My wife left me and our two kids to be with another man because things got very rough after I lost my job. She got what she deserved when karma caught up with her.
My kids were crying again. It had become normal to always return home to meet them crying, but they sounded sadder than usual that day.
When I entered the living room, I noticed my daughter Cece standing next to her baby brother’s cot, trying to comfort him even though she was also crying. The scene pulled at my heart.
Where is your mother?” I asked Cece.
“She left some hours ago, dad,” she said amidst sobs.
I picked up our infant Jacob and started whispering sweet nothings to him as I rocked him back and forth. As soon as he went quiet, I took Cece by the hand and moved towards the kitchen to find them something to eat.
The kitchen looked battered. The cabinets were in bad shape, and most of the appliances had stopped working, but I had no money to get them changed.
On the kitchen island, I came across a hastily scrawled letter from Alexa, my wife. “I’m tired,” it began. “Tired of being broke, tired of wallowing in poverty with you and the children.
I can’t take it anymore, and as of today I’ve decided to annul our marriage. I found a man who has money to take care of my needs and I’ve decided to be with him. Take care of the kids and don’t look for me.”
I would have cried if my children had not been around watching me. I would not let them become any more upset than they already were.
“Where’s mommy?” Cece asked me.
She was a perceptive child, so I took my time to think about my answer. In the end, I decided I would simply tell her the truth. “Your mom will no longer be living here with us sweetheart,” I told her.
“Why?” she asked as tears gathered in her lovely eyes. I could not answer.
My life changed that night; it was a struggle getting my children something to eat, and the next day was not easier. I had to get up early to prepare Cece for school, change Jacob’s diapers, clean the house, wash the dishes, then set out for work.
I worked as a taxi driver because I lost my job as a financial advisor some months before. I could not afford daycare for Jacob, so he came along with me to work.
Every day I would make trips around the town, dropping people off and picking them up with my son in the car. Of course, some people took offense, but others enjoyed playing with him.
Of all the countless people I drove for, one woman always made me feel self-conscious. Her name was Linda, and she really enjoyed playing with my son.
She worked as a consultant at a firm, and she became a regular customer of mine shortly after my wife left me. Even Jacob liked her and would always giggle uncontrollably at the mention of her name.
Linda never belittled me even though I was a taxi driver. When I brought her to work, she would engage me in intellectual banter that usually left me feeling invigorated. One day, I asked her out to dinner. I was afraid she would decline.
“I thought you’d never ask!” she exclaimed instead.
One date became two, and soon we started seeing each other more often. She started to visit me at home and Cece loved her because she never showed up without a good storybook or gifts.
Months passed, and we only got closer. Finally, the relationship blossomed into love, and one day I asked Linda to be my wife. She agreed and moved into my house. Thanks to her support and encouragement, I applied for more jobs, and eventually, I found one that matched.
We lived well, and after a few years, I quit my job and started my own agency. Life moved on happily for us until one day, my former wife returned.
I learned that the man she absconded with had dumped her for a younger woman and had left her the same way he picked her up — without a penny. “I’m sorry for leaving you like I did,” she told me.
“I’m glad you did,” I answered and slammed the door in her face. I really was because if she had not left me, I was certain I would not have met a woman as kind and lovely as Linda.
Alexa returned several other times to make trouble, but that all stopped when Cece told her off one day. She wanted to have nothing to do with the woman who abandoned us at our lowest.
What did we learn from this story?
- Patience is a virtue. Alexa was impatient to return to the lap of luxury after her husband lost his job, so she wrote him an insensitive letter to end their union, not knowing that she would later regret it. But, unfortunately, by the time she realized her mistake, her family didn’t want to have anything to do with her.
- The right support goes a long way. Instead of Alexa supporting her husband during their rough patch, she complained about their poverty and eventually left him. When he met the right woman who gave him much-needed support and encouragement, he was able to progress
