Erabaru.net. When Dorothy filed for divorce from her ex-husband, Matthew, she told him to never speak to her or their son, Mitch, again. But Mitch desperately needed a father figure, and Dorothy realized that the hard way.
Dorothy met Matthew when he moved to town during middle school, and the two became high school sweethearts. Their romance is straight out of the movies. Matthew was an athlete and eventually captained the football team. Dorothy was the blonde cheerleader every boy wanted.
The two lovebirds only had eyes for one another and ended up attending the same college. While Matthew was earning his degree in exercise science, Dorothy interrupted her studies after becoming pregnant.
“I promise you don’t have to worry. I’ll take care of us,” Matthew promised Dorothy.
Things started to go bad as Matthew was always working long hours coaching the college football team and not helping out around the house. Even after their son, Mitch, was born, Dorothy and Matthew began to fight more and more.
“The least you can do is come and help me around the house. You always come home after dark,” Dorothy told him. Everything reaches a breaking point when Matthew snaps at Dorothy during an argument.
“You need me! What are you going to do with a high school diploma?” Matthew shouted angrily.
Dorothy was deeply offended by Matthew’s words and behavior and immediately filed for divorce. One of Dorothy’s friends helped her find a job that would allow her to work from home. Even though the judge ruled that Dorothy and Matthew should share custody, Dorothy forbade Matthew from coming to her house.
Matthew decided to keep his distance so as not to make things worse. He tries to prove that he will be the father he is today by reducing his hours and making time for Mitch.
“I’ve taken my time. Every second day I get to spend with him while you work. We can strike a balance,” Matthew pleaded.
“The answer is still no. Get away from here,” replied Dorothy.
Admit it or not, Dorothy let her feelings get the better of her. Matthew made her feel like she couldn’t make it in a world without him. She made it her mission to prove him wrong and prove to herself that she can be a successful single mother.
Eventually, he started a small business using the money he had saved, which required him to travel to meet clients. Instead of turning to Matthew for help, Dorothy hires a nanny named April to watch Mitch. This gave Matthew an idea.
During the college football season, Matthew starts checking in on when Dorothy is away from home. One day when he was away, Matthew went to visit the house. When April opened the door, Matthew tried to convince her to let him see his son.
“Dorothy hasn’t let me visit my son since the divorce. He is 4 years old and needs his daddy in his life,” explained Matthew.
“I’m sorry, but Dorothy told me I shouldn’t have let you in here,” April replied.
“Please, I’m begging you. Whatever he pays you, I’ll double it if you let me spend time with him. I want to take him to the park and spend some father-daughter time with Mitch,” Matthew pleaded.
Although initially hesitant, April decides to accept the offer. He needed to pay off his student loans and could really use the money. What’s wrong with a son seeing his father, he thought. Everything went smoothly for a while.
Matthew would pick Mitch up when Dorothy left for work and drop him off an hour before Dorothy returned. Two months later, Matthew looks after Mitch but doesn’t drop him off at the agreed time. When April tries to call Matthew, the call goes straight to voicemail.
April started to panic because she didn’t know exactly where they were, and Dorothy was already on her way home. To make matters worse, Dorothy and Mitch were meant to go on vacation the next day. Dorothy found April crying in the front yard when she got home.
“I’m really sorry Dorothy, Mitch is with Matthew. He has been paying me to visit him for a few months now. But Matthew’s phone is off, and I don’t know where they are,” admitted April. Dorothy immediately went into panic mode.
“April, come inside the house now. Call me if Matthew and Mitch come back while I’m away,” Dorothy said in April.
Dorothy immediately got into her car and went to look for her child. He feared the worst. Maybe Matthew took Mitch to live somewhere out of town or kidnapped him.
He checked Matthew’s office on the college campus, but no one saw him all day. To be sure, Dorothy asked him if he was still working for his college.
“Yes, he was just yesterday working on tactics for next season. He will be back tomorrow,” assistant coach Matthew told Dorothy. The only last resort is to visit Matthew’s house. When Dorothy arrived she could see Matthew and Mitch playing in the front yard.
He was originally going to give Matthew some swearing but decided to watch the two play for a bit. He could see that Mitch enjoyed spending time with his father. Mitch is usually a quiet boy at home and doesn’t usually play outside. Dorothy realized that her son needed his father.
He got out of his car and approached Matthew. His eyes widened as he knew he was caught. He took his phone out of his pocket to check the time before saying: “I’m sorry Dorothy, my phone is off. I just want to spend time with Mitch, but you wouldn’t—”
“—Matthew, I understand. I admit I have robbed you of quality time. I’ll let you two spend some time with Mitch, but you and I have some things to talk about too,” Dorothy told him.
Matthew and Dorothy have dinner to discuss how to move forward. Matthew apologized for his past behavior and the way he spoke to her. Dorothy apologizes for letting her feelings affect her relationship with their son. From then on, the two of them were the perfect parents to Mitch.
What can we learn from this story?
Don’t say unnecessary things in anger. Even when they were fighting, Matthew didn’t need to insult and offend Dorothy. He could take a step back and react calmly.
People deserve a second chance. Despite the fight, Matthew deserved a relationship with his son, and a chance to apologize to Dorothy.
Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.(yn)
Source: amomama
