The Woman and the Beauty Not for Sale

**SUMMARY:** A woman struggled fiercely to win the hand of a handsome husband, but after ten years, she tearfully realizes that beauty cannot replace money and stability.

Late afternoon, the street-corner café was deserted. She sat opposite her close friend, her hands trembling as she lifted the coffee cup to her lips. The yellow light cast shadows on her face, now marked with many wrinkles, her eyes ringed dark from sleepless nights.

She was over forty. Her first husband had died early, leaving her with a child and years of difficult widowhood. Then she met him—the second man in her life. He was handsome, charming, his smile seemingly magical. She had to fight and compete to win him from so many other young and beautiful women. They married amid her triumphant joy.

But ten years later, she sat here, her tears ready to spill. She looked at her friend, her voice choked: "Now I finally understand one thing. Beauty cannot be sold for money."

Her friend sighed, remaining silent. She continued, her voice full of bitterness: "You know, back then I thought having a handsome husband meant happiness. But today, I still have to push myself, still have to struggle to earn money to support the family. As for him, he just smiles and comes and goes. A little free time, and he has an affair; a little opportunity, and he has another. I'm exhausted from watching over him."

She paused, wiping a tear that rolled down her cheek. Her friend gently asked: "Why don't you leave him?"

She shook her head weakly: "I don't want to leave. Leaving and starting over would bring even more suffering. I'll just endure it."

She looked out the glass door at the motorbikes rushing back and forth. In her heart, the lesson learned over ten years finally sank in: beauty is only an outward appearance, but life requires much more. She sighed, set down her coffee cup, and rose to walk into the night, still carrying the weight on her shoulders.

**The Meaning of the Story**

The story reminds us that love based on physical appearance or instinctive attraction is often not enduring. In life, true values like morality, responsibility, and mutual support are the solid foundation for lasting happiness.

*Compiled from a dharma talk by Venerable Thích Chân Quang.*