“Mr. Wallace,” the lawyer persisted, “I understand this may be difficult, but your son is an adult now. He has the right to know his origins. This isn’t just about you or your past with his birth parent. This is about Sam. His future.”
David had done his best to be the answer. But what if there was something—someone—out there that Sam needed to understand, to know for himself? The idea churned in his gut, even as he resisted it.
“Sam doesn’t need anything from them,” David muttered.
“Mr. Wallace,” the lawyer’s voice softened, “I’m not asking for anything right now. I’m asking for you to have a conversation with me, to consider this possibility. It’s not about reopening old wounds—it’s about giving Sam the choice. The opportunity.”
David fell silent, the weight of the decision pressing down on him. His mind wandered to Sam—his bright smile, his sometimes awkward teenage energy, the way he lit up when he talked about college or his future. But what if that was all built on a foundation of questions he had no answers to?
“Look,” David said, his voice quieter now, “I’ve been a father to him for years. I’m the one who has been there. I’m the one who raised him. What is there for his birth parent to say after all this time?”
The lawyer’s voice was calm, measured. “People change, Mr. Wallace. And sometimes, people realize things too late. But that doesn’t mean Sam should never have the chance to know who they are, to know what his past really is.”
David’s mind raced. Could he really shut the door on this? Could he really stand in the way of Sam having answers that, deep down, David knew might one day matter?
“Sam is happy,” David said, almost as if trying to convince himself. “He’s doing well. I don’t want to stir things up.”Continue reading…
