All Men Are Not The Same

The Incomplete Truth

This chapter is dedicated to my karate girl Ghana Mansoor! ;) Sending you love all the way from Mauritius to Pakistan!
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"He's your son Evan! How can a father not love his own son? And if you don't love him as you claim then why did you keep him for so long? Why are you getting him educated and all?" Lydia shouted, losing grip of her impatience.

"I could not tolerate Miranda and her kids. But then I thought maybe when the kids will be there, Miranda's father would give me a share of his property someday. At least for their sake! But he didn't! His wife died and he left the country without leaving me a single penny!" Evan's heartless words resonated in Maddox's ears and forced droplets of water out of his eyes.

The young guy was standing in the corridor listening to Lydia and Evan's conversation. His father's words hurt him to the extreme yet he kept standing right there as he wanted to know what more he had to say.

"My parents too never gave anything for their grandchildren. Elisa died. All the money I spent for her treatment was just a waste. Then, I decided to educate Maddox for someday he would be a money-maker for me. He would grow up and work," Evan went on, blurting out his dark intentions.

"Oh, so you feel you wasted money on your own daughter?" Lydia asked bitterly. "And you are sending Maddox to school for your own future interest? For him to bring you money? Then why did you want to kick him out today?"

"Because he is no more needed here. I tolerated his presence enough but now the brute hit a man. As if he was not enough of a shame to me! I want to kick him out because I no more need him to get rich. I'm already a rich man now!" Evan boasted.

"You evil man! You are the brute! So, in your drunken state you are spilling out your ugly truth?" Lydia cried.

"Why am I evil? I tolerated people enough!"

"You tolerated people? No! You used people! You are such a mean person! How could you use everyone like this? Even your own kids? People are unfaithful to their wives, that's already very wrong. But you? You have been unfaithful to your own blood! To your own kids!"

"My kids? I already told you before, they are not my kids. They must be their mother's sins!"

At those words, Maddox wanted to kick the door open and punch his father, because the least that all those who spoke ill of his mother deserved was a broken nose.

"Just stop it Evan!" Lydia snapped. "I hate myself for having believed in you. Yes, I used to trust you when you told me they are not your kids, but not anymore. After having lived with you, I now regret that I didn't trust Miranda. You know what? Human beings like you are unjust, but God isn't. Just go and look at Maddox's face. The more he is growing up, the more his looks match yours. And this is God's work. This is nature's way of proving Miranda's faithfulness. This is God's way of safeguarding an innocent woman's dignity."

"Go to hell! You women are all the same!"

"You see Evan, I could also say 'You men are all the same!' But I will not. You know why? Because all men are not the same. There's another man growing up in this house. And I promise you, he will not grow up to be like you. He is Miranda's pure blood. He may have lost his mother. But I'll be there for him."

"You barren woman! You could not have a child of your own, so you want to be nice to Maddox believing that this will make of you a mother? You make me want to laugh! Maddox hates you!"

Maddox could hear Evan's wicked laughter and for once he felt a pinch of sadness for Lydia.
How could someone insult a woman like this?

"Yes, he hates me. And he will hate me until he comes to know the whole truth," Lydia sobbed. "I know I have erred too. My biggest mistake was that I trusted you. I pray one day Maddox forgives me for that."

There's still more truth to unveil? I wonder how long I will have to live a life full of lies and deceit. I wonder how long it will take for the whole truth to be revealed.