Popoy swallowed hard. He placed the box in her hands. “Close your eyes.”
Confused, she obeyed. Popoy carefully opened the box and placed the necklace around her neck. “You can look now.”
When her eyes landed on the locket, the world seemed to stop. “No… it can’t be…” she whispered. Her hands trembled as she touched the gold. “Popoy… where did you get this?”
“I rescued it. For you.”
Tears flowed freely down Aling Rosa’s face. She hugged her son so tightly it felt like she wanted to merge with him. “This necklace… I thought I had lost it forever,” she sobbed. “Do you know how much I suffered having to pawn it?”
“I know, Mom. That’s why it had to come back.”
She pulled back slightly and looked into his eyes. “What did you have to do to get the money?”
Popoy hesitated for a second. “Work.”
Aling Rosa hugged him again, this time with a deep cry, full of both guilt and pride. “Forgive me for everything you’ve had to carry being so small.”
Popoy shook his head. “It’s not a burden if it’s for you.”
The next day, something unexpected happened. A black car stopped in front of the jewelry shop. An older man stepped out—Mr. Antonio Velasco, the owner of Royale Jewelry, who rarely visited the branch.