Dear Diary,
What on earth is it with the habit of eating with a phone in hand?! Either put that phone away or leave the table!” Alex shouted at his stepson once again.
“I want to eat with my phone! What does it matter to you?! You’re nobody to me…” ten-year-old Ethan shot back defiantly.
“What did you say?! As long as I’m in this house, I’m in charge, and you might want to respect that!” Alex thundered, and Ethan bolted from the table, slamming the door to his room behind him.
“What’s the argument about this time? I can’t even have a quiet shower without you two bickering! I’m so exhausted by all of this!” came Natalia’s voice from the bathroom, her frustration palpable.
“Your son is completely spoiled! He has no manners at all! This is your fault, by the way!” Alex shouted furiously at his wife.
Natalia made her way to the kitchen, sitting heavily on a chair. Removing the towel from her hair, she wiped her face with a weary sigh, glancing at Alex before lowering her gaze.
At eighteen, Natalia found herself pregnant by a university classmate. There wasn’t much love between them—just a casual fling. When she told him about the pregnancy, he swiftly informed his parents, who promptly arranged to transfer him across the country and offered Natalia money for an abortion.
But Natalia never considered terminating the pregnancy. She chose to embrace motherhood as a single parent.
“Oh, Natalya! I feel so sorry for you! It’s my fault for not being there for you. I should’ve led you better. I know all too well what it’s like to raise a child alone. And now you’re following in my footsteps, repeating my fate…” lamented Svetlana, Natalia’s mother, at the time.
“Come on, Mum. You raised me fine, and I will manage. I’ll take a year off university and then switch to part-time study. Millions of women do it, and I can too! We’ll be alright!” Natalia replied confidently.
“Oh, you will get by… but it’s hardly an ideal life. Men aren’t keen on other people’s kids. And now you’re starting young, with a little one, too!”
“Mum, you really need to drop those stereotypes. I’m positive there’s a man out there who can love both me and my future child,” Natalia reassured her mother.
“Let’s hope so…” replied Svetlana, her tone heavy with meaning.
Months later, Natalia gave birth to a boy, whom she named Ethan. Life took off at an incredible pace from there. True to plan, she took her academic leave, then transitioned to part-time studies, all while juggling work, classes, sickness, and the endless stream of her son’s birthdays. It was incredibly tough for Natalia to raise a child on her own, and she was grateful to her mother for supporting her during challenging times.
Eventually, Natalia enrolled Ethan in primary school and graduated with her diploma, landing a good job in the process. However, her personal life remained stagnant. Svetlana’s views on men held some truth; although several suitors expressed interest in Natalia, many lost interest as soon as they learned about her son. So, it was just the two of them.
“Natalie, have you seen the new head of construction? What a catch…” her colleague, Lacey, inquired playfully.
“No, is he made of gold?” Natalia responded nonchalantly.
“Well, not literally, but he’s quite handsome! You’ll get to see him during today’s office meeting. Then you’ll understand what I’m talking about!”
Later that day, Natalia, along with her coworkers, met the new construction head, Alex Mercer. He was indeed an attractive young man with a sporty build and a good sense of humour. He seemed to integrate rapidly into the team, forming friendly bonds with his colleagues, while showing a particular interest in Natalia. She sensed this from their very first day together.
Initially, the courteous Alex invited her out for coffee during lunch. Their connection deepened as he asked her on a proper date. Natalia agreed, but resolved to tell him about Ethan before things went too far.
Alex revealed that, at thirty-three, he had never been married and had only recently moved out from living with his mother after saving up for his own flat.
Natalia shared her story too, carefully mentioning that she was raising her son alone. He took it in stride, stating he had always dreamed of having a son. This eased Natalia’s anxiety, and their romance progressed swiftly. She introduced him to Ethan, and they began enjoying outings together—visiting parks and heading to the cinema. Things generally went well, though both Alex and Ethan remained somewhat distant. Natalia truly believed they would grow to bond deeply, just like a father and son should.
“Natalie, perhaps you should move in with me?” Alex suggested one day.
“I’m not sure, Alex. I wouldn’t mind, but Ethan… he’d have to change schools, and that might not sit well with him,” Natalia responded, expressing her concerns.
“Let him decide! You’ve spoiled him too much. We just need to explain that we are moving and that he will be going to a new school,” Alex insisted.
“I don’t know…” Natalia hesitated. She genuinely wanted to move in with her beloved but felt some fear about taking such a big step into a new chapter of their lives.
A few more months passed, and Alex brought up the idea of moving again, along with the prospect of a wedding.
“Alright, I’ll speak with Ethan. Perhaps we can make the move over the summer, and he can start at a new school come autumn,” she agreed.
“Natalie, we’ve already talked it over. Why do you keep bringing Ethan into it? This is a decision for us to make as adults; he’s just a child, and he doesn’t get to decide where he lives,” Alex maintained firmly.
“But, Alex, I can’t do that! Ethan has all his friends at his school and he’s involved in activities there. I need to talk to him first.”
Natalia prepared herself for the difficult conversation with Ethan for quite some time. Eventually, one Saturday, she broached the subject.
“Ethan, how would you feel about moving in with Uncle Alex?”
“Why would we do that?” the puzzled ten-year-old asked.
“Well, you see, Alex and I love each other, and we plan to marry and become one family.”
“Couldn’t I just move in with Grandma instead?” Ethan suggested, confused.
A brief silence hung in the air.
“No, darling. Why would you go to Grandma’s? For starters, I want to see you every day. Plus, Grandma isn’t as young, and I need to help you with homework and all. No, that’s not happening.”
While Natalia sensed her son was not keen on the move, she felt torn. On one side was her love for Alex and the desire to build a life with him. On the other, her deep affection for Ethan and her wish not to strain their trusting relationship.
“Natalie, we’ve submitted the registry office papers. Let’s decide on a moving date. The sooner, the better,” Alex urged.
“I spoke with Ethan, and I think he feels rather…,” Natalia began, but Alex interrupted her.
“Natalie, let me pick him up after school and have a talk with him as a man. You’ve spoiled him too much. He acts like a drama queen; whether he goes or not is irrelevant.”
“Give it a try, then,” Natalia relented nervously.
That evening, Alex was meant to bring Ethan home, and Natalia was filled with apprehension. Deep down, she hoped everything would go smoothly and Alex would convince her son to accept the move. She prepared a delicious dinner, but judging by the tension when they arrived, it seemed their discussion didn’t go well.
“Natalie! Your son is completely undisciplined!” Alex announced almost at once.
“On what basis do you say that?” she asked, noticing Ethan had rushed to his room.
“Seriously? He threw a proper tantrum! He’s a boy, but behaves worse than any girl! We’re moving, and that’s final! Otherwise, he’ll throw a fit that’ll make my hair stand on end! But I’ll straighten him out!”
“Let’s have dinner,” Natalia suggested.
Alex had taken a seat, and they were waiting for Ethan, who still hadn’t come out of his room.
“Ethan, come and eat, sweetheart,” called Natalia from the kitchen.
“I’m not hungry,” came the muffled reply.
“Stop being so dramatic! For goodness’ sake, you’re ten years old! You don’t have to be a spoiled brat! You do piano lessons! There’s a boxing club near my place; you can go there instead of your music school,” Alex retorted menacingly.
“I would rather live with Grandma than with you!” shouted Ethan, and Natalia could tell he was crying.
“No Grandma for you! We are living together, end of story…”
After some time, Natalia and Ethan lived at Alex’s place. From that moment, her peaceful life came to a halt, as arguments erupted almost daily.
“What’s with the habit of eating and staring at your phone?! Either put your phone down or get out of the dining room!”
“I want to eat while on my phone! What does it matter to you?! You’re no one…” protested Ethan yet again.
“What did you just say?! As long as I’m in this house, I am the one in charge; you should respect me! I would never have dared to sass my parents at your age!”
“What’s the issue now? I can’t even have a shower in peace because you two just can’t stop fighting!”
“Your boy has become utterly spoiled!”
Ethan left the table, leaving his food half-eaten.
“Natalie, maybe we should send him to your mother for a while?” suggested Alex.
“No, Alex. I want my son to live with us.”
“Then I’ll be returning his scholarship tomorrow. I can’t bear his rudeness during our holiday, and he needs to face some consequences for his behaviour. He won’t go to the seaside this year as a measure.”
“Alex, are you serious? I won’t go anywhere without my son!” Natalia firmly declared.
“He’ll be fine at your mum’s for a while; he can think things over.”
“Alex, would you do the same if it were your child?” she questioned unexpectedly.
“This isn’t about our future kids; it’s about Ethan.”
“No, Alex. I’m not going anywhere without my son. Especially since you said you’ve always dreamed of having a son.”
“I didn’t expect it to be like this!” Alex replied, visibly upset.
Natalia stood her ground, refusing to go on holiday without Ethan, which led Alex to stay at his mother’s place for several days.
One evening, Natalia’s phone rang. It was her mother-in-law displaying on the screen.
“Hello, Irina.”
“Natasha, what on earth are you doing?” her mother-in-law started without preamble.
“What’s wrong?”
“Are you really planning to marry and already arguing with your future husband?! Alex has been living at mine for days now; he can’t return to his flat!”
“If we’re bothering him, we could always move. Why doesn’t he just call?”
“Stop pretending to be an innocent lamb! You should be grateful a man like him is taking you and your child, instead of acting all high and mighty!” Irina fired back.
“Goodbye. Alex can return to the flat whenever he likes. We won’t be there by evening.” Natalia hung up the phone.
After that conversation, she began packing their belongings. That evening, they were back in their apartment. Alex tried to reach out to mend things, but Natalia ended the relationship. She retraced her steps at the registry office too.
“So go live your entire life with your son!” Alex yelled at her on the way out.
“And I will,” Natalia replied, permanently deleting Alex’s number from her phone, and eventually changing her job as well.
Such is the tale of an unfortunate family story—though still, it’s unclear who, if anyone, truly benefitted from this whole saga.
