I never imagined my son, Jack Harper, would abandon his daughter, Lily, with me to run off with his new wife. When he returned ten years later, I could see the shock in his eyes when he found we’d vanished without a trace.
I raised Jack alone after my husband left us when he was seven. It was tough, working two jobs to make sure he had everything he needed, but I did it. I was thirty then, pouring my heart into giving him a good life.
At sixty, I never thought I’d be a single parent again. I never believed Jack had it in him to abandon his own daughter. I thought he was nothing like his father.
Jack had married a wonderful woman, Sarah, but she passed away when Lily was nine. I told myself he was lonely, which was why he took up with Claire just weeks after Sarah’s death and married her within six months.
I watched Lily, once a happy, boisterous girl, grow quieter each day. I thought it was the grief of losing her mother. I still believed Jack was a good man, but that faith didn’t last long.
Selfish people care nothing for others’ happiness.
The summer Lily turned ten, Jack came to me, asking if I could take care of her for three weeks while he and Claire went to Alaska. “All couples need time alone, Mom,” he said. “Lily’s been difficult lately. She resents Claire.”
I was surprised but agreed. “Okay, Jack,” I said, my voice steady but concerned. “A break might be good for you all. But Claire knew you had a daughter. A grown woman should be able to handle the pain of a ten-year-old still grappling with her mother’s death and her father’s quick remarriage.”
Jack’s face flushed red, his lips puffing up in that familiar stubborn way. “I should’ve known you’d take Lily’s side!” he cried. “Claire loves me, she makes me happy, and that’s all that matters.”
“I’d have thought making your daughter happy would matter to you too,” I replied, my heart stinging. “Someone needs to be on Lily’s side, and I’m shocked it’s not her father.”
Jack stormed out in a huff, but a week later, he brought Lily and her suitcase, all smiles again. He kissed her goodbye affectionately and gave me a warm hug. “I’ll be back on August 27, Mom,” he said, driving off with a cheery wave.
Lily and I didn’t see him again for over a decade. August 27 came and went, and Jack didn’t show. I called his phone, my heart sinking when I found it disconnected.
Jack hadn’t called Lily since he left, though he’d occasionally replied to her texts. Now, he was gone. I discovered he’d sold the house he and Sarah had bought. He’d abandoned his daughter with me, his aging mother, without a word or any care for her well-being.
I sat down with Lily, holding her small hands in mine. “Listen, sweetheart,” I said, my voice soft but firm. “We’ll manage, you and I. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of you. I love you, Lily, and I know your father will regret what he’s done.”
I didn’t know how right I was. Ten Minnesotan Ten years later, Jack drove up to my house. It stood there, but it looked abandoned—garden overgrown, windows shuttered, everything falling apart.
Jack knocked on my neighbor’s door. She was my best friend, and I could tell she was stunned to see him. She hesitated to give him Lily’s new address, eyeing his shabby clothes and rusty old car. “Lily’s married now, and I live with her,” she told him coldly. “Don’t expect the welcome of the Prodigal Son. After what you did, you should brace for the worst.”
Jack didn’t answer. He just turned and walked away, probably thinking he could charm me like always.
When he arrived at the address, I heard he was stunned. Lily and I were living in a huge, elegant mansion, thanks to her husband’s success.
Jack rang the bell. “I want to speak to Evelyn or Lily Harper,” he told the maid who opened the door.
“You mean Mrs. Harper or Mrs. Carter,” she corrected with a smug smile, leading him to a grand sitting room.
Lily walked in, staring at him in silence, her face calm but unsurprised. I knew my neighbor had called to warn her. “Lily, my baby,” Jack said, stepping forward to embrace the beautiful woman my granddaughter had become.
“What is it you want, father?” she asked, her voice steady but cold, holding back years of hurt.
“I wanted to see you and your grandma, honey,” Jack said, flashing his best smile. “I’ve missed you so much.”
I walked in then, feeling calm but carrying the weight of all those years. “Jack,” I said. “What do you want?”
“I wanted to see my family,” he cried, his voice breaking with frustration. “I was hoping for a warm welcome!”
“You abandoned me, father,” Lily said, her words sharp as ice. “You expected warmth?”
“Mom?” Jack whined, turning to me. “It wasn’t me. Claire insisted. She said she’d leave me.”
“Oh!” I said, a bitter smile crossing my face. “And you’re here alone now. Did Claire leave when the money ran out?”
Jack looked around the beautiful room, envy burning in his eyes. “You’re certainly not struggling,” he said bitterly. “I would’ve thought you could spare something. I’m unemployed and barely getting by.”
“I’m surprised you have the nerve to ask us for anything, father,” Lily said, her voice trembling with restrained anger. “You left us when we needed you most. But we managed, and thanks to my husband, we have everything we need.”
“I’m still your father,” Jack said, puffing up indignantly.
“You’re nothing to me,” Lily said, reaching for my hand. I looked at Jack, tears welling in my eyes, my heart heavy with sadness. “But for your mother’s sake, I’ll help you.”
Lily walked to a delicate desk, unlocked a drawer, and pulled out a set of house keys and an envelope with money. “These are the keys to the old house,” she said. “There’s $5,000 in here. Don’t think you’ll get a cent more, so don’t come back.”
Lily put her arm around my shoulders and led me out of the room. The maid appeared to show Jack the door before he could touch any of the valuable decorations.
I later heard Jack sat in his car for a long time, staring at Lily’s sprawling estate. “I did what I had to do,” he muttered to himself. “Why can’t people see how I’ve suffered? There’s no gratitude in this world.”
