Julia found herself with child. Her husband, George, never left her side throughout the pregnancy, attending to her every whim and desire. At last, the moment arrived, and George escorted Julia to the birthing house. When a healthy baby girl came into the world, he breathed a sigh of relief. Overjoyed, the new father returned home to rest. The next day, he hurried back to visit his wife and daughteronly to be met with shocking news.
“She isnt here,” the nurse told him flatly.
“That cant be!” George refused to believe it. “Perhaps she stepped out? Look for her!”
“No, shes gone. Heres a note.” The nurse handed him a folded slip of paper. George unfolded it and paled at the words written there.
George, the head of sales, had never been married before. When young, pretty Julia joined his department on her first day, he fell for her at once.
“Good morning, colleague,” he said with such warmth that Julias gaze lingered on him.
“Good morning,” she replied softly, returning his smile.
“Youll be settling into your duties. Emily here will show you the ropesshes the senior among us.” He nodded toward her. “Familiarise yourself with the manual. Best of luckI hope well work well together.”
The other staff, mostly women, exchanged curious glances as their usually distant manager took such an interest. Once he left, Emily whispered to another colleague, “Since when does George bother with new hires?” They stifled their laughter.
Julia observed everything carefully. New to the team, she kept a quiet distance, neither shy nor bold, simply watching. At just twenty-two, she had already broken up several marriageseven as a college student, shed entangled herself with a much older lecturer. He, however, ended it when rumours reached his wife.
Time passed, and one evening, George invited her for coffee after work.
“Why not?” Julia smiled. “Youre my boss, after all. Good relations are important.”
Her smile was sweet and guileless; at first, he thought she was teasing. But she agreed, and he was delighted. At thirty, George had never married, though hed had relationships that never led to the altar. This time, things moved quickly. He fell hard, they courted, and soon the entire office was stunned when he announced their wedding.
George indulged Julias every demand without questioneven her one condition.
“No children for now. I want to live for myself. When Im ready to be a mother, Ill tell you. Until then, no nappies or baby clothes.”
George assumed shed change her mind in timethat shed see a family was incomplete without children. But as months turned to years, Julia remained firm. Any mention of a child was swiftly shut down.
“My love, I warned you from the start. You agreed. Dont pester me about it. Im not ready.”
Then, one day, George found her distraught, clutching a positive pregnancy test.
“Juliayoure expecting?”
She nodded.
He swept her into his arms, overjoyed, but she burst into tears.
“I dont want to give birth. I dont want to grow fat. You must do something.”
He kissed her tear-streaked cheeks. “Dont be angry, dont crythis is happiness. I love you, Julia. Were going to have a baby!”
But Julia was resolute. She made an appointment to end it. George arrived just in time, intercepting her at the clinic before she could proceed. He argued fiercely, pulling her outside.
“Please, Julia! Dont do this. Let our child be born. Ill help with everythingI swear it!”
Reluctantly, she agreedon the condition that she wouldnt change nappies or wake for night feeds. True to his word, George never left her side throughout the pregnancy, catering to her every whim. When the time came, he took her to the birthing house. Only when their healthy daughter arrived did he finally exhale in relief.
Exhausted but elated, the new father went home to rest. The next day, he returned to find his wife gonetheir daughter abandoned.
“Thats impossible!” George insisted. “She must have stepped outlook for her!”
“No. She left. Heres a note.” The nurse handed him a folded scrap.
George opened it and turned white.
Three words: “Dont look for me.”
Julia vanishednot returning home or to work, ignoring calls, changing her number. Only a month and a half later did she finally ring George.
“Pack my things. My friend Arthur will collect them. File for divorce yourselfI wont be there.”
No mention of their daughter. The child meant nothing to herjust as George no longer did. So he became both mother and father to little Alice. Thankfully, his own mother lived nearby and helped raise her.
Years later, the phone rang. It was the school. Mrs. Thompson, the teacher of Daniel, Sophias son.
“Come at once. Your son has caused quite a scene!” The line went dead before Sophia could ask for details.
Heart pounding, she hurried to the school.
“What could Daniel have done? Hes always been so well-behaved”
Daniel had been born against all odds. Before their wedding, her husband, Edward, had confessed he was infertileeven producing a doctors note. It was his third marriage.
“Well, doctors can be wrong,” Sophia had said, agreeing to marry him anyway. She loved him, and if children were impossible, adoption was always an optionthough she kept that to herself.
Edwards first wife had left him after just six months, accusing her of infidelitytruthfully. His second wife, desperate for a child, left after his diagnosis. So hed been honest with Sophia.
Yet somehow, Sophia conceived. Overjoyed, she rushed home with the doctors note confirming her pregnancy.
“Edward, wonderful newslook! Were going to have a baby! I told you doctors make mistakes!”
His reaction stunned her.
“Wonderful? Why? Because youve cuckolded me?”
Later, he relented. “Fine. A family needs a childeven if its another mans.” He refused to believe it could be his.
Sophia stopped arguing. When Daniel was born, she was relievedespecially as he bore Edwards likeness. But Edward refused to see it. Though hed been quiet in the early months, even tending to the baby, his anger returned.
“You whore. Have you told the real father about his son? Why put my name on the birth certificate? Let him pay for the bastard!”
Sophia wept, pleaded, but his rages grew frequent. Daniel, now older, witnessed it all. Once, Edward snapped at him, “Go to your real father. Let him feed and clothe you.”
Sophia obtained a paternity test proving Edward was the father. He scoffed. “You bribed them. But Ill expose you.”
Finally, she left, taking Daniel to her mothers. But Edward pursued her. She moved across town, then filed for divorce. Still, he found her. At last, she fled to another city, where she and Daniel now lived peacefully.
Until the call from school.
Arriving, she found Daniel and a classmate seated outside the headmasters office.
She recognised Alicea top student, often held up as an example at parents evenings. Daniel had a red mark on his cheek; Alice glared at him.
“Good day,” Sophia said as Mrs. Thompson approached.
“Ah, youre here. Daniel pushed Alice”
“Mum, it wasnt me! She started it! She called me a bastard and pinched my cheek!”
“Daddy, I didnt” Alice began.
“Enough, Alice,” her father cut in.
“Daniel, apologise to Alice.”
“Alice, youre at fault too.”
The children stood stiffly, still bristling.
“Perhaps you should settle this yourselves,” Mrs. Thompson suggested.
“We will,” Sophia and George said in unison. They caught each others eye and laughed.
“Im George, Alices father.”
“Sophia, Daniels mother.”
“Alice, Im sorry,” Daniel mumbled.
“And Im sorry too,” Alice said, touching his hand.
“Well done,” the parents chorused, laughing again. The children smiled tentatively.
“This calls for celebration,” George said. “How about pizza?”
“Mum, lets go!”
Alice looked serious. “Dont think were pretending. We really made up. Right, Daniel?”
“We believe you,” Sophia said, glancing at George, who nodded.
The children chattered happily over pizza, already fast friends. Daniel even promised, “If anyone bothers you, tell me.”
The parents didnt press the mattertheir children were friends now. And theyd taken a liking to each other, too.
After that first meeting came otherscinema trips, park walks, visits to each others homes. The children noticed their parents growing fondness and rejoicedperhaps more
