Mother looked into her eyes and declared, “You are not worthy of being our daughter-in-law!”
I am 57 years old. I have no family, no children, and perhaps I never will. I don’t seek sympathy or understanding. I simply want to share my story as a warning to parents: do not interfere in your children’s lives. Do not build their happiness for them. One day, you may realize that you have destroyed the most important thing – their love.
I am a living example of how parental pride and arrogance can ruin a son’s life.
An Unequal Love
I was 25 when I met her – Emily. A simple, kind girl from a working-class family. She had no wealth, expensive clothes, or influential relatives. But she possessed what others lacked – a heart that beat in sync with mine.
When I brought her home, my mother looked down on her and firmly stated, “We do not want such a daughter-in-law.”
My father supported her. Emily was expelled right at the doorstep of our house. They didn’t listen to me or give me a chance to speak.
“You are our only son! We’ve raised you, educated you, and you bring home a beggar?!”
Emily stood there silently, but I could see the pain igniting in her eyes. She didn’t throw a tantrum or break down in tears. She simply looked into my eyes, shrugged her shoulders, and left.
I rushed after her, trying to persuade her to move to another town with me, to start afresh. But she was wiser than I was.
“Your parents will do everything to ruin our lives,” she said. “They won’t leave us in peace. I don’t want to live in perpetual conflict.”
And she walked away.
Years Lost
A few years later, I learned she had married a childhood friend. He was also from a humble background, but they built their lives together from the ground up, working, constructing a home, and raising children.
I occasionally saw her in town. She always smiled. She seemed happy.
One day, I couldn’t hold back and asked her, “Do you love him?”
She looked at me with a hint of sadness and replied, “In a family, the most important things are respect, trust, and stability. Without those, no feelings can save you.”
I disagreed. In my heart, she remained my one true love.
But I never met another woman to whom I could express those same sentiments.
An Empty House
I never married.
My parents tried persuading me, attempting to match me with girls from “respectable families.” But I couldn’t do it. I didn’t want to live with a woman I didn’t love.
As the years passed, they grew accustomed to it. They eventually asked me to at least get married and have heirs, but I remained indifferent.
Years rolled on. My parents aged, fell ill, and left this world one by one.
And I was left in our vast house, alone.
Now my friends have families, children, and grandchildren. I meet them less often because I don’t want to feel that pain – the pain of someone else’s happiness that could have been mine.
Strangers’ Children – My Solace
To fill the void, I began volunteering at playgrounds – painting slides, fixing swings. Sometimes, I tidied up the gardens of local nurseries.
I didn’t need money. I sold all the family land and inheritance.
Part of it went to charity, and I donated to schools and children’s homes.
One day a friend asked me, “Why don’t you donate money to nursing homes?”
I scoffed.
“This is my way of getting back at the parents who made me lonely.”
Yes, it’s cruel. But now I believe only in children. They are the future.
And when I’m gone, my house will go to the school I attended. Let them use it for good.
I can no longer change my life. But perhaps, I can help other children so that their fates unfold differently.
