When I found out I was expecting a child, I was already four months along. I was a full-time student at the time and exams were coming up, so I hadn’t been paying attention to when my period was due. By the time I found out, I was too far into my pregnancy to abort and in any case, had I been given the option, probably would not have.
I struggled through the remainder of my studies knowing I would have to work it all out somehow. My partner was a part-time student who spent most of his time helping his family. He was never fond of the idea of children, which made it even harder to face the idea of telling him. One night I called and asked if he would like to come out to dinner as I had some important news. Exams had finished and he thought I was going to fill him in on my results. We had not seen each other in a few weeks as he had gone interstate to help his grandmother move house. He replied with an enthusiastic yes, saying it would be good to catch up as he had news for me too.
As I got dressed for the evening, I fretted over my small baby bump and prayed I could hide it well enough so he wouldn’t notice straightaway. I had organised to meet him at a local restaurant. He arrived shortly after me and sat opposite with a grin. He commented that I had put on weight and mentioned that I looked “radiant”. I looked down at my small bump and took a deep breath. “I’m pregnant.”
He rose from the table and asked who the baby belonged to. I was furious. I quietly informed him that the baby was his and was due in May. He went pale and sat down abruptly. I told him I was going to keep our child and hoped we could start a family. He fell quiet for a long time then told me in a calm tone that he’d been waiting for the right moment to tell me that he had met a nice girl when he was with his grandmother and had set up house with her and her daughter.
I was devastated. I couldn’t believe my faithful boyfriend of two years was leaving me — while I was pregnant! He told me it couldn’t be his child as we’d always been careful and he wasn’t going to be trapped into a domestic life. I rose from the table, barely managing to hold back tears, and left the restaurant in a rush. I returned home and went to bed to cry myself to sleep.
The next day I talked to my parents and filled them in on the pregnancy. They were very supportive and helped me get things organised for the birth.
In May I gave birth to a beautiful little boy and named him Matthew. I moved into my new place and my mum stayed for a week to get us settled. But it wasn’t long before the money problems started. The rent went up, little Matthew had grown out of his clothing and the bills had come in. I was frantic. I had tried so hard and saved all I could spare from the government allowance we were given to live on.
In desperation I turned to my aunt for help. She was always travelling to help out in orphanages in third world countries as she loved children. She was working on a big fundraising project at the time and said she was really sorry but she hadn’t any money to spare as she was due to leave again soon and needed it for her trip. I thanked her and asked if she needed any help with things. She set me to work at the charity’s office. I was there every day helping my aunt while Matthew played in the corner of the room. It wasn’t till after the final notices came in that I decided I’d have to borrow some money.
While my aunt was in a meeting, I went to her desk and removed the locked cash box she kept there. I felt incredibly guilty but reasoned that I’d pay it back as soon as I had the money. I also knew that the amount I was taking wouldn’t be missed as the cash hadn’t been counted yet. I swallowed a lump in my throat and pushed any feelings of guilt away as I removed $350 from the box.
I paid my debts and shortly before my aunt was due to leave I managed to slip $100 back into the box. She had a very successful trip and returned home with a little Nepalese boy who she adopted.
Ever since, I have thrown myself into charity work and slowly managed to pay back the rest of the money. My son Matthew is now five and has a loving relationship with his cousin. No one will ever know what I did but I am forever thankful to those unknowing children who saved us from homelessness.
Image: Getty / Picture posed by model
Related stories
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
Native ad body.
