he doesn’t care about me He never did!” My daughter was distraught when my ex-husband picked Disney with his stepdaughters over her dancing performance. I sent him a social media wake-up call, which went viral and shocked our neighborhood.
James left me and his seven-year-old daughter Lily for his coworker Sarah, and my life fell apart.
His treachery still hurts, particularly for Lily, over a year later.
She always loved her dad, so losing his attention devastated her.
Dance is Lily’s new passion. She trains hard in dancing courses every moment she gets. I notice how much she cares about her school performance solo.
Lily looked happy for the first time in months as James promised to be there.
I watched her practice, and every twirl and stride is joyful. It means everything to her that her dad would watch and cheer.
However, promises are simple to make and break. James phoned the performance day before.
Hey, Lily, how’s it going? He inquired in his usual excessively casual tone.
Lily was beaming and spoke about her dance, outfit, and excitement. But he stopped her.
Sorry, dear, horrible news. I can’t attend your recital, he remarked. The words made Lily pause, her face lowering.
“What? Yet you promised!” Her voice was weak and wavering.
“I know, but I’m taking Sarah and her girls to Disney World, and it’s the only time we could get tickets,” James said. I’ll attend the next one, I swear.”
Lily didn’t reply. As tears filled her eyes, she stood there, dropping the phone.
I was shocked he had let her down again. I guided Lily to the sofa and grabbed the phone before it dropped.
How could James do this? Snapped into the phone. He had already hung up. Typical. Always avoid difficult situations.
Lily slammed her chamber door as she went. Her tears broke my heart as I followed. Knocked softly. Lily, love, may I enter?
“Go away!” she yelled. “You don’t understand! He disregards me! He never did!”
Her remarks hurt and made me angry at James. How could he injure our daughter? He missed her soccer games, parent evenings, and now this.
I wanted to ease her grief, but I could only weep alongside her outside her door. I thought of a method to show James his mistake.
“Lily?” Knocked again on her door.
“Put on your costume, sweetie,” I said. “Show your dad what he’s missing, okay?”
Lily entered the hall in her costume, arms crossed. “Now what?”
I responded, “I want to record you practicing your dance.
Despite doubt, she nodded. We proceeded to the backyard deck, where she liked practicing.
Garden blooms and fairy lights give a gentle glow. I put up my phone to record.
Lily started dancing with elegance and emotion that stole my breath away. After she finished, I had her address her dad.
“Dad, I worked so hard on this dance,” she shakily said. “I wanted to impress you. I desire… Wish you cared to be here. It is crucial to me, and I thought…
She began weeping as her voice faded as she bent her head, so I ended the video. Seeing my daughter in distress made me angry at James!
Though I intended to email James the video, I realized greater action was required. I shared our tale and tagged James on social media.
The video was popular when we went to the recital the following day. It garnered thousands of shares and angry comments about James’s carelessness.
Days later, James texted to say he wanted to stop by. Lily received a present from him when they returned from Disney World.
His ignorance of the video was evident. Knowing he’d be surprised by his reality gave me a sad pleasure.
Almost. I wanted him to experience his actions’ misery.
He was tall, confident, and had that gorgeous grin that made my heart skip when he entered our house. Anger came over me now.
Looking around, he inquired, “Where’s Lily?”
“She’s in her room,” I replied. “But first, we must talk.”
He seemed confused. “What’s up?”
My phone containing the footage was given to him. Watch this.”
His face paled throughout the video. He saw thousands of comments criticizing him. His hands shook at the end.
“What…what is this?” He stuttered.
“This is what you did to our daughter,” I replied, furious. James, we’re all outraged. They witness your actions and won’t forget them.”
The next days were turmoil for James. He was caught in the aftermath. His manager stopped him at work.
“James, we need to talk,” Mr. Carter admonished. “I watched the video. You and the firm appear bad with this neglect.”
James answered, “I know, sir,” gently. “Trying to fix it.”
“You’d better,” Carter cautioned. James, family comes first. Remember that.”
Previously friendly colleagues now whispered behind his back. Even his pals were chilled. He had a difficult conversation with his old buddy Jake.
Dude, what were you thinking? Shaking his head, Jake asked. ‘Disney World over your kid’s recital?
James rubbed his face and moaned. “I erred, Jake. Now I see.”
Then Sarah. The attention appalled her. Shaking, she replied, “James, this is a mess!” Everyone’s talking about it. Both Mia and Zoe are humiliated. We do what?
He murmured, “I’m sorry, Sarah,” feeling his faults pile up. “I must fix this. I must support Lily.”
James struggled to accept his failure to Lily. He regretfully contacted me later that night to tell me.
“Nora, I’m so sorry,” he said, becoming more sincere. I’ve been a bad parent. Now I understand. Please let me speak to Lily.”
He spoke with uncommon honesty and vulnerability. OK, James. It must go beyond words. She wants proof you mean it.”
He returned the following day, more serious. He sat with pained and wary Lily.
“Hey, sweetheart,” he whispered. I’m sorry for disappointing you. Will improve, I promise. I’ll support you now.”
Lily gazed at him, crying. Dad, you always say that. Can I tell this time is different?
“Because I’ve learned my lesson,” he choked. Lily, I can’t lose you. I love you more than everything, daughter.”
It was hard. Trust was rebuilt gradually. James began attending dancing rehearsals, school functions, and even simply hanging out with her. He assured Lily of his priority. He regained her trust slowly.
I relaxed one evening as I watched them perform a dance routine in the garden. James eventually became Lily’s father—present, loving, and attempting to fix things.
