My name is Sarah, and a tragedy marked the start of my tale. My dad abandoned us when I was two years old, and my mom perished in a car accident. I was raised by my grandparents. They took on a life of their own and were my world. They have always loved and been there for me. I recently graduated from high school and was accepted into a top-notch institution because of them.
The day of graduation was meant to be ideal. I was eager for my grandparents to witness my diploma acceptance. I was giddy with anticipation.
As I put on my gown and cap, I thought, “This is for you, Grandma and Grandpa.” I was eager to see my grandparents’ beaming expressions as I crossed the stage. I had received everything from them.
I heard my name called out of nowhere. “Sarah?”
I looked back and saw a man I did not know. His expression was pleasant, yet he appeared a little tired. “Yes, that’s me,” I remarked warily.
Sad eyes, he grinned. “It’s me, your father.”
My breath caught. “My dad? No, I lost my father when I was two years old.”
His expression dimmed. “That is untrue, no. It’s been years since I last looked for you. Your parents kept you hidden from me.” The man took out his wallet and showed me a picture of myself as a child with a young man who I recognized as my father. I have only ever seen one picture of him.
My thoughts raced. “What? They said that you had abandoned me.
He showed me his text messages after taking out his phone. My grandmother spoke in a cruel and angry manner. “Sarah, they told me to keep off. They never desired my presence.”
My eyes welled with tears. Is this possible to be true? Had my grandparents misled me?
“Why would they do that?” I muttered, confused and angry at the same time.
“Sarah, I’m not sure. However, I’m already here. He whispered softly, “I’ve always wanted to be a part of your life.
My grandparents were seated in the audience and waved to me with a smile on their faces. My feelings were all over the place. It was unbelievable to me how long they had been lying to me. Feeling a surge of wrath within me, I strode towards them.
I said, “Leave,” my voice quivering with anger.
Grandma’s grin dimmed. Tears filled her eyes as she said, “Sarah, what’s wrong?”
“Leave now!” My voice resounded in the hallway as I yelled. People looked around.
Granny slowly got to his feet, looking pale. “Talk to us, Sarah, please. What’s taking place?”
“You misled me! For all these years, you kept my father and I apart. Simply leave!” I persisted.
My dad came up and put his hand on my shoulder. “I’m grateful, Sarah. I understand how difficult this is.”
“Why did they lie?” Tears were running down my face as I asked.
He answered softly, “I don’t know, but we can talk about it.” “Let’s get through today first.”
Later, my coffee was getting cold in front of me as I sat in a quiet corner of the cafe across from my father. I examined him closely, attempting to make sense of the guy in front of me and the tales my grandparents had shared.
With a little tremble in my voice, I said, “So tell me everything.” Commence at the beginning.”
Taking a drink of his coffee, he moaned. “Sarah, it’s a long story. But the truth should be known to you.”
He took a moment to gather his thoughts. “Everything was wonderful when your mother and I first started dating. We were in love and young. But your parents didn’t think much of me. They believed that I wasn’t worthy of her.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, looking for honesty in his face.
“They were constantly passing judgment on me,” he said, shaking his head. “Your grandfather felt that because I didn’t have a glamorous job, I was a loser. Their wish was for your mother to wed someone else. It got worse after you were born.”
My heart hurt. “What kept you from returning? Why didn’t you look for me earlier?
He silently took out his phone and showed me some of Grandma’s older texts. They were enraged and demanding to be left alone.
As I read them, my hands trembled. “I can’t believe they would do this.”
“They believed they were safeguarding you,” he mumbled, holding my hand. They lied to you because they didn’t trust me, and I don’t blame them for being upset. Since then, I’ve been attempting to re-enter your life.”
My eyes filled with tears. “Why did you come to my graduation?”
He said, “I learned about it from an old friend.” “I wanted to congratulate you and see you. I figured you might be prepared to meet me now that enough time has gone.”
I took a slow nod, taking in what he had said.
“We had a difficult period,” he remarked. “Your half-brother, my son, is very ill. I believed that I could borrow at least $1000 from you because I need a lot of money for his treatment.”
I was divided between pity and rage as I stared at him. “Why didn’t you tell me all of this before?”
“I didn’t want to sour your special day,” he grinned melancholy. “I wanted to wait until we could talk properly.”
I sighed, experiencing conflicting feelings. “This is a lot to take in.”
He sighed and answered, “I know.” “Go slowly. I have no plans to leave.”
I saw the passing scenery via the window. “I have to speak with my folks. I have a ton of stuff to organize.”
Reaching across the table to hold my hand, he added, “Of course,” “I’ll be here when you’re ready.”
I gave him a squeeze and got to my feet. “I have to leave. I appreciate your honesty, though.
He said, “Thank you for listening,” with optimism in his eyes.
I felt like there was a big weight on my shoulders as I left the cafe. I had a lot on my mind and even more to talk about with my folks.
I entered our home with a burdensome feeling in my shoulders. The bright balloons appeared to mock my bewilderment, and the graduation celebration decorations remained up. My grandparents were having a quiet conversation at the kitchen table. When they saw me, their faces brightened, but as soon as they saw my look, the happiness vanished.
“Sarah, what’s wrong?” Grandma inquired in a worried tone.
I inhaled deeply while attempting to steady my shaking hands. “I’m really sorry,” I started as tears started to form in my eyes. “I ought not to have forced you to miss my graduation. I must have the whole truth. Just tell me everything, please.”
Grandma’s expression softened as she extended her hand to grasp mine. “Oh, Sarah, it makes sense. You must have been really perplexed by it.”
Granny nodded, sorrow in his eyes. “To keep you safe, we took the best possible action. However, you should be aware of the entire tale.”
With a sad heart full of shame and curiosity, I sat down. “You kept him away from me, Dad replied. Grandma, he showed me messages. They came from you.
Grandma let out a big breath, anguish visible in her eyes. “I did send those mails, yes. Sarah, your father wasn’t a good man. After you were born, he began abusing drugs and alcohol. When he caused the accident that killed your mother, he was intoxicated. We hoped he wouldn’t harm you as well.”
I gulped hard, trying to take in what they had spoken. “Yet he claimed to have been clean for years. He added that he required funds for his son’s medical care. Is that accurate?
Grandpa and Grandma looked at each other worriedly. Grandpa muttered, “He always knew how to manipulate people.” “If he’s back, it’s because he wants something.”
I inhaled deeply. “I must ascertain the truth. Do you think that at this point, we could learn more about his life?”
Papa gave a nod. “We could attempt. Perhaps we can look it up online.”
Once we were all in the living area, Grandpa turned on his laptop. After he signed onto Facebook, we started looking for my dad. Finding his profile wasn’t that difficult. In his profile picture, he was seen with a little boy and a woman.
“Is that his new family?” With my heart racing, I enquired.
Grandpa responded, “It looks like it,” as he clicked on the woman’s profile. Lisa was her name, and the public could see her profile.
We skimmed her posts, trying to find any reference to the boy’s condition. The thought of my father maybe lying to me made my heart hurt.
Grandma said, “Look at this,” pointing to a post from a few weeks prior. It was an image of the happy, healthy youngster enjoying soccer.
Grandpa murmured, “Doesn’t look like he’s sick,” and continued scrolling. The boy was depicted in more photos, all of which showed him to be content and active.
Grandma gave me a firm hug. “Sarah, we’re so sorry you had to experience this. But now that you know the truth, we’re happy.”
With tears running down my cheeks, I nodded. I’m very sorry for not believing you. I should have trusted you from the start.”
Papa wrapped an arm around me. “You’re forgiven, Sarah. You were only searching for clarification.”
The three of us sat together and took solace in one another. Although I was aware of my errors, I also knew that I was loved and pardoned. I was more aware than ever of how fortunate I was to have my grandparents, who had always supported me.
My father arrived to the house the following day, beaming. He said, “Did you get the money?”
I gave a headshake. “No, Dad, I can’t give you any money.”
He scowled. “But it’s for your brother’s treatment.”
I firmly said, “I know you lied about that.” “I looked at the pictures. He is not ill. You were only interested in the cash.”
His rage reddened his face. He angrily said, “You’re just like your grandparents.” “I should’ve stayed away.”
“Perhaps you ought to have,” I steadily answered. “I’m done with your lies.”
