“Hello. Is this Paul Richards’ home?” the man in his 30s asked when Margaret opened the door. She was in her 80s, and Paul Richards was her husband of 63 years. Naturally, she nodded her head, smiling at the man.
“Yes, it is. Who are you?” she inquired with a polite grin.
Paul and Margaret had been together for 63 years. | Source: Shutterstock
“You must be Margaret, his wife, correct? My name is Mike, and I’m looking for your husband. I have something pressing to tell him. May I come in?” the man asked.
Margaret was puzzled, but she nodded again and gestured for Mike to come inside. There was something she recognized in him, but she couldn’t place her finger on it.
She called Paul to come down. They lived in a modest house in California. Their kids were scattered all over the country. She had no idea why this man wanted to see her husband, but her manners came first.
“Would you like some tea, Mike?” Margaret asked politely.
“Yes, thank you,” he said and looked around while waiting for Paul, who finally came down the stairs.
“Honey, what’s going on?” he asked Margaret when he saw a tray of teacups.
Mike had something important to say to Paul. | Source: Pexels
“Paul, this is Mike. He wants to talk to you,” she said, gesturing with her hand towards Mike, who had a serious look on his face.
“Hello, Mike, nice to meet you,” Paul said, offering his hand for a shake. Watching them shake hands, Margaret realized that Mike was the vivid image of her husband when he was younger. They looked like family.
Then Mike spoke up, pulling Margaret out of her inner musings, “I want to speak with you about something important.”
“Of course. Sit down, please,” Paul replied, and they both took a seat on the living room couches.
“Ok. I’m sure you’re wondering why a complete stranger just barged into your home. But I promise I have a purpose. My father is dying,” Mike revealed.
“Oh, dear. I’m sorry,” Paul commented, sipping from the teacup that Margaret brought him. “Go on.”
“His name is Stephen, and my grandmother’s name is Vanessa. Vanessa Haven,” Mike said, looking directly at Paul as if he was supposed to recognize that name. But the older man didn’t.
Paul listened politely but didn’t know where the conversation was going. | Source: Pexels
Paul nodded, but Mike didn’t go on. “Listen, I’m very sorry about your father. But I don’t know what this has to do with me.”
“You don’t remember Vanessa Haven?” Mike asked, his stern look giving away some of his anger.
“I’m sorry, kid. I don’t… remember,” Paul replied, pausing for a moment as if something in his memory wanted to remember.
Margaret’s intuition started pinging, and she had to interject. “How old is your father, Mike?” she asked.
Mike nodded, knowing that the woman had realized what was going on even if she couldn’t confirm it yet. “My dad is 62 years old. He has a terminal type of cancer, and he really wants to meet Mr. Richards.”
“Why?” Paul asked in confusion.
Margaret crossed her arms and was deep in thought. “Stephen is Paul’s son, right?”
“What?” Paul reacted in shock.
Margaret already had her suspicions and started asking questions. | Source: Pexels
“Yes,” Mike confirmed.
“Vanessa…” Paul mumbled. “Jesus… I… remember now.”
“Did Vanessa tell you about Paul? How does she know where we live?” Margaret continued.
“Actually, no. Grandma never wanted anyone to talk about it. She never even told Dad about Mr. Richards. I hired a private investigator to find him because he has been asking me to meet him. He wants to meet his father before passing away,” Mike explained, looking at Paul, who seemed to be stunned in place.
“Paul, do you get it now?” Margaret questioned, starting to get angry that her husband was so quiet and acting so stupid.
“Margaret, please… I,” he stumbled his words.
“You cheated on me? Because there’s no other way to have a son that’s younger than our marriage,” Margaret demanded to know.
“Yes. It was a one-time thing. It was a mistake. I regretted it immediately. But I was done,” Paul finally revealed.
“And did you know about getting her pregnant?”
“Yes,” he said, hanging his head in shame.
Her lawyer advised her not to get a divorce. | Source: Pexels
“God,” Margaret breathed and made a decision. “Ok, Mike. Paul will go visit Stephen because it’s the right thing to do after all these years.”
“Thank you. That’s all I wanted,” Mike said, standing up and thanking them once more before leaving their house.
After he left, Paul revealed more details about his affair and how Vanessa came to him when she realized she was pregnant, but he gave her some money and told her to disappear from his life.
Margaret was shocked. She couldn’t believe he had been so insensitive as to cheat on her and abandon his child. He was not the man she thought she married.
They had many fights over the next few days, and she couldn’t take it anymore. She filed for divorce, and everyone was shocked. Her children told her not to get divorced, even when they heard what their father did. Even her lawyer told her she was acting a bit rash.
“Mrs. Richards, you’ve been together for six decades. Are you sure this is the right decision?” Mr. Samberg asked during their appointment.
Margaret never regretted her decision. | Source: Pexels
“What would you do if your spouse cheated on you?” Margaret asked.
“I would choose divorce. But it’s different.”
“It’s not. What would you do if you discovered it 20 years into your marriage?” she countered
The lawyer nodded, finally getting her point. “You’re right. We’ll get all this paperwork in.”
Meanwhile, Paul met Stephen, who died a few days later. He wanted to get to know Mike more, but Mike wasn’t interested. “I only did this for my father. He wanted it. I didn’t. You abandoned my grandmother. You don’t get to have me now,” he explained.
After the divorce was finalized Paul moved out of the couple’s California home and went to live with their eldest son in Nevada. Margaret never regretted her decision because she couldn’t forgive his cheating, his lies, and the fact that he avoided responsibility for his actions.
What can we learn from this story?
- Actions have consequences, and you should always take responsibility for them. Paul abandoned his child and lied to his wife for many decades. The truth came to disrupt his life.
- Some people can’t forgive no matter how much time has passed. Everyone told Margaret to forget her husband’s betrayal because too much time had passed. But she didn’t want to spend any more time married to him.
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