Hello your wife has given birth to twins!
But Im 52 years old and I havent had a wife for years!
I dont know, sir Do come and see. She insists theyre yours
When I first heard those words over the telephone, I was sure the caller had made a mistake. Fifty-two what sort of talk about children is this? Yet curiosity, as it always has, won out. I took my coat, climbed into my old Morris, and drove over.
When I entered the hospital ward, I nearly lost my footing. There, lying peacefully, was my former wife. And on either side of her, sleeping quietly, were two tiny bundles of joy.
Mary, whose children are these? Are they really yours? Ours? I stammered.
Theyre yours, she replied, quite composed.
I stood in stunned silence, trying to grasp her words.
But youre forty-nine, and well, we parted ways a good while ago.
Yes, its been seven months. Only, I had no idea I was pregnant back then, she replied gently.
How on earth could this have happened? I asked, bewildered.
I assumed I was past all that thought it was menopause, not a chance of a child. Whod have guessed our emotional farewell would end up like this? Please know, I dont expect anything from you I simply thought you ought to know.
But twins, after all these years You remember how we tried for so long without luck.
To be truthful, I was utterly dumbfounded, she admitted, shaking her head. Didnt even realise I was pregnant until the fifth month. Assumed I was losing my mind, what with the strange feelings inside.
Honestly, I cant say I was shocked. Mary was always a full-figured woman, and that never bothered me. No one we knew noticed any change at all.
When we first met, she was already as round as a dumpling I rather liked that about her. Ive never been taken with thin women. Life together was good, although we both longed for children. Mary visited doctors, tried all sorts of remedies, spent many a night worrying, but nothing seemed to work.
Eventually, we decided to live for ourselves. We poured our time into our careers but made sure to take holidays, seeing the sea, the peaks of the Lake District, the great cities across Europe. Yet, over the last five years, something changed between us. Perhaps we had both simply accepted, in our hearts, that there would be no children. With age, an odd sort of loneliness creeps in, and you start to wonder: will there even be anyone to stand by your grave?
Arguments became more frequent. Mary gained another two stone. One evening, she turned to me and said, Were only making each other miserable. I think we ought to split up. Perhaps youll still have a chance at being a father.
Truth be told, I never wanted that. But Mary had made up her mind. It was agonising, but I respected her wishes and left.
Later, she confessed how long it took her to tell me. She didnt know if she could carry to term, or if the children would be healthy. And now this miraculous surprise.
That very same day, I stopped at the jewellers down the road, bought a ring, and picked up the biggest bouquet of flowers I could find. Back in her hospital room, I knelt beside her and asked her to marry me again. Two years have passed now. Were together once more. The twins are thriving, and although were only young parents in spirit, I can truly say we are happy.
Would you find it in yourself to become a parent at such an age? Or do you believe happiness comes with an expiration date?
