– What’s with the habit of eating with your phone in hand? Either put your phone away or step away from the table! — Alex shouted again at his stepson.
– I want to eat with my phone! What’s it to you?! You’re no one to me… — retorted ten-year-old Ethan.
– What did you say?! As long as I’m in this house, I’m in charge, and you’d better respect and listen to me! I never dared to talk back to my parents at your age! — boomed Alex, while Ethan dashed away from the table and slammed the door to his room.
– What are you two bickering about now? I can’t even take a shower in peace; you immediately start bickering! I’m exhausted from all of this! — Natalia, Ethan’s mother, came out from the bathroom.
– Your son has completely lost his mind! He has no manners! This is your fault, by the way! — Alex shouted furiously at his wife.
Natalia walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table. She took off the towel she had wrapped around her head minutes ago, wiped her face wearily, looked at her husband, then sighed and lowered her eyes…
…At eighteen, Natalia got pregnant by a classmate. There was no special love between them at the time. They were just dating… She told the guy about the pregnancy. He shared the news with his parents, who acted quickly. They moved him to a university on the other side of the country and offered Natalia money for an abortion.
But Natalia never considered terminating the pregnancy. She decided to have the baby and join the ranks of single mothers.
– Oh, Natalia! I feel so sorry for you! It’s all my fault for not watching over you. I should have explained things better. I know firsthand what it means to raise a child alone. And you’re going down the same path. You’re repeating my fate… — lamented Svetlana, Natalia’s mother, back then.
– Oh, come on, Mum. You raised me, and I’ll manage. I’ll take an academic year off first and then switch to part-time studies. Millions of women live like this, and I can do it too! We’ll get by! — Natalia assured her.
– Oh, you’ll manage, alright… But it’s not the best fate… Men generally aren’t interested in other people’s children. And you, at such a young age, already have a baggage!
– Mum, you’re always so full of stereotypes. I’m just sure there’s that one man out there who can love both me and my future child. — Natalia responded confidently.
– Well, let’s hope so… — Svetlana replied meaningfully…
…Nine months later, Natalia gave birth to a boy whom she named Ethan. And then life started speeding up at an incredible pace. First came the academic leave from university, then part-time studies, work, sessions, exams, retakes, illnesses, preschool, birthdays of her little son one after the other. Of course, raising a child on her own was incredibly tough for Natalia. Thankfully, her mother was there for her in tough times, helping her however she could.
…Natalia had already taken her son to first grade, earned her degree, and landed a good job, but her personal life remained unfulfilled. Her mother was partially right in her views about men. Men sometimes began to show interest in Natalia, but she’d often find herself unresponsive to some while others would make their excuses once they learned about her son. So, she continued to live alone with Ethan.
– Nat, did you see the new head of the construction department? What a catch… — her colleague Larissa asked playfully.
– No. What, is he made of gold? — Natalia asked, uninterested.
– Well, whether he’s gold or not… but he’s quite the catch! He’ll be at the general meeting today, you’ll see for yourself. Then you’ll understand what I mean.
That same day, Natalia, like the rest of the company staff, met the new head of construction, Alex. He turned out to be an attractive young man, fit with a great sense of humor. He quickly blended into the team, formed friendly relationships with his colleagues, but he seemed to take a particular interest in Natalia. She felt that special attention from him, perhaps from the very first day.
First, the considerate Alex suggested they grab coffee together during lunch. Then it progressed to a first date. Natalia agreed but decided that as things moved forward, she’d need to let him know about Ethan as soon as possible.
Alex shared that he hadn’t married yet at the age of thirty-three and had only recently moved out of his mother’s house after saving up for his own flat, and now he was ready to settle down.
Natalia spoke about herself and gently mentioned that she was raising her son alone. Alex took it calmly, saying he had always dreamed of having a son. Natalia felt relieved, and their romance quickly blossomed. She introduced her chosen partner to her son. They all enjoyed walks in the park and went to the cinema together. It was overall good. At that moment, both Alex and Ethan were a bit distant. Natalia truly believed they would bond. Ideally, she wished for them to become a real father-and-son duo.
– Nat, why don’t you and Ethan move in with me? — Alex suggested one day.
– I don’t know, Alex. I wouldn’t mind, but Ethan… He’d have to change schools, and he probably wouldn’t want that, — Natalia voiced her concerns.
– Whether he wants to or not! You’ve spoiled him, dear. We’ll just state the facts: we’re moving, and he’ll transfer to a different school, — Alex replied.
– I don’t know about that…
Natalia genuinely wanted to move in with the man she loved, but something was holding her back, stopping her from making such a major leap into a completely new life.
A few more months passed. Alex brought up the topic of moving again, and even about getting officially married.
– Alright, Alex. I’ll talk to Ethan. Maybe we can move over the summer, and he can start school in your area for the new academic year.
– Nat, we’ve talked about this before. Enough with bringing Ethan into everything. Let’s deal with it ourselves, and we’ll just tell him later. He’s just a kid; it’s not his place to decide where we live. — Alex insisted.
– Alex, I can’t do that. He has all his friends at this school, and there’s sports. I will definitely talk to him.
Natalia prepared for the upcoming conversation with her son for a long time. But one Saturday, she finally decided to bring up that difficult subject.
– Ethan, how would you feel about us moving in with Uncle Alex?
– Why? — Ethan asked curiously.
– Well, you see, we love each other, we’re getting married, and we’ll be one family.
– Maybe I’d rather move in with Grandma? — Ethan asked, a bit confused.
A brief moment of silence filled the air.
– No, darling. Why would you move to Grandma’s? First of all, I want to see you every day. Secondly, Grandma is getting older, and you still need help with homework and cooking. No.
Natalia sensed that Ethan wasn’t particularly keen on moving. Inside, she felt torn. On one hand, she loved Alex and wanted to share her life with him, to fall asleep and wake up together. On the other hand, she sincerely loved her son and didn’t want to ruin their warm, trusting relationship.
– Nat, we’ve applied to the registry office, so let’s sort out the moving date. The sooner, the better.
– Alex, I spoke with Ethan. I think he took it a bit… — Natalia didn’t get to finish her sentence because Alex interrupted her.
– Nat, let me pick him up after school and talk to him man-to-man. You’ve utterly spoiled him. He’s acting like a little girl: “Will I go or won’t I…”
– Go ahead and try… — Natalia cautiously agreed.
That evening, Alex was supposed to bring Ethan home. Natalia was very anxious that night. Deep down, she sincerely hoped for everything to go smoothly and that Alex would be able to convince Ethan to accept the move. She made a delicious dinner. But judging by the mood in which Alex and Ethan returned, their conversation hadn’t gone well.
– Nat! Your son is completely undisciplined! — Alex declared as soon as he entered.
– What’s with that conclusion? — Natalia asked, watching as Ethan hurried off to his room.
– What’s with that conclusion? You still ask?! He threw such a fit! He’s a boy, and worse than any girl! We’re moving, and that’s that! Or just see how he wraps you around his finger! I’ll set him straight and turn him into a decent lad!
– Let’s have dinner. — Natalia suggested.
Alex was already seated at the table, waiting only for Ethan, who still hadn’t come out of his room.
– Ethan, come to dinner, son. — Natalia shouted from the kitchen.
– I don’t want to. — Ethan replied.
– Oh, spare me the tears! Honestly, you act like a girl! You’re old enough, yet still whimpering. He’s doing piano lessons! There’s a boxing club near my house; you’ll go there instead of that music school. — Alex concluded sternly.
– I’d rather live with Grandma than with you! — Ethan shouted back, and Natalia could tell he was crying from the sound of his voice.
– No Grandma for you. We’re all living together, period…
…Natalia and Ethan moved in with Alex. Since then, Natalia’s peaceful life had ended, as scandals erupted in the apartment practically every day.
– What’s with the habit of eating with your phone in hand?! Either put it away or leave the table!
– I want to eat with my phone! It’s none of your business! You’re no one to me… — ten-year-old Ethan snapped back.
– What did you say?! As long as I’m in charge in this house, you will respect me and listen to me! I never dared to challenge my parents at your age!
– What are you two at it about again? I can’t even take a shower in peace; you always pick a fight!
– Your son is utterly spoiled!
Ethan got up from the table, leaving his portion unfinished.
– Nat, maybe we should send him to your mother’s? — Alex suggested.
– No, Alex. I want my son to live with us.
– Well, then I’ll cancel his trip tomorrow. I don’t want to tolerate his rudeness during the holiday, and he should face some consequences for his behavior. So, he won’t be going to the beach on preventative measures.
– Alex, what are you saying? I’m not going anywhere without my son! — Natalia declared.
– He’ll be fine; he can stay with your mother and think about it.
– Alex, if this were your child, would you act the same way?! — Natalia suddenly asked.
– This isn’t about our future children; it’s about Ethan.
– No, Alex, I’m not going anywhere without my son. Especially since you said you’d always wanted a son and didn’t mind children.
– I didn’t expect it to be like this! — Alex exclaimed.
Natalia flatly refused to go on holiday without her son. Alex was hurt and stayed at his mother’s for a few days.
One evening, Natalia’s mobile buzzed. The screen lit up with her mother-in-law’s number.
– Yes, Irina.
– Natalia, what on earth are you doing? — her mother-in-law started off.
– What’s happened?
– You’re planning to get married and already contradicting your future husband?! Alex has been staying with me for a few days; he can’t go back to his place!
– If we’re in the way, we can move out. Why didn’t he call himself?
– Stop pretending to be the victim! You should be grateful that a man like that is willing to take you on with a child, and yet you’re still arguing! — her mother-in-law fired back.
– Goodbye. Alex can return to the flat tomorrow. We won’t be there by evening. — Natalia ended the call.
After that conversation, she packed their things. By evening, they were already back in their flat. Later, Alex called, trying to mend things, but Natalia ended the relationship. She withdrew her application from the registry office.
– Fine, live your life with your precious son! — Alex said as they parted ways.
– I will. — Natalia replied, deleting Alex’s number and then changing her job.
And that’s how this not-so-happy family story unfolded. Although it’s still unclear who was truly lucky in this tale…
