Dad and Son Are Having Dinner When Doorbell Rings, Dad Opens the Door and Sees His Ex-wife — Story of the Day

A father and his son were having dinner one evening when they heard the doorbell ring — it was the man's ex-wife, and she had come to drop a bomb on him.

John and Mia had been married for about seven years, and they had a six-year-old son named Daniel. The three of them had lived happily as a family up until Mia got a job in San Francisco, California.

It was a long distance from their family home, which was situated in Houston, Texas, so she had to leave her husband and son behind to rent an apartment where she would live.

Mia showed up at John's house after years of being separated, to make a demand | Source: Shutterstock

Her husband was a full-term software developer in a big firm in Houston, and he was deeply committed to their projects, so he could not even consider leaving.

"I'll come back home every Saturday, pumpkin," Mia told little Daniel before she left. "We can talk over Skype, I'll call you often. Be good to daddy, okay?"

"But mom!" her son cried. "I want to come with you!"

"You can't come with me honey, mommy has to go to work and she can't leave you home all alone. Be a good boy okay?" she said, kissing him on the head.

To her husband, she said, "I'll call you as soon as I arrive."

Daniel was very sad that he could not join his mother on her journey even though his father explained over and over that she would be back to see him on weekends.

"And she'll bring lots of goodies too," the man said as he drove them back home. But his son just kept staring out the window in pensive silence.

Mia did not seem bothered about Daniel's sickness, telling John to quit complaining | Source: Pexels

The only time the boy smiled again was after Mia called them some three hours later when her plane landed in San Francisco. "Promise me you'll come back this weekend," the boy had made her promise.

"I promise cupcake, I'll come," she said brightly.

Daniel believed her, and so did John. However, that weekend, Mia called to say something had come up, so she had to stay put.

Her son was unhappy, and so was her husband, but there was nothing to be done. As time went on, Mia stopped answering their calls.

When that started, John thought it was because of work, but then it started to look like each time he called, Mia was always headed somewhere.

Initially, she would even leave a text to explain that she missed their call for one reason or the other, but after some time, even that stopped too.

One night, after a long dry spell of communication, she called, but John only had bad news. Their son missed her and was sick. Mia did not seem bothered about it.

"You should take him to a doctor, John. What am I supposed to do from here? I've got a lot to do already. You have to stop complaining to me about everything!"

On the weekends, to divert his son's mind from his mother's absence, John started taking him on museum trips and exciting excursions | Source: Pexels

"Is that so, Mia?! That's all you've got to say?" John was upset. "Your son is terribly ill and he needs his mother! The least you can do is call and comfort him!"

"Okay, John, I know it's tough being a single dad and all, but I really don't have time. Even now I'm headed to a meeting. I'll try to reach you this weekend," Mia said before hanging up.

John shook his head after the call got disconnected, then he returned to his son's side to check his vitals. A responsible dad, he looked after Daniel and even took on the duties Mia should have been the one to take care of.

He dropped him off at school every morning, and when he returned home from work, he would attend to the household chores before spending some time with his son.

On the weekends, to divert his son's mind from his mother's absence, John started taking him on museum trips and exciting excursions. It was always fun, and they grew closer.

After a month passed with Mia acting aloof, John started to suspect his wife was hiding something or up to no good. It couldn't be just work that was keeping her away.

One day, he took the first flight out of Texas and tracked Mia down to her new office. When he arrived there, he saw her waiting outside on the other side of the road.

John watched his wife exclaim happily before turning around and planting a kiss on the man's mouth right there in public | Source: Pexels

As soon as he set eyes on her, his anger melted away, and he kicked himself for having thought so terribly of her. He was about to wave and call out when he saw a man seize her from behind.

John watched his wife exclaim happily before turning around and planting a kiss on the man's mouth right there in public. "Mia!" John shouted and watched as his wife hopped away from the man like he had just become incredibly hot to the touch.

"John – John what are you doing here?!" she asked in a breathy voice.

John told her how he had gotten a gut feeling and followed it then he announced that he would divorce her. He had expected her to beg, but Mia just looked relieved.

She seemed glad the relationship was over and even revealed how happy she was to be free of the nagging she got from him about caring for their child.

John was deeply hurt, so he left her standing there, and that was the last time he saw her until they both turned up at court to finalize the divorce.

After it was all said and done, John decided not to keep the truth from his son, so he told him everything. He had expected bawling, but to his surprise, Daniel seemed accepting of what had happened.

"It's okay dad. Mom doesn't have to care about us, we can care about us and we can be happy," he said. His words touched John, who cried and took the wise boy into his arms for a long hug.

John and Mia both decided to get divorced | Source: Pexels

"How could a 7‐year-old boy talk like that? Mia, what have you done? We had such a great home! You ruined it all!" he thought.

Five years down the line, father and son were having dinner when they suddenly heard the doorbell. "I'll get it," said Daniel as he ran to the door in excitement, thinking it was the delivery he ordered that had arrived.

However, when he opened the door, he was stunned when he saw his mother standing there with a tight smile. "Hi, honey. Is your dad home? I'd like to talk to him," she said.

"No, he's not!" Daniel said, glaring at her. "And even if he were, I wouldn't tell you that."

"Why is it taking so long, son? Who is it?" John asked as he approached the door.

He was also shocked to see his former wife standing at the doorstep. "Mia? What on God's green earth are you doing here?"

"You taught our son terrible manners, John. He just lied to my face, said you weren't home."

A sarcastic laugh escaped John before he said, "That's rich, coming from someone who abandoned her son for years. Didn't you say you didn't want Daniel to stay with you? Why are you suddenly concerned about him? You should go away before I call the cops!"

"Call them and I'll return the favor if you don't respond to the court summons," Mia said before handing him a sealed document. "I've requested sole custody of John. I'll see you in court."

Mia showed up at John's house 5 years after their divorce | Photo: Unsplash

"Is this a joke to you? Why do you even want custody now? What are you trying to prove?!" John asked, perplexed.

"Well, honey. Why don't you let me worry about that? See you in court!" she said, then walked away.

That night, John tossed and turned, thinking about Mia. He knew he had a good chance of winning the custody case, but he couldn't decide how he would react should Mia get sole custody.

The trial was held a week later, and after hearing both sides, the judge ordered Daniel to spend some time with his mom before they arrived at a final decision.

Daniel didn't like it. He was reluctant to stay with the woman who abandoned him for so long, but his dad convinced him to just endure.

"It's just for a short time," John told the boy.

After hearing both sides, the judge ordered Daniel to spend some time with his mom before they arrived at a final decision | Source: Pexels

The day the judgment was to be announced, John was really worried. What if Mia won custody and Daniel said he wouldn't mind staying with her?

Things didn't get that worse. The judge ruled in his favor, and John was very happy. But, apparently, over the week Daniel stayed with his mother, he was considerably less excited.

The court also noted that John had been the primary caregiver for most of his life and shared a deeper bond with him which is why he was awarded custody.

It was later discovered that Mia had come for Daniel because she could not conceive with her new husband. She didn't want to adopt, so fighting for the kid she abandoned was her best option.

Mia shook with anger as she watched her former husband walk off with her son after the court trial, but John didn't care. Instead, he gave her a parting glare then walked off into the sunset with his son.

John had been the primary caregiver for most of Daniel's life and shared a deeper bond with him which is why he was awarded custody | Source: Pexels

What can we learn from this story?

• Not everyone wants to be a parent. Mia hated her responsibility as a mother, and she hated John for always nagging her about it, which is why she jumped at the opportunity to get away. Fortunately, father and son were able to manage just fine with her.
• Karma always evens things up. Mia abandoned her child and husband for selfish reasons, and karma got back at her by denying her the privilege of bringing another child to the world.

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If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a rich boy who opens the door and fears a dirty stranger who says to him, "Hello, son."

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