It all began with a couple who already had three sons Jake,Daniel and Alvin—and were expecting another child.
The children played joyfully in the crisp chill of the day, blissfully unaware of the burden their parents had already placed upon them,
The wife would sit quietly, watching the children play, and whisper to herself, If only we had worked hard to build what we have today, things might have turned out differently. But instead of enduring the struggle, her husband had chosen to take on a massive loan—and with it, the weight of consequences yet to come,
The children stayed home, learning what they could from their mother, as there was no money for school. Nearly eighty percent of the man's monthly earnings went toward repaying the loan, and the little that remained was spent stocking the house with just enough food to keep the family going.
Jake, the eldest of the three boys, wandered into the kitchen, his brows furrowed with confusion.
"Mom," he asked softly, "why can't we go to school like other kids?"
His mother paused, her hands still over the dish she was washing. "Be patient, Jake," she replied gently. "We just need a little more time."
Jake's expression darkened. "How much time?" he asked, his voice laced with a sadness too sharp for his age. Without waiting for an answer, he turned and stormed out of the room.
The silence he left behind was heavy. His mother's composure broke; tears slipped down her cheeks as she leaned against the counter, trying to stifle the sobs.
Unbeknownst to her, her husband had been standing quietly in the hallway, watching everything. He stepped forward, placed a hand on her shoulder, and said in a low voice, "You have to be strong—for them, and for the child we're still waiting to meet."
Nine months had passed, and it was finally time. The husband hurriedly took the children to stay with their grandmother, then rushed his wife to the hospital. They waited there for hours, tension mounting with every passing minute, until at last her water broke.
The delivery went smoothly, and soon she was holding a healthy baby boy in her arms—their fourth son.
The man was overjoyed, his face lighting up with a rare smile as he gazed at the newborn. But as he leaned in to embrace his wife, her eyes filled with tears.
Holding him tightly, she whispered, "Why did he have to come now?" Her voice trembled as she looked down at the baby. "Is he going to face what our other sons are already going through? All this hardship?"
Her words hung in the air like a shadow, heavy with fear and uncertainty.
The man repeatedly said the same thing it's all going to be fine time is all we need,
The wife looked up at him, her eyes hollow with the weight of unspoken fears, as if all hope had quietly slipped away. She gave a small, solemn nod, then leaned into him and wrapped her arms around his waist, holding on as though he were the only steady thing left in a crumbling world.
Weeks passed, and the family was finally discharged from the hospital. They named their newborn son Liam. The children were overjoyed, thrilled to welcome their new baby brother into the family,
One quiet afternoon, sensing a heavy weight in her heart, the mother called Jake, her eldest son, aside. It was as if she already knew that something dark was looming over their family. With a trembling voice, she revealed to Jake the true reason behind their current suffering—why they weren't able to go to school and the burdens they all carried.
As the truth sank in, Jake's eyes welled with tears. She gently wiped them away and held him close, whispering softly, "Promise me you won't ever share this with your brothers."
Jake vowed to her with quiet resolve, swearing he would keep their secrets locked tight. That solemn promise marked the beginning of it all.