Harry and Lucy never had children because he told her about his infertility. But one day, she went to a coffee shop and was shocked by the cashier and the barista. They were twins and looked exactly like her husband in his youth. Lucy confronted Harry and uncovered the shocking truth of his past.
After her weekly trip to the grocery store, Lucy decided to stop by the local coffee shop near her house in Seattle to get some tea and rest. She watched fondly as two women pushed strollers through the street and wished for the millionth time that she had had her own children.
She was married to a great man, Harry. They loved each other dearly, but he told her early in her relationship that he was infertile. Regardless, she fell in love and accepted that kids were not on the horizon for her. Years later, she regretted not convincing him to adopt or pursue fertility treatments.
“Oh, well. Life’s too short for these regrets,” she mumbled to herself and entered the coffee shop at last. She stood in line for the cashier and looked at the menu above the counter to see what else she wanted. But Lucy stopped short when she reached the cashier. He was new, and something about his face shocked her.
We’ve been looking for answers for many years.
“Hello, ma’am. What can I get you today?” the young man at the register asked, trying to get her attention, but Lucy was frozen in place. “Ma’am? Ma’am?”
“Oh, right. Yes, can I have green tea and a blueberry scone?” she ordered when she finally unfroze. The young man took her card and told her to wait at a table as he would bring her order in a few minutes. Lucy walked to an empty table, but she never took her eyes off the man. Then she noticed the person working behind him.
The barista looked just like him. They must be twins, she assured herself, and her eyes watched them intently. She was so shocked because they both looked exactly like her husband. They had to be relatives, but Harry only had one sister, who gave birth to two girls. But these two young men had to be related to her husband somehow.
They say that everyone in the world has a doppelganger, but this is different, she thought.
And the cashier finally approached her with a tray of her order. She noticed a slight limp to his step and wondered why because he looked so young. They were both in their early 20s, for sure. It was time to get to the bottom of this. “Young man, what is your name?” she asked.
“Oh, it’s right here in my name tag. I’m Oliver. Is there anything else you need?” he responded with a big smile.
“No, but is the barista your twin brother?”
“Yes, that’s Matthew. Why do you ask?” Oliver wondered with a curious expression.
“It’s just… you two look so much like my husband. It’s crazy. It’s almost like you’re his children,” Lucy replied, laughing at that bit. But Oliver didn’t join in her merriment.
“Well, odds are that he might be our biological father. Anyone could be. We are orphans. Our mother died in childbirth, and apparently, our father ran away when he saw we were both born with a slight deformity on our legs,” Oliver continued shrugging.
“Oh dear. I’m so sorry about that,” Lucy started. “But my husband would’ve never abandoned his children. Also, he’s infertile so it would be impossible.”
“Ah well. That’s too bad. We’ve been looking for answers for many years. Anyway, I have to go back to work. Enjoy your tea,” Oliver commented, smiled, and went back to his post at the register.
Lucy left the café with a nagging feeling in her heart. She didn’t want to mistrust her husband, but something about Oliver’s story was too compelling. She had never questioned Harry when he talked about infertility, but what if it wasn’t true? What if he had lied?
Therefore, she asked Harry to get tea with her at the café and introduced him to Oliver, and his brother also came to say hello.
When they left to get back to work, Lucy spoke up. “Harry, you have to tell me the truth. Those kids look exactly like you. It can’t be a coincidence.”
“Lucy. It’s a coincidence. Leave it alone,” he answered defensively and drank his tea way too quickly. “Let’s go. I’m tired.”
She knew by his response that her suspicions were correct. Harry was these kids’ biological father, and he had abandoned them due to their disability. But she still stole some of his hair and ran a DNA test with the twins.
When she showed her husband the proof, he went insane. “HOW CAN YOU DO THAT? I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE IT ALONE!” he yelled at her, and Lucy did not take kindly to such a tone.
“Never speak to me that way again. In fact, I’m going to be in those boys’ lives from now on. You lied to me for our entire marriage. You weren’t infertile, and you robbed me of having children. All because I was blinded by love. Now, I’m going to take control of my life and those kids deserve an adult that cares for them. So you can join me or leave right now,” Lucy issued an ultimatum, and Harry packed his things to leave.
Afterward, she told Oliver and Matthew everything and asked if they would like to be in her life. They both agreed because they didn’t have a steady childhood, and no one had treated them like family before Lucy.
They saw each other every day, and Lucy was the mother they never had.
What can we learn from this story?
Relationships are built on trust. When Lucy discovered Harry’s lies, their marriage was destroyed forever because that bond can’t survive without honesty.
Families come in many forms. Lucy became the mother the twins never had, and they were the children she always wanted.
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