Eddie married Camila, who had a seven-year-old son named David. But raising a child was exhausting. He once fell asleep while playing hide-and-seek, and his stepson was nowhere to be seen in the morning.
One of Eddie’s friends introduced him to Camila at a house gathering. They hit it off immediately and started dating. But several dates later, she told him about her son, David. At first, he wasn’t sure about dating a single mother.
But Camila was patient with him, and when he eventually met David, everything seemed fine. So when their relationship became serious, they decided to get married. However, everything changed once they moved in together.
Eddie didn’t realize how hard it would be to raise a child. David wanted his constant attention because his biological father had never been in the picture. He sympathized with the kid but couldn’t deny that the boy was annoying sometimes. Regardless, he tried his best.
Camila was a good mother, except for coddling the kid too much, in his opinion. And after a few months, Eddie realized that David was becoming a bit too spoiled. He thought he should discuss this issue with his wife.
“Camila, I noticed that you never tell him ‘no.’ It’s important for a kid to have structure,” Eddie commented one day.
“I don’t like using that word with him. I always feel so guilty that he doesn’t have a father, and David’s pretty smart,” Camila replied.
“Yes, David is smart, which is how he has manipulated you into many things. This needs to stop before he becomes a teenager and gets worse,” Eddie explained.
“I know. It’s just hard, you know,” Camila said apologetically.
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“He can’t throw tantrums, and he needs to understand that adults have other responsibilities. We can’t always play with him,” he continued.
“Ok, I’ll try my best, but can you help me too?” she asked. Eddie agreed because he was David’s stepfather and the only male influence the kid had. He did his best over the next few weeks, although David often still misbehaved.
Eddie sent him to his room to cool off several times, and the kid seemed to learn from his minor punishments. At least now, he and Camila could have some time to themselves. But Eddie still wondered what it would be like with just the two of them.
Things seemed to have settled, but one day, Camila had to go on a business trip. “I don’t want to go and leave you guys alone for a whole weekend, but it’s an important conference in New York. It’s a big opportunity,” his wife explained.
“Well, it’s not that far away from Philadelphia. It’s like a two-hour drive. I think we’ll be fine without you for a few days,” Eddie replied.
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“That’s great! I know it’s your first time with David all alone. Mrs. Cleary, our next-door neighbor, said she could babysit him after school on Friday, and I’ll be back Saturday morning,” Camila continued.
“It’s ok, honey. David and I have a great bond now. We can manage,” Eddie comforted her.
But the week leading up to Camila’s trip was challenging for Eddie. He had a bunch of work meetings and got home later than usual. On Friday, he picked David up from Mrs. Cleary’s house, and the boy immediately wanted to play.
“Let’s play hide-and-seek!” David said excitedly.
“I’m sorry, pal. I need to make dinner, and I’m tired today,” Eddie told him.
“Please! Please! I had food at Mrs. Cleary’s. I’m not hungry. Please! Let’s play! It’s Friday! We don’t have to wake up early tomorrow. Please!” the boy begged incessantly.
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“Fine. But you hide first,” Eddie relented.
David cheered and ran off to hide. Eddie counted down from 100 loudly and slowly while he grabbed a soda from the fridge. He sat down on the couch and turned on the television.
But as Eddie rested his forehead on the couch cushion, he promptly fell asleep. Meanwhile, David didn’t know where to hide, but he was running around excited because it was the first time only the boys were left in the house. He wanted to impress his stepdad.
So, the boy decided to go up to the attic and hide there. “He won’t find me here,” he whispered eagerly to himself. He closed the door and hid next to a few boxes.
The attic had only one lightbulb in the middle of the room, and it was cold, but David wanted to be brave for Eddie. However, minutes ticked by, and nothing was happening. He didn’t hear Eddie calling for him. “Wow, he’s awful at this game,” David whispered grumpily and decided to come out.
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He went to the door but couldn’t move the handle. He was stuck inside the attic.
“Dad! Dad! Dad!” David yelled and banged on the wood as best he could to no avail. Eddie, who was fast asleep, couldn’t hear him from the living room.
David started crying, thinking his stepdad had trapped him in the attic. As the night went on, the room got colder and he had to climb inside a box of old clothes to feel warm. Eventually, he fell asleep.
The following day, Camila got home and saw that Eddie was asleep on the living room couch. “Hey, sleepyhead. Wake up. I’m home,” she told him.
“What? Huh?” Eddie woke disorientated. He looked up at her. “Camila, what are you doing home already?”
“Wow. David tired you out last night huh? I told you I would be home this morning,” she reminded him.
“Morning?” Eddie asked, and suddenly it dawned on him. “Oh no, David and I were playing hide-and-seek. I must have fallen asleep,” he realized as he rubbed his face.
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“I brought breakfast with me. I’ll wake him up, and we can all eat together,” Camila suggested and went up to David’s room. But he wasn’t there. She checked their bedroom and both bathrooms, but David was nowhere to be found.
“DAVID! DAVID!” Camila called, starting to panic. “EDDIE! DAVID IS NOT IN THE HOUSE!”
Eddie got to his feet and started searching for the kid too. At that moment, David woke up upon hearing his mother’s scream and banged on the door again. They eventually found him in the attic, and Camila hugged him fiercely. The boy cried and explained how he got trapped.
“Oh, kid. Were you hiding in there all night? I fell asleep. I’m so sorry,” Eddie apologized.
Camila took David for a warm bath and gave him hot chocolate. She settled him in his room and chewed Eddie out for being so irresponsible.
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“I know having a child is hard, but this is what you signed up for when you married me! He could have frozen to death up there!” Camila bellowed. “You need to tell me now if you don’t want this responsibility.”
“I’m so sorry, baby, there’s no excuse. You’re completely right. This will NEVER happen again, I swear!” Eddie promised.
Over the next few days, Camila calmed down as she saw Eddie being more attentive with her son. He also apologized to David for falling asleep. Thankfully, the boy did not get sick and loved the attention from his stepdad.
Eventually, Eddie learned to love everything about being a father, and David became his top priority in life.