The Reyes family held a grand reunion at their ancestral home in the province.
The youngest son, Ricky—now an engineer—was the first to arrive, steering his brand-new Ford Everest into the driveway.
Sheila followed soon after, a doctor now, stepping out of her gleaming Fortuner.
Then came Ben, an accountant, parking his Honda Civic neatly beside the others.
Inside the garage, pride filled the air.
“Wow, Ricky! Another new car?” Sheila laughed.
“Of course,” Ricky replied, beaming. “I’m a Project Manager now. And yours looks impressive too, Doctor.”
They laughed together, soaking in their accomplishments.
The Brother Who Didn’t Belong
Then the eldest brother arrived.
Kuya Carding didn’t pull up in a car—he rolled in on an old farm tractor. He wore a worn shirt, a palm hat, and boots heavy with dried mud.
His siblings stared.
“Seriously, Kuya?” Ricky sneered.
“This is a family reunion, not the rice fields. You’ll dirty the whole house!”
“Sorry,” Carding said softly, wiping his brow.
“I came straight from the harvest. I didn’t want to waste time changing.”
Sheila scoffed.
“Good thing we studied,” she said coolly. “Thanks to scholarships, we didn’t end up like… that.”
“Exactly,” Ben added. “Look at us—degrees, cars, careers. And you still smell like soil. What a waste.”
Carding didn’t respond. He simply went into the kitchen and helped their mother, absorbing every word in silence.
