We don’t need anything from you
“Son, think it over before it’s too late! The boy doesn’t look like you at all! Your Jane had him with her ex and is trying to pin him on you! I know it!”
“Mum, stop it already! Jim is my son… Why do you keep stirring things up? I’m going home now.”
Gail Smith raised her son alone all her life. She and Alex had an excellent relationship: he was never rude, never argued, and did well in school. When he grew up, he became an engineer, just as his mother had hoped. Then it was time to arrange his personal life. She chose a bride for him, a lovely girl named Lucy, the daughter of her friend, Anne.
At his mother’s insistence, Alex and Lucy began dating, but the romance didn’t take off, and after struggling for several months, they broke up. Later, Alex met Helen. Their relationship blossomed quickly; he immediately recognized a kindred spirit in the charming girl. They married within three months, much to Gail’s displeasure. Six months later, Helen was pregnant, and a baby boy named Jim was born. Everything seemed fine, except Alex’s mother couldn’t stand her daughter-in-law. Every time they met, she’d grumble to her son, despite it being four years since the wedding:
“Look at what she’s done to you. You’re always so scruffy…”
“Mum, I’m not scruffy! The shirt just got a bit wrinkled in the wash…”
“Come, have something to eat! I bet she’s cooked nothing, leaving you hungry.”
“Mum, I’ll eat at home. Helen’s a great cook.”
“I know her type… Shop-bought meals or worse, frozen dinners. Whereas Lucy has signed up for pastry courses. What a clever girl she is…”
Alex defended himself against his mother’s attacks as best he could. He tried not to listen to her complaints and never passed them on to his wife. All of her concerns were baseless. But Gail persisted in her cold war against her daughter-in-law. Eventually, her tactics bore fruit…
“Hello, son… Your Jane doesn’t seem fond of me. You always visit alone!”
“Mum, how can she visit when you nitpick at her over nothing?”
“If I pick at her, there’s a reason, believe me! While you sit here having tea, she’s likely meeting her ex. I know who she was with before you – that no-good James! And the boy’s just like him. She had a fling, and now you’re the one feeding him.”
That evening, Alex had a major argument with his mother. He was fed up with her accusations and relentless nagging. He returned home in a foul mood.
“Daddy! Daddy! Hi!” Little Jim ran to greet him.
“Hi, son. How has your day been? What did you do?”
“Mum and I went to the playground. Uncle James was there. He bought me a chocolate bar and some juice!”
Alex’s mind reeled – what if his mother was right? That evening, he interrogated his wife:
“Why did you meet your ex?”
“Alex, we just ran into each other. We were out for a walk, and he was passing by, so we chatted. Then he walked us home.”
“Why on earth is he accompanying my wife and son? Or maybe Jim isn’t mine and is actually his?”
“Alex, how can you say that? Are you serious?”
That evening, for the first time since they wed, they had a terrible fight. From then on, arguments were a constant feature in their household. Eventually, Helen had enough, packed her things, took their young son, and returned to her hometown to live with her parents.
Later, there was a divorce, and Alex was ordered to pay child support. He was convinced that the child wasn’t his but decided not to pursue the matter in court and continued to pay. The whole situation was most pleasing to Gail, who launched a campaign to rekindle Alex’s relationship with his “ideal daughter-in-law,” Lucy.
And she succeeded. Alex married Lucy. But right after the wedding, the new wife’s true colours emerged. She constantly nagged her husband for everything.
“Look, even Jane’s man bought her a second fur coat! The Simpsons just upgraded their car to a luxury model. Meanwhile, I’m still wearing last year’s coat and driving an old car! What kind of man are you!”
Fifteen long years passed like this. Alex worked tirelessly at two jobs, while Lucy vacationed without restraint. She didn’t want children, declaring she needed to live for herself first. Gail wanted to intervene but was quickly put in her place by the daughter-in-law.
One day, Alex received a call from a hospital. Gail had been taken there by ambulance after a stroke. She was gravely ill and needed care after being discharged. Lucy made her stance clear:
“I’m not sitting by some old woman’s bed day and night. Let’s put her in a care home.”
“Lucy, maybe I should quit my job…”
“Are you out of your mind? How will we live? We still have four more years’ worth of payments for my car loan!”
In the end, Gail was sent to a care home. Alex went off to another job, and Lucy stayed home. A month later, Gail passed away. Alex came home to bid his mother a final farewell but forgot to inform his wife of his arrival. Using his key, he opened the door to find a shocking scene – his wife in the arms of a neighbour. He didn’t make a fuss. He simply packed his things and moved into his mother’s apartment.
After Gail’s funeral, Alex spent his days at her place, bitterly recalling his mother’s “valuable” advice. Why had he listened to them? Now he was over forty. Most of his life had passed. And as it turned out, he had no family, no kids, no friends… He didn’t even own his own car – everything was always purchased for Lucy. As he reflected on his life, he remembered Helen and Jim. He never found out whose son Jim was – his or Helen’s ex. But it no longer mattered.
“Jim must be nineteen by now… All grown up… I wonder what he’s like?” Alex spoke into the void, with no one there to answer.
The next morning, he bought a train ticket and traveled to Helen’s hometown. He found the house and the entrance without difficulty. He rang the familiar doorbell, but no one answered. “Probably at work,” he thought and decided to wait outside. After standing for twenty minutes, he turned his head and was stunned… Approaching the entrance was a young man – a spitting image of himself, just twenty years younger.
“Jim… Jim… Son…”
“You?… What are you doing here?” James asked coldly.
“Son, I’m so sorry for everything… You’ve grown so much… And you look just like me, like two peas in a pod! Where’s your mum?”
“Mum’s not around anymore. She’s been gone for ten years. An accident…”
“What about you? Who do you live with? Maybe I can help you? I’ve got money. Just say the word!”
“I live with my grandmother. We don’t need anything.”
“But son. I only wanted to…”
Alex didn’t finish. James turned away and closed the door behind him.
“Son! Son, open up! How can you do this to me, son? I’m your father! Your father!!!”
He stood there for a long time before the closed door, sobbing and smearing the tears or maybe it was the rain, across his face. He visited a few more times, hoping to reconcile with his son. He pleaded, begged, tried to explain. But James steadfastly refused any contact.
