Divorce is as common in England as a rainy day, but when Paul tied the knot he thought it would be for keeps. He loved Lucy, who to him embodied femininity and charm. They even had a son, Ryan, who Paul adored to the point of madness. Before Ryan arrived Paul never imagined he could love anyone more than his wife, yet life loves its little ironies.
Unfortunately, their happiness was as fleeting as a bus that never arrives on time. When Ryan turned three and started at the local nursery, Lucy went back to work. It was there she met the man who would later upend Pauls world. Lucy fell headoverheels in lovedeeply, truly. She probably still cared for Paul, just not in the same way he loved her.
She didnt cheat, but one day she announced she was leaving for someone else.
Paul, dont think I was unfaithful. I genuinely hoped it would pass, but it didnt. Simon loves me, and Im sorry
Paul said nothing. What could he say? Arguing was pointless; she had made up her mind. Besides, they both agreed to keep things civil for Ryans sake.
They divorced, and Paul was left single. Lucy tried to reassure him that hed find someone whod appreciate all his good points, but Paul, scarred from his first marriage, swore off love altogether. Ryan grew up, and Paul visited him often. He and Lucy managed a friendly coparenting arrangement, even agreeing not to go to court over maintenance. If you can afford it, just send the money, Lucy said, perhaps feeling a pang of guilt.
Paul, ever responsible, knew how costly raising a child could benursery fees, extracurriculars, and the everrising price of groceries. He sent a regular £300 each month, as much as he could muster.
One afternoon Ryan mentioned, in his innocent way, that his mother was pregnant. Paul felt a swirl of emotionsbitter, jealous, maybe even a strange flicker of happiness for Lucy. The feeling didnt last long. When Lucy gave birth to a daughter, Simon vanished, off to another woman, forgetting both Lucy and the baby. They were never married, a red flag Lucy ignored in her lovedriven haze.
Paul helped where he could, paying for the babys expenses and stepping in when Lucy needed a quick lift to the hospital or a few hours of childcare. He never expected romance; he simply wanted to keep the peace for Ryan.
When the little girl turned two and Ryan started primary school, tragedy struck. A drunk driver careened into a bus stop, clipping Lucy and two other pedestrians. She never made it to the hospital. The news hit Paul like a cold shower. He still felt a lingering affection for Lucyno longer love, but a fondness for the woman who once was his partner. Grief aside, he had to organise her funeral and soothe Ryan.
During the arrangements, Simon showed up, refusing to claim his daughter.
Ive got another family now, why should I take her? he shrugged.
Its my daughteryou cant just dump her! Paul protested.
Simon waved it off. Shes small; someone else will look after her. He suggested Lucys sister might take her.
Lucys sister, a chronic drinker living in a rundown cottage in a Yorkshire village, already had three children of her own. Paul knew better than to trust her with a toddler. The neighbour who had temporarily looked after the girl said she had no intention of applying for guardianship either. Im nearing fifty, my own kids are grown. What am I to do with a baby? she sighed.
That night Paul couldnt sleep. The baby, Vickya name as English as a crumpetwas not his, yet he felt a duty toward her. He imagined her ending up in a childrens home, and the thought gnawed at him. He also worried about who might adopt her; the worst case was a cruel household, a nightmare for any child.
The next morning Ryan asked, Dad, will Uncle Simon take Vicky?
No, son, he wont, Paul answered honestly. He believed the bitter truth was kinder than a lie.
What then? Will she go to a home? Will anyone read her bedtime stories? Can we visit?
Paul smiled; it was rare to hear a boy speak so tenderly about his sister. What do you think about Vicky living with us? he asked.
Really? Youre not her dad.
We could try.
After endless paperwork, the court finally granted Paul custodial responsibility for Vicky. When he collected her from the neighbour, she ran to him and clung tightly, as if hed always been her father. The moment she saw her big brother, Ryan, she beamed. She didnt understand why her mother was gone, but the presence of her brother made the loss a little easier to bear.
A few months later Vicky started calling Paul dad, and he didnt correct her. He had taken on the role, after all. Her biological father slipped a few occasional £50 transfers, but Paul needed none of that. He found a spot for Vicky in a local nursery, where the staff treated her like any other child.
Vicky grew up looking more and more like Lucy, and Paul and Ryans bond deepened. He loved her as if she were his own, and anyone who didnt know the backstory would never have guessed she wasnt his fleshandblood. Sometimes, Paul even thought she mirrored him.
When Vicky turned six, fate finally threw Paul a curveball. He swore off romance, convinced hed never let anyone in again, but love, being the mischievous thing it is, slipped past his guard. He met Emma, a warmhearted teacher who welcomed both Ryan and Vicky into her life. Vicky eventually began calling Emma Mum, having never known her own. Ryan treated Emma with the polite respect one shows a parents partner.
Paul never lied to Vicky or Ryan. The boy understood that his father wasnt the girls biological dad, yet he treated him as such. When Vicky grew up, she finally grasped the magnitude of Pauls choiceshow hed taken in not only his own son but a strangers child and raised her as his own.
On the evening before she left for university, Vicky turned to Paul.
Thank you, Dad, she said.
For what? Paul asked, a smile tugging at his lips.
For never giving up on me, for a happy childhood, for keeping me with my brother, for being a true father and bringing a mother into my life.
Pauls eyes welled, but he laughed through the tears.
Youre welcome, love. And thank you for coming into my life. Youve given me a real, loving daughter.
