Mum said the child isn’t mine
“I want a DNA test!”
John stood in the doorway, his imposing stance making it clear he was serious.
Emma was washing the dishes at the time and thought perhaps the sound of the water had muddled what she thought she heard.
So, turning off the tap, she asked her husband again.
“What did you say?”
“I want a DNA test for our child.”
“Why?” Emma asked as she dried her hands.
“Because I think he may not be my son.”
This was shocking news… Their son, Tim, was already four years old. John might not have been winning any father-of-the-year awards, but he’d always been warm towards his son. He spent time with him, bought him toys, and sometimes stayed in with him when Emma had things to attend to.
Never once had he mentioned doubting his parenthood. Moreover, there hadn’t been any reason for him to suspect otherwise. Emma and John had been married for six years, and a year later, she discovered she was pregnant.
They had been happy during that time, and Emma had, of course, never considered being with anyone else. So, why now?
“Can I ask why you suddenly thought of this?” Emma clarified.
John smirked, then gave her a rather unpleasant look.
“There! You’re already trying to talk me out of it! If your conscience were clear, you wouldn’t be worried!”
It sounded absurd.
Emma and John hadn’t been made for a fairy-tale romance, but she always believed such tales were just that – tales. What is this thing called love, anyway? If you’re good with someone, respect each other, and remain faithful, isn’t that love?
But never in their years of marriage had John humiliated her as he was now. They had trust and respect, yet here he was, openly accusing her!
“I’m not trying to stop you,” Emma said as calmly as she could. “I just want to know why, after four years, you’ve started thinking Tim isn’t your son.”
“Well, he doesn’t even resemble me!” John countered, as though it was an undeniable point. “I’m blonde, and my family is light-haired, yet Tim has dark hair and brown eyes!”
“And what about my dark hair and eyes?” Emma inquired. “And he’s the spitting image of my father! You see it yourself!”
“I don’t see it,” John immediately dismissed, even though he had marveled just six months ago at how much Tim resembled his grandfather. “But I do see how much he looks like your colleague!”
“Which one?” Emma asked, genuinely curious.
“That bloke, Mark!”
Emma couldn’t help but laugh. Before her pregnancy, she’d worked as a manager at a furniture store where Mark was a delivery guy. Honestly, Tim looked nothing like him, except maybe in hair colour.
“John, this is completely absurd,” Emma shook her head. “You know full well I never cheated on you!”
“Well, my mum and sister told me you’d deny it! Believe what you want, but I’m taking the test!”
Ah, so that’s it… Everything was becoming clear.
Emma had a likeable personality, helpful and easy to talk to, but she also had a firm backbone that wouldn’t let people walk all over her. If she didn’t like something, she’d say so, and she certainly never sucked up to anyone.
Her relationship with her mother-in-law had been rocky from the start. Initially, John’s mum seemed like a lovely woman. She always set a table with lovely dishes when they visited, complimented Emma, always highlighting how lucky her son was to have found such a smart and beautiful woman. Emma felt fortunate with her in-law, unlike many others who spoke of witches, while she had someone kind.
But it soon became clear that this seemingly lovely woman would smile at Emma at the table but talk behind her back. Calling her foolish, a bad homemaker, and even comparing her to something ugly. The latter stung, especially since Emma was genuinely attractive.
Naturally, Emma didn’t turn a blind eye. On their next visit, she laid it all on the table, telling her mother-in-law to make up her mind about her.
That’s when the true character of John’s mum shone through. However, Emma handled it simply – she cut off communication. Her husband would visit, sometimes taking their son, but Emma never invited her over.
John’s sister was much the same as her mum. She loved to gossip and speak ill of others. Everyone was to blame for her troubles. Her husband leaving (though he’d just found out about her affair), getting sacked from her job (caught stealing), and even the power being shut off in her apartment (understandable after not paying the bill for six months!). Initially, Emma tried to get along, but soon realized her conscience wouldn’t let her just nod at the sister’s constant complaints. After all, truth is seldom welcome news.
Now it was evident that John’s mum and sister had turned him against her. They’d doubtless been sowing seeds of doubt in his mind for some time.
Emma decided to give John a chance to come to his senses. She sat down at the table and asked her husband to join her.
“John, you know your family isn’t fond of me, to put it mildly. They’ve filled your head with nonsense that might ruin our marriage.”
“If you have nothing to hide,” John said, brushing her off, “then let’s get the test.”
“Alright,” Emma relented. “But on one condition.”
“And what’s that?” John smirked.
“When the test shows he’s your child (and it will), you pack your things and move back to your mum. We’re getting a divorce.”
“Why would I?” John frowned.
“Because I refuse to live with someone who doesn’t trust me without cause. If your mum’s opinion matters more than mine, then go ahead. But if you think for yourself, you’ll realise I’d never betray you.”
John pondered. Emma hoped he’d come to his senses and stop this nonsense. But clearly, they’d gotten to him because, after a few moments, John said:
“No question, we’re doing the test.”
“Fine,” Emma nodded.
Maybe John believed his mum’s assertion that Tim wasn’t his. Or perhaps he dismissed his wife’s words. But the very next day, samples were taken from John and Tim for DNA testing.
The test took a week to process. During this time, John and Emma didn’t exchange words. Emma noted how distant John was with their son as well.
She too eagerly awaited the test results. She intended to rub the result in her husband’s face. Emma had made up her mind. Had this notion come purely from John, she might’ve understood. But everything had been fine until he’d listened to his mum. What next? Perhaps his mum would concoct more stories to further poison their relationship. Emma wasn’t going to put up with that.
When the result arrived by email, Emma called John over. She opened the message but didn’t bother to read it. She already knew the truth. Instead, she held her phone out for him to see.
John scrutinised it for a lengthy moment before breaking into a smile.
“It turns out Tim is mine! Feels like a weight’s been lifted! We should celebrate!”
“We should,” Emma agreed. “Not for your fatherhood – that was confirmed from the moment I got pregnant. But for our divorce.”
“Divorce?!” John frowned. “Emma, seriously? Alright, I had my doubts! Do you know how many men raise children that aren’t theirs?”
“I don’t know, and I don’t care,” Emma answered coldly. “But I do know I won’t live with someone swayed by others, willing to hurt loved ones based on mere gossip, and who has ignored his own son for a fabricated reason. Go away, John.”
John spent considerable time trying to save the marriage, even apologising for his behaviour and promising never to heed his relatives again.
But Emma stood firm. It might seem like a minor issue, yet it revealed the true nature of the man she had married and bore a child with.
Emma even felt a pang of sympathy for whoever John ended up with next. She would have a tough time, especially with his meddlesome family. Perhaps John learned something from it and will be smarter in future. But, more likely, people don’t change.
