This 99-word Flash Fiction was written in response to this week’s Prompt: Life’s Semicolons
The Letter
‘It’s arrived.” He said grimly.
My unsteady fingers ripped the envelope. I held the folded letter in my hands and looked up at his furrowed brow, ‘I want to stay with you.’
He nodded and forced a smile, ‘It’s your decision, but your mother wants you to know the truth. He may be your father.’
‘The truth is that you will always be my father, whatever it says.’
‘Aren’t you going to read it?’
‘She chose to leave us for him, but I want to stay with you, dad.’
‘We’ll have to move away, new school, friends…’
‘We’ll manage.’
****
Families break up for different reasons, and often this leads to a change of home, school, friends, and the incorporation of new members into the family. This is often a traumatic situation, especially for the children who are innocent bystanders. Children, after a certain age, can choose which parent they want to live with. In my flash, the child wants to stay with his father, which will mean starting a new life far away from his mother, biological father, friends and family. It’s never an easy decision, but after the family has broken up, there is no going back, they must all move forward and start a new life.
April 8, 2015 prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write a renewal story that proclaims, “This isn’t the end; I will go on.” Think of the mythical phoenix that rises up from the ashes; of Cinderella after midnight on the night of the ball; of a hero that faces certain death; of love after tragedy; of renewing life’s lemonade transitions. Go where the prompt leads and own your story; the ones you’ve lived and the ones you imagine for fiction. Stand in solidarity with others to find the semicolons in life that chooses to nurture and not succumb.
Respond by April 14, 2015 to be included in the weekly compilation. Rules are here. All writers are welcome!
Please read some of the other entries.
Rereading Jane Eyre 
Hello, I’m stopping in from A to Z and thanks for your continued participation!
Stephen Tremp
an A-Z Cohost
@StephenTremp on Twitter
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Thank you, Stephen. It’s my first time. I’m having fun Thanks for cohosting and making this amazing venture work 🙂
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It’s a happy and sad story at the same time. A testament to true love and devotion. Sometimes our biological parents are just not cut out for the job.
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Hi there – I agree it’s traumatic and that the children who are affected most. Very sad.
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I also wonder at the manipulations (if it is that) of the mother who is now claiming a different father for her child. That will have long-term repercussions. Children seem so resilient in the short-term, but later in life it can lead to many issues. You’ve caught the innocent determination of a boy who has yet to realize the impact.
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I don’t think parents do it on purpose, but there’s a lot of selfishness and manipulation in most divorces. I’ve experienced it and now I’m seeing it happening close to me. Fortunately kids are also very resilient.
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Everybody involved is in pain.
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