“William, is that you?”
“Yes, Mother.”
“Why are you coming home so late?”
“I stayed at Chris’s place; we were working.”
“You didn’t stop by to see some girl, did you?”
“No, Mother.”
“But you’re a handsome man. Don’t you have a girl?”
William didn’t have a wife. His appearance was far from attractive: he was short, with a hunch on his back, long arms, and disheveled hair. He and his mother, Elizabeth, had moved to the village when he was still a child. People said that such a frail boy wouldn’t live long. But William endured. His mother, who worked as a baker, passed away from illness, leaving William alone. After her death, the village supported the young man, and his home became a gathering place for others—first boys interested in radio technology and later girls as well.
Among them was Anna. She stayed the longest, and one day William asked her:
“Why don’t you hurry home?”
“No one’s waiting for me there. My stepmother doesn’t love me, and my father drinks. It’s better here.”
“Then stay with me. My mother’s room is empty. Live here; I don’t expect anything from you.”
And so Anna moved in with William. People gossiped at first but eventually stopped. She helped him around the house, and soon after, she gave birth to a son—Dominic. William loved the boy as if he were his own. Anna eventually married another man and moved out. Before leaving, she made a request to William:
“Let me take Dominic. He means so much to me.”
“Let’s ask the boy,” William replied.
Anna called Dominic over and asked:
“Who do you want to live with—me or William?”
“Can’t we all live together?” asked Dominic.
“We can’t,” she replied.
“Then I’ll stay with Dad!” the boy decided.
Dominic stayed with William. Anna occasionally visited, but one day she announced that she wanted to take her son. Dominic cried, screamed, and clung to William.
“I’m not going anywhere!” he shouted.
Anna confessed that William wasn’t his biological father, but Dominic replied:
“I’ll run away back to Dad anyway!” And he indeed tried several times.
William’s neighbor, Mary, who was a widow, gradually grew closer to him. She often asked for his help around her house. Before long, they started living together. Meanwhile, Anna announced that she had given birth to a daughter and invited Dominic to the city. But the boy refused:
“I won’t leave Dad and Aunt Mary.”
When Mary and William had a son, Simon, Dominic worried that their feelings for him might change. But Mary reassured him:
“You are like one of our own. We’re so happy you’re here with us.”
Years passed. Dominic grew up, with a sister from Anna and a brother from Mary. People in the village forgot that he wasn’t William’s biological son. He spoke with pride to his children and grandchildren about his father. On holidays, the entire family gathered—Mary’s children, Anna’s children, and Dominic himself.
“Our father was the best!” they’d say. “We’d wish such a father for everyone!”
