When Kristen\u2019s four-year-old daughter returns from a visit with her grandmother, she reveals a secret to her. Kristen has to figure out whether Katie\u2019s innocence has clouded the story, or is it the cold, hard truth. I always told myself that when my children asked about where they came from, that I\u2019d have a proper answer. Something witty and cool, and just different. I remember cringing when my parents described it to my younger brother, and I knew that I wanted to do things differently. But then, while we were sitting outside, and toasting smores, my four-year-old, Katie, looked up at me, her eyes wide with the boundless curiosity of youth.\n
\u201cMommy,\u201d she said slowly, as if trying to choose her words properly. \u201cYes, Katie?\u201d I asked, already bemused because when she called me like this, it meant that my child was about to make me laugh. She smiled at me as she took a bite of her smore, the chocolate oozing onto her little fingers. \u201cMommy, how did I appear?\u201d she asked, her voice filled with wonder. \u201cAppear?\u201d I asked, hoping that I didn\u2019t need a witty answer so soon. Where did I come from?\u201d she asked, picking up another marshmallow. I hesitated. I didn\u2019t know how to explain it to a four-year-old \u2014 I always thought that the creation question came later on.\n
So, I stole my mother\u2019s line. \u201cWell, sweetheart, when Dad and I fell in love, we planted a seed. And soon after, you were born,\u201d I explained to her, wanting to laugh at myself. \u201cLike a tree? A seed for a tree?\u201d she asked, her innocence tugging at my heartstrings. \u201cExactly like a tree,\u201d I agreed. \u201cDo you think you that you could plant another seed, Mommy? I\u2019d like a little brother,\u201d Katie said. My daughter\u2019s hopeful smile was infectious, and I couldn\u2019t help but laugh. \u201cMaybe, honey. We\u2019ll see,\u201d I promised, ruffling her hair. \u201cWe\u2019ll have to talk to Dad about it.\u201d \u201cWill Dad be home soon?\u201d she asked I put Katie to bed shortly after \u2014 thankful that sugar didn\u2019t seem to bother my child. Washing the dishes, I began to wonder what it would be like to have another baby \u2014 the age gap between Katie and the baby would be perfect. \u201cBut I don\u2019t think Sam wants another baby,\u201d I said to the silent kitchen.\n
\u201cHe\u2019s barely home now.\u201d I thought nothing more of the conversation until, about a week later, after Gloria, Sam\u2019s mother came to visit while I was out running errands. Gloria lived close by to use, and she was always visiting, or picking up Katie from school or just taking her home to spoil her. But on that afternoon, Katie\u2019s innocence toward life shattered my world into fragments sharp enough to draw blood.\n
My sweet girl came to me, asking me to play dolls with her. \u201cMommy,\u201d she whispered once we were in her room. \u201cMommy, why is Granny so angry that you planted another seed?\u201d she asked I had absolutely no clue as to what my child was talking about. I wasn\u2019t pregnant! \u201cHoney, why do you think that?\u201d I asked, my voice strained. She fiddled with one of her dolls, brushing its hair. \u201cI heard granny yelling at Dad! She shouted, \u2018how dare you, Sam!’\u201d \u201cWhat were you doing?\u201d I asked, hoping that Katie hadn\u2019t been exposed to anything. \u201cI was watching TV,\u201d she said, and she began rambling on about what she had been watching. \u201cSweetheart, why were they shouting?\u201d I asked. \u201cGranny said that Dad should have been more careful about planting a seed into that woman. And the child will destroy the family,\u201d she said, the words coming out of her mouth sounding horrid. Katie\u2019s gaze lifted to mine, searching for answers in the turmoil she saw reflected there. Are you sure that\u2019s what Granny said?\u201d I asked.\n
\u201cYes, Mommy,\u201d she sighed deeply. \u201cAnd that the woman will tell everyone. Granny brought pie over, too.\u201d The room titled, reality slipping from my grasp. Sam. My husband, my partner \u2014 the man working in the living room while I played with our child \u2014 had betrayed our vows, our family. And in the most unimaginable way. While I cooked dinner that evening, I watched Sam \u2014 who was completely oblivious to the fact that Katie had overheard him and Gloria. Katie loved Sam, but she wasn\u2019t as open with him as she was with me. She was used to him being away from us because he worked so much. Now, I wondered how many of those late nights were because of work. \u201cHoney?\u201d Sam called, shaking me out of my thoughts. \u201cYes?\u201d I called out, remaining as calm as I could be.\n
\u201cMom saved you some pie, it\u2019s in the fridge,\u201d he said, turning back to his laptop. How does he do it? I wondered. How can he sit there and pretend like he doesn\u2019t have another child on the way? During dinner, Katie ate all her food and conned her way into ice cream for dessert. Sam was distracted as ever, constantly checking his phone as if he were waiting for an important message or phone call. I wanted to get my hands on his phone. Later that night, with Katie asleep, I confronted Sam. The air between us crackled with tension, heavy with the accusations I had thrown at him. Sam sat with his hands on his head. \u201cHow could you?\u201d my voice broke. Sam winced, the guilt etched deep in his features. \u201cKristen, I made a mistake. It was just a bad decision. And it meant absolutely nothing, I swear.\u201d\n
\u201cSam, a mistake is when you forget to get milk. Not when you choose to have an affair with someone, and then create an entire life with them!\u201d I spat out, the bitterness coating my tongue. He reached out, but I recoiled. \u201cPlease, honey,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ll do anything to fix this!\u201d \u201cHow, Sam? How can you possibly fix this?\u201d Tears streamed down my face. \u201cDid you know that I was going to talk to you about considering having another baby?\u201d I asked. I wanted to hurt him. I wanted him to feel how I was feeling \u2014 lost, betrayed, hurt beyond repair. The next day, I took Katie to my mother-in-law\u2019s house, hoping that she would tell me more because Sam had refused to speak to me when I mentioned thinking about another baby. \u201cKatie did,\u201d I said. Katie ran into the living room and put the TV on \u2014 which suited me just fine. I had questions for Gloria.\n
\u201cKatie overheard you and Sam talking yesterday,\u201d I confessed. \u201cBut I had no idea that anything was going on with him. He always made it seem that work was taking all his time.\u201d \u201cI only found out recently,\u201d Gloria said. \u201cI told him that he needed to tell you the truth. And that I would give him the opportunity to do so \u2014 if not I was going to tell you myself.\u201d \u201cDo you know who she is?\u201d I asked. Gloria shook her head as she filled the kettle. \u201cI don\u2019t know the details. He just told me that she waspregnant and he didn\u2019t know what to do.\u201d \u201cWhat do you think we should do?\u201d I asked. \u201cHoney, when Sam\u2019s father had his affair, I divorced him. I\u2019m not saying that you should do the same. But I am saying that some betrayals are just too deep. I know he\u2019s my son.\n
And that I should be supporting him. But when he told me \u2014 all I could think about was when I saw my husband with his mistress, and her big belly.\u201d I wondered what Gloria was telling me, whether there was some hidden message to her words. \u201cWhat about Katie?\u201d I asked, desperate for advice. \u201cShe doesn\u2019t know anything specific. To her understanding, I\u2019m the one having the baby.\u201d \u201cPut your child first, Kristen, by all means. But just remember that you\u2019ll have to live with the consequences, too.\u201d We drove in silence, Katie looking out the window at the sunset. When we got home, I sat at the kitchen table lost in thought \u2014 I didn\u2019t know what the next move should be. My love for Sam had died the moment he admitted the truth.\n
Would it be the worst thing for our marriage to end, too? It felt over. He had sought solace outside of our marriage. Katie climbed onto my lap, wrapping her tiny arms around me. \u201cMommy, don\u2019t be sad,\u201d she said. \u201cI love you a hundred, thousand, million.\u201d I sighed, holding onto her tightly. It was Katie\u2019s innocence that had unveiled the bitter truth, but it was also her love that reminded me of my strength. With her by my side, I knew that I could face the uncertain future with Sam. It was time for a new beginning for Katie and myself.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
My MIL Visited Us While I Was Out of Home \u2013 When I Returned My Daughter Told Me Something That Shattered Our Family When Kristen\u2019s four-year-old daughter returns from a visit with her grandmother, she reveals a secret to her. Kristen has to figure out whether Katie\u2019s innocence has clouded the story, or is it\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":75505,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[855],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-75491","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-story"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/16.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75491","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=75491"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75491\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/75505"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=75491"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=75491"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/justmetalking.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=75491"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}