My world fell apart when my daughter casually mentioned a woman I had never heard of when I asked her who else she wanted to invite to her birthday party. My life would never be the same after meeting the woman a week later.
I’ve been dating my husband, Jake, for ten years, and we’ve been married for seven. Until lately, I had no reason to suspect him, but he’s a lovely guy—kind, diligent, and a little scatterbrained.
Jake lost his job earlier this year. I’ve been working long, full-time hours at work to keep things going smoothly while he’s been looking for a job. Though difficult, we have managed to make it work. Ellie, our daughter, who is five years old, enjoys spending more time with him. To her, Jake
Life appeared to be rather typical. up till last week.
We were busy making plans for Ellie’s upcoming birthday. She took me completely by surprise one evening when I sat with her to finish the guest list.
In addition to her friends and family, I asked her who else she would like to invite.
She said, “Mommy, may I invite the attractive woman who comes to see Daddy while you’re at work?”
I tried to remain composed as I froze in the middle of my coffee. “The attractive woman who comes to see Daddy? What, dear, lady?
Ellie smiled, utterly unaware of the tempest that was building inside my chest.
The one with the lengthy hair, indeed! She is so kind! She claims that Daddy is nice, and before she goes, she always gives him a big embrace. Is she able to attend? Would you please?
My heart sank, but I tried to maintain a steady voice.
Yes, honey. Next time she’s here, why don’t you extend an invitation to her?
Ellie smiled. “All right! Yes, I will! Thank you, Mommy.
I didn’t get much sleep that night. Questions, concerns, and a mounting sense of dread raced through my head. Ellie’s innocuous remark sowed the seeds of distrust, even though Jake had never before given me any cause to question him. This “pretty lady” was who? A companion? A neighbor? Or worse, a complete stranger to me?
Even if this did seem a little excessive to have been made up, I also considered the possibility that my five-year-old was just dreaming. I wanted to see how things would work out, so I made sure the stranger attended Ellie’s party and chose not to confront my husband.
I made the decision to find out more the following evening. “Did you invite the pretty lady to your party?” I asked Ellie in passing during dinner when my husband was using the restroom.
“Yes! She assured me she would definitely come! Ellie chirped while contentedly eating her breakfast.
I almost spilled my glass of water, but we had already switched topics by the time my husband came back. I wanted him to be unaware of his
I was quite nervous on the day of the celebration. Like every other party, it began with Ellie ecstatic, kids playing with balloons, and friends and family swarming our living room. I made an effort to concentrate on entertaining, but my gaze kept straying to the front door as I half expected the enigmatic guest to arrive.
The doorbell rang one hour into the celebration. I felt sick to my stomach. I went to answer it since Jake was in the backyard helping Ellie with her cake. A young woman, perhaps in her early twenties, stood on the porch. She clutched a small gift bag in her hands, smiled shyly, and had long dark hair.
“Hello, my name is Lila,” she murmured quietly.
We started acclimating to our new reality in the weeks that followed. Lila, who had recently arrived in our city for college, started coming often. Slowly, I began to love her as much as Ellie did. I could see how much Lila wanted to be a part of our lives, even though it wasn’t easy.
And truthfully? She was beginning to feel as though she had always been. In the meantime, Jake discovered the hard way that secrets tend to surface, particularly when a five-year-old is involved.
Ellie fulfilled her birthday dream, and in a sense, so did we: a brand-new, unanticipated family member. Though it’s not always simple, life can sometimes take you by surprise and result in something lovely.