Loose change

It was my first job and I wasn't making much. It would have been a lot, actually,  if I was single and without responsibilities, as most people are at that age. But no, I was single, yes, but I had responsibilities.

Parents were both retired. And my younger sister was just starting her AB Political Science course in UP Manila. And it was up to me to fill in the gaps. It wasn't that bad. We had a house, and in fact, had some income (aside from my meager salary) coming in from an apartment we were renting out. But still, money was really tight. So much so that mom had to literally laugh out loud when she found out from the news that the daily budget for food for a New Bilibid prisoner was in fact 2 pesos more than ours. And they were complaining! The nerve.

One night, coming home after two weeks of working on an out of town assignment, I pulled out my wallet to give my salary to my mom. After I'd given the budget for the house, all I had left was 500 pesos and change.  Mom saw me counting the loose change in my pocket and felt sorry for me. I was not. Hell no. I just spent two weeks in the best hotels signing for room service and everything else, I explained. I had a pretty girlfriend who understands I can't be spending much on dates and friends who buys me beer.

Finally, I told my mom, "I have 500 pesos in my wallet and I am ok. In fact, I'm happy. You know what,  I am glad I am not Don Jaime Zobel. He'd probably shoot himself if he had just 500 pesos left."