Estranged Dad Bribes Nanny to See His Son, One Day She Realizes the Kid Is Missing – Story of the Day

When Dorothy filed for divorce from her ex-husband Matthew, she told him never to speak to her or their son, Mitch, again. But Mitch desperately needed a father figure, and Dorothy realized that the hard way.

Dorothy met Matthew when she moved into town in junior high, and the two became high school sweethearts. Their romance was straight out of a movie. Matthew was the jock and ended up becoming the captain of the football team. Dorothy was the blonde cheerleader who every boy wanted.

The two lovebirds only had eyes for each other and ended up going to the same college. While Matthew earned his degree in sports science, Dorothy paused her studies after falling pregnant. “I promise that you won’t have to worry. I’ll take care of us,” Matthew promised Dorothy.

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Things began to turn sour because Matthew was always working long hours as coach of the college football team and didn’t help out at home. Even after their son, Mitch, was born, Dorothy and Matthew began to fight more often.

“The least you could do is come and help me at home. You always get home after dark,” Dorothy told him. It all came to a breaking point when Matthew snapped at Dorothy during an argument. “You need me! What are you gonna do with a high school diploma?” Matthew shouted in anger.

“Matthew’s phone is switched off, and I don’t know where they are.”

Dorothy soon filed for divorce, deeply offended by Matthew’s words and behavior. One of Dorothy’s friends helped her get a job that allowed her to work from home. Although a judge ruled that Dorothy and Matthew should share custody, Dorothy forbade Matthew from coming to the house.

Matthew decided to keep his distance to avoid making things worse. He tried to prove that he would be a present father by reducing his work hours and setting aside time for Mitch. “I’ve made time. Every second day I can spend time with him while you work. We can strike a balance,” Matthew pleaded.

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“The answer is still no. Stay away from here,” Dorothy responded.

Whether she cared to admit it or not, Dorothy let her feelings get the best of her. Matthew had made her feel like she couldn’t make it in the world without him. She made it her mission to prove him wrong and prove to herself that she could be a successful single mom.

Eventually, she started a small business using money she had saved up, which required her to travel to see clients. Rather than asking Matthew to help, Dorothy hired a nanny named April to watch Mitch. This gave Matthew an idea.

During the college football off-season, Matthew began to check when Dorothy was away from home. One day when she was away, Matthew went to visit the house. When April answered the door, Matthew tried to convince her to let him see his son.

“Dorothy has not allowed me to visit my boy since the divorce. He’s turning 4 and needs to have his father in his life,” Matthew explained.

“I’m sorry, but Dorothy told me I shouldn’t allow you here,” April responded.

“Please, I’m begging you. Whatever she’s paying you, I’ll double it if you let me spend time with him. I want to take him to the park and spend some father-son time with Mitch,” Matthew pleaded.

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Although she hesitated at first, April decided to accept the offer. She needed to pay off her student loans and could really use the money. What’s the harm in a boy seeing his father, she thought. Everything was going smoothly for a while.

Matthew would pick Mitch up when Dorothy was away at work and drop him off an hour before Dorothy returned. Two months later, Matthew took care of Mitch but didn’t drop him off at the agreed-upon time. When April tried to call Matthew, his phone went straight to voicemail.

“I just wanted to spend time with Mitch.”

April began to panic as she didn’t know exactly where they could be, and Dorothy was already on her way home. To make matters worse, Dorothy and Mitch were meant to go on a vacation the following day. Dorothy found April crying in the front yard when she arrived at the house.

“I’m really sorry Dorothy, Mitch is with Matthew. He’s been paying me to visit him for a few months now. But Matthew’s phone is switched off, and I don’t know where they are,” April admitted. Dorothy immediately went into panic mode.

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“April, go inside the house right now. Call me if Matthew and Mitch come back while I’m away,” Dorothy told April.

Dorothy got straight into her car and went looking for her son. She feared the worst. Perhaps Matthew had taken Mitch to live somewhere out of town or kidnapped him.

She checked Matthew’s office on the college campus, but nobody had seen him all day. To be sure, Dorothy asked if he was still working for the college.

“Yeah, he was just in yesterday working on tactics for next season. He’ll be back tomorrow,” Matthew’s assistant coach told Dorothy. That left Matthew’s house as the only place she thought they could be. When Dorothy arrived, she could see Matthew and Mitch playing in the front yard.

She was initially going to give Matthew a mouthful but decided to watch the two play for a while. She could see that Mitch was happy to spend time with his father. Mitch was usually a quiet boy at her house and didn’t usually play outside. Dorothy realized that her son needed his father.

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She got out of her car and approached Matthew. His eyes widened because he knew he was caught. He picked his phone out of his pocket to check the time before saying, “I’m so sorry Dorothy, my phone’s dead. I just wanted to spend time with Mitch, but you wouldn—”

“—Matthew, I understand. I’ll admit I’ve been depriving you guys of quality time. I’ll let you spend time with Mitch, but you and I have some things to talk about, too,” Dorothy told him.

Matthew and Dorothy had dinner to discuss how to move forward. Matthew apologized for his past behavior and for how he spoke to her. Dorothy apologized for letting her feeling affect his relationship with their son. From that point on, the two were perfect co-parents to Mitch.

What can we learn from this story?

• Don’t say unnecessary things in anger. Even though they were arguing, Matthew didn’t have to insult Dorothy and offend her. He could’ve taken a step back and reacted in a calm manner.
• People deserve second chances. Even though they fought, Matthew deserved to have a relationship with his son, and the opportunity to apologize to Dorothy.

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This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone’s life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.