When Beata Discovered She Was Pregnant, Her Family Was Stunned: They Disapproved of Her Relationship With a Man They Believed Would Soon Be Out of the Picture Beata grew up in Birmingham with her mum and stepdad, who always loved and supported her. After struggling with her A-level English, she decided to take private lessons with Roni, a student from Ghana who had lived in England for several years. Although their lessons started off rocky, Beata and Roni quickly grew close and couldn’t bear to be apart. When Beata found out she was expecting, her family was shocked—they worried about her being with someone they felt wouldn’t stick around and about raising a mixed-race child who would look different from the rest. After graduation, Roni returned home to Ghana, but he and Beata kept in close touch, anxiously awaiting the arrival of their baby, talking daily over Zoom. When the baby was born, tensions with Beata’s family pushed her to move to Ghana to be with Roni. However, adjusting to the climate proved impossible and they soon returned to England, eventually welcoming a second daughter. Despite family refusing to have contact with them, Beata refuses to leave her beloved partner just to please her relatives. Now, they’re planning to start a new life in Canada, hoping to find a more open-minded and welcoming community.

Author Walton MerrittReading 3 minViews 3

When Emily found out she was expecting, her family nearly dropped their teacups. They werent thrilled about her being with a fellow they were quite sure would promptly disappear into thin air.

Emily was your average girl from Manchester, growing up in a perfectly ordinary family. She was raised by her mum and stepdad, who did a sterling job of filling in for her actual dad. Her parents cheered her on in everythingEmily always knew she was loved and could count on them for anything. She finished school and scraped through her A-levels, but university admission was a bit up in the air, owing to her tragically British struggles with GCSE French.

Emily decided that private English tutoring might just save her bacon and started hunting for a tutor. Enter Charlesoriginally from Sierra Leone, but living in England for his studies. He spoke flawless English and had been tutoring for yonks. At first, Emilys lessons were a spectacular disaster, but gradually, she took a liking to Charles and soon enough, the two became inseparable. They decided theyd had quite enough of being apart.

The news of Emilys pregnancy sent her family into a classic British flap. The idea that she was involved with someone who, in their minds, might disappear without so much as a goodbye note, kept them awake at night. They pictured Emily raising a baby on her own, not to mention the child standing out at school for looking a bit different.

Once Charles earned his degree, he did in fact return to Sierra Leone, but he and Emily kept the home fires burning with regular calls and marathon Skype sessions. They both eagerly awaited their little ones arrival. Emilys baby arrived right on time, but her familys frosty reception forced her to make a bold decision she packed her bags and headed for Sierra Leone.

Emily and her husband found life in Africa a bit of a culture shock; the climate made soggy British summers look appealing by comparison. In the end, they had to come back to the UK. Before long, they welcomed another daughter. However, Emilys family still refused to speak to them, but she had no intention of breaking things off with her beloved just to keep relatives happy. Now, theyre plotting a new adventure to Canada, hoping the locals there will be a touch more open-minded (and possibly make a decent cup of tea).

He Hated His Wife. He Hated Her… They Had Spent 15 Years Together. For 15 Whole Years, He Saw Her Every Morning, But Only in the Past Year Had Her Habits Begun to Drive Him Mad—Especially One: Stretching Out Her Arms in Bed and Saying, “Good Morning, Sunshine! Today Will Be a Wonderful Day.” Simple Words, Yet Her Thin Hands and Sleepy Face Filled Him with Disgust. She Would Rise, Gaze Out the Window for a Few Moments, Take Off Her Nightdress, and Head to the Bathroom. Once, at the Start of Their Marriage, He Had Admired Her Body and That Freedom That Borderlined on Indecency. Even Now, Though Her Figure Remained Lovely, the Sight of Her Nakedness Filled Him with Rage. Once, He Even Wanted to Push Her to Hurry Her “Waking-Up Process,” But He Only Managed to Bark, “Hurry Up, I’ve Had Enough!” She Didn’t Rush Through Life. She Knew of His Affair and Even Knew the Girl He’d Been Seeing for Three Years. Time Had Scabbed Over the Wounds to Her Pride, Leaving Only a Lingering Sadness. She Forgave His Anger, Indifference, and Foolish Attempts at Recapturing His Youth, But She Refused to Let Anyone Rush Her Life, Savoring Every Minute. That Was How She’d Lived Since Discovering Her Illness. Month by Month, It Was Devouring Her. The First Urge Was to Tell Everyone About Her Fate, Parse the Brutal Truth Into Pieces to Share with Family. But After Spending Those First Terrifying Days Alone, Contemplating Her Mortality, She Decided to Keep Her Secret. As Life Slipped Away, She Gained a Kind of Wisdom, Learning to Simply Observe. She Found Solace in a Little Village Library, a Ninety-Minute Walk Away, Where She’d Disappear Between Bookshelves Labelled “Mysteries of Life and Death” and Seek Answers in Books. He Came to His Lover’s House—Warm, Bright, Familiar. They’d Been Together Three Years, Bound by an Obsessive Love that Saw Him Burning with Jealousy One Moment and Humiliated the Next, Unable to Breathe Away from Her Young Body. Today, He Made up His Mind: Divorce. Why Torture All Three of Them? He No Longer Loved His Wife—He Couldn’t Even Remember Liking Her. He Fished Out Her Photo from His Wallet and Tore It to Shreds, a Symbol of His Decision. They Agreed to Meet in a Restaurant—The Same Where They’d Celebrated Their 15th Anniversary Six Months Before. She Arrived First. He, Meanwhile, Stopped at Home to Hunt for the Divorce Papers, Tearing Through Drawers in a Frenzied Search. There He Found a Dark Blue Sealed Folder He’d Never Noticed. He Tore It Open, Expecting Anything—Even Blackmail Photos. But Instead, He Found Medical Reports and Official Hospital Documents, All with Her Name. Like a Jolt of Electricity, Realization Hit: She Was Seriously Ill. He Googled the Diagnosis, Reading the Chilling Prognosis: “6 to 18 Months.” He Checked the Dates—She’d Been Tested Six Months Ago. The Only Thing That Echoed in His Mind Was, “6 to 18 Months.” She Waited Forty Minutes at the Restaurant. No Answer to Her Calls. She Paid and Left. It Was a Glorious Autumn Day; The Sun Warmed the Soul. “How Beautiful Life Is, How Wonderful to Be on This Earth, with the Sun and the Woods.” For the First Time Since Learning of Her Illness, She Felt Sorry for Herself. Somehow, She’d Managed to Keep Her Terrible Secret from Husband, Family, Friends. She’d Tried to Give Them Peace, Even at the Cost of Her Own Happiness. Soon, All That Would Remain of Her Would Be a Memory. As She Walked, She Saw the Hope and Anticipation in People’s Eyes—Winter Coming, and Then After, Surely, Spring! She Would Not Have That Again. The Injustice Boiled Over in a Torrent of Tears… Back Home, He Paced the Room. For the First Time, He Felt Physically Overwhelmed by the Fragility of Life. He Remembered His Wife as She’d Been, When They Were Young and Hopeful. He Realized He Had Loved Her Then, That Their 15 Years Had Vanished in an Instant, and That Maybe, Just Maybe, Everything Was Still Ahead—Happiness, Youth, Life… In Her Final Days, He Became Devoted, Never Leaving Her Side, Transformed by a Newfound Love and Terror at Losing Her. He Would Have Traded Places with Her, If Only It Could Save Her. If Anyone Reminded Him That Just A Month Before He’d Loathed Her And Planned Divorce, He’d Have Said, “That Wasn’t Me.” He Saw Her Struggle to Let Go, Saw Her Crying at Night When She Thought He Slept. He Understood: There Is No Worse Punishment Than Knowing the Date of Your Own End. He Watched Her Fighting for Life, Grasping to Even the Most Delusional Hopes. She Died After Two Months. He Covered the Path from Home to Grave with Flowers and Wept Like a Baby as Her Coffin Was Lowered, Aging a Thousand Years in a Single Day… At Home, Under Her Pillow, He Found a Note, a Wish She’d Written on New Year’s Eve: “To Be Happy With Him for the Rest of My Days.” People Say All New Year’s Wishes Come True. Maybe It’s True—That Same Year, He’d Written: “To Be Free.” In the End, Each Got Exactly What, For So Long, They Thought They Wanted…

09

A Husband Worth More Than Bitter Grievances “Igor, that was the last straw! That’s it, we’re getting divorced! And don’t bother dropping to your knees this time—it won’t work!” With a final flourish, I ended our marriage. Naturally, Igor didn’t believe me. My husband was sure things would play out as they always did: he’d kneel, beg forgiveness, buy me yet another ring, and all would be forgiven. It had worked before, more than once. But this time, I was determined to break the chains of wedlock for good. My fingers—pinky included—were weighed down with rings, but my life had felt empty. Igor had begun to drink more heavily and more often. And yet, it all had started as a romance. My first husband, Eddie, disappeared without a trace. That was during the rough and tumble 1990s—a frightening time. Eddie hadn’t exactly been easy to live with. He always seemed to be looking for trouble. As they’d say, “eyes like a hawk, wings like a sparrow.” If things didn’t go his way, all hell would break loose. I’m sure he was killed in some back-alley dispute. I never heard from him again. I was left with two daughters: Lizzie, five, and Rachel, just two. Five years passed after his mysterious disappearance. I thought I’d go mad—I had truly loved Eddie, despite his temper. We were inseparable. I was sure my life was over, that I’d simply raise my daughters and forget my own happiness. But fate had other plans… Those were tough times. I worked in a factory, where “pay” had become a pile of toasters and irons. On weekends, I sold them down at the market, just to put food on the table. One freezing winter’s day, as I shivered selling irons, a stranger approached me with real concern. “Are you cold, love?” he asked gently. “However did you guess?” I managed a weak joke, though my teeth chattered. But his presence warmed me up somehow. “Sorry, silly question. Why don’t we get you a hot cuppa? I can help you carry these if you like.” “Deal,” I croaked. “Otherwise, I’ll freeze to death out here.” We never did make it to a café. I took this stranger—Igor, he introduced himself—closer to my flat and asked him to wait at the entrance while I picked up my girls from nursery. My legs felt numb from the cold, but inside, I was already thawing. When I returned, kids in tow, I saw him from a distance, pacing and smoking. I thought, “I’ll offer him some tea at home—and then, whatever happens, happens!” Igor helped bring the irong-laden bag up all six flights of stairs—no working lift, of course. By the time I reached the third floor with my girls, Igor was already on his way back down. But I stopped him. “Hold on, my rescuer. You’re not leaving until I’ve given you some proper tea!” I grabbed his sleeve with my icy hand. “Are you sure? Won’t I be in the way with the kids?” “Not at all! Here, take the girls’ hands, I’ll dash ahead and get the kettle on,” I assured him. I didn’t want to lose him. While we chatted over tea, Igor even offered me a job as his assistant. The pay was better than a year’s worth of irons from the factory! I nodded gratefully, honestly wanting to kiss his hands for such an offer… Igor, as it turned out, was separated and in the midst of a divorce, with a son from his first marriage. Before long, we were married. He adopted my girls, and life felt like a constant dance. We bought a four-bedroom flat, filled it with luxury furniture and gadgets, then built a country house. We spent every summer by the seaside. Life was a cherry on top of a cake… Seven years of bliss passed. Perhaps, after reaching the top, Igor turned increasingly to drink. At first, I didn’t react. After all, he worked hard and needed to unwind. But when he started to drink at work, I grew uneasy. Nothing worked to stop him. Now, I should mention—I’m a bit of a daredevil. To distract Igor from the booze, I decided to… have another child with him. I was already thirty-nine. My friends just laughed when I told them. “Go for it, Tanya! Maybe we’ll all become mums at forty!” I’d always say, “If you get rid of a baby, you’ll regret it forever. But if you have a child, even unexpected, you’ll never be sorry.” Igor and I ended up with twins. Suddenly, we were raising four daughters! But Igor kept drinking. Eventually, craving peace and a return to nature, I convinced him to sell the flat and the house, and move to a village. We opened a lovely café. Igor became an avid hunter, buying guns and all the gear. There was plenty of game nearby. Things were okay—until Igor had another serious binge. I don’t know what was in his drink that night, but he went berserk! Smashed all the china and furniture, then came for us, firing his shotgun into the ceiling! The girls and I ran to hide at a neighbour’s. It was a nightmare. The next morning, it was deathly quiet. We crept home, but the scene was grotesque. Everything broken; nowhere to sit, eat, or sleep. Igor lay passed out on the floor. I gathered what little we had left and led my daughters to my mum’s house. She lived nearby. “Oh Tanya, what are you going to do with all these girls?” she lamented. “Go back to your husband. Families go through tough times—it’ll all be ground to flour in the end.” Mum was old-school: best keep your man, no matter the cost. A few days later, Igor showed up. That’s when I finally ended things. Oddly, he couldn’t remember a thing of his “performance.” He thought I was making it up. But I was done. I cut all ties. Burned my bridges. I had no idea how we’d live, but it was better to go hungry and be alive, than end up killed in a drunken rage. We sold the café cheaply and got out of town. We moved to the next village, to a tiny house. The older girls found jobs, and eventually both married. The twins were in year five. All of them loved Dad Igor, kept in touch, and kept me up to date with his life. Igor begged me to take him back through the girls. They pleaded, “Mum, give it a rest. Dad’s so sorry—think about yourself, you’re not twenty-five anymore.” But I stayed firm. I wanted calm, uneventful days. Two years went by. Then I started to miss Igor. Loneliness ate away at me. All those rings he gave me, I had to pawn; never managed to buy them back. I missed the life we’d had. There had been love in our house. Igor had loved all our girls, was genuinely sorry, a good husband when sober. What more could I want? Now even my eldest daughters only called—they never visited. Time passes, and the young have their lives. My twins would soon grow, and I’d be left alone. Daughters, like goslings—feathered up and quick to fly the nest. So, I prompted the twins to ask their dad about his life. Any new woman on the scene? They found out he was living and working in another city, sober as a judge, and single. Left them his address… just in case. Long story short, we’ve been back together for five years now. I did say I was a bit of an adventurer…

02

My Son Spent Years Searching for the Right Woman to Marry, and I Never Questioned His Choices. When He Finally Turned 30, He Met Emily—She Seemed Absolutely Perfect for Him. Every day I’d hear how kind and beautiful she was, and it was clear my son was truly in love. I liked Emily myself. With real passion, my son would tell me and his friends all about her wonderful qualities—she seemed ideal, and he didn’t hesitate to marry her. As a loving mother, I wholeheartedly supported his decision. Planning the wedding was no small feat, but my friends were incredible. The bride had wonderful parents, and we all got on brilliantly from the start. At first, everything was lovely, but over time things began to change. Their marriage started unraveling with more frequent misunderstandings. I knew it was only their first year of marriage and assumed it would get better, but I worried because I so wanted them to be happy together. One evening truly rattled me. Late at night, my son arrived at my door with his belongings, telling me Emily had thrown him out and he had nowhere else to go. He stayed with me for a few days, and Emily never once came by to try and talk things out. This started happening repeatedly. When my daughter-in-law told me she was pregnant, I decided to speak with them both and offer advice to help them avoid future misunderstandings. Unfortunately, it only made things worse. Their arguments became more frequent, and my son spent more and more nights at my place. I could tell he was struggling; he wasn’t the happy man he once was, and disappointment was written all over his face. Seeing my son trapped in such an unhappy marriage was unbearable, so I advised him to consider whether it was worth staying. I told him he could be a wonderful father even if they lived apart. That’s exactly what happened—he soon filed for divorce. Shortly afterward, Emily came to me for help. She begged me to convince my son to withdraw the divorce papers, not wanting to break up their family. I told her many times she should look after her family. She accused me of interfering and claimed I was destroying her marriage. Now I wonder if I was wrong to push my son toward divorce. His wife dislikes me, and he’s becoming more distant too. Maybe they still love each other? Living apart isn’t good, but living together wasn’t working either.

02

📌 Useful Social Services & Contacts in the U.S.

Stay informed and get help when you need it. Below are key national services with direct contacts that may support you or your loved ones:
🏥 Health & Mental Support

SAMHSA – Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

What they do: Free and confidential help with substance use and mental health disorders.

Hotline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357) – 24/7, anonymous support

Website: samhsa.gov

🧒 Support for Children & Families

WIC – Women, Infants, and Children Program

What they do: Nutritional and healthcare support for pregnant women, new mothers, and young children.

Federal Info Line: 1-800-522-5006

Find local WIC office: fns.usda.gov/wic

When Beata Discovered She Was Pregnant, Her Family Was Stunned: They Disapproved of Her Relationship With a Man They Believed Would Soon Be Out of the Picture Beata grew up in Birmingham with her mum and stepdad, who always loved and supported her. After struggling with her A-level English, she decided to take private lessons with Roni, a student from Ghana who had lived in England for several years. Although their lessons started off rocky, Beata and Roni quickly grew close and couldn’t bear to be apart. When Beata found out she was expecting, her family was shocked—they worried about her being with someone they felt wouldn’t stick around and about raising a mixed-race child who would look different from the rest. After graduation, Roni returned home to Ghana, but he and Beata kept in close touch, anxiously awaiting the arrival of their baby, talking daily over Zoom. When the baby was born, tensions with Beata’s family pushed her to move to Ghana to be with Roni. However, adjusting to the climate proved impossible and they soon returned to England, eventually welcoming a second daughter. Despite family refusing to have contact with them, Beata refuses to leave her beloved partner just to please her relatives. Now, they’re planning to start a new life in Canada, hoping to find a more open-minded and welcoming community.