When Zara and Ethan return from their honeymoon, they are met with unique circumstances guaranteed to change their lives, irrespective of their decision. What will they do next?
Three years ago, I met Ethan, the man who became the anchor of my life.
Since his father died when he was young, Ethan was extremely close to his sister, Mandy, and his mother, Maureen.
Mandy had a five-year-old daughter, Lisa, who doted on Ethan. Being a single mother, Mandy found solace in her brother’s unwavering love and support. From early on in our relationship, it was evident that Ethan’s heart extended beyond our relationship — it lay with his family, too.
Admittedly, I loved how much he loved his mother, sister, and Lisa. He had stepped in as a father figure for her. But more than that, Lisa had changed Ethan over the years. He became compassionate and patient on another level.
“He’s my favorite person, Aunt Zara,” Lisa had said when we went wedding dress shopping.
Tragedy struck when Mandy passed away a year before our wedding. The loss of my soon-to-be husband’s sister ran through our household, and Ethan could barely function.
I had to coax him into going to therapy just so he would learn how to cope with his loss. But after a few sessions, he gave it up and threw himself into caring for Lisa.
After Mandy’s passing, Maureen had taken guardianship over Lisa. But Ethan continued to do whatever was necessary for her.
Eventually, the family healed together, and we could have our wedding. Lisa, the flower girl, smiled for the first time in months.
“Uncle Ethan,” she said. “The wedding was a fairytale.”
When Ethan and I went on our honeymoon, Maureen and Lisa stayed over at our place, looking after our dogs while we were gone.
I awoke to an empty bed on our first night back, realizing Ethan was gone.
I followed the sound of muffled voices to the living room, where I found Ethan and my mother-in-law talking in hurried whispers.
“Mom,” Ethan said. “I don’t think I can do it. It’s a lot of responsibility.”
“Ethan,” Maureen hissed. “Shut up! Be a man and do it! Do it for your sister!”
Maureen’s words caught me completely off guard.
“Mom, Zara, and I are not planning on having children. We want to have great careers and travel as much as possible when the time comes. We’re happy with the dogs for now, but that’s as far as we’ve decided. I cannot risk my relationship. We’ve only been married for two weeks now.”
“I think you can risk your relationship,” Maureen said. “Lisa is your blood. She’s the only part left of your sister. You cannot run from the truth.”
By then, I was so invested in the conversation that I didn’t bother to hide myself any longer.
“What truth?” I asked, suddenly nervous about uncovering something I didn’t know.
“I’m tired,” Maureen announced. “I need to go to bed.”
My mother-in-law retreated, leaving behind air thick with unspoken words.
“Ethan, tell me,” I insisted.
Ethan sighed with the weight of the world on his shoulders.
“Come, sit,” he said.
He confessed that his mother, Lisa’s legal guardian, could no longer care for her because she was grappling with a terminal illness. She had shielded us from the truth for as long as she could, but she had noticed her muscle function and memory deteriorating rapidly.
“She’s afraid that if Lisa stays with her, she’ll end up taking care of Mom rather than Mom taking care of her,” Ethan said.
I nodded, reaching out for his hand.
I had noticed Maureen’s shaky fingers earlier when she taught Lisa how to knit a scarf for her teddy bear. But I thought that it was just old age. I didn’t know it could be anything more profound.
We went to bed with the imminent loss of Maureen hanging over our heads.
The following day, I made coffee and phoned my mother. I needed her advice because as much as I didn’t want children, Lisa was as good as ours. And I knew that my mother would be objective.
She would look at every scenario before giving me her thoughts.
“Zara,” my mother said sternly. “You will take that child in and love her with everything you have. You and Ethan would never forgive yourselves if she ended up elsewhere.”
My mother promised to help us whenever we needed help with Lisa. And when I told Ethan that I was on board, my husband wept.
“Thank you,” he said earnestly.
I knew that the only reason Ethan had hesitated was because of me. And it was true, I didn’t see myself as a mother, but I would change that for Lisa.
Ethan called his family lawyer, and the legal proceedings began. We wanted it to be as seamless as possible for Lisa. She knew Maureen was sick but didn’t know how bad her illness was.
After a number of weeks, the adoption papers went through, and we were legally Lisa’s parents.
Lisa and I decorated our spare bedroom just for her, ensuring that photographs of Mandy and Maureen were all over.
Eventually, Ethan persuaded Maureen to move into a care facility for older adults. We saw her as often as possible, but it comforted us that she was safe and taken care of around the clock.
Now, I’m a mother of three — one beautiful girl and two dogs. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Has anything as unexpected and life-changing happened to you?
