Javier had been born and raised in Mexico City. He was used to comfort, to looking at life with eyes that only valued money and status. When he married Maria – a sweet, simple girl, originally from a small town – his friends mocked him by saying that he had “brought a small-town wife”. But since she was beautiful, hardworking, and loved him wholeheartedly, Javier agreed to get married.

On the day of the wedding, Maria’s father, Don Pedro, a thin, sun-tanned peasant, traveled from the ranch and gave all his savings to support his daughter. But for Javier, that man was nothing more than “a poor backward”.

After the wedding, María sometimes asked her husband to go back to the village to visit his father, but Javier always made excuses:
“What’s the fun of going there? Just dust, fields and nothing interesting to talk about.

Mary was sad, but she did not dare to reproach him.

One day, Don Pedro arrived in the city by surprise to visit the couple. He traveled on an old bus and brought as a gift a few kilos of sweet potato and some grapefruits from his garden. As soon as he arrived, Maria was excited:
“Dad! When did you arrive? Why didn’t you let me know to pick you up at the headquarters?

He smiled kindly:
“I didn’t want to bother you, daughter. I only brought a few things from the ranch, so that they do not forget the taste of home.

Maria was moved to tears. But Javier reacted differently. He was in the living room looking at his cell phone; when she saw Don Pedro enter with his worn-out clothes and old sandals, she frowned, greeted him coldly, and turned around.

During the meal, Don Pedro tried to talk to his son-in-law:
“Javier, how’s the work going?” Are you doing too much?

Javier quickly took meat and replied dryly:
“Normal.

The atmosphere became tense. Don Pedro, however, smiled and talked about the crops and life in the village. Javier barely heard him, nodding from time to time. Inside he thought with annoyance: “A peasant without money, what can be interesting about him? What does he know about modern life?”

Mary, seeing her husband’s coldness, suffered in silence.

In the afternoon, Javier had an important appointment with the director of a large company, someone with whom he was looking to partner to save his business in crisis. He hurriedly enlisted, leaving his father-in-law alone in the courtyard.

Shortly afterwards the doorbell rang. A luxury car pulled up in front of the house. A middle-aged man, elegant, in an impeccable suit, got out of it. Javier ran to meet him with a sly smile:
“Director! Welcome, please come to the house.

But when the man entered, Javier was paralyzed. The visitor went directly to Don Pedro, who was sitting in silence, and spoke to him with all respect:
“Good afternoon, Don Pedro. I am Alejandro Ramírez, director of the ABC company, and I came as agreed with you.

Javier was speechless. The “director” with whom he had dreamed of associating treated his peasant father-in-law with total deference.

Don Pedro smiled and explained calmly:
“I didn’t want to show off, but for years I invested my savings together with some acquaintances in setting up this company. Alejandro is the general manager. This time I came not only to visit my daughter, but also to talk about opening a new branch in the city. I was thinking of introducing you to him, to see if you could collaborate…

Javier’s body collapsed inside. He remembered his indifference, the curt answers he had given, the contempt in his eyes. He was left with only a deep regret. He stammered:
“Excuse me, Don Pedro… I didn’t know…

The father-in-law sighed and said slowly,
“I don’t need you to respect me for money. I just want you to love my daughter and value family. But today I saw clearly what weighs most heavily on your heart.

He got up, took his old backpack and prepared to leave. Maria broke down in tears and tried to stop her father. Javier, on the other hand, turned pale, lamenting. The golden opportunity had slipped out of his hands because of his pride and contempt.

That night, the house fell silent. Javier, dejected, understood that true wealth was not in an elegant suit, or in a full wallet, or in a luxurious car, but in the goodness and dignity of people. And he understood that what he had lost was not only a business opportunity, but also the trust of his wife and the respect of his father-in-law: the humble peasant who was actually the majority partner of the company with which he had dreamed so much of working.