He had finally taught her patience
Leave me be! I never promised to marry you! In fact, I have no idea whose child this is. Perhaps it isnt even mine at all. So go on with your song, and Ill be on my way, Victor Harper said, gathering his belongings.
Emily Clarke stood frozen, her ears refusing to believe what she heard. Was this the same Victor who had once declared his love to her, who had once held her in his arms? The Victor who had called her his sweetheart and swore hed give her the world? Before her was a man, bewildered and angry, a stranger in his own skin.
Emily wept for a week, waving a final farewell to Victor. Yet, at thirtyfive, aware of her waning allure and the slim chances of finding happiness, she decided to bring a child into the world.
She gave birth to a daughter, naming her Lucy. The little girl grew up calm and carefree, never causing her mother any trouble. Emily treated Lucy kindly enough, but true maternal love never blossomed; she fed her, clothed her, bought toys, yet never lingered for a hug, a kiss, or a walk. The gentle affection that a mother should offer was absent.
When Lucy was seven, an unexpected event occurredEmily met a man. She even brought him home, and the whole village buzzed about her reckless choice. He was a drifter, not from the area, with no steady work, living wherever the wind took him.
Emily worked in the village shop, while the newcomer, whom they called Ian, helped unload carts of goods. Their romance sparked on that very workyard. Soon enough, Emily invited Ian to live with her.
Neighbours whispered about her, questioning the little girls future, noting how silent the man was, as if he hid something. Emily paid them no mind; she felt this was her last chance at a womans happiness.
Soon the villagers opinion of the taciturn man changed. The house where Emily lived had fallen into disrepair, its roof leaking and its fence crumbling. Ian, as he was known, first patched the front porch, then repaired the roof, and finally mended the fence. Day after day he fixed something, and the cottage grew sturdier before their eyes. Seeing his industrious nature, people began to seek his help, and he replied:
If youre old or poor, Ill lend a hand. If you can, pay me in cash or in provisions.
From some he took money, from others jars of preserves, meat, eggs, and milk. Emilys garden yielded vegetables, but there were no cowsshe needed a mans help. Before Ians arrival, Lucy rarely tasted cream or fresh milk; now the fridge held butter, cream, and homemade milk.
Ians hands were truly golden. As the old saying goes, he could stitch a seam, reap a field, and keep a kettle on the boil. Emily, never considered a beauty, began to glow, softening, her features mellowing. Even Lucy grew kinder, smiling with dimpled cheeks.
Lucy grew up, started school, and one afternoon while sitting on the porch she watched Ian at work. Later she slipped away to a neighbours house, returning only at dusk, tired from play. When she opened the garden gate she frozestanding in the middle of the yard were brandnew swings!
They swayed gently in the breeze, beckoning her.
Is that for me? Ian! Did you build these swings for me? Lucy could barely believe her eyes.
Youre mine, Lucy, youre mine! Come have a go! Ian, usually quiet, laughed heartily.
Lucy hopped onto a swing, soaring back and forth, and there was no happier girl in all the land.
Emily rose early for her shop duties, and Ian took over cooking. He prepared breakfasts, soups, and pies that were the talk of the village. He taught Lucy to bake and set a proper table, revealing talents no one had imagined in that silent man.
When winter shortened the days, Ian met Lucy after school, carrying her satchel and sharing stories of his younger yearshow he cared for a frail mother, sold his flat to help her, how his own brother turned his back on him. He taught her to fish; in summers early dawn they would walk to the river together, waiting patiently for a bite.
Thus he taught her patience
In midsummer Ian bought Lucy her first bicycle and showed her how to ride.
Ian, shes just a girl, her mother protested.
What does that matter? She must learn, he replied firmly.
At New Years, Ian presented Lucy with a pair of proper ice skates. That evening they gathered around a festive table, set by Ian with Lucys help. They welcomed the new year with laughter, food, and merriment.
The next morning, Lucys shriek woke Emily and Ian.
Skates! Hooray! I have real skates! White and brandnew! Thank you, thank you! she cried, tears of joy streaming down her face as she held the gift beneath the Christmas tree.
Later, Ian and Lucy went to the frozen river, clearing ice and snow together. He taught her to glide, and Lucy beamed with happiness. As they walked back, she threw her arms around him.
Thank you for everything, Father she whispered.
Ian wept, tears of relief slipping silently down his cheeks, hidden from Lucys sight.
Lucy grew up and left for the city to study, facing many hardships as life often does. Yet Ian was always thereat her graduation, ferrying crates of groceries to ensure his beloved Lucy never went hungry. He stood beside her as she wed, watching from the windows of the maternity ward when she gave birth to her own children. He doted on his grandchildren, loving them with a devotion rarely seen even among blood relatives.
When his time finally came, as it does for us all, Lucy and her mother stood in deep sorrow. She brushed away a handful of earth, sighed heavily, and said:
Farewell, Father You were the best father anyone could ask for. I will always remember you
Ian remained in her heart forevernot merely as Uncle Ian or a stepfather, but as a true father. For a father is not always the one who sired you, but the one who raised you, sharing both sorrow and joy, always standing beside you.
