My name is Andrew. After my mother passed away, my father remarried a woman with two daughters.
Years went by, and we all grew older. Eventually, my father suffered a tragic accident and died.
To my surprise, my stepmother proved herself to be quite honorable. She gave me the flat we lived in.
This home belonged to your mother. It ought to be yours now, she said.
The only favour she asked in return was that her daughters be allowed to stay in my flat while they finished university. She was moving back to her hometown. I agreed without hesitation.
Her daughters, Emily and Sophie, were very different in character. However, they shared one singular ambition: to find a husband who owned a home.
Suddenly, my life took an interesting turn. Emily made me breakfast, and Sophie ironed my shirts. Each one tried her best to win me over.
In due time, both Emily and Sophie gave birth to daughters of mine, just a couple of months apart. When my stepmother heard her daughters were expecting, she was furious and created an enormous fuss. Still, Emily and Sophie refused to terminate their pregnancies; they decided to keep the children.
I weighed my options carefully. Paying a third of my salary in child support for eighteen years would be quite costly. So I decided to buy a flat on a mortgage.
I exchanged my flat for two studio flats. The remaining money allowed me to place a deposit on a mortgage for a new flat of my own.
I gave a studio each to Emily and Sophie, on condition they sign documents waiving child support. For a few years I lived quietly, content.
But after four years, a court notice arrived at work, informing me of an enormous arrears in child maintenance.
I confronted my sisters. They laughed in my face, telling me Id simply given them those flats and that theyd deliberately muddled up the paperwork.
Now, I had lost the family flat, was burdened with a mortgage, and still owed child support. Life became incredibly hard.
My stepmother was thrilled:
Thats what you get! You deserve no less!
Emily and Sophie forbade me from seeing my daughters. I borrowed money to clear my debts, then went to court for visitation rights. Thankfully, I won.
At work, I had a frank conversation and arranged to receive most of my earnings off the books. Now, my child support payments are much lower.
Every Friday, I collect my daughters, and return them Sunday. I treat them with anything they desire, taking them to every fun attraction. Emily and Sophie constantly complain that I spoil the girls.
I even pay two chaps to stir up trouble for my sisters, telling them that having children will make it harder to marry well.
One day, with a representative from child welfare present, I took my daughters home from my stepmothers house, declaring their mothers had abandoned them. I applied for child support myself, and the girls now live with me. As a father, I do my utmost. Whenever my daughters do see their mothers, they rush to me and cling tight, fearful their mothers will take them back. I read them bedtime stories about wicked mothers, just to reinforce their trust.
By the time Emily and Sophie realised what was happening, I was happily married to a wonderful woman.
I then offered them a deal: return my flats and their daughters could come back to them. They readily agreed.
Now, my life is comfortable. I rent out two flats, and have paid off the mortgage on my own home.
I refused to let anyone take advantage of me, and eventually restored balance with my sisters. Life taught me that if you stand your ground and stay resourceful, youll find a way through even the most tangled situations.
