An engagement ring | Source: Midjourney
My son Scott was supposed to come over for dinner. It was something I always looked forward to, but as he got older, his visits became less frequent. I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sadness each time he canceled or didn’t show up.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
I missed the days when he was little, and our house was always full of his laughter. But I knew that children can’t stay children forever; they grow up and find their own lives.
Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling of emptiness. Then, I heard the doorbell ring, pulling me from my thoughts.
“I’ll get it, honey,” Hank said, getting up from his chair. I stayed in the kitchen, listening for the sound of Scott’s voice, expecting their usual banter. But instead of the familiar laughter and greetings between father and son, I was met with silence.
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“Hank, is everything alright?” I called out, my heart starting to race. Something didn’t feel right. Without waiting for an answer, I began walking toward the front door, worry creeping in.
But as soon as I saw why Hank was so quiet, I froze too. It took me a moment to process what I was seeing. Standing there, right in front of us, was Scott—our 27-year-old son who had never, and I mean never, dated a girl.
He was always so focused on his work, his hobbies, or hanging out with his buddies. Sure, there was that brief, four-day fling with a classmate when he was 13, but that barely counted as dating.
And now, here he was, standing at our door with a very sweet and attractive girl by his side. She had a warm smile, and they looked so comfortable together.
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I couldn’t believe my eyes! I felt a wave of joy and disbelief wash over me. I thought I would never live to see the day, but here it was, right in front of me.
“Mom, are you okay?” Scott asked.
“Yes, yes, I’m fine. How rude of me, standing here like this. Come on in, please,” I said, stepping forward to greet them. As I hugged Scott, I leaned in close and whispered, “Scott, why didn’t you tell me you were bringing a girl?”
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Scott pulled back slightly. “I didn’t think it was important, Mom.”
“Well, of course, it’s important!” I said, my voice rising more than I intended. I glanced at the young woman beside him, feeling a rush of excitement and nerves all at once. “Why don’t you introduce her to us?”
Scott turned to the girl and said, “Mom, Dad, this is Amara.” The girl smiled and extended her hand toward me. I quickly reached out and shook it.
“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, Amara. You can call me Hannah,” I said.
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“It’s very nice to meet you too,” Amara replied, her voice soft and polite.
Hank, always the practical one, said, “Well, enough standing in the doorway, let’s have dinner.”
“Oh!” I exclaimed. “I didn’t prepare anything special; if Scott had told me he was bringing a girl…”
“Mom, it’s fine,” Scott said.
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“Yes, Hannah, I’m sure whatever you’ve made will be wonderful,” Amara added with a sweet smile. What a pleasant girl, I thought.
We moved to the dining room and sat down for dinner. I couldn’t help but steal glances at Scott and Amara, my heart swelling with pride and happiness.
“Amara, you have no idea how happy we are to see you here with Scott. I thought I’d never meet Scott’s girlfriend,” I said, the words tumbling out in a rush.
Amara smiled politely, but I noticed a brief look pass between her and Scott. “Well, about that…” Scott started, his voice hesitant.
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“What? What’s wrong?” I asked.
Scott took a deep breath. “Amara and I are getting married,” he said.
“What joy! Congratulations!” I exclaimed, quickly nudging Hank with my elbow to prompt him to say something. Men could be so oblivious sometimes.
Hank looked up from his steak and, catching my look, said, “Yes, yes. Well done, congratulations,” before going back to his meal.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
I turned back to Scott, still trying to process the news. “Have you set a date?” I asked.
“Yes…next Thursday,” Scott said.
“Next Thursday???” I nearly shouted, unable to hide my shock. “But… but that’s so soon!”
“We don’t want anything big, just you and Amara’s family,” Scott explained.
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I opened my mouth to protest, but Hank gently placed his hand on mine. “Hannah, let them be. It’s their choice,” he said.
I took a deep breath and nodded. “Alright.”
When Scott and Amara left, I was still in shock. The whole evening felt like a whirlwind. But Hank was right—it was their decision, and all I could do was be happy for them.
A few days after that dinner, Hank and I went to the mall to find something nice to wear for Scott and Amara’s wedding. Hank, not one for shopping, quickly wandered off to the food court, leaving me to browse.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
As I was looking through the racks, I spotted Amara in the distance with a friend. They were holding hands, and I couldn’t help but smile, thinking how close they must be.
But then, something unexpected happened. Amara leaned in and kissed this woman—not a quick, friendly kiss, but a deep, loving kiss.
My heart skipped a beat. What was going on? Was Amara cheating on my son? And with a woman? The thought was overwhelming; it felt so unnatural to me, so wrong.
Without a second thought, I hurried to find Hank. When I saw him at the food court, I grabbed his arm and, without explaining, dragged him out of the mall. I needed to get out of there, to process what I had just witnessed.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“What’s going on?” Hank asked, looking confused.
“I saw Amara kissing a girl,” I said, my voice trembling. “We need to tell Scott right away.”
Hank frowned. “Are you sure? Maybe they’re just really close friends?”
I shook my head firmly. “Hank, you don’t kiss a friend like that. It wasn’t a friendly kiss. It was more.”
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Hank paused, processing what I said. “Alright,” he finally agreed. “If you’re sure, we should talk to Scott.”
We arrived at Scott’s place, and he let us in, looking confused, his eyes searching our faces for answers.
“What’s wrong?” Scott asked.
“You better sit down,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady.
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“Mom?” Scott asked, concern growing in his voice.
“Scott, sit,” Hank ordered firmly.
Scott sat down on the couch. He looked from me to Hank, waiting for an explanation.
“I saw Amara at the mall,” I began, my voice trembling as I forced the words out.
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Scott blinked, not understanding. “And?”
“She’s cheating on you, Scott,” I said, my heart breaking as I spoke the words.
Scott shook his head. “Mom, that’s impossible…”
“With a woman!” Hank added, his voice full of anger.
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Scott’s expression changed, and he covered his face with his hands. “Damn…” he muttered.
“Scott, it’s going to be okay,” I said, trying to comfort him.
“With a woman! Can you believe it? That’s disgusting!” Hank shouted.
Scott looked up. “Dad, you’re married to a woman,” he pointed out.
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“But I’m a man!” Hank snapped back.
Scott sighed. “Alright, since you’ve already seen it, there’s no point in hiding it anymore. Mom, Dad, Amara and I are getting married, but it’s a sham marriage. We’re not really dating… I’m gay,” Scott confessed. “And Amara is a lesbian. Her family is very conservative too, so we decided this marriage would benefit both of us.”
My heart sank as his words echoed in my mind. My son… No, this can’t be true. I didn’t raise him to be like this.
“Are you joking?” Hank asked, his voice trembling with disbelief.
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“No, this is who I am and who I’ve always been. That’s why you’ve never met any of my girlfriends—because there never were any, I only dated men,” Scott explained, his voice steady but filled with pain.
“What a nightmare,” I said, clutching my heart.
Scott looked at me, desperation in his eyes. “I hope you can come to accept this because I’m still your son, and nothing has changed.”
“Nothing has changed?! Nothing has changed?!” Hank shouted. “I have no son anymore!” he yelled, storming out of the apartment, slamming the door behind him.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
I stood there, watching the tears stream down Scott’s face, feeling his pain as if it were my own. My mother’s heart was breaking, but I couldn’t believe that my son was like this…
“Mom?” Scott said in a hoarse voice, his eyes pleading with me for some kind of acceptance, some kind of understanding.
But I couldn’t find the words. I just turned and left the apartment in silence, my heart heavy. As I walked away, I heard Scott sobbing, and it made everything even worse, tearing at my already broken heart.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Hank made me hide all the photos of Scott and everything that reminded us of him. He walked around the house, muttering over and over that he no longer had a son.
It broke my heart to hear him say that. I couldn’t find any peace, not knowing if what we were doing was right. I didn’t support Scott’s orientation, it was hard for me to understand, but… I couldn’t stop thinking about those photos Hank made me put away.
They were of little Scott, smiling, happy. He was still that boy, still my son. Nothing had changed, except now we knew the truth.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
I left the house and drove to Scott’s place. When I arrived, I hesitated at the door, unsure of what to say. After a few minutes, Scott opened the door. His face was cold, his eyes guarded.
“What do you want, Mom?” Scott asked, his voice sharp.
“You’re still my son,” I said softly, trying to reach him.
“But you hate people like me,” he replied.
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I took a deep breath. “It won’t be easy for me… to accept everything, but you’re still my boy, the one who loved playing soccer, the one who loved dancing. I know our reaction wasn’t the best, and I’m sorry for that, but I still love you, and that won’t change. I’ll need time to come to terms with your orientation, but it doesn’t change how much I care about you.”
“There’s nothing to come to terms with!” Scott snapped. “This is me. This is who I’ve always been.”
“I know,” I said, my voice trembling. “Forgive me, forgive us for making you feel like you couldn’t be yourself. We love you, and we always will, no matter who you are or who you love.”
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Scott looked at me, his anger softening. “What about Dad?”
I sighed. “Well, you know your father; he’ll come around eventually. I’m sorry, Scott, I’m sorry we made you feel like you didn’t deserve our love. You’re still my son, and you always will be,” I said, realizing I had been crying the whole time.
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Scott’s eyes filled with tears. He stepped forward and hugged me tightly, his grip strong. “Thank you,” he whispered.
We stood there, holding each other, both of us crying. I knew, even though it wouldn’t be easy for any of us, I couldn’t lose my son. He was the most important person in my life.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
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