After witnessing her son kick out his pregnant daughter, an elderly woman revealed a secret she had kept from him for decades. As regret crept into his heart, the man asked his mother, “Why did not you tell me this before, Ma?”
“What am I going to do now?” Stephanie thought to herself, tears streaming down her cheeks and her heart pounding. She sat on her bed, holding a positive pregnancy test strip between her thumb and index finger.
Stephanie cried quietly, trying not to draw her father or grandmother’s attention. Suddenly, her bedroom door opened and her father, Frank, appeared.
“Come on, Stephanie,” Frank instructed. “Ma and I are waiting for you at the dinner table.” Instead of looking at her father, Stephanie turned around and slid the pregnancy test under her pillow. She quickly wiped her tears with her fingers before facing Frank.
“I will be down in a minute, Dad.” Stephanie smiled at her father, who was unhappy with her attempts to conceal the truth. “Is something bothering you, Stephanie?” Frank asked.
“Oh, no. “I can not tell him anything,” Stephanie thought to herself, forcing a smile. “Nothing, dad. “What makes you think so?” She lied.
“I can clearly see you were crying right before I entered your room,” Frank said, walking towards Stephanie’s bed. He looked into her eyes, which had turned pink from crying. “Come on. “You know you can trust me, right?” Frank patted her back.
Stephanie took a deep breath before opening her mouth and telling another lie. “I can, Dad.” But there is really nothing to say. I was just thinking of Mom and missing her.” Frank’s gaze focused on Stephanie’s pillow, and he reached to pick it up.
“No, father!” Stephanie said in a fading voice, just before Frank lifted the pillow. His brow furrowed as he picked up the pregnancy test. “You are pregnant?” he inquired.
“Yes, Dad, but―” Stephanie tried to explain, but Frank would not listen.
“What were you thinking?” Are you out of your mind? Frank tossed the pregnancy test to the floor and rubbed his forehead.
Stephanie started crying uncontrollably before Frank advised her to get rid of the baby. “Listen, Stephanie. We have no idea who the father is, so let us abort this baby. “You are too young to raise a child, my love,” Frank said calmly.
“What?” Stephanie said, wiping away tears with her sleeve. “No, father. “I can not do that to my baby.”
“Then what? Are you considering raising a child?”
“Yes. This is my baby. “I will love him and give him everything he needs.”
“Well, if that is what you think, then you are not living under my roof!” Frank shouted. “Pack your bags and get out!”
Stephanie could not stop crying as Frank stomped out of her room. She had no friends or family in town, so she had no idea where she would live after leaving her father’s house.
However, Frank had left her with no choice but to leave. Stephanie stood up after a few seconds of silence and dumped her clothes into a bag. She kept everything she needed and walked down the stairs quietly so she would not have to confront her grandmother, Margaret.
Margaret sensed something was wrong as Stephanie quickly walked out the front door with her bag. She was seated at the dinner table with Frank.
“Where is Stephanie going at this hour?” Margaret asked her son. “I thought you had invited her to have dinner with us.”
“She will not return, Ma,” Frank said.
“What do you mean she will not return?”
After learning what had happened, Margaret began to reflect on her own similar experiences. She had kept a secret about her past from Frank, but she felt the time had come to reveal it.
“Son, I need to tell you something,” Margaret sternly stated after finishing her meal.
“Okay, Ma. “Go ahead,” Frank responded.
Frank was surprised to hear what came next. “Did you know that the man you called your Dad was not your biological father?” Margaret asked.
“What are you saying, Ma?” Frank’s brows furrowed as he met his mother’s gaze.
“That is correct, Frank.” “You were born before we got married,” she said, fiddling with her fork. Then Margaret revealed her secret to Frank.
She revealed that she became pregnant in her early twenties, but her boyfriend refused to accept responsibility and abandoned her on the streets as her due date approached.
After a few days as a homeless woman, she went into labor on the street, and passersby watched her scream in agony. Soon, a kind man called 911, and paramedics arrived.
“They helped me give birth and took me to a shelter where I could care for you,” Margaret told me afterwards.
One of the paramedics paid Margaret frequent visits in the shelter home to check on her and her baby’s well-being. She had no idea she would marry him a few months later.
“That paramedic was the man you know as your father, Frank,” explained Margaret. “After we married, we decided to hide the truth from you.”
Frank could not believe what his mother had just said. “Ma, you should have told me this before,” he said, rising from his seat.
“I never felt the need to tell you about it, son, until I saw Stephanie leave today,” Margaret told me. “You should not have asked her to abort the baby. If I had done the same, you would not be here.
“You are right, Ma,” Frank admitted, reflecting with regret before putting on his jacket. “I will go get her back.”
Frank left the house and started looking for his daughter on the streets. Soon, he arrived at the neighborhood park and decided to look for her inside.
“There she is,” Frank thought to himself as he noticed Stephanie sitting on a bench, face buried in her hands. “Hey, Stephanie!” Frank shouted.
“Dad?” Stephanie teared up as she looked at him.
“I am really sorry for what happened earlier, sweetheart,” Frank said as he hugged his daughter.
Then he told her everything Margaret told him and asked her to return home. “We will raise your child together, Stephanie. “No one will ask you to get rid of your baby,” he assured her.
Stephanie eventually accepted her father’s apology and went home with him. Frank took care of his daughter for the next few months, making sure she had everything she needed to stay healthy and give birth to a beautiful, healthy boy.
What can we learn from this story?
Never give up on your loved ones. After learning the truth, Frank immediately regretted his decision to kick his daughter out. He would not have felt so bad about himself if he had not given up on her earlier.
Sometimes, you must wait for the right time to reveal the truth. Margaret could have told her son that her husband was not his biological father, but she waited until she felt it was appropriate.