My father left when I was five, and I barely saw him after that. No calls, no birthday wishes, and certainly no child support. My mom, however, was my rock. She worked tirelessly as a nurse to ensure I had every opportunity, especially for my passion—music.
Since I was little, the piano was my escape. My dream was to compose music, but professional instruments are costly. Despite our financial struggles, my mom took on extra shifts and made sacrifices to support my dream. She never complained and always believed in me.
When graduation approached, I told my mom I didn’t need anything special—just a cake would be fine. But on the day, I was astonished to find a high-end digital piano in our home. I was overwhelmed with emotion, knowing how much she had sacrificed for this gift.
A keyboard with a pink bow | Source: Midjourney
I posted about the piano on social media, praising my mom for her incredible support. But a few days later, I received a text from one of my dad’s old friends congratulating me on my graduation and commenting on how generous my dad had been with the piano. Confused, I discovered my dad had shared my post, claiming credit for the gift he hadn’t actually given.
The nerve of him was infuriating. This man hadn’t paid a cent in child support, and now he was pretending to be a supportive father. I wanted to call him out but decided to wait.
Soon after, at a community event, I met Ralph, who introduced himself as my dad’s colleague. He praised my dad’s supposed generosity regarding the piano. My mom, calm but firm, corrected him, stating that my dad hadn’t contributed a penny. She detailed the outstanding child support for thirteen years, leaving Ralph stunned.
It turned out Ralph was my dad’s boss. His lies caught up with him. Ralph fired him and made sure the child support payments were enforced. The courts were involved, and my dad had no choice but to pay what he owed.
As for me, I continued to pour my heart into my music, using the piano to compose and create. My mom’s unwavering support and belief in me were my true inspirations. I’m heading to college to study music, knowing that my mom’s sacrifices and love made it all possible.
My dad learned that pretending to be a parent is far easier than actually being one.
