When I got back from my business trip, I saw my son\u2019s drawing of his \u201cnew mommy\u201d \u2013 The Woman in the Picture Was Known from the Cafe\n
I\u2019ve never been good at being away from my family. Working one week a month in a different city was supposed to be a great career move, but I find myself missing my husband Shawn and my son Marcus more than I ever thought possible.\n
Every time I step off that plane and see their smiling faces waiting for me, it feels like coming home after a long, exhausting journey. This time was no different.\n
I returned home late Friday night and was welcomed with hugs and kisses. Shawn had made my favorite lasagna, and Marcus had a new drawing to show me. My heart swelled with love and contentment. Little did I know, that was about to change.\n
Saturday morning, I decided to do some cleaning. With a cup of coffee in one hand and my hair tied up in a messy bun, I made my way to Marcus\u2019 room.\n
It was a typical eight-year-old\u2019s room: toys scattered everywhere, crayons on the floor, and stacks of papers with his various drawings. I started picking up and smiling at the doodles of dinosaurs, rockets, and family portraits. Then I saw it.\n
A drawing titled \u201cMe and my new Mommy.\u201d My heart stopped. NEW MOMMY? My hands shook as I stared at the picture. It was Marcus, smiling brightly, holding hands with a woman who was definitely not me. She had blonde hair and wore big, red earrings.\n
\u201cNo way\u2026 Shawn wouldn\u2019t\u2026 would he?\u201d I muttered to myself, feeling my eyes sting with tears. I slumped onto Marcus\u2019 bed, clutching the picture. The thought of Shawn cheating on me and introducing our son to another woman felt like a punch to the gut.\n
I was about to spiral into a full-blown panic when I noticed something else in the picture. There, in Marcus\u2019 innocent handwriting, was the name of our favorite family cafe: \u201cAt Jack\u2019s.\u201d\n
I had to know the truth. There was no way I could sit on this information. I wiped my tears and took a deep breath. I needed a plan.\n
\u201cHey Shawn,\u201d I called out, trying to keep my voice steady as I walked into the living room where he was reading. \u201cHow about we go out for brunch tomorrow? Maybe At Jack\u2019s?\u201d\n
Shawn looked up from his book, a smile spreading across his face. \u201cSounds great, Harper. It\u2019s been a while since we went there together.\u201d\n
The next day, we headed to the cafe. Marcus was excited, chattering about pancakes and syrup. On the other hand, I felt like I was walking towards my doom. My mind raced with thoughts of confronting this mysterious \u201cnew mommy\u201d and what it would mean for our family.\n
We arrived at the cafe, and I scanned the room, my heart pounding. We sat at our usual table, and I tried to act normal, though my mind was anything but. I kept glancing around, hoping I was wrong. And then, I saw her.\n
The woman from Marcus\u2019 drawing. She had the same blonde hair and those distinctive red earrings. She was a waitress, carrying a tray of coffee cups, and she noticed us almost immediately. My stomach twisted into knots. She walked over to our table, a warm smile on her face.\n
\u201cGood morning! What can I get for you folks today?\u201d she asked cheerily.\n
I took a deep breath and looked at Marcus, who was eagerly flipping through the menu. \u201cHoney, is that your \u2018new mommy?\u2019\u201d I asked, my voice trembling slightly.\n
Marcus looked up, his eyes wide. \u201cYes, that\u2019s Jessica!\u201d\n
Shawn\u2019s face turned crimson. \u201cHow did you\u2026\u201d\n
Jessica smiled even broader, kneeling to Marcus\u2019 level. \u201cTell her, Marcus. She needs to know what you feel.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d Shawn asked, looking genuinely confused.\n
\u201cOh, stop, as if you don\u2019t know,\u201d I snapped, pulling out the picture from my purse. \u201cAbout this.\u201d\n
Shawn looked bewildered as I handed him the drawing. \u201cIt\u2019s Marcus\u2019.\u201d\n
He took the picture, his brow furrowing. \u201cAgain, please. What\u2019s happening?\u201d\n
I felt a wave of frustration and hurt wash over me. \u201cI found this yesterday while cleaning Marcus\u2019 room. I saw the name of this cafe and had to know what was going on. Marcus called her his \u2018new mommy.\u2019\u201d\n
\u201cBut it\u2019s nonsense,\u201d Shawn said, shaking his head. He turned to Marcus, trying to keep his voice calm. \u201cMarcus, buddy, tell your mom.\u201d\n
Marcus looked up at me, his big brown eyes filled with a mixture of confusion and honesty. He pointed to Jessica, the waitress. \u201cI wish she were my mommy.\u201d\n
My heart sank. \u201cBut why, honey?\u201d\n
Marcus glanced at Jessica, who gave him an encouraging nod. \u201cYou\u2019re missing all the time. But Jessica is so kind to me. She brings me pancakes with funny faces on them. She likes my drawings.\u201d\n
Jessica knelt beside Marcus, her face soft and understanding. \u201cHe showed me this picture. What did I tell you, Marcus?\u201d\n
\u201cTo speak to Mom and tell her what I feel,\u201d Marcus replied, his voice small but sincere.\n
At that moment, I couldn\u2019t hold back my tears any longer. They streamed down my face as I realized how much my little boy needed me. He needed his mom, not just physically, but emotionally. I was always gone, always working, and he found comfort in someone else because I wasn\u2019t there.\n
I knelt and pulled Marcus into a tight hug, feeling his small arms wrap around me. \u201cI\u2019m so sorry, baby. I didn\u2019t know you felt this way. I promise I\u2019ll do better.\u201d\n
Shawn put a hand on my shoulder, his voice softening. \u201cHarper, you\u2019re a great mom. We just need to figure out a way to make this work.\u201d\n
I nodded, still holding Marcus close. \u201cI\u2019ll talk to my boss. I\u2019ll quit these trips if I have to. You\u2019re more important than my job, Marcus. I promise I\u2019ll be here for you.\u201d\n
Jessica stood up, giving us some space. \u201cI\u2019m sorry if I overstepped. I just wanted Marcus to feel happy and safe while he was here.\u201d\n
I wiped my tears and managed a small smile. \u201cThank you, Jessica. You\u2019ve been really kind to him. I appreciate it.\u201d\n
As we finished our brunch, the tension slowly melted away. We talked and laughed, and I felt a renewed sense of purpose. I needed to be there for my family, no matter what.\n
When we got home, I immediately called my boss. It wasn\u2019t an easy conversation, but I explained that I needed to stop the business trips. My boss was surprisingly understanding, and we worked out a new arrangement that allowed me to stay home more.\n
That evening, as I tucked Marcus into bed, he looked up at me with a sleepy smile. \u201cAre you really going to be home more, Mommy?\u201d\n
I kissed his forehead, my heart swelling with love. \u201cYes, sweetheart. I\u2019m going to be here with you every day. No more long trips.\u201d\n
He hugged me tightly. \u201cI love you, Mommy.\u201d\n
\u201cI love you too, Marcus. More than anything in the world.\u201d\n
Shawn joined us, sitting on the edge of the bed and wrapping his arms around both of us. \u201cWe\u2019re a team, remember? We\u2019ll figure everything out together.\u201d\n
As I lay in bed that night, Shawn\u2019s arms around me, I felt a deep sense of peace. Our family was stronger than ever, and I knew we could face anything as long as we were together. The drawing that had once filled me with fear now reminded me of the importance of being present.\n
And from that day on, I made a promise to myself to always put my family first. Because no job, no matter how important, could ever compare to the love we shared.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When I got back from my business trip, I saw my son\u2019s drawing of his \u201cnew mommy\u201d When I got back from my business trip, I saw my son\u2019s drawing of his \u201cnew mommy\u201d \u2013 The Woman in the Picture Was Known from the Cafe I\u2019ve never been good at being away from my family.\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":78159,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[670,855],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-78153","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"category-story"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/78.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78153","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=78153"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78153\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/78159"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78153"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=78153"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=78153"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}