When Robert noticed his five-year-old son, Sam, inexplicably pulling away from his mother, Candice, he couldn’t have anticipated the journey he was about to embark on.
What began as a quest to understand his son’s sudden change in behavior unfolded into a story of hidden truths, familial bonds, and the complexities of love and loyalty, Have you ever found yourself in a situation so bizarre that it felt like your life was suddenly a plot from a soap opera you never signed up for? Brace yourself, because that’s exactly where I found myself not too long ago.
My name is Robert; I’m a 32-year-old husband and father, and up until a few weeks ago, my biggest worry was making sure I could balance work and family time with my wife, Candice, and our five-year-old son, Samuel, whom we lovingly call “Sam.”
Before we delve into the main story, here’s a little context. Candice and I have been happily married for eight years. It was all hands on deck with both of us working, but for the last five years, I’ve been the sole breadwinner. Candice morphed into this incredible stay-at-home mom, pouring her heart into our home and Sam, while I’m out there, working till 7 p.m., trying to keep the ship afloat.
But here’s where it gets tricky, Recently, I noticed that Sam, who’s usually a bundle of joy and all about mommy love, started acting strange around Candice. Picture this: whenever Candice tried to hug or kiss him in my presence, he turned away and tried to run from her embrace. A few days ago, with Candice out on a grocery run, I saw my chance to get to the bottom of this.
Sitting down with Sam, I dove right in. “Sam, why have you been avoiding your mom recently? ”Sam’s response was unexpected and troubling. “Mom has changed. She has a secret and doesn’t want to share it with me,” he said, his little face clouded with confusion and hurt. Probing further, I asked, “What do you mean? What secret?” That’s when Sam opened up about Candice’s tears and the mysterious green box. “When you are at work, she often cries in her room. When I walked in there and asked her why she was crying, she screamed at me and told me to go. She was holding a photo, but as soon as I walked in, she put it into the green box and hid it under the mattress,” Sam recounted, his voice a mix of curiosity and sadness.
I was dumbfounded. What could be causing Candice so much pain? And what was in that green box? “How often have you heard your mom crying?” I asked Sam. “This week she’s been crying almost daily. She thinks I don’t pay attention, but I still hear her and see her swollen eyes. But now she locks the door to her room and when I come to the door and ask her what’s the matter, she acts as if nothing has happened. I don’t like it, Daddy. You need to do something about it,” said Sam, his innocent voice laced with concern.
Sally was driving home from one of her business trips in Northern Arizona when she saw an elderly woman walking on the side of the road.
As the trip was a long and quiet one, she stopped the car and asked the old woman if she would like a ride:
After a bit of small talk, while resuming the journey,
The old woman noticed a brown bag on the seat next to Sally.
“What’s in the bag?” Asked the woman.
Sally looked down at the brown bag and said.
“It’s a bottle of wine. I got it for my husband.”
The old woman was silent for a moment then speaking with the quiet wisdom of an elder said……
“Good trade.”
A cleaning old woman was applying for a new position.
When asked why she left her last employment, she replied,
“Yes sir, they paid good wages, but it was the most ridiculous place I ever worked. They played a game called Bridge, and last night lots of folks were there. As I was about to bring in the refreshments, I heard a man say
“Lay down and let’s see what you’ve got.”
Another man said, “I’ve got strength but no length.”
Another man said to a lady, “Take your hand off my trick.”
I pretty near dropped dead just then when the lady answered,
“You jumped me twice when you didn’t have the strength for one raise.”
Another lady was talking about her protecting her honour, and two other ladies said, Now it’s time for me to play with your husband and you can play with mine.
Well, I just got my hat and coat and as I was leaving.
I hope to die if I didn’t hear someone say,
“Well, I guess we’ll go home now, that was the last rubber.”
