We want nothing from you.
“Son, think about what you’re doing before it’s too late! The boy looks nothing like you! Your Emily had him with her ex and pinned it on you! I know it!”
“Mom, enough of this! Danny is my son… Why do you always stir things up? I’m heading home.”
Margaret had raised John on her own. They had always had a fantastic relationship: he never talked back, never argued, and did well at school. When he grew up, he became an engineer, just as his mother had hoped. And now, she wanted to sort out his personal life. She found him a match in a lovely girl named Lucy, the daughter of her friend Ann.
Following his mother’s insistence, John began seeing Lucy, but their romance quickly fizzled out, and after a few tough months, they broke up. John then met Kate. Their relationship blossomed quickly; within three months, they married, much to Margaret’s dismay. Six months later, Kate was pregnant, and they had a boy named Danny. But Margaret took an instant dislike to her daughter-in-law and would grumble at her son whenever they met, even after four years had passed since the wedding:
“Look at what she’s done to you! All scruffy and untidy!”
“Mom, I’m not untidy! My shirt just got a bit wrinkled in the car.”
“Sit down and have some food! Your wife probably hasn’t cooked anything. You’ll be starved.”
“Mom, I’ll eat at home. Kate’s a good cook.”
“I know her type… supermarket burgers or worse, frozen meals. While Lucy’s enrolled in a pastry class. Such a clever girl…”
John tried to fend off his mother’s comments, refraining from sharing them with Kate. They were, after all, unsubstantiated. Yet Margaret persisted in her quiet campaign against Kate, and eventually, her tactics took a toll…
“Hello, son… Your Kate doesn’t seem to like me much… You always come alone.”
“Mom, how can she visit when you pick on her over every little thing?”
“If I’m picking on her, there’s a reason. Believe me! While you’re sitting here drinking tea, she’s probably sneaking around with her ex. We all know who she was with before you, that good-for-nothing Colin! And the boy looks just like him. She had fun, and now you’re raising her kid.”
That evening, John had a major falling out with his mother. He was fed up with the accusations and endless discussions. He returned home feeling upset.
“Dad, Dad, hi!” Little Danny ran up to him.
“Hello, son. How was your day? What did you do?”
“Mom and I went to the park. Uncle Colin was there. He bought me a chocolate bar and some juice!”
John’s mind raced—could his mom be right? That evening, he grilled his wife:
“Why did you meet your ex?”
“John, it was by chance. We were out walking, he was just passing by, and we started chatting. He walked us home afterward.”
“And why is he walking my wife and son home? Maybe Danny isn’t mine at all, but his?!”
“John, what are you saying? Are you serious?”
That night saw their first big argument since they were married. From then on, arguments became a regular occurrence. Eventually, Kate had enough, packed up, and moved back to her hometown with Danny to live with her parents.
Then came the divorce, and John ended up paying child support. He was convinced Danny wasn’t his child but chose not to contest it in court. Of all the circumstances, Margaret was the happiest. She began pushing for John to reconnect with Lucy, calling her the “perfect daughter-in-law.”
And she succeeded. John married Lucy. But soon after their wedding, Lucy revealed her true nature. She nagged him over anything and everything, wanted to live lavishly, eat well, and enjoy the good life.
“Just look at Anne; her husband bought her a second fur coat! The Smiths replaced their car with a luxury model. Meanwhile, here I am, driving last year’s coat and a beat-up car! What kind of husband are you?”
This went on for a long fifteen years. John worked tirelessly at two jobs, while Lucy, free of any commitments, traveled to resorts and indulged herself. She didn’t want kids, saying she’d rather live for herself first. Margaret tried to assert her influence but found herself quickly dismissed by a firm daughter-in-law.
Then one day, John received a call from the hospital. His mother had been rushed in with a stroke. Margaret was seriously ill and needed care after being discharged. Immediately, Lucy stated:
“I’m not spending day and night by the old woman’s bedside. Let’s arrange for her to go to a nursing home.”
“Lucy, maybe I should quit my job…”
“Are you out of your mind? And live on what? We still have four years left on my car loan…”
In the end, Margaret was sent to a care home, while John left for another job, and Lucy stayed home. A month later, Margaret passed away. John returned home to attend her funeral, accidentally forgetting to inform his wife about his arrival. Using his key to open the door, he was greeted by the sight of his wife in the arms of the neighbor… He didn’t argue. He packed his things and moved into his mother’s apartment.
Reflecting on his life after Margaret’s funeral, John sat in her apartment, filled with bitterness for listening to her “valuable” advice. Now, over forty, he felt life had passed him by. No family, no children, no friends… not even a car in his name—everything had been bought for Lucy… As he pondered his past, he remembered Kate and Danny. He never found out whether Danny was his son or her ex’s. But that didn’t matter now…
“Danny must be about nineteen now… All grown up… I wonder what he’s like?” John spoke to the emptiness, with no response to greet him.
…The next morning, he bought a train ticket and traveled to Kate’s hometown. He found their house and the familiar apartment with ease. He rang the doorbell, but no one answered. “Probably at work,” he thought, deciding to wait outside. After twenty minutes, he turned his head and froze… Approaching the building was a young man—his spitting image, just twenty years younger.
“Danny… Danny… Son…”
“You?… What are you doing here?” Danny asked coldly.
“Son, I’m terribly sorry… You look just like me, like two peas in a pod! And your mom, where is she?”
“Mom’s not here. She passed ten years ago. A car accident…”
“And you? Who do you live with? Can I help you with something? I’ve got money. Just say the word!”
“I live with my grandmother. We don’t need anything.”
“But son. I wanted, I…”
John couldn’t finish. Danny closed the building’s door in his face.
“Son! Son, open up! How can you do this, son? I’m your father! Your father!!!”
John stood there a long time, in front of the closed door, tears mixing with the rain on his face. Afterward, he tried visiting several more times, keen to reconnect with Danny. He pleaded, begged, sought forgiveness. But Danny remained firm, refusing any contact…
