The Broken Benefactor

~13~ (UPDATED 02/14/2020)

(ETHAN)

From the time he was a child up until he became an adult, Ethan was never really close to his mother. She always pushed him off on their maid Adell. He never thought anything of it. Why would he think his life was different from anyone else's since he was well taken care of?

          Ethan always had good food to eat. He slept in a nice comfy bed in his own bedroom. There were more than enough toys in his room. His closet and dresser were new full of clothes. Most kids only had two pairs of shoes. Ethan always had at least four pairs of new shoes in his closet. He lived what most people called a charmed life. He was his parent only most precious child whom they doted on always.

          Nothing ever seemed out of place. Everything was always perfect. It never occurred to him that his whole life was one big lie which his parents conveniently never bothered to make him aware of. Many people were in on the lie, but no one had the heart to tell him. They all figured one day the truth would come out. No one wanted to be the bearer of such bad news.

          After Ethan and Valerie were married, it wasn't long before he found out his beautiful young wife was pregnant. The day they left the doctor's office in Plano, Texas, he was the happiest man in the world.

          "I know everything is happening so fast, but we really need to visit my parents. I have to tell them the good news." Ethan was truly happy and proud of Valerie. She brought nothing but joy to his life. The idea of having a child with her was the best gift she could ever give him. They enjoyed the long drive home as visions of a beautiful baby raced around in their daydreaming eyes. With the radio turned up and Kane Brown's Heaven playing in the background, Ethan insisted that it was his turn to take care of Valerie. He wanted to enjoy his wife and his child. 

          "Don't worry darling. I'll do everything. The only thing I need you to do is focus on cooking that bun in your little oven and let me take care of everything else." His velvety sweet voice chuckled with the idea of being a daddy.

          "Alright, big timer. You might be writing a check you can't cash. Do you realize what all I do most days?" Valerie gave him a hard time just for the fun of it.

          "I'm sure I can handle anything for my babies." The sparkle in his eyes held so much joy Valerie believed he could pull down the stars from the sky just for her.

*****

(VALERIE)

The van she'd been driving for nearly three years belonged to Ethan. He figured it was time for an upgrade. It was a perfect vehicle when he had a wheelchair and wasn't driving, but he decided it was time to get what felt comfortable for him. Since he took early retirement due to his health, Ethan decided to buy something nice.

          He wanted to make the purchase for the nine-hour trip to his hometown. Ethan allowed Valerie to decided if they would fly or drive. Imagine his surprise when she decided how nice and scenic it would be to take a road trip. It was as if she read his mind since he was already considering taking a road trip. 

          They visited the local Ford Dealership to look at their inventory. Ethan spotted a cobalt gray truck with matching interior. They took it out for a test drive and then he turned to Valerie for her opinion about the 2019 Ford F-150 Lariat.

          "So, what do you think? Do you like it?" He asked her with the biggest smile on his face. Valerie found it hard to get over how freaking cute he was sometimes. To see his eyes lit up and his face full of smiles, warmed her heart. After so much pain, he was truly happy. The truck made him extremely excited and she was all for that.