Keep your distance from me! I never promised to marry you! And anyway, I dont even know whose child that is!
Whos to say shes mine at all?
Well, you can just be on your way then, and I think Ill leave too, said Victor, who was on a work trip in their village, speaking sharply to the shocked Valeria.
She stood there, struggling to believe her own ears and eyes. Was this really Victor, the same man whod once declared his love and swept her off her feet?
Was this the Victor whod called her his darling Val, whod promised her a life of joy? Nobefore her now stood a flustered, angry stranger.
Valerie spent a week in tears, waving Victor goodbye forever. But as she was already thirty-five, plain in appearance, and well aware her chances of finding happiness were slim, Valerie made a decisionshe would become a mother on her own.
Valerie gave birth right on schedule to a wailing baby girl. She named her Emily. Emily grew up to be a calm, easy child, never causing her mother trouble.
It was as if she instinctively knew that crying or not, nothing would change. Valerie was fine to her daughtershe fed her, dressed her, bought her toysbut a true mothers love simply wasnt there. Emily yearned for a cuddle or a walk, but her mother was always too busy, tired, or had a headache. That natural bond never awoke in her.
When Emily turned seven, something unexpected happenedValerie met a man. Not only that, she brought him home to live with them! The whole village buzzed with gossip, calling Valerie a careless woman.
Hes not local, not serious, pointless work, no real place to stayhe could be a crook!
Thats just how things went. Valerie worked in the local co-op, and heDavidhelped unload the delivery lorries. Their shared work sparked a romance.
Soon enough, Valerie invited her new beau to move in. The neighbours disapproved:
Shes brought a complete stranger into her home! Think of her young daughter! they murmured. He barely utters a wordhe must be hiding something!
But Valerie paid them no mind, sensing perhaps that this was her last chance for happiness. Yet soon, opinions about the quiet David began to change.
The house had fallen into disrepair without a man around. David, as he was called, first fixed the porch, then patched up the roof, and righted the sagging fence.
Every day he made repairs, and the house blossomed before everyones eyes. Seeing he had a real pair of hands, people began asking for help, and David would say:
If youre elderly or really struggling, Ill help for free. Otherwise, a bit of cash or perhaps some groceries, if youve got any to spare.
He accepted money from some, homemade jams or sausages from others, eggs or milk. Valerie had a garden but no livestockwhats a home without a man to help? Before, Emily rarely had treats like cream or fresh milk, but now the fridge often boasted both.
David had golden hands. And Valerie, never a beauty, began to glow, gentler and kinder than before. Even to Emily, she became warmer. Shed smile, and beholddimples! Whod have guessed?
Emily grew and started school. One afternoon, she sat on the step, watching Uncle David work, admiring how things always bent to his will. Then she dashed off to play with a friend next door and didnt return until sunset. As she opened the gate, she was stunned to seeswings standing tall in the garden! They danced in the breeze, calling to her.
Are these for me? Uncle David! Did you build these for me? Swings? Emily gasped.
For you, Emily, of course! Go on, try them out! David, usually so quiet, laughed with delight.
Emily hopped on, swinging high, her hair wild in the wind, the happiest girl in the whole world.
Valerie left for work early, so Uncle David also took over the cookingbreakfast, lunch, you name it. His pies and casseroles were a marvel!
He was the one who taught Emily to cook and set a proper table. Who knew the taciturn David had such talents?
In winter, when days grew shorter, Uncle David saw Emily to school and back. He carried her satchel, sharing stories from his old life.
He told her about caring for his ailing mother, selling his flat to support her, and about the brother who conned him out of his home. He taught her patience on summer dawns spent fishing by the riverjust the two of them, waiting in silence for a bite.
That summer, David bought Emily her first bicycle and taught her to ride. He would dab plasters and ointment on her grazed knees after tumbles.
Shell break her neck, David! Valerie would mutter.
Shell learn to fall and stand up again, hed reply firmly.
One New Years Eve, he gave Emily a real pair of childrens ice skates. That night, they all sat down at a festive table David and Emily prepared together, toasted midnight, and laughed with sparkling juice in their glasses. In the early hours, Valerie and David awoke to Emilys delighted shrieks:
Skates! Hooray! Proper white skates, for me! Thank you! she cried, hugging them, tears of joy streaming down her face.
Later, she and Uncle David went to the frozen river. He cleared the snow, and together they learned to skate. She fell, often, but he patiently guided her hand until she could glide with confidence. The day she stayed upright and made it across the ice without tumbling, Emily bounced in triumph, shrieking with delight.
On their way home, she flung her arms around his neck:
Thank you for everything! Thank you, Dad
Now it was Davids turn to crytears of happiness, wiped away quickly, hoping Emily wouldnt notice, though they fell anyway.
Emily grew up and went off to study in the city. Life was full of challenges, as it always is, but David was there through all of them.
He attended her graduation. He delivered bags of groceries to her student flat, not wanting his Emily to go hungry.
He walked her down the aisle at her wedding. Together with her husband, he stood under the hospital windows, waiting for news of the birth of her child. He doted on his grandchildren, loving them as much asperhaps more thana blood relative might.
And then, as we all must, David passed away. At his farewell, Marytogether with her motherstood by the grave, threw a handful of earth into it, and said through her tears:
Goodbye, Dad You were simply the best father in the world. Ill never forget you.
And in her heart, he lives onnot as Uncle David, not just a stepdad, but as her Dad. Sometimes, the man who raises you, who shares your pain and joy, who stays by your side, is the one who truly earns the name Father.
Such a heartfelt story of life! Thank you for your comments and support! Follow this page for more stories.
