“Indulged”
“What’s the deal with eating while glued to your phone?! Either put it away, or leave the table!” Alex shouted once again at his stepson.
“I want to eat with my phone! What’s it to you?! You’re nobody to me…” retorted ten-year-old Ethan.
“What did you say?! I’m still the one in charge of this house, so you’d better respect me and listen to what I say! I never dared to be cheeky to my parents at your age!” Alex thundered, prompting Ethan to dash out of the room and slam the door to his bedroom.
“And what are you two squabbling about now? I can’t even have a quiet shower without you two bickering! I’m fed up with this!” came Natalia’s voice as she emerged from the bathroom.
“Your son is completely spoiled! There’s no discipline whatsoever! This is your fault, by the way!” Alex snapped angrily at his wife.
Natalia took a seat at the kitchen table, removing the fluffy towel she had wrapped around her hair just a few moments before. Weary, she wiped her face, looked at her husband, then sighed and lowered her eyes…
At eighteen, Natalia found herself pregnant by a classmate. There was no real love at that time; they were just casually dating. When she broke the news to the boy, he promptly told his parents. They wasted no time—transferring him to a university on the other side of the country and handing Natalia money for an abortion.
But Natalia didn’t even consider aborting. She decided to have the baby and join the ranks of single mothers.
“Oh, Natalia! I feel so sorry for you! It’s all my fault for not keeping a closer eye. I should have explained things better. I experienced the challenges of raising a child alone, and now you’re following the same path. You’re repeating my fate…” lamented Svetlana, Natalia’s mother.
“Stop it, Mum. You raised me; I’ll manage. I’ll take a year off from university and switch to part-time studies. Millions of women do it, and I’m no different! We’ll get by!” Natalia assured her.
“Oh, you will get by, but it’s not the best life… Men usually aren’t keen on someone else’s children. And here you are, so young already with baggage!”
“Mum, you’re always stuck in your stereotypes. I’m convinced there’s a man out there who can love both me and my child,” Natalia replied confidently.
“Well, God willing…” Svetlana responded, somewhat doubtfully.
…Nine months later, Natalia welcomed a baby boy she named Ethan. Life spun into a whirlwind afterwards. First, as expected, she took her academic leave from university. Then came part-time studies, work, exams, and endless birthdays for her little son. Raising a child alone was tough for Natalia, but her mother supported her, helping however she could.
…By the time Natalia sent her son off to his first year of school, she had graduated and found a nice job. However, her personal life remained a mess. Her mother’s concerns about men seemed partially justified. Though some men began to show interest in Natalia, she wasn’t drawn to them. And whenever they learned about her son, they quickly disappeared under various excuses. Thus, the two of them lived together, just Ethan and Natalia.
“Natalie, have you seen the new manager in construction? He’s quite something…” her colleague, Lisa, asked playfully.
“No. What is he, made of gold?” Natalia asked disinterestedly.
“Well, maybe not gold, but he’s not hard on the eyes! He’s presenting at the general meeting today, so you’ll see him then.”
That same day, Natalia, along with the rest of the staff, met the new construction manager, Alex. He turned out to be a striking young man with a sporty build and a great sense of humor. He quickly blended into the workplace, establishing friendly relations with his colleagues, but he showed a particular fondness for Natalia. She sensed this special attention from him almost immediately.
At first, courteous Alex suggested they grab a cup of coffee together during lunch. Soon enough, he asked her out on a date. Natalia agreed but decided she should tell him about Ethan before things progressed too far.
During their date, Alex shared that he had yet to marry at thirty-three. He had lived with his mother until he saved for his own flat and was now ready for marriage.
Natalia also opened up about herself, gently noting that she was raising her son alone. Alex took it in stride and shared his dream of having a son. This reassured Natalia, and their romance quickly blossomed. She introduced Alex to Ethan, and they spent cheerful days in the park and watching films together. While it was all fairly pleasant, both Alex and Ethan were a bit distant at first. Natalia firmly believed they would eventually bond. Ideally, she envisioned them becoming as close as a father and son.
“Natalie, why don’t you move in with me?” Alex suggested one day.
“I’m not sure, Alex. I wouldn’t mind, but Ethan would have to change schools, and he probably won’t want to,” she expressed her concern.
“Whether he wants to or not! You’ve spoiled him, love. We simply have to lay it out for him that we’re moving and that he’ll be going to a new school,” Alex replied.
“I don’t know…”
Natalia genuinely desired to move in with her beloved man, yet something held her back, preventing her from taking that leap into a new life.
Months went by, and Alex brought up the subject of moving again, as well as the possibility of an official marriage.
“Alright, Alex. I’ll speak to Ethan. Maybe we could move over the summer, and he could start school in your area come autumn,” Natalia agreed.
“Nat, we’ve talked about this. Why do you keep bringing Ethan into it? Let’s resolve this between us, and just tell him the decision. He’s just a kid and shouldn’t have a say in where he lives,” Alex insisted.
“Alex, I can’t do that. He has all his friends at his school, plus activities there. I really need to talk to him first.”
Natalia prepared for the upcoming talk with her son for quite some time. One Saturday, she finally decided to broach the difficult topic.
“Ethan, how would you feel about us moving in with Uncle Alex permanently?”
“Why would we do that?” the bewildered ten-year-old asked.
“Well, you see, Alex and I love each other. We plan to get married and live as a family.”
“Maybe I should just move in with Grandma instead?” Ethan replied, utterly confused.
A brief silence filled the air.
“No, sweetheart. Why would you move to Grandma’s? First of all, I want to see you every day. Secondly, Grandma isn’t young anymore, and you’ll need help with your homework. We’re not doing that.”
Natalia sensed that Ethan wasn’t quite keen on the idea of moving. Inside, she was torn between two feelings. On one hand, she loved Alex and wished to share a home with him—falling asleep and waking up together. On the other, she genuinely cared for her son and wanted to preserve their warm, trusting relationship.
“Nat, we’ve put in the application at the registry office. Let’s finalize when we’re moving. The sooner, the better,” Alex urged.
“Alex, I spoke with Ethan, and I think he’s taken it badly…” Natalia was interrupted by Alex.
“Nat, I’ll pick him up after school and talk to him man to man. You’ve spoiled him. He’s acting like a little princess: should I go, should I not…”
“Well, give it a try…” Natalia reluctantly assented.
That evening, Alex was supposed to bring Ethan home. Natalia was extremely anxious. Deep down, she sincerely hoped everything would go smoothly and that Alex would manage to convince her son about moving. She prepared a delicious dinner, but judging by the mood when Alex and Ethan returned, it seemed the conversation hadn’t gone well.
“Nat! Your son is completely uncouth!” Alex declared almost as soon as he was through the door.
“Whatever do you mean?” Natalia asked, watching as Ethan hurried to his room.
“Whatever do I mean?! You’re questioning me? He threw a fit! He’s a boy, yet worse than any girl! We’re moving, end of story! Or else, he’ll sulk around like a bad apple! I’ll put him in his place and make a proper lad out of him!”
“Let’s have dinner,” Natalia suggested.
Alex was already seated at the table, waiting for Ethan, who had yet to emerge from his room.
“Ethan, darling, come for dinner,” called Natalia from the kitchen.
“I don’t want to,” came Ethan’s sullen reply.
“Come on, do you really want to sulk like that? Honestly, you sound like a child! You’re getting older and still act like a baby. You’re taking piano lessons, but there’s a boxing gym near my house, and that’s where you’ll be instead of music school,” Alex concluded gruffly.
“I’d rather stay with Grandma than with you!” Ethan shouted, and Natalia recognized the tremble in his voice—he was crying.
“There’s no Grandma for you. We’re all living together, and that’s the end of it…”
…Natalia and Ethan moved in with Alex. From that point on, Natalia’s quiet life was kaput because arguments erupted in the flat almost every day.
“What’s with the phone at the table?! Either put it away, or leave the table!”
“I want to use my phone while eating! What’s wrong with that?! You’re nobody to me!” Ethan snapped back, now an eleven-year-old.
“What did you say?! I’m the one in charge here; you need to respect that and listen! I never dared disrespect my parents at your age!”
“What are you two fighting about now? I can’t even shower in peace; you keep butting heads!”
“Your son is completely spoiled now!”
Ethan pushed away from the table, leaving his meal unfinished.
“Nat, maybe we should send him to your mother?” Alex suggested.
“No, Alex! I want my son living with us.”
“Alright then, I’ll cancel his holiday passport. I don’t want to endure his rudeness on vacation, and he needs some punishment for his behavior. So no holiday by the sea for him!”
“Alex, are you serious? I won’t go anywhere without my son!” Natalia shot back.
“He’ll be fine; he’ll stay with your mother and have some time to think.”
“Alex, if this were your child, would you handle it the same way?!” Natalia asked unexpectedly.
“This is about Ethan, not our future children.”
“No, Alex, I’m not going anywhere without my son. You even said you always dreamed of having a son and were fine with children.”
“I didn’t expect it to be like this!” Alex retorted.
Natalia was determined not to go on holiday without Ethan. Alex was upset and stayed at his mother’s for several days.
One evening, Natalia received a call from her mother-in-law. The caller ID read Irena.
“Hello, Irena.”
“Natalia, what are you doing?!” the mother-in-law started right away.
“What’s the matter?”
“Are you planning to get married and already defying your future husband?! Alex has been staying with me for days and can’t bring himself to return to his flat!”
“If we’re bothering him, we can move elsewhere. Why hasn’t he called himself?”
“Stop pretending to be the innocent one! You should be glad that a man like him took you on with a child, and here you are, pushing your luck!” yelled Irena.
“Goodbye. Alex can return to the flat tomorrow. We won’t be here by evening,” Natalia hung up.
After that conversation, she packed her things. By evening, they were back at their own flat. Later, Alex called to mend fences, but Natalia refused to continue their relationship. She withdrew the application from the registry office.
“Well, go on and live your life with your son!” Alex said as they parted ways.
“That’s exactly what I’ll do,” Natalia replied, deleting Alex’s number for good and even changing her job.
And that’s how this less-than-fortunate family saga unfolded. Although it’s still unclear who truly came out ahead in this story…
