Father has another family now! The New Year came with tears in our eyes…
I rarely saw my dad, and even then, it was only by chance…
My parents were once deeply in love with each other. Their bond was genuine and strong, and they spent nearly 15 years together. Then I came along as their only child.
When I was eight, my mom sat in front of me one day, silent for a long time. Then she sighed heavily and said, “Son, your dad has fallen in love with another woman. It’ll just be the two of us now…”
I couldn’t grasp what she meant. How could someone just leave like that? I thought parents couldn’t stop loving each other because a family is forever. I hoped dad would change his mind and come back… But he never did.
Mom worked relentlessly to make sure we had all we needed. She took on two jobs because her pride wouldn’t allow her to accept money from my dad. She claimed she could manage, but I often saw her late at night, sitting by the window, lost in her thoughts. Probably about the past or how we would move forward.
And dad… He had a new life now. There was another woman and her daughter, who was my age. Maybe he loved her. Maybe they laughed together, went on walks, took holidays, and celebrated occasions at a beautifully set table. All I had were infrequent, accidental encounters, no more than shadows of my past life.
This was also the case at the end of last year.
After a dull and somber Christmas, my mom and I went out for a walk around town. She smiled and mentioned how the air felt special, full of the season’s spirit. But I saw the sadness in her eyes. We wandered through shops, gazing at the displays, but we bought nothing. We had nearly no money, and mom pretended we didn’t need anything.
We stopped at a jewellery shop. As I admired the sparkling displays, I suddenly recognized a figure.
Dad.
He was by the counter, smiling and choosing something, carefully examining boxes of gold rings and bracelets. I wanted to call out to him but froze when I saw the woman beside him. Her daughter was excitedly eyeing a new ring as dad paid for it.
He was giving them gifts… At that moment, I realized he truly had another family. He was happy with them, and it seemed he no longer thought of us.
I tugged mom’s hand and silently directed her gaze towards the shop.
Mom noticed them. I felt her fingers tense. She quickly turned away and continued walking, as if nothing had happened.
We went back home. The fridge held only a few things—mom took half a kilo of mince and a few potatoes, making shepherd’s pie. I just sat quietly at the table.
We saw in the New Year together. Outside, the city erupted with fireworks, people exchanging greetings, while we simply sat. Each lost in our own thoughts, in separate corners of the room.
Once upon a time, holidays were so different. Once, we were a family.
But why then were our eyes filled with tears?”
