All my life, my only ambition as a farmer was to raise a son who would amount to something.
I never imagined that at the gala celebrating his company's public listing, my presence would be his greatest shame.
When the guests asked who I was, panic flashed in my son's eyes. His composure cracked. He stammered.
"This is… Mr. Lambert. A sanitation worker from my hometown. He watched me grow up. I'm… very grateful to him."
Applause rippled through the crowd. They praised his humility—a CEO who remembered the little people.
But the relatives my son had hired—those leeches he'd brought into the company—looked at me with undisguised mockery.
"Old Lambert really is something," one whispered loud enough for me to hear. "Showing up at a time like this? Is he trying to humiliate Joshua?"
"A dirt-poor farmer should stay in the mud where he belongs," another sneered.
My son couldn't get away from me fast enough.
Standing there in the glitter of the banquet hall, a cold realization settled into my gut. I had raised this boy. Poured my life into him.
And it felt like I had done it all for nothing.
——
I left the celebration early and found the cheapest guesthouse near the railway station.
Twenty bucks a night. The sheets reeked of mildew and stale smoke.
The hard mattress dug into my spine as I stared at the water-stained ceiling. The scene at the banquet played on a loop—a torture I couldn't switch off.
Images of my son flickered through my mind. The toddler who recited poetry at three. The five-year-old who insisted on carrying the foot-washing basin for his mother.
Now, those memories were overlaid by the cold, indifferent figure in the tailored suit.
He never gave me trouble in school. Our mud-brick walls were plastered with his academic certificates. To pay his tuition, I sold every grain of harvest I had.
When that wasn't enough, I sold my blood.
When his mother lay dying, she refused treatment. She hoarded every penny so he could finish his degree.
I remember her gripping my hand—her grip weak, but urgent.
*"Asher, our boy is meant for great things. We have to lift him up. Send him out into the world. When he succeeds, we'll finally enjoy some peace."*
She was gone now.
And I had lost him too.
There was no peace.
A crushing weight pressed against my chest, as if a giant hand were squeezing my heart.
I sat up and fished a cold, hard steamed bun from my cloth bag. Took a bite. Washed it down with tap water.
The dry lump stuck in my throat. I couldn't swallow.
My ancient brick of a phone buzzed, the ringtone harsh in the quiet room.
My son's maternal uncle.
I hesitated, thumb hovering over the button, before finally answering.
His voice oozed a warmth that had never been there before—forced, awkward.
"Asher! How goes it? You made it to the boy's place? Did you see him? The city's bustling, isn't it?"
Questions fired like a machine gun.
My throat tightened. I managed a noncommittal grunt.
Sensing my mood, he shifted tactics. His tone dropped, earnest now. Lecturing.
"Asher, look, I'm not saying you were wrong, but Joshua just called me. He told me about the… situation at the party."
A loud sigh crackled through the speaker.
"You have to understand. It was a massive occasion. Why did you just run over there without a heads-up? Joshua is a CEO now. He manages a huge corporation. Image is everything! You showing up like that… weren't you just making trouble for him?"
A spark of anger ignited in the ashes of my grief.
A father wanting to see his son was *making trouble*?
I stayed silent. Taking my silence for guilt, my uncle pressed harder.
"I know you miss him. I know you want to bask in his glory. But you need to know your place!"
"Look how good things are. Joshua is sensible. He repays kindness. He remembers us poor relatives. Just last month, he made your niece a manager. Do you know what her salary is?"
He quoted a figure, his voice trembling with greed and pride.
"As elders, we need to be considerate. Don't drag him down. If he says you're a sanitation worker, then you're a sanitation worker!"
"Think about it. Standing there in those clothes… if you don't look like a janitor, what do you look like?"
"Listen to your big brother. Don't take it to heart. Buy a ticket and go back to the village. The yellow earth is our root, Asher. Stick to it."
