Despite my daughter’s persistent demands, I declined to accompany her down the aisle. I think that I made the perfect decision.
I haven’t spoken to my daughter Alice in years. We discovered that she wasn’t my biological daughter after she turned 18. Clara, my wife, had an affair with a friend named James, who happened to be Alice’s father.
To be honest, it didn’t matter to me if Alice was my kid or not. She’s always been my daughter, and I wanted to keep treating her like that. Sadly, Alice had different intentions.
“Dad, how on earth can you do that?” When Alice came home that day from college, she was enraged. “Wait, should I even make this call?”
I said, “Honey, I wanted to tell you.” However, I assumed that processing the news of Clara and my divorce would be too much for you already. I apologize.
“No, papa!” Alice shot back. “Your apologies won’t solve the problem.”
I begged Alice, saying, “Please, you’re the only one I have now.” “I wish not to part with you. Whether or not you are my biological daughter is irrelevant to me. Honey, you are loved!”
Alice gave me a fierce look. “Well, you wouldn’t have kept the truth about my real dad a secret if you really loved me!”
“However, Alice…” Alice packed up her belongings and departed before I could say anything.
I was devastated. If Alice liked her biological father better than me, that was okay with me too. However, I was deeply saddened that she never seemed to recognize the years of love and attention I had given her as a father.
I made multiple attempts to get in touch with Alice after that day. I would occasionally leave work to go see her at college. However, she would simply ignore me and move on every time I tried to speak with her.
Alice’s college once sent me an email informing me that she wasn’t performing well academically. The college had threatened to rusticate her if she didn’t pass the subjects she had failed multiple times.
I tried contacting her again since I was worried about her. Thank goodness, she answered the phone.
She was ready to hang up when she exclaimed, “Don’t call me again, or I’ll report you to the cops!”
Alice, please hold on. “I swear I won’t call you again, but this time it’s not about me,” It has to do with your academics.
During the call, Alice began to yell at me. “Oh my God! Don’t you had enough of acting like a daddy figure? How long can you behave that way, really?
I told her, “But, honey, I was actually worried about you.”
“Mark, that’s enough!” was her response. “You know what’s going to happen if you do this again or even just come around looking for me!” She ended the call after adding.
I was taken aback. Mark? Did she truly call me dad and not by my name?
If you are a parent, you are aware of the helplessness that arises when a child refuses to listen. When you truly care for someone, they think you’re just acting nice toward them. Sadly, Alice had experienced exactly that.
Alice and I lost communication with one another after that. Anyway, it was a far-off dream to expect a text or call from her. Ultimately, she was content with James and clara.
Eventually, though, Alice texted me one day. And that message convinced me that declining her request was the right course of action.
It started, “Hey Dad, this is Alice.”
Dad? Is it possible that she forgot my name, Mark, or did she just send the text by accident?
The message said, “I want you to walk me down the aisle because I am getting engaged.” “I understand that our relationship hasn’t always been smooth, but I truly need your assistance. Adam, my fiancé, has been my sole support system since my father passed away two years ago.
I was starting to get a sense of where the message was going.
And now his mother is determined to meet you. If mom and you are not present, she might call off the engagement. Adam’s mother wants him to wed a girl who is close to her parents and has an appreciation for relationships because they come from a tight-knit family.
Alice also demanded that I forget everything and go to the wedding, claiming that it was my fault that our relationship ended since I had kept the truth about her birth parents from her. That she was unaware of her error astounded me. She was just concerned about the wedding.
I declined her, but I’m not sure what you would have done in this circumstance. That night, she texted me again, pleading for assistance, but my response remained the same.
To be honest, I would have granted her request if she had ever once expressed regret to me. Alice, though, was indifferent to me. She believed that no matter what, I would hear her out.
My friend Kevin in particular continues to make fun of me for spoiling my daughter’s special day. I should simply go to the wedding and forget about everything, he keeps telling me. However, Alice will never change in that manner; she will just keep taking things for granted.
This is hopefully a lesson she learns.
What lessons may we draw from this tale?
Give folks no more credit. There was nothing right about the way Alice handled Mark.
Not always via blood, but with love and care, relationships are formed. That is demonstrated by the way Mark loved and cared for Alice.
Talk about this tale with your companions. It could motivate them and make their day better.
If you liked this tale, you might also love this one about an elderly woman who kept her home closed to visitors for thirteen years.
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