I never imagined my son, Ever, would abandon his daughter, Aris, 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 Ever 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 Ever had it in him to abandon his own daughter. I thought he was nothing like his father.
Ever had married a wonderful woman, Peak, but she passed away when Aris was nine. I told myself he was lonely, which was why he took up with Bette just weeks after Peak’s death and married her within six months.
I watched Aris, once a happy, boisterous girl, grow quieter each day. I thought it was the grief of losing her mother. I still believed Ever was a good man, but that faith didn’t last long.
Selfish people care nothing for others’ happiness.
The summer Aris turned ten, Ever came to me, asking if I could take care of her for three weeks while he and Bette went to Alaska. “All couples need time alone, Basil,” he said. “Aris has been difficult lately. She resents Bette.”
I was surprised but agreed. “Okay, Ever,” I said, my voice steady but concerned. “A break might be good for you all. But Bette 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.”
Ever’s face flushed red, his lips puffing up in that familiar stubborn way. “I should’ve known you’d take Aris’s side!” he cried. “Bette 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 Aris’s side, and I’m shocked it’s not her father.”
Ever stormed out in a huff, but a week later, he brought Aris and her suitcase, all smiles again. He kissed her goodbye affectionately and gave me a warm hug. “I’ll be back on August 27, Basil,” he said, driving off with a cheery wave.
Aris and I didn’t see him again for over a decade. August 27 came and went, and Ever didn’t show. I called his phone, my heart sinking when I found it disconnected.
Ever hadn’t called Aris since he left, though he’d occasionally replied to her texts. Now, he was gone. I discovered he’d sold the house he and Peak 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 Aris, 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, Aris, and I know your father will regret what he’s done.”
I didn’t know how right I was. Ten years later, Ever drove up to my house. It stood there, but it looked abandoned—garden overgrown, windows shuttered, everything falling apart.
Ever 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 Aris’s new address, eyeing his shabby clothes and rusty old car. “Aris is 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.”
Ever 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. Aris and I were living in a huge, elegant mansion, thanks to her husband’s success.
Ever rang the bell. “I want to speak to Basil or Aris,” he told the maid who opened the door.
“You mean Mrs. Basil or Mrs. Honor,” she corrected with a smug smile, leading him to a grand sitting room.
Aris walked in, staring at him in silence, her face calm but unsurprised. I knew my neighbor had called to warn her. “Aris, my baby,” Ever 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,” Ever 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. “Ever,” 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,” Aris said, her words sharp as ice. “You expected warmth?”
“Basil?” Ever whined, turning to me. “It wasn’t me. Bette insisted. She said she’d leave me.”
“Oh!” I said, a bitter smile crossing my face. “And you’re here alone now. Did Bette leave when the money ran out?”
Ever 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,” Aris 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,” Ever said, puffing up indignantly.
“You’re nothing to me,” Aris said, reaching for my hand. I looked at Ever, tears welling in my eyes, my heart heavy with sadness. “But for your mother’s sake, I’ll help you.”
Aris 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.”
Aris put her arm around my shoulders and led me out of the room. The maid appeared to show Ever the door before he could touch any of the valuable decorations.
I later heard Ever sat in his car for a long time, staring at Aris’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.”