From Poverty to a Second Chance
On a quiet Sunday afternoon at 3 PM, Kristabel made her regular pilgrimage to the San Cristobal City cemetery. She stepped out of her car near the cemetery gates, asking her companion Jericho not to accompany her inside. This solemn visit was for Diego Salvador, a man she owed a tremendous debt of gratitude—a man she had never met in person.
Kristabel placed a bouquet of flowers before Diego's bone niche and lit three candles at the memorial. Her connection to this stranger ran deeper than anyone could imagine, tracing back to a life of struggle and a moment that changed everything.
A Life of Hardship and Survival
Born and raised in San Cristobal to impoverished parents, Kristabel's childhood was marked by scarcity. Her father Sidro worked as a coconut farmer while her mother Lumen took in laundry from neighbors who had running water. Kristabel only completed elementary school before being sent to work for a wealthy family at just thirteen years old.
One traumatic night changed everything when her male employer entered the small room where she slept and assaulted her. Powerless against his strength and position, she became pregnant and was subsequently thrown out by his family with only 3,000 pesos as compensation for her silence.
"We should report this to the police! He should be jailed! Kristabel is still a minor!" her father had protested. But her mother responded with resignation, "We don't have the money to fight them, Sidro. Let's just pray to God that they get what they deserve."
The Turning Point at the Port
Kristabel gave birth to a son named Paolo, but when he contracted dengue fever at two years old, her desperation reached its peak. After admitting him to the city hospital, she struggled to afford the medicines and blood transfusion he needed.
In her darkest hour, she went to the city port, having heard that women could earn money there. Sitting alone under a star apple tree near the port plaza, she waited for any man who might approach. Suddenly, chaos erupted nearby.
A man being chased by police threw a bag toward her that landed at her feet. The officer continued past without noticing. When Kristabel opened the bag, her eyes widened at the sight of banknotes. She stood up slowly and walked away as if the bag belonged to her, later hearing gunshots in the distance.
The money proved to be her salvation—she purchased blood for Paolo's transfusion and paid for all his medications. Her son survived.
The Revelation and Transformation
The next morning, Kristabel heard on a neighbor's radio that Diego Salvador, a thief, had been killed by police during the chase. The bag containing money he had stolen from meat businessman Ambrosio Bucog's house was never recovered.
The name sent chills down her spine—Ambrosio Bucog was the same employer who had assaulted her three years earlier.
Kristabel attended Diego's funeral, silently thanking the stranger whose actions had saved her son. She deposited half the money in the bank and used the remainder to start a business. To explain her sudden prosperity to neighbors, she claimed to have won the lottery, even hosting a celebration to thank God for her supposed luck.
After praying for Diego's soul to rest in peace, Kristabel returned to her car where Jericho—the man who had married her despite her traumatic past—waited patiently, marking the beginning of her new chapter.
