We don’t need anything from you.
“Son, think about it before it’s too late! The boy looks nothing like you! Your Jenny had him with her ex and decided to pin it on you! I know it!”
“Mom, enough already! Jamie is my son… Why do you always stir up trouble? I’m heading home.”
Helen Thompson had raised her son alone. She had a great relationship with Mike: he was respectful, never argued, and did well in school. When he grew up, he became an engineer, just as his mom wished. Now it was time for him to settle down, and she had found him a suitable girl, Lucy, the daughter of her friend, Ann.
At his mum’s suggestion, Mike and Lucy started dating, but the romance was off from the start. After struggling for several months, they split up. Mike then met Emma. Their relationship blossomed quickly; Mike instantly felt a deep connection with the charming young woman. They married three months later, much to Helen’s dissatisfaction. Just six months after, Emma got pregnant and they had a son named Jamie. Everything seemed perfect except that the mother-in-law disliked Emma. Even four years after the wedding, she would nag him every visit:
“Look what she’s turned you into! All wrinkled and unkempt.”
“Mom, I’m not unkempt! My shirt got a bit crumpled in the car.”
“Sit down and eat! She probably hasn’t cooked anything decent. You’ll starve.”
“Mom, I’ll have dinner at home. Emma’s a great cook.”
“Oh, I know her cooking… Store-bought burgers at best, or worse – frozen pies. But Lucy’s taking baking classes. Such a smart girl…”
Mike defended his wife as best as he could, ignoring his mother’s tales and not relaying her grievances to Emma, as they lacked any basis. Yet Helen kept her campaign against Emma going. One day, her strategy paid off…
“Hello, son… Your Emma isn’t too fond of me, huh? You always visit alone!”
“Mom, how can she visit when you pick on her over every little thing?”
“If I pick, it’s because there’s reason! Trust me! And while you’re here drinking tea, she’s out seeing her ex. I know who she was with before you. That good-for-nothing Jack! The boy’s just like him. She had him, and now you’re feeding him.”
That night, Mike fought fiercely with his mom. Her constant criticism and talk wore him down. He returned home upset.
“Dad, Dad, hello!” Little Jamie ran to greet him.
“Hey, buddy. How are you? What did you do today?”
“Mom and I went to the playground. Uncle Jake was there. He bought me a chocolate and a juice!”
Mike’s mind raced – could his mom be right? That evening, he confronted Emma:
“Why were you seeing your ex?”
“Mike, we met by chance. We were just walking, and he happened to pass by, so we chatted. Then he walked us home.”
“Why would he walk my wife and son home? Is Jamie even mine or his?!”
“Mike, what are you saying?!”
That night, they had their worst argument since marrying. Afterwards, fights became commonplace. Eventually, Emma couldn’t take it, packed up, took Jamie, and moved back to her hometown to stay with her parents.
There was a divorce, and Mike was ordered to pay child support. He was sure Jamie wasn’t his but didn’t contest, deciding to pay instead. Helen, thrilled with how things turned out, pushed for a rekindling of Mike and Lucy’s relationship, praising her as the “ideal daughter-in-law.”
In the end, she got her way. Mike remarried Lucy. However, once they wed, Lucy’s true colors appeared. She constantly nagged him, wanting a life of luxury.
“Sue’s husband just bought her a second fur coat! And the Taylors upgraded to a luxury car. Yet here I am, looking like a poor relation, wearing last year’s coat and driving a clunker! What kind of husband are you?”
The next fifteen years were a grind. Mike juggled two jobs while Lucy indulged in lavish vacations without any concern. She didn’t want kids, preferring to enjoy life first. Helen wanted to interfere again, but Lucy set boundaries quickly.
Then one day, Mike received a call from the hospital. Helen had suffered a stroke and needed care post-discharge. Lucy immediately said:
“I’m not spending my days and nights by that old bat’s bedside. Let’s just send her to a care home.”
“But Lucy, what if I quit my job to take care of her?”
“Are you insane? How will we live? We’ve got four more years on the car loan…”
Ultimately, Helen was placed in a care home, Mike left for another job, and Lucy stayed home. A month later, Helen passed away. Returning for the funeral, Mike, lost in thought, entered their home without warning Lucy. Ashocked, he found her in the arms of their neighbor. He didn’t confront them; he simply moved into his mother’s flat.
After Helen’s funeral, Mike remained steeped in regret, dwelling on his mother’s “advice.” Why did he ever heed her? Now in his forties, he had no family, no kids, no friends… Not even his own car – everything was for Lucy. Reflecting, he thought about Emma and Jamie. He never found out who fathered Jamie, but it didn’t matter anymore…
Jamie must be nineteen by now… Grown up… What does he look like today? Mike muttered into the silence, but there was no answer.
The next morning, he caught a train to Emma’s hometown. He easily found their flat and rang the familiar doorbell, but no one answered. “They must be at work,” he assumed, deciding to wait outside. After twenty minutes, a young man approached—a spitting image of himself, just twenty years younger.
“Jamie… Jamie… Son…”
“You?… What are you doing here?” Jamie replied coldly.
“Son, I’m deeply sorry… Look at you! You’re just like me, like two peas in a pod! Where’s your mom?”
“Mom’s gone. It’s been ten years. She died in a car crash…”
“And you? Who do you live with? Can I help you? I can offer anything! I have money. Just say the word!”
“I live with gran. We don’t need anything.”
“But son. I wanted to, I…”
Mike trailed off. Jamie entered the building, shutting the door in his face.
“Son! Son, open up! How can you do this, son? I’m your father! Your father!!!”
He stood there for a long time, tears mingling with the rain. He returned several times, hoping to connect with his son. He begged, pleaded, tried explaining. But Jamie refused any contact…
