STORY 1: MARK (CHEF)

MARK (CHEF)

Mark is the eldest of the siblings. He grew up in a poverty-stricken home. Seeing his parents’ hard work
just to feed the whole family is something that is ingrained in his mind. He admired it, and dreamt of
being a chef who finished college, to make his parents’ proud.

And now, Mark is perplexed on whether to choose family, or go with his own future.

“Ano na Mark? Sino pipiliin mo? Kaming pamilya mo, o yung pangarap mong ‘di matutupad?”

Should he continue to work for his family, or start working for his own dreams? Mark was deeply
troubled by thoughts like these. He spent almost, if not days, weeks of struggling to come up to a
decision, but deep down, he knew what he had to do.

“Mark, iserve mo nato doon sa table na yun!”

Mark chose family.

“Kayo po ba nagorder ng (ad lib)?”

He dedicated himself into succeeding the family business, a once humble food kiosk, now-turned
popular cafeteria. He continued to study on his own, and proceeded to expanding the business little by
little, until it became one of the fastest growing restaurants in the country.

“Ma, Pa. Thank you!” Mark hugged both his parents as he tried to hold back his tears.

MARK (PARENTS’ SIDE STORY)

“Ma, merong tao doon sa gate! Pakisagot nga!”

Marie, Mark’s mother, hurried to the gate.

“Dito po ba nakatira si Mark Estrada?”

“Yes, opo, ako po yung nanay niya.”

“Meron po siyang mail, pakibigay na lang po. Salamat po!”

“Salamat din po kuya.”

Marie closed the gate shut. She was enthralled by this mysterious letter that was sent to Mark.

“Pa, look at this!”

“Best Culinary Academy? Wow, nakapasok ang anak naten!?”

“Ewan ko, tignan mo, para isurprise natin siya.”

Matteo, Mark’s father, opened the letter.

“Huh, sabi dito, REJECTED?”

Silence filled the air around the couple. They felt bad.

“Pano natin sasabihin to kay Mark?”

“Antayin na muna natin siya umuwi.”

Moments later, Mark came home from school.

“Hello po Ma, Pa!”

“Nak kausapin ka namin ni Mama mo. Upo ka muna doon.”

The family sat around the table. The couple was waiting for the right timing to speak.

“Mark, may gusto kami sabih-“ Matteo was cut off by Maria.

“Mark. Sino pipiliin mo? Kaming pamilya mo, o yung pangarap mong ‘di matutupad?”

“Di ko po maintindihan, ano-“

“Ano na Mark? Sino pipiliin mo? Kaming pamilya mo, o yung pangarap mong ‘di matutupad?”

The couple, now old and gray, felt proud of what their child has become.

“Ano kaya nangyari kung sinabi mo kay Mark yung totoo, Pa?”

“Di ko alam, Ma. Pero eto na si Mark ngayon. Siya na rin nagpapa-aral sa mga kapatid niya.”

“Mabuti ba tayong mga magulang?”

“Sila na makakapagsabi nun, mahal.”

END OF STORY