Brian dated many girls in his 20s but proposed to only one, Melanie. However, they broke things off due to his cheating and moved on. Years later, he wanted to find someone to spend the rest of his life with and registered on a dating site. But the woman he met online was nothing like he expected.
“Ok, done,” Brian said to himself as he right-clicked on the website and finished setting up his dating profile. He was in his 50s and felt like he was ready to settle down after not dating anyone seriously for most of his life. That’s when Melanie entered his thoughts.
She was a freshman when he was a senior in college in New York. They dated for a long time, and he eventually proposed when she entered her senior year. But she had no idea that Brian was cheating on her with several women the entire time. He couldn’t stop himself. It was like he was afraid of commitment but still wanted to be with Melanie.
Unfortunately, she discovered the truth of his affairs when one of Brian’s many one-night stands revealed the truth. She called off the wedding and disappeared from his life.
Brian felt heartbroken, although he knew she was right. He wasn’t a good man. He wanted to get married but still led a single-man lifestyle. It would’ve never worked. This was best for everyone involved.
Brian continued his philandering life, although he was perfectly entitled because he never went steady with anyone else. He often thought of Melanie and how great she was. And now that he was in his 50s, he regretted cheating on her. He was an idiot, and perhaps he would have a companion if he had valued her properly.
“Yes, brian. he’s your kid.
But it didn’t make sense to dwell on the past. He had to move on and try to find someone. That’s why he decided to create a profile on a dating website. It was the modern way of dating, and he was shooting his shot.
A few days later, he got a message from a woman named Stephanie. She was in her 30s and was looking for someone to get serious. Brian thought she might be his best shot, and her profile pictures were beautiful. After several weeks of messaging, they agreed to meet at the local Starbucks, and Brian was excited.
He arrived at the coffee shop and noticed that it was pretty empty, so he ordered something and sat down to wait for Stephanie. Suddenly, a man in his 30s entered, ordered something, and sat down on the table next to them. For some reason, Brian kept staring at him. There was something familiar about his face, but he couldn’t quite place it.
Then, she walked in. It wasn’t Stephanie. It was Melanie. After 30 years of no communication, she was finally there in front of him. She sat down at the table with the young man, and they both turned to look at Brian. He felt something ominous crawl up his spine and kept staring between them.
“Hello Brian,” Melanie finally spoke up.
“Melanie? What are you doing here?” he asked, stunned by this whole thing.
Melanie introduced her son. | Source: Pexels
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She didn’t answer his question. “This is my son, Ryan. Or you might know him best as Stephanie. I’ll let him explain everything,” Melanie gestured toward the young man in front of her, and he turned toward Brian.
“Hello,” Brian uttered, confusion evident on his face.
“Hello. As she said, I’m Ryan. And I guess you’re my father, the cheater,” the young man began, and Brian felt like a blow had been dealt against his chest. This encounter was the past coming back to haunt him. Melanie must have been pregnant when they ended their relationship, and he had missed his son’s entire life.
“I am?” Brian still asked and looked at Melanie.
“Yes, Brian. He’s your kid. Of course, I never told you about my pregnancy, but I told him all about you. He still wanted to find you, and that’s why we’re here,” Melanie explained.
“I don’t understand. So, you catfished me as Stephanie? Why?” Brian wondered.
“Honestly, I had no idea where to start finding you outside of regular social media. But that would’ve been too easy. I wanted to see if you were still dating around and a dating website seemed like the best choice. I signed up and just like that you appeared. Are you married? Did you want to cheat on your wife with Stephanie?” Ryan taunted.
“Stop, Ryan. That’s enough cruelty. I only agreed to this because you have been dying to meet your father for years. Just talk to him,” Melanie scolded. He might be mad that he never had a father in his life and about everything he knew from his mother, but he didn’t have to speak to him like that.
But Brian interjected. “I actually understand why he’s so angry. I’ve been reflecting a lot lately, and I did you wrong, Melanie. I did tons of women wrong in my life. I can’t make up for it. I can only do better now. And I want to know you if you allow it, Ryan.”
Ryan nodded. “I understand that you regret things now. And I’m the one who reached out to you. I’m sorry about catfishing you and for how I spoke just now. But I don’t know if I can forgive you just like that. Especially because Mom went through so much to raise me on her own.”
“What can I do?” Brian begged.
“Just try to do better and be honest about your intentions,” Melanie chimed in. “Honesty is the basis of all relationships.”
“Ok. I can do that. I’ve grown up. I was honestly on the dating website because I wanted to find someone to settle down with but meeting you two is so much better. I can never erase the past, but we can start over and try to be a family,” Brian said, hoping his words sounded as sincere as he felt.
Melanie nodded at him, and Ryan reluctantly did so too. They started talking on the phone often, and they met for coffee several times each week. Melanie was not at those meetings, but Brian saw her every once in a while. Eventually, Brian earned a place in his son’s heart, even if it wasn’t exactly as a father figure.
But despite his efforts, he never earned a similar spot with Melanie. She was cordial to him, especially at gatherings for Ryan, but she didn’t want anything to do with him. And Brian had to respect that. He signed off the website and stopped looking for women, choosing to focus on his son, who got married and had kids.
Luckily, he was there for his grandchildren, and he couldn’t have been gladder that Ryan gave him a second chance.
What can we learn from this story?
Always be honest about your intentions. Brian proposed to Melanie despite being afraid of commitment and breaking her heart.
Don’t do anything you might regret in the future. Brian was a philanderer in his youth and regretted it eventually. Learn from his mistakes and reflect on your life.
Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.
