On her wedding day, Lilian cried so much that it was difficult for anyone to console her. Nobody understood the reason why the bride was crying, except for close relatives and the bride's mother.
She knew what made her baby girl cry: it was a mix of joy and bitterness. Her daughter was embittered towards her father for absconding from home for two and a half decades, yet she was also happy he was around for her wedding.
As the wedding date fast approached, everything that was needed was set, and the bride made sure that on her special day, no one would make her unhappy.
A few days before the set date, a strange number called her mum. The woman thought it could be one of her well-wishers, so she picked up the call without a second thought. After exchanging greetings with the caller, the man said some words and ended with, "I am sorry. I'm a failed man, but please allow me to see my children just once," he begged.
The bride's mother cut the call at once and was lost in thought for several hours. When Lilian, her daughter, noticed the change in her mum's countenance, she went to her. At that point, another call came in; she picked it up, and the man said he was on his way.
The bride's mother burst into tears. After a while of inquisitive questions, she spoke, "Your father is coming. He wants to see both of you."
Lilian retorted, "I have a father, and that is Mr. Baker! I don't have any other father; he is dead! A man who left when my little brother was just one year old. Never! Tell him to go back!" Lillian shouted angrily, entered her room, and shut the door.
After a while, her mother went to meet her. She opened the door reluctantly, and then both talked for a while into the night until sleep paid a visit.
A day before the wedding, Mr. Lius appeared. He didn't have any trouble locating the house because it was the same apartment they had lived in together before vanishing.
As he entered the main gate, he was shocked to see his wife, his two children, and a few family members. He knew he had to maintain peace if he didn't want to end up behind bars. "It's a peaceful reconciliation anyway," he thought.
Everyone sat quietly until Mrs. Baker's elder brother broke the silence. He introduced himself and also the prodigal father standing in front of them. Mr. Baker, Lilian's stepdad, was also there. "We are all ears, Mr. Lius," he said.
"I am here to express my warmest apologies to my dear wife and children. I know I made mistakes; it wasn't bearable for me either, leaving my family like that for a long time without prior notice or looking back.
I was under pressure, in chaos, in debt, in pain, in total confusion that I can't explain to anyone—not even my wife. I tried to go out and find life, make money while living alone. My thought was that if I became a bachelor in another environment, I would be able to gather funds and become rich so I could care for my home."
I never knew life was not a game we played with our wisdom but with inclusive knowledge and understanding. He paused for a few seconds, cleared his throat, and then continued.
I got a very befitting job and began to save up before a Jezebel came into my life. I met Dora after working for six months; she was so calm and supportive initially, but later on, our friendship grew into an intimate relationship.
Within a few months, she broke some sad news to me: she was pregnant and would never terminate it because it was her first child. To cut a long story short, after devising several ways to deny it, she won when she involved her family and even the police, so I was made to take responsibility while she lived with me.
What I ran away from met me there. It was hard to escape because I was being monitored. After giving birth to twins, her parents forced us to get married, and I became a husband even though I was still married to my wife.
Dora had three kids with me, and we lived together, still struggling with life, before I finally got another befitting job that solved all my problems. I was planning to come back to make resolutions and take responsibility for my home here and see if we could continue, but then I received a message 15 years ago from my wife here that she was filing for divorce. I had lost contact with her, but I don't know how she got my new contact information.
However, Dora found out about it, and everything began to fall apart. She left me to go to her father's house for 3 years before finally reconciling. During that time, I arranged to meet with her in court to process the divorce, but I denied it; I never signed the papers and left. After a while, I heard that she had remarried, which pained me, and I reluctantly went through with the divorce.
Last year, I sent Dora out of my life. Through DNA testing, when one of the children fell ill and needed blood, I discovered that none of them was mine; she had fooled me for many years. I nearly lost my sanity, but I still have hope. So, I sent Dora away and made sure I divorced her peacefully.
"I knew my kids with Bennis are mine," he
continued. "We were in it together from the first day. I didn't come to take my children from her, but if she is willing to let me take responsibility for the things I did, I want to be there on my daughter's joyous day, even if that's the last thing I can do before I die." Mr. Lius knelt down, crying pitifully.
The elders among the family members scolded him, telling him how the family he left behind had suffered. If not for the woman's strength, she would have given up long ago. Later, God sent help in the form of a man who became their stepfather.
Therefore, there is no responsibility to take; the stepfather will be the bride's father on her day, not you. It can never be. As for forgiveness, we have forgiven you, but I don't know about your ex-wife and the kids.
The bride's mother spoke: "Lius, thank you for helping me to be a strong woman for myself and my children. I can't stop you from your duties as my children's father, but I don't think they are needed. Moreover, they are your children; if they need anything from you, I believe they will ask. But obviously, your help is not needed; just be their father by birth. I have forgiven you, Lius."
Tomorrow is my daughter's wedding. If you want to attend, then be my guest, but taking the seat as a father will never be allowed; their stepfather is the man they have now. She wiped her tears too and told Liu to sit up. Lilian didn't say a word until the meeting was over, nor did Emmanuel, her brother; they were just too overwhelmed with everything that is happening.
The meeting concluded on peaceful terms, and Mr. Liu reconciled with his children, but on the wedding day, he was not allowed to sit as a father but as a guest. As Lilian was being led to the altar by her stepfather, she looked into the congregation and saw her father wiping tears off his face, so she burst
into tears, leaving everyone wondering why the bride was breaking down.
Then Lilian remembered his sincere apology from the previous night. He had called both children, apologized deeply, and given them some money to support their individual careers.
He also handed over his lawyer's contact information to his ex-wife regarding his will, which was to be read after his departure in the future. "Don't cry, my baby girl; it's all my fault, and I am sorry for everything." As Lilian recalled these words, she felt comforted. Seeing her father gesturing with a sign of apology in the midst of the crowd, she stopped crying. The wedding ended with cheers!!
