The 20 Year Old Dress(mariz yabes) The 20-year-old DRESS

"Everything is tough when you're facing financial difficulties”. This thought crosses my mind as I struggle to choose clothes from my wardrobe. It's graduation season, and three of my grandchildren will be graduating. I need to attend because their mother is unable to come, she just has some work to do.

I didn't have the money to buy a new dress, so I carefully picked out some clothes from my wardrobe. I had some difficulties choosing the right dress because I had gained some weight, and some of the dresses I chose were already out of style. I was about to give up when suddenly, a particular dress caught my attention.

I vividly remember that the dress I'm referring to was the first expensive one I bought. It happened 20 years ago when I started a business and began making money. Up until then, I was used to buying clothes for no more than 100 pesos, so spending 850 pesos on a dress felt like a big deal. I got it from a well-known and trusted brand called BOARDWALK. I wore the dress comfortably a few times for important occasions, but it has been hanging in my closet for quite some time now. To my surprise, it still looks as good as new.

I carefully picked up the dress, put it on, and to my surprise, it still fit me. I felt relieved knowing that I finally had a dress to wear, and most importantly, I didn't have to buy a new dress anymore. I stood in front of the mirror, checking myself while wearing that dress. Suddenly, I had a lot of realizations about my life experiences flashing back.

It has been a year since I started experiencing financial difficulties. I accumulated a high debt, and my business went bankrupt. The change was sudden, and I wasn’t prepared for the outcome.

I am already 66 years old and have 4 children, all of whom have their own families. My husband passed away 28 years ago. It was tough raising them on my own, but as they always say, "You have to carry on as a mother, no matter what," and that's what I've always done.

My life story may not be that interesting because it mainly revolves around raising my children and ensuring that my family has a good life, even if it means sacrificing my own happiness. I was 17 years old when I met the father of my children. At that time, he was a 43-year-old policeman. I met him at my workplace, where I was working as a waitress in a small restaurant. I had run away from home because my late father was very strict and didn't allow me to continue my studies, thinking that I was not serious about them.

"I know many people will be surprised by what I am about to say, but it's the truth. I am my husband's third wife, or as others might say, I am a mistress. And yes, he is a Christian, not a Muslim." Surely not proud of it but I can say that I have no regrets because my husband was such an amazing man.

"I know he didn’t provide us with a comfortable life because his salary was not enough to support three families at the time. However, he made sure that I would be loved and taken care of, as he promised me when we got into a relationship."

We've been together for 20 years, and I've worked hard to help my husband accumulate enough money to raise our kids and make ends meet. As a young mother, it was tough, but because of my eagerness to help my husband, I eventually figured out how to do so. I started cooking "kakanin" and selling it to my neighborhood.

"At first, I had no idea how to cook, but I just tried using my mother's recipe from memory. It's a good thing she let me help her every time she cooked “kakanin”, and I'm grateful to God because the outcome was good. I guess it's because every time I sell them, they are sold out immediately." For so many years, it was my primary source of income, in addition to working as a fish vendor, farmer, and laborer.

"Our life was happy and we felt contented despite the hardships we were going through. We ate and laughed as if there was no end, just praying and hoping that someday our goals and dreams for our family would be granted.

Then suddenly, without any warning signs, an unexpected event changed our lives dramatically. My husband suffered a heart attack and passed away while we were attending a wedding ceremony.

He left us with not a single cent in my pocket. My children were still studying then; my eldest was only 17 years old, and my youngest was 10. I didn’t know what to do - I was shocked and confused.

Being left by someone you loved dearly was undoubtedly painful, but getting back up and starting again was harder than anything.

After my husband's death, I decided to work abroad. However, I was not able to pass the medical exam. That's why I chose to work as a life insurance agent and had no choice but to leave my children with relatives to make ends meet.

Life was challenging at the time, but I am proud to say that I could figure it out and get out of the hard situation by myself. After a few years, I was able to start a business. Making money from it, I was able to put my children through school and provide for their needs without any second thoughts.

I rewarded myself by purchasing items that I previously couldn't afford, reminding myself that I deserved it after all the experiences I had gone through. And this was the first dress I purchased from BOARDWALK. I still remember the feeling I had at the time I got it. It was as if my inner child was ageless.

I enjoyed wearing it a few times during special occasions because it was comfortable and easy to style. At the time, it was my favorite. However, over the years, I was able to purchase more dresses since money was no longer a problem for me. This was because I was able to earn money from my business.

I was so caught up in receiving blessings that I forgot about the dress. I enjoyed being financially comfortable and didn't hesitate to spend or lend money. I was blind to the real world and felt like everyone's relative and friend, always invited to events and well-known in the community.

I had managed to save up some money, but it was all gone in the blink of an eye. A sudden change in my business situation made it hard for me to bounce back. It’s true that if you have a lot of money, you have a lot of friends and relatives to stay by your side, but when you're broke, only the real ones stay.

So many lessons were learned during the process, but I can honestly say that I have no regrets about it. However, I am trying my best to figure it out anyway, praying to God to give me another chance. And now I find myself holding the dress that once reminded me how great life was. This 20-year-old dress from BOARDWALK is truly a lifesaver, but it's sad to know that the company is no longer active in the market just like before. "So, what is the great lesson that we learned here? It's to be grateful for everything we have, appreciate the small things, and acknowledge the people around us who make an effort and truly care for us. We never know what will happen next."

Author: Mariz F. Yabes / MarisOfLifeblog

As a first-time writer, I was inspired to write a story based on real life. This is not a biography. Enjoy reading!

Disclaimer: I am not a professional writer. I tried writing because it is my passion. If you see any imperfections, please bear with me.

---