When Daniel, Sarah and their son Darryl move to another town, it takes them some time to get used to the new place. One of the positives of the move is that Darryl’s school focuses on football, his favourite sport. Things soon get weird when the little boy notices his football coach hugging his mum…
Recently, our lives changed when my wife, Sarah, got a promising new job. It meant moving to another city, but we were optimistic about the future.
‘We need this, Daniel,’ Sarah said. “We need to plan for the future, and we also need a fresh start. Life here has become stale.”
‘I agree,’ I said. ‘And we need a better life for Darryl.’
Our seven-year-old son Darryl was especially excited about the move because we had enrolled him in a school with a football club, which was the only sport he really loved.
Sarah and I were thrilled that he was so passionate about something, especially because we knew: moving would be a major adjustment for him.
‘I’m excited about moving, Daddy,’ he told me one day when we were buying him a new pair of football boots. ‘At my old school, they only cared about baseball and basketball, and football wasn’t important.’
‘I’m glad you’re excited about it,’ I told him. “I want you to be happy about this move, too. We’re not just doing this because of Mom’s new job.”
He nodded enthusiastically.
A few months passed and I finally got into the habit of working from home. Fortunately, my career in cybersecurity allowed me to continue working for the same company even after the move.
But over time, I noticed a change in my son.
One day he came home from school looking worried, his usual enthusiasm waning. His bright eyes seemed to have lost their sparkle, he became quieter and more withdrawn.
When I tried to talk to him, he would just walk away, sinking into silence.
This was unlike Darryl, and it worried me.
‘There’s something going on with him,’ I told Sarah as I made breakfast for the three of us before the day started.
‘I know,’ she nodded. “I’ve been noticing it too. Whenever I try to talk to him, he looks at me for a moment and then looks away.”
“Maybe it’s just part of adjusting to a new place? And making new friends? Because he’s still eating and sleeping like normal. So as long as that doesn’t change, I think it’s fine,” I said.
But one day the tipping point came when I walked into his room after school and saw him crying.
Just looking at him horrified me.
‘Darryl, what’s wrong?’ I asked softly, sitting down next to him on the bed. “I need you to tell me everything. It’s been long enough, and I know you’re not okay.”
He looked up at me with tears in his eyes and took a deep, shuddering breath.
‘I don’t want Mr Saunders to be my father!’ – he muttered.
Those words hit me like a punch in the gut.
Mr Sanders was his new football coach, and he was someone Darryl had admired so far.
‘Why did he become your father, Darryl?’ I asked, trying to keep my voice steady and calm.
My son’s voice trembled as he explained.
“Yesterday, when my mum was picking me up from practice, he gave her a hug. And she didn’t push him away!”
A cold sweat broke out on my forehead.
Sarah had been distant from me lately, but I always wrote it off as her being busy at her new job. I knew it was going to be a rough few months while we all adjusted. But at the same time she seemed preoccupied, often lost in thought.
I couldn’t let this go unnoticed, however.
Determined to get to the bottom of it, I left work early the next day and drove to the football field. Sarah usually picked Darryl up from practice on her way home.
I parked far enough away to watch what was going on without being seen. I needed to know what was going on. I needed to know if Sarah and Mr Sanders were having a romantic relationship.
As practice ended and the kids dispersed, I saw Sarah come in. Moments later, Mr Sanders approached her. They talked briefly and then he put his hand on her shoulder and leaned closer.
‘They look a little too comfortable,’ I muttered to myself.
I watched as Sarah smiled but stepped back, looking around nervously, her eyes scanning her surroundings as if she sensed someone was watching her.
‘Yeah, someone’s watching,’ I said to the car.
That night I told my wife everything. I couldn’t take it anymore. I made dinner and sat through the entire meal tormented by doubt.
‘Sarah, what is going on between you and Mr Saunders?’ I asked bluntly.
Her face went pale and she took a deep breath, her hands trembling slightly.
‘Nothing is going on, Daniel,’ she said. “I swear! He just supported me, that’s all!”
“Supported you how? Darryl thinks he’s trying to replace me,” I continued. ‘I need to know why.’
Sarah’s eyes widened in shock and disbelief.
“What, no, that’s not true! He’s been helping me with something else…something I haven’t told you about yet.”
She sat me back down, her voice shaking as she revealed the secret she’d been keeping.
‘I can’t believe it,’ I exclaimed, wondering why I had agreed to the move.
Apparently, Mr Sanders recognised a man from his past. A man who revolved in the same circles as he did when he went off the rails and participated in unscrupulous activities.
‘And not just any man, Daniel,’ Sara said. “He’s dangerous. He has a history of harassment and violence.” Mr Saunders said he’s been following him, and he noticed that this man was stalking me.”
“What!!! Why didn’t you tell me? This should be handled by the police!”
But my wife shook her head.
“Mr Saunders was trying to keep Darryl and me safe. Because he noticed that man watching me during several training sessions.”
I rested my head on my hands. Suddenly the world seemed too heavy for me. What kind of dramatic TV show had our lives turned into?
“Mr Saunders advised me not to push him away too obviously so as not to arouse suspicion. I had to tell you, darling, I’m sorry.”
‘We need to talk to him,’ I said. “With Mr Saunders. I need to hear it from him.”
Sarah nodded, tears glistening in her eyes.
When we met with him, he confirmed Sarah’s story, showing us evidence of the man’s criminal activity.
‘I spoke to one of my detective friends,’ he said. “They can’t do anything about this guy until something happens. So I’m trying to keep an eye on Sarah and Darryl. And the house.”
I didn’t know what to answer.
That night Sarah and I sat in the living room and tried to discuss the way forward and how to secure our house. Moments later Darryl burst into our room, shock frozen on his face.
‘There’s someone outside my window!’ – he shouted.
‘Call the police,’ I told Sarah.
I rushed to his room, grabbing the baseball bat we had set out in the corridor. And sure enough, a shadowy figure lurked by a tree not far from Darryl’s window.
A moment later we heard sirens and saw flashing lights of police cars. They quickly arrived on the scene, surrounded the house and detained the man.
The police officers confirmed that this was indeed the man Mr Saunders had warned us about and now, because he had been caught, he had been taken into custody.
‘I’m very sorry for causing bewilderment or upset,’ Mr Saunders said when he visited us the next day.
He brought a box of cakes, to which Darryl at once proceeded.
“The thing is, I know his type. When I’ve met him before, he’d find a young successful woman and fixate on her. When I saw him at football practice, I knew he wanted Sarah.”
‘How do you know him?’ I asked.
‘I had a rough past too,’ said Mr Saunders. “But I just fell in with the wrong company. I didn’t do anything like that.”
We thanked Mr Saunders for his help and he left our house.
Now that the threat had been removed, Sarah and Darryl seemed perfectly fine. But I still felt uneasy. As grateful as I was to Mr Saunders, something wasn’t right with me.
I wanted to leave. I didn’t feel safe. I didn’t want to stay here. I didn’t want my wife and child around Mr Sanders.
What was I supposed to do?
