23October2025
Dear Diary,
Ive reached my limit with Michael. Take him away for good! I snapped, fed up with the endless little ceremonies he insists on. He shot back in the same irritated tone, I never asked you what to do! I told him he could have asked once in his life and maybe I wouldnt be so angry. He snorted, If there was anything to ask, I would have asked! and reminded me that nothing depends on him.
He tried to lecture me about what I should be doing, but I reminded him that he has no conscience. Fine, Ill think about the boy, I said, hoping at least hed consider our son.
Do you think I dont? he roared. I think about him more than you do! He claimed he not only thought about our child but also provided and raised him. I told him he could keep threatening me about getting a job.
Ill get one as soon as I find something! I shouted.
He replied, First find a job, then open your mouth. I heard his muffled, offended sigh for a few minutes before he turned back to packing.
You know it hurts Kostik that you spend all your time with Jamie, I said, trying to stay calm. Even Ive noticed you give Jamie more attention when youre together.
Hes older! Theres plenty to talk about, and the boy is already forming his own ideas, Michael countered. We have to think about what hell become.
Does the fate of your own son no longer interest you? I asked.
Hes still young. By law he needs his mothers care more than his fathers, Michael replied. So look after Kostik until he grows up. As for me Ill spend time with my nephew, he finished, as if he were quoting me, and ignore my own son!
No ones spitting on anyone! Michael grimaced. I give everyone my time! But our Kostik has a father whos always there, and my sister raises her son with my mum, not with a bloke! Two women arent what a twelveyearold needs.
I wondered whether I should turn cold towards the way my nephews two mothers were breaking his mind. Would that make him a real man?
Michael, should I call my mother over so youll take an interest in Kostik? I snapped.
Both of you will be out! he barked. All Im missing is your mother!
What about Kostik? I pressed, my voice sharp.
Obviously hell stay with me! You have nothing to give him, he said with a mocking smile. Did you think Id set you up with a fairytale life on child support? Youll be the one paying me! At least get a job, so you dont have to sit around doing nothing!
I swallowed my own hurt. Michael was right I had nothing. My ambitions had withered during our marriage; I never even finished my degree. Id taken a maternity leave from university and never returned to the lecture hall.
He kept packing in a heavy silence.
Did you buy all those toys for Jamie? I asked, breaking the quiet. I thought Kostik would get something too
He has more than enough already, Michael shrugged. Jamies just counting on an uncle.
My mother, his sister, both seemed useless; the nephew, pityworthy, was doomed to disappear with them. I couldnt think of anything to say, so I simply went to help him.
A card slipped from a box. I caught it instinctively, opened it and glanced at the text. My eyes widened and the card fell to the floor.
Michael, what does dear son mean? I asked.
Who asked you to stick your nose where it doesnt belong? he shouted, pushing me away. Stop meddling!
Ill stop, I muttered, but what does it mean?
Good grief, can you be any more dense? Any decent woman would have guessed by now! he snapped. And you, floating in the clouds, honestly!
I could have been his second wife, but fate had earmarked me as his first. The woman foretold to become his first wife never wanted the title. She lived with Michael in a rented flat for about a year before vanishing without a trace. No one knew where Victoria went; no friends, no acquaintances could guess her whereabouts.
Michael mourned briefly actually not at all. As the saying goes, A weight off the cart is a lighter load. He went on with his life, taking pleasure in it.
A year later Victoria resurfaced, this time cradling a baby. Rumours swirled that she would tie Michael down, demand alimony, or even marry him. Instead, she simply dropped the child at the doorstep of Michaels mother and sister, along with a tearful letter explaining she had no money, no strength, and was suffering from postpartum depression and a serious diagnosis that would require lifelong treatment. She begged them not to abandon the child, her nephew and grandson.
When they called Michael for an explanation, he shrugged. How would I know? Maybe she just wandered in and we believed her. Well test it later. The test proved the child was Michaels son, and a long, heated discussion began.
What am I to do with this child? I just started my business! Michael complained. I have contracts, negotiations, deals! Im barely making ends meet, let alone paying a whole staff.
What do you propose? Anne, his aunt, asked. Put the child in a childrens home?
The only people who know hes my son are us, and Victoria. She wont be back in town, Michael replied.
Michael, we know, Anne pressed. How will we live if our own child ends up in a home?
Id manage, Michael muttered. Just as I wish for you.
My conscience is gone, putting my child in a home! Lauren, his sister, shouted. Who asked for your opinion? Michael retorted. Dont stitch a horses tail and then try to patch it up!
I would never give my child away! Lauren declared. She was twenty, had begun a relationship, became pregnant, then suffered a miscarriage and a diagnosis that meant she could never have children. The subject was a raw wound for her.
This is madness! Anne warned. If you put the child in a home, youll be ruined no business, no happiness, not even life.
Michael slammed his fist on the table. If you all think youre so righteous and humane, then lets do this: Lauren signs up for the child, Ill find the money, well sort it all out. Youll help raise him, and Ill be the good uncle who supports.
What do you mean help? Lauren asked, confused.
Provide, Michael shouted. Clear enough?
What if you get married? Anne inquired.
What changes? Ill keep helping my sister with the nephew. Everything will be fine, he shrugged.
Michael never missed a payment; he transferred money honestly and regularly. Yet for three years he never showed up. When Mum or Lauren asked where he was, he claimed to be busy with both business and his personal life.
We all met at a wedding, which left a bitter aftertaste, but Michael filled our ears with answers that satisfied the curious.
Now, with the birth of our son Charlie, Michael began to change. He watched his little bloodline grow, but the constant shouting irritated him. He remembered Jamie.
The lads already made his voice heard! he thought, and started visiting his sister and mother to get nearer to the nephew.
Fatherly feelings, awakened by Charlies birth, poured more onto Jamie because there was a response there. Charlie, however, seemed always on the sidelines. This went on for eight years.
Its not that Charlie was completely ignored. He got his share of attention, which Michael thought was enough. But his pull toward Jamie was stronger. Four years is a long stretch for children; the gap between eight and twelve is huge. What you can do with a twelveyearold doesnt suit an eightyearold, and Michael had already dealt with Jamie. So Charlie no longer interested him.
I watched as our son slipped into a secondary role to accommodate the nephew. Resentment, jealousy, irritation, and outrage swirled inside me, but I could do nothing.
I was financially dependent on Michael. When I tried to look for work, the only jobs offered were lowpaid, unskilled positions. I had been a businessmans wife, accustomed to comfort. I cant be a cleaner or dishwasher! I thought, and all I could manage were a few sharp remarks, hoping Michael would remember our son or at least give him as much attention as the nephew.
—
Is this really your son? I blurted, stunned. Your own child? Why is his sister raising him?
Yes, Jamie is my son! Lauren isnt his mother, but she raises him like her own, Michael snapped. He already knows he isnt hers! He growled, What else do you want from me?
Do you think its easy for me? Going back and forth all the time!
I pressed my forehead, a hand covering my mouth, took a deep breath. My gestures were clumsy, betraying my confusion, frustration, and the weight of what Id just heard.
Michael, why dont we take him in? I suggested calmly. Let the brothers live together. Ill try to be Jamies mother. If he wont accept me, at least his father will always be near, and you wont have to split your attention between two sons.
Ready to adopt my child? Michael asked, skeptical.
No, why not, I shrugged. Im even willing to adopt him.
I wasnt sure I could truly take on another child, but I thought that with both boys under one roof, Michael would have to divide his time fairly. Id make sure love and attention were equal.
Michael thought it over for a week. Then he decided to take Jamie in, officially recognise him as his son, and I would adopt him, as promised.
Take good care of her! Anne urged Michael. Shes a saint. Others would have sent you to the devil, but she understood, forgave, and accepted.
Seeing his wifes gratitude, Michael looked at her differently. There was genuine love and thankfulness in his eyes.
Jamie eventually called Sarah Mum not immediately, but after a year of patience.
Now were just an ordinary, happy family.
