Get away from me! I never promised to marry you! And, honestly, Im not even sure that child is mine.
It might not be mine at all! So, off you goand as for me, Ill be leaving now. Thats what Victor said to the stunned Valeria.
She stood frozen, unable to believe what shed just heard or seen. Was this truly the Victor who once told her he loved her, who used to sweep her off her feet?
Was this the same man who lovingly called her Valerie and promised her the moon and stars?
Before her now was a flustered, cross, and unfamiliar man. Valerie wept for a week, waving Victor off for good.
But as she was already thirty-five, and, by all accounts, unlikely to find happiness in marriage, she decided to have her baby and raise it on her own.
Valerie gave birth to a healthy baby girl, whom she named Emily.
Emily grew up a quiet, easy-going child, hardly ever causing her mother trouble. It was as if she somehow knew that making a fuss would do no good. Valerie treated her daughter well enoughfed her, clothed her, bought toysbut real warmth and affection between them seemed to be missing.
She did everything a good mother ought to but rarely hugged Emily or took her out to the park just to spend time together. When little Emily stretched out her arms for a cuddle, Valerie would gently push her away, always busy, always tired, always with a headache. It seemed that maternal instinct had forever passed her by.
When Emily turned seven, something unexpected happenedValerie met a man, and soon invited him to live with them, much to the villages gossip. Who did she think she was, sharing her home with a stranger like that!
He wasnt local, didnt have steady workcould have been anyone, maybe even a crook! Valerie worked at the village shop, and hed signed up to help unload deliveries. Before long, a romance bloomed, and in time, Valeries new beau, Simon, moved in.
Neighbours murmured that she should think of Emily, bringing a strange man under her roof. He was quiet, tooa sure sign, they thought, that he had something to hide. But Valerie paid gossip no mind; she seemed to sense this was perhaps her last shot at happiness.
Not long after, though, public opinion began to shift. The house, so long in neglect, started to look better. Simon, as he was called, mended the front step, patched the roof, and straightened the sagging fence. Each day, he fixed something else, and the transformation was plain to see. The villagers, noticing Simons knack for practical jobs, started to ask him for help. Hed say, If youre old or hard-up, Ill help for nothing; otherwise, you can pay me in pounds or a bit of food.
Hed take a little cash here, some eggs, jam, or bacon there. Thanks to Simon, dairy and cream appeared in Valeries fridge for the first time, and Emily enjoyed rich milk and butter just like her friends.
Simons talents were endless: a real jack-of-all-trades, clever and kind. Even Valerie softened and brightened in his company, and her rare smile revealed dimples Emily had never seen before. Emily, by then, was in school.
One day, while watching Simon work in the garden, curiosity drew Emily to visit her friend next door, and she didnt return until dusk. As she came back through the gate, she froze.
A swing set stood proudly in the garden, swaying gently in the breeze, inviting her to play.
For me? Simon, did you really make those for me? Swings?! Emily stared in disbelief.
For you, Emily. All for you! Simon laughed, more cheerful than shed ever heard him.
Emily jumped onto the swing, pumping her legs as high as she could go, the wind whistling past her ears, feeling as if nothing could make her happier in the whole world.
Valerie worked early shifts, so Simon took on the cookingbreakfasts, dinners, and, oh, the pies and bakes he made! He taught Emily how to set a table, knead dough, roast meat, and soon cooking together was a favourite pastime.
When the short, dark English winter came round, Simon would walk Emily to school and fetch her home each day, carrying her book-bag and sharing stories of his past. He told her how he looked after his terminally ill mother and even sold his flat to help her; and how his own brother tricked him out of their home. He wanted Emily to know what family could be likethe good and the bad.
He taught Emily how to fish. On summer mornings, theyd go down to the river and sit quietly, waiting for a biteteaching her patience.
A little while later, Simon bought Emily her first bicycle and helped her learn to ride. He tended her grazed knees with antisepticevery tumble, every tear, he was there.
Shell break her neck, Simon! Valerie would fret.
She needs to learn how to falland how to get back up again, he assured her.
One Christmas, Simon bought real skates for Emily. That night, the family sat around the table Simon and Emily had laid together, waiting for Big Ben to strike. They toasted each other with sparkling cider and laughter filled the house. The next morning, Valerie and Simon woke to Emilys delighted shrieks.
Skates! Hooray! I have real, white, new skates! Thank you, thank you! she squealed, clutching them to her chest, tears streaming down her cheeks with happiness.
Simon and Emily went straight down to the frozen river. Simon cleared the snow while Emily helped, then taught her how to skate, holding her hand as she fell and got up again, until she could glide steadily all on her own. When she succeeded at last, she whooped with joy and threw herself into his arms.
Thank you for everything! Thank you, Dad
Now Simon shed a tearquickly rubbing it away so Emily wouldnt seebut they glistened on his cheeks in the icy air.
Emily grew up and left for university in London, facing all the ups and downs of life as any young person would. Yet Simon was always there.
He was at her graduation, he brought her care packages so that his girl would never go hungry. He walked her down the aisle at her wedding, and waited outside the hospital with her husband for news at the birth of his grandchildren, whom he loved as fiercely as his own.
In time, as we all must, Simon passed away. At his funeral, Emily and her mother stood side by side in grief. Emily tossed a handful of earth into his grave and whispered, with a deep breath,
Goodbye, Dad You were the best father anyone could wish for. Ill never forget you
Simon would live forever in Emilys heart. Not as Uncle Simon, not as a stepfather, but as her Dad.
For sometimes a father is not the one who brings you into this world, but the one who raises you, who shares your pain and your joy, and who is always by your side. And in the end, love and kindness are what make a family.
