“Daughter That Never Was”
“Can you stop crying?! Everyone’s staring at us from the other tables. Thank goodness my friends aren’t here; I’d be mortified!” Kyran said with a haughty tone, clearly annoyed.
“Kyran, why…?” the girl sitting across from him stammered, and her sobs became more intense.
“Oh, here we go again! What do you mean, why? What child are you talking about? Did we agree to have a baby? We only dated for a couple of months, and that’s more than enough!” Kyran said the last part loudly, causing other patrons in the café to glance over.
“What are you saying? We love each other! You confessed your feelings for me! You said…” Alia began, but Kyran cut her off.
“Enough with this nonsense… said, didn’t say… In a few days, I’m moving to America with my parents. We’ve already sold our house here, and my dad has transferred all our assets. So, as they say, adios, love!” he said, glancing back at the weeping girl.
“Kyran…” she murmured quietly, trying to control another wave of tears that threatened to spill.
“Waiter! Can I have the bill?! How long does it take?!” Kyran raised his hand towards the staff at the bar, indicating he needed to settle up quickly.
The waiters rushed over, and Kyran waved them off, rummaging through his wallet for a few folded notes and carelessly tossing them on the table.
“Here’s the deal! I’m already late, and I’m tired of your theatrics. I didn’t promise you anything! I’m leaving; if you want, you can order something else. There’s plenty here,” Kyran said, pointing at the money and heading for the exit.
Alia watched him go, burying her face in her hands and crying even harder. A moment later, a waiter approached. He picked up the cash from the table and started clearing the cups from their coffee.
“Would you like anything else?” he asked politely.
“No, thank you,” Alia replied softly, avoiding eye contact with him due to her red, tear-stained eyes. She slowly stood up, grabbed her handbag from the chair, and made her way outside. Kyran’s car was long gone.
As Alia stepped out into the fresh air, it felt revitalizing. The tears had dried up, leaving only puffy eyelids as evidence of her recent sobbing. She instinctively took out a small mirror from her bag and a tissue to tidy up her makeup and walked away from that miserable café.
She didn’t want to go home. Instead, she turned into a small park where she used to enjoy strolling with her classmates back in school.
Sitting on a bench, memories of carefree school days flooded back to her. “Everything was so simple and clear back then; the whole life ahead of me. The biggest worries were about a canceled dance on Saturday or a bad grade in geography. And now! Now my life is spiraling out of control! What am I going to do? Should I terminate this pregnancy or have the baby and join the ranks of single mothers, raising a child alone, working two jobs just to make ends meet?” she thought, and tears betrayed her once again.
“Miss, is everything alright? Can I help you? Here, take this tissue, please,” she heard a kind male voice and saw a hand reaching out with a paper tissue.
Alia took the tissue and looked up to see who offered their help.
“Ally! Is that you?!” a man exclaimed joyfully.
“Callum…” Alia said, taken aback, attempting to rise from the bench.
Callum immediately embraced her, repeating, “Ally! Ally! I’m so glad to see you! You won’t believe it; I was just asking my mum about you this morning!”
After a few moments, he finally let her go.
“What are you doing here, crying all alone?”
“I just walked by, popped into this little park, remembered the school days, and it all hit me…” Alia fabricated the story on the spot, not wanting to delve into her real reasons for being upset.
“Got it. You’re still as sensitive as ever! And still so beautiful, even more so!” he replied, smiling at her.
“Ally, let’s go to a café. I know a lovely one nearby; we can sit and chat.”
Callum pointed in the direction of the café Alia had just left in tears. Naturally, she didn’t want to go back there.
“Listen, let’s not go to a café. How about we take a stroll in the park and get ice cream instead? The weather is lovely,” Alia suggested.
“Sure, sounds good,” Callum said with a grin.
They wandered around the park for a couple of hours, reminiscing about their school days. Alia even managed to temporarily forget about Kyran and her unexpected pregnancy.
“Are you still not married?” Callum asked cautiously.
“Nope. Just didn’t work out,” Alia replied meaningfully.
“Same here. Didn’t work out for me either,” Callum said, half-jokingly, half-seriously.
Alia and Callum had started dating back in school. Everyone referred to them as “fiancés,” and their parents were already preparing for a wedding.
But a common story changed everything. Callum was drafted into the army for a year. Alia waited for six months but then realized she had fallen for someone else.
Antony, her new boyfriend, showered her with affection at first. She thought he would propose any time. But he took his sweet time. They were together for four years, even tried living together. But something felt off. One day Alia caught Antony with another girl. He begged for forgiveness, but she decided she didn’t want those kinds of relationships anymore.
For months, Alia was downcast, trying to forget the betrayal. Then she met Kyran. Strangely, the cycle repeated itself. Alia genuinely fell for the charming young man, who wooed her with extravagant gifts. She believed in true love again and was ready to start a family. However, it turned out that for Kyran, it was just a fun fling. As it eventually surfaced, when their relationship began, he knew he would be moving to America soon—he just needed someone to enjoy his time with. And that someone was the lovely Alia.
Callum held no resentment towards Alia for not waiting. He had always been sensible and rational. Alia told him her decision in a letter, and he simply wished her happiness. However, upon returning from his service, he didn’t want to come back to their hometown; he headed to London instead, planning to stay there permanently.
In the capital, during those five years, he earned his degree, dated a girl, and found a job. His personal life didn’t flourish much; he was caught in a downsizing at work, which hit him as the last one hired. Without giving it much thought, he decided to return home, not expecting to rekindle anything with Alia, believing she had married long ago.
But fate had an incredible surprise in store for Callum. Not only was his beloved Alia single, but she was also free from any relationships. Naturally, Callum decided to seize this unexpected opportunity.
Two months passed since their meeting in the park. Callum and Alia started dating. He genuinely delighted in everything that had transpired in his life lately. Alia also realized she was still in love with Callum. However, a nagging concern lingered—she was carrying another man’s child. Each time they planned a date, she felt—these relationships were doomed.
Once again, Callum invited Alia out for dinner. They had their meal, and then he pulled out an engagement ring from his jacket pocket and asked her to marry him.
“So, what do you say? Will you marry me and, as they say, be with me through thick and thin?” he grinned, confident she would say yes.
“No,” Alia replied, lowering her gaze.
“What do you mean, no? Why not, Alia? Where are you going?” Callum asked, bewildered.
Alia burst into tears and ran for the exit.
Ten years later…
“Hi Mum, who’s picking me up from school today— you or Dad?” Lila asked over breakfast.
“I’m not sure. We’ll see this evening, love,” Alia replied, while making sandwiches for her husband.
“We’ll pick you up together! And then we’ll rush to the cinema! It’s Friday!” Callum exclaimed as he walked into the kitchen.
“Yay, Daddy! Yay! To the cinema…” cheered little Lila.
“Eat up, or you’ll be late for school.”
Callum glanced at Alia, who was nervously typing something on her phone.
“Is it him again?” he asked.
“Yes. He says he will take Lila away through court and move her to America,” Alia said, and tears began to flow again.
“This has to stop. Give me his number; I’ll talk to him myself,” Callum responded firmly.
“No, Callum. I worry about you.”
“Everything will be fine. Lila, are you ready? Let’s go!” he called out.
Callum and Lila stepped outside.
“Wow! So that’s where Alia ran off to! The ex-fiancé!” Kyran said, leaning against the entrance.
“Lila, go to the car. I need to talk to this guy,” Callum instructed, and obediently, Lila walked over and hopped into the back seat.
“Looks like Alia duped you, mate. Are you even aware that you’re raising someone else’s child? You were just a backup plan for her,” Kyran sneered. “But she loves me!”
“Let me be clear! Alia and I love each other. I’m raising my child. You were the biggest mistake Alia ever made, and she corrected it. Now get lost, and don’t let me see you again, or things could get ugly…”
With that, Callum shoved Kyran. He stumbled but kept his balance.
“Dad, are you coming? We’ll be late for school!”
“Coming, sweetie.”
Callum and Lila drove off. Kyran watched the car disappear, realizing he’d lost. A nagging question surfaced—did he even need to fight? To fight for a love that wasn’t there? And for a daughter he never had and never would…
That evening, he flew away, never to return to his hometown. Sometimes, it’s better to put a definitive end to things, even when you crave a continuation…
