My son decided not to invite me to his wedding because I was lame and poor, but I went anyway. What I discovered shook me to my bones. My son Joshua lives far away from me. He grew up in this village, but as soon as he got his college degree, he started avoiding this place and me like the plague. He used to visit in the beginning, but after some time, he gave up on that too. Over the years, we slowly drifted apart, and even though I tried my best to avoid it, it happened anyway. One day, I decided I would surprise him by going to see him. It was a long journey from the village to the city, but I didn’t mind; I only cared about seeing my son. When I got to his neighborhood, there was fanfare, and the street was lined with flashy cars of all shapes and models. I even caught sight of one with doors that opened vertically. It was all quite novel to me, but nothing prepared me for what awaited me as my taxi drove me closer to my destination. It seemed like we were following the long line of cars packed on the side of the road, and to my surprise, it led to my son’s place. When the taxi dropped me off, I was assaulted by a picture of my handsome boy smiling happily next to a gorgeous woman. The picture was printed on a poster that announced their wedding. The realization that my son was getting married without me being aware broke my heart. I had not yet recovered from the shock when I looked past the open gates. The ceremony was in full swing inside, there were hundreds of people, but the married couple stood up on a tall dais as a priest officiated their union. I barely heard them exchange vows because all I could think of was how sad it was to have a child who wanted nothing to do with me. I noticed an elderly woman who stood next to the dais in an area reserved for family members but I only gave her a

passing glance.Tears rolled down my cheek as I watched the gay affair, but just as I decided to go inside and try to speak to my boy, the security personnel who had been caught up with the exchange of vows saw me. I no doubt looked like a beggar, so he quickly signaled for backup in case things went south. “What do you want, you old woman?” the head guard asked. “I’m here to speak to my son!” I hastily replied. The guard, whose tag announced him as Thomas, scoffed, filled with doubts.”Nice try old lady but I doubt anyone in there could have a mother who looks like this,” he pointed out. “Why don’t you tell me why you’re really here?” His colleagues began to surround me as he spoke, and we were slowly getting attention from the guests who kept glancing towards the entrance where we were. I knew they would want to end the disturbance quickly, and I was not about to go down that easily, so I took one deep breath and shouted my son’s first name.At that, they lunged at me, but I only kept shouting. I put all my rage and despair into it, hoping he would hear my wailing and hoping he was still human enough to care.I was subdued in a few seconds and was about to be hauled off when my son appeared at the gate looking flustered. When he caught sight of me, he turned beet red and faced the head guard, who clearly thought him angry. “Who’s this?” he asked with a frown on his face. I thought he simply didn’t recognize me, so I tried to get his attention. “Joshua,” I said, “It’s mommy, look at me.”But he wouldn’t. He kept his back to me as he tongue-lashed the head guard for allowing such a commotion to disturb the wedding. To me, he said, “This is a wedding, ma’am, not a homeless shelter. Leave now while I’m being nice.” His words tore at me. How could he be so insensitive? I struggled free of my captors, who at that moment were confused, and I caught my son by the sleeve. “Let me go, you vile woman!” he shouted.At that point, a crowd had already gathered, so he could not afford to treat me roughly. “He is my son!” I shouted. “He has a birth scar on his left thigh!” My son would have denied it, but his wife Carly had seen the scar, and she spoke up.”Are you really his mother?” “Yes,” I answered sadly. “But how could that be?” Carly asked. “Steve introduced that woman to me as his mother,” she added, pointing at the woman I had noticed earlier. Carly needed proof so she faced the woman she thought was Steve’s mother and asked her if Joshua really had a scar on his thigh. The woman could not answer, which is how Carly determined who the real mother was.”Is she really your mom?” Carly asked my son. She seemed sad. Steve hesitated before saying, “I was afraid that you would leave me if you met my mother.” His voice was trembling. It turns out, Steve hired that woman to take my place. The thought saddened me even more. But Carly was furious and could not accept Steve’s deception.”I can accept your mom, but I cannot accept your behavior. You lied to me. If you can be ashamed of your mom, then how can I be sure you won’t be ashamed of me in the future? I don’t want to marry a man like you!” It was the last she said on the matter, and after that, she returned his ring and broke up with him. We left there together, but because she was much too upset, we parted ways after she checked me into a hotel.The next day, she returned and drove me all the way to my home in the country. I thanked her for all she did and she left with my telephone number. I think she found closure in our conversations as she dealt with the breakup because we started talking more frequently over the phone afterward. Her own parents had died in a car crash when she was younger so she enjoyed pretending I was her mother. I did not mind, the way I saw it, I had lost a son and gained a daughter. One who was not ashamed of being seen with me. We became close friends, and Carly visited me almost every month even though she was no longer dating my son, who sulked away in his apartment, bitter and lonely till the very end.