The old saying holds true: the longer couples date, the more troublesome their marriages often become.
A couple had been together for seven years before finally deciding to marry. Throughout all those years, theyd never actually lived together, not even for a full day. They both cherished having their own time and personal space. An unplanned pregnancy, however, meant they had to go through with a wedding.
At first, living together brought excitement and novelty. They started off by fixing up a small flather grandmother moved in with her own parents, freeing up the space for the young couplethen came the shared trips to buy furniture and household things. But once everything was settled, the pair grew uneasy spending so much time together within those four walls.
The husband began to plead with his wife to let him go to the pub for a pint with his mates, and she was genuinely glad for him to get out and spend time with friends. Soon enough, this became their standard way of life. They would meet at home only late at night, same as during those seven earlier years.
As the baby’s due date drew closer, the husband grew more melancholy with each passing day. The wife didnt pay it much attention, until one day a strange woman rang her up, calmly announcing that her husband was moving in with her. And indeed, while the woman was at a routine check-up with her midwife, her husband had packed his bags and left.
The most stinging part was that he never bothered to offer any explanationhed just run off, frightened of it all. He didnt even show up for the divorce hearing. The young woman did everything she could to ensure that, when the baby was born, no man’s name was registered as the father. Fortunately, she managed to pull a few strings and sort it out promptly.
She gave birth to a lovely, healthy sona big baby boy, with the sweetest dimples. Seeing her child, any anger towards her once-beloved friend was instantly forgotten. Her parents stepped up, helping her raise her son. She refused to entertain the idea of another relationship; the wound inside her heart seemed unlikely to ever heal.
Three years went by. Then, one afternoon, the doorbell rang. The young woman was expecting her mother to pop round to help with her grandson, so she opened the door without a second thought. There, on the step, stood her ex-husband, holding an extravagant bouquet of red roseswhich he knew she adoredand a big blue racing car toy, the very first present he had ever brought for his son.
She looked at her former husband in silence until he said, Im sorry Ill do anything you ask.
“Do you really think I could forgive you after all this time? It’s been years…
Just then, their boy raced into the hallway.
No. You should go, and dont come back. Weve managed all this time without you, and were used to it.
She wasnt hurt any more. Over the years, the bitterness had faded away, and all that remained was a touch of pity for the man who had lost something as precious as his own son.
