realyns teacher

A few days ago Realyn's grandmother approaches me to ask if I could teach her granddaughter because Realyn doesn't know how to read even a single alphabet. I feel pity for her and I said yes. Was supposed to know basic reading if she had her parents around. She is so skinny and small for a 6 years old kid. She would have been bigger if she had her mom to take care of her. Poor kid. She needs much more love than I do, thus I am giving her mine. She needs to be ready and strong for the future to face the reality that her family is facing.

To all couples out there married or not you need to think carefully before jumping to a decision of separation because the kids will be the ones to suffer.

And to all the kids who have complete family out there, you should be grateful and appreciate what you have because others don't have it.

Thank you so much for reaching here

Special mention to my friend @Crypto.Maniac @CryptoMax @bitloca

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