My Father Bragged about Expensive Gifts He ‘Bought for Me’ but Doesn’t Even Pay Child Support – He Learned a Harsh Lesson

When Lexie’s mom surprises her with an expensive and meaningful graduation present, she is truly over the moon. Like any teenager, she takes to social media to talk about her gift and how grateful she is. But soon, Lexie’s absent father tries to claim that he bought her the elaborate gift. Soon, his lie begins to unravel punlicly…

My father was a ghost long before I even understood what it meant. He walked out on us when I was five, and I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve heard from him since. No birthdays, no calls, and not a dime of child support.

Nice, right?

A smiling little girl | Source: Midjourney

A smiling little girl | Source: Midjourney

But my mom? She’s been my everything. And it’s been the two of us against the world, and somehow, she has always made it work. And honestly, this woman has sacrificed so much to give me a shot at everything I’ve ever wanted to pursue. Out of all the things that I’ve wanted to try my hand at, music was my absolute love.

Music had always been my escape. Especially the piano. My mom had enrolled me in lessons when I was little, and from then on, I was just hooked. My dream was to compose my own music, but for me to do that I needed a professional-grade digital piano.

A little girl playing the piano | Source: Midjourney

A little girl playing the piano | Source: Midjourney

The problem?

Those things are expensive. Like proper, expensive.

And while mom and I weren’t living in poverty, we weren’t exactly rolling in cash, either. Being a single mom and a nurse, my mother went out of her way to ensure that I could keep playing. Recently she had started working extra shifts wherever possible, cutting corners where she could, just so that I could keep playing.

More than that, even though she came home exhausted, she never complained about the long hours or the money. My mom simply believed in me.

A smiling nurse | Source: Midjourney

A smiling nurse | Source: Midjourney

“Lexie,” she would say. “You’re just seventeen. And to have found something that you’re so passionate about at your age is amazing. Not to mention that you have real talent here, it’s not just a whim. You have a dream and you can get to it. I’ll do everything I can to help you achieve it.”

Fast forward to graduation.

A smiling teenage girl | Source: Midjourney

A smiling teenage girl | Source: Midjourney

I wasn’t expecting anything other than a cake, which was our tradition at the end of every school year. I knew how hard my mom worked just to keep everything going, and there was no way I’d want anything else from her.

“I’m serious, Mom,” I said one night over dinner. “I don’t want anything for graduation. I promise you, I understand the situation and I’m more than grateful for your support.”

“Oh, darling,” she said, giving me a spoonful of mashed potatoes. “I’m your mother, it’s my job.”

A bowl of mashed potatoes | Source: Midjourney

A bowl of mashed potatoes | Source: Midjourney

“I know, but I want you to know that I don’t expect anything,” I said.

We went to my graduation ceremony, and my mother bawled her eyes out when it was my turn to walk the stage.

“My darling girl,” my mother said after the ceremony as she enveloped me in a tight hug. “I am so proud of you!”

A teenager in her graduation gown and flowers | Source: Midjourney

A teenager in her graduation gown and flowers | Source: Midjourney

The real surprise came when I walked into our home that afternoon. There it was, my dream piano.

A high-end digital piano, complete with every feature that I needed to start composing. I couldn’t believe it. I actually cried.

It wasn’t about the piano itself, it was about how much my mother sacrificed for my dreams.

Naturally, I posted about it on social media because I was over the moon. I tagged my mom because she was the one who dreamed and inspired me. I wrote a long heartfelt caption about how she was truly the best mom in the world.

A keyboard with a pink bow | Source: Midjourney

A keyboard with a pink bow | Source: Midjourney

My post got tons of likes and comments, and honestly, I was just happy to share this moment with my mother. She deserved all the credit.

“Mom, I don’t know what to say,” I told her that evening as we sat outside on the porch together.

“Baby girl, I told you. I’m your mother, this is my job,” she said.

A mother and daughter duo sitting on a porch | Source: Midjourney

A mother and daughter duo sitting on a porch | Source: Midjourney

Then, a few days later, something weird happened.

I got a text from one of my dad’s old friends. He was someone I hadn’t heard from in years. He congratulated me on graduating and then casually mentioned how generous my dad was for buying me such an amazing gift.

My stomach dropped immediately.

“What?” I muttered.

A teenager holding her phone | Source: Midjourney

A teenager holding her phone | Source: Midjourney

At first, I thought that he must have been confused. But then I saw the post that made it all make sense.

My dad, the same man who hadn’t shown up for my graduation or acknowledged my existence in years, had re-posted my story on socials.

Onto his own page!

And of course, he captioned it like it was his moment. Like he had bought me the piano and had been the supportive dad all along.

A phone opened to social media | Source: Midjourney

A phone opened to social media | Source: Midjourney

So proud of little girl! I’ve always believed in your dreams. This is just the beginning!

I was shocked. The actual nerve of this man was insane.

I just stared at the screen in shock. This was a guy who hadn’t paid a cent in child support, who hadn’t called to check in. Even when I was twelve and I fell off a tree and had broken my arm? My mother had told him, but he didn’t bother to see me at the hospital or after.

“I just want him to sign my cast,” I remember telling my mother.

“I know, Lex,” my mother said, rubbing my arm. “But he doesn’t seem to care.”

A little girl with her arm in a cast | Source: Midjourney

A little girl with her arm in a cast | Source: Midjourney

So this? This was absurd.

“This man needs to pay child support,” I muttered.

But I didn’t know how to go about it. I didn’t want to embarrass him on socials because I couldn’t risk rocking the boat before those payments were settled.

Still, I was fuming inside, waiting for the day his lies would catch up to him.

A shocked girl | Source: Midjourney

A shocked girl | Source: Midjourney

Turns out, karma was already in motion.

About two weeks later, my mom and I went to a community event. It was one of those things where everyone in town shows up because it was a charity event to raise funds for the community theater.

At one point, we were chatting with a group of people, when a random guy came forward to talk to us. He started talking to my mom like they were old friends, and then he turned to me.

A crowd of people | Source: Midjourney

A crowd of people | Source: Midjourney

“Lexie!” he said excitedly. “I’m Ralph, I work with your dad! That’s how I recognized you, he’s been posting photos of you recently. He’s very proud. And that piano he got you for graduation? Wow! That was a real show of support, huh? You’re a lucky young lady.”

I felt my mom tense next to me. She didn’t even blink.

“Oh, you must be terribly mistaken, Ralph. My ex-husband hasn’t paid child support in years. He had nothing to do with the piano or any part of his daughter’s life, really.”

A smiling man | Source: Midjourney

A smiling man | Source: Midjourney

“Yeah, we’re looking at outstanding child support for about what, Mom? Thirteen years now?” I said.

The man’s face went from smug to confused.

“I’m sorry… what?” he said.

My mom didn’t let up though.

“The piano was a gift from me. I’ve been working extra hours to make sure that my daughter has everything she needs for her music career. Her father didn’t contribute at all.”

A frowning woman | Source: Midjourney

A frowning woman | Source: Midjourney

Poor Ralph just stood there, speechless.

It turns out that this man wasn’t just my dad’s coworker. He was my dad’s boss.

My dad had been spinning this tale for months, talking about how he was this amazing, supportive father who did everything for his daughter.

Well, not anymore.

A smiling man sitting in his office | Source: Midjourney

A smiling man sitting in his office | Source: Midjourney

The look on Ralph’s face told me everything that I needed to know: my father was done for. His lies had caught up with him.

Not long after, he was let go because Ralph said that he couldn’t trust him at all. He was also hit with years’ worth of payments he’d been dodging, and there was no escaping it.

The courts were involved now, and he had no choice but to pay up.

A close up of an angry man | Source: Midjourney

A close up of an angry man | Source: Midjourney

As for me?

I’ve been spending every spare minute on that piano, composing music that I know will make my mom proud. After all, she’s the one who’s always been there, the one who truly believed in me from day one. And soon, I’ll be going off to college to study music, too.

And my dad?

Well, he learned that pretending to be a parent is a lot harder than actually being one.

A teenager playing on a keyboard | Source: Midjourney

A teenager playing on a keyboard | Source: Midjourney

What would you have done?

If you enjoyed this story, here’s another one for you |

My Father Skipped My Graduation to Take His Stepson to the Zoo – I Taught Him a Good Lesson

When Michael’s father misses his graduation to take his stepson, Tommy, to the zoo, Michael wants to teach him a lesson. After years of being sidelined, Michael finally retaliates. He plans a graduation dinner with the intention to expose his father, but then, things take a turn…

As I watched my classmates hug their families on graduation day, the absence of my father, Henry, cast a long shadow on what should have been one of the happiest days of my life.

A graduation cap and degree | Source: Pexels

A graduation cap and degree | Source: Pexels

Ever since my parents’ divorce when I was ten, Dad had built a new life with Sandra and her young son, Tommy.

It was good—I wanted my father to be happy. He deserved it. Because as much as he and Mom tried, they just weren’t compatible anymore. I needed them to be apart so that they could co-exist for me.

A divorce agreement | Source: Pexels

A divorce agreement | Source: Pexels

But then, when Dad and Sandra got together, he entered a new chapter—one that seemed to include everyone but me.

Initially, things weren’t so bad, but as my father grew closer to Tommy, he began to play a bigger role in his life. He consistently missed the milestones that marked my childhood journey—my science fair victories, my soccer finals, even several birthdays.

A father carrying his son | Source: Pexels

A father carrying his son | Source: Pexels

Each absence was attributed to something involving Tommy—a school play, a baseball game, or just a day out—leaving me to celebrate or commiserate without him.

I met with my father a week before the graduation—we were having lunch at a diner, something that he still tried to keep going, even when his life got busy.

A tray of burger and fries | Source: Pexels

A tray of burger and fries | Source: Pexels

“I’ll be at your graduation, Michael,” my father said. “I’ll wear a suit and tie and be there, in the front row with your mom. This is a big moment in your life and I love you. Of course, I’ll be there.”

This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided “as is,” and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.

Woman Summoned to School Over Her Son’s Misconduct and Is Stunned to Discover Who His Teacher Is

It was a tough life for Molly. Her main concern was her son, Tommy. The constant changing of schools and towns wasn’t good for him. He started bullying other kids and starting fights. She never imagined that one call to the principal’s office would restore a part of her life she thought was lost.

Molly sat quietly across the table from her husband, Nigel, as they shared a tense lunch. The clinking of cutlery was the only sound breaking the heavy silence between them.

Nigel’s frustration was evident in the way he poked at his food, barely taking a bite. His brow was furrowed, and his mouth was set in a tight line.

Finally, he muttered under his breath, “This is overcooked,” pushing his plate away with a look of disdain.

Molly felt her heart sink at his words. She had tried her best with the meal, but it seemed nothing she did ever pleased Nigel anymore. His next words cut even deeper.

“And why can’t you get your son to behave? He’s always causing trouble, and it’s making our lives more difficult.”

The way Nigel referred to Tommy as “your son” stung. He never called Tommy “our son,” always distancing himself from the boy.

Despite being together for so many years, Nigel had never fully embraced Tommy as his own.

Tommy wasn’t Nigel’s biological child, but Molly had hoped that, with time, he would come to love him as a father should.

But instead, the constant moving and instability seemed to be tearing their family apart, with Nigel’s impatience growing more pronounced with each passing day.

Nigel had struggled to find stable work, bouncing from one city to another, taking on whatever part-time jobs he could find.

Each time he lost a job, they would uproot their lives again, packing up their belongings and moving to a new place.

Molly had tried to be supportive, taking care of Tommy and doing her best to keep their small family together. But for Tommy, who was only eight, the constant upheaval was taking a toll.

Every time they moved, Tommy had to adjust to a new school, new friends, and new teachers.

It wasn’t surprising that he had started acting out in school. He had changed schools three times in the past year alone, and it was becoming harder and harder for him to keep up.

The frequent relocations meant that he never had a chance to settle in, to feel like he belonged anywhere.

Molly worried about him constantly, knowing how much he was struggling but feeling powerless to help.

The phone rang suddenly, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had settled over the table.

Molly reached for it, dreading what the call might bring.

When she heard the voice on the other end, her heart sank further.

“Mrs. Jones, we need to talk about Tommy,” came the voice of Mrs. Kolinz, the school principal. Her tone was serious, and Molly knew what was coming.

“His behavior has been disruptive, and we’d like you to come to the school tomorrow to speak with his teacher.”

Molly sighed, her heart heavy. This conversation was inevitable. She agreed to meet with the teacher, hoping against hope that this wouldn’t lead to another expulsion.

If Tommy was kicked out of this school, finding another one willing to take him in would be nearly impossible.

The weight of the situation pressed down on her as she hung up the phone, feeling more alone and helpless than ever.

The next day, Molly walked into the school with Tommy’s small hand firmly in hers. The halls were quiet, but her heart pounded with each step they took toward the principal’s office.

The walls seemed to close in on her, amplifying her anxiety. She could feel Tommy’s grip tightening, a reflection of his own unease.

She wished she could comfort him, but her own nerves were too overwhelming.

As they approached the door at the end of the hallway, Molly noticed that it was slightly ajar.

She took a deep breath and peeked inside, seeing the familiar figure of Mrs. Kolinz, the school principal, seated behind her desk.

Standing next to her was a man with his back turned toward the door. Molly’s breath caught in her throat as she realized who it was.

It was him. Christian. Her ex-boyfriend from nearly nine years ago. The man she had once loved deeply and the man who left her.

Christian looked right into her eyes, and she knew he recognized her too. But they both understood it was better to keep it to themselves for now.

Molly quickly pushed her thoughts of Christian aside, forcing herself to focus on the situation at hand. This wasn’t the time to dwell on the past.

Mrs. Kolinz glanced up as Molly and Tommy entered the room.

“Mrs. Jones,” she began, her tone professional and firm, “thank you for coming. Mr Rogers, the boy’s teacher, and I need to talk with you about Tommy’s behavior.”

“It’s been quite concerning lately, and we can’t tolerate any more disruptions in the classroom. If this continues, we may have to ask him to leave the school.”

Molly’s heart sank as she heard those words. She had been dreading this conversation, knowing that Tommy’s behavior had been getting worse with each move they made.

But this school was their last hope, the only place that had agreed to take Tommy in after so many rejections. If he got expelled from here, she didn’t know what they would do.

“Please, Mrs. Kolinz,” Molly pleaded, her voice trembling with emotion. “Tommy just needs more time to adjust.

“We’ve moved so much, and it’s been really hard on him. He’s not a bad kid; he’s just struggling to find his place. This school is our last hope. If he has to leave, I don’t know where we’ll go.”

Mrs. Kolinz softened slightly, her eyes showing a hint of sympathy, but she remained firm in her stance.

“We understand that Tommy has been through a lot, Mrs. Jones. But we have to think about the other students as well. We’ll give him one more chance, but if there’s another incident, it will be his last.”

Molly nodded, her heart heavy with worry. She knew the odds were stacked against them, but she had no choice but to hope that Tommy could turn things around.

As the meeting ended, she gently guided Tommy out of the office and down the hallway toward the car.

Her mind was racing, filled with fears about the future and the challenges that lay ahead.

Just as they reached the car, she heard a voice call out to her, a voice that sent a shiver down her spine.

“Molly, wait.”

She turned around slowly, her heart pounding as she faced Christian.

“Tommy, get in the car and wait for me,” she said softly to her son, who obediently climbed into the backseat.

Molly watched him shut the door before turning back to face the man she never expected to see again.

Christian’s voice was soft, but the weight of his words hit Molly like a ton of bricks.

She could see the genuine concern in his eyes, a concern she hadn’t expected to find after all these years.

He had always been a caring persson, but hearing him now, admitting his regrets, was something she hadn’t prepared for.

“Christian…” Molly began, her voice barely above a whisper. She struggled to keep her emotions in check.

“You made it very clear back then that you didn’t want the responsibility. You walked away without looking back. What’s different now?”

Christian’s expression softened, and he took a deep breath, as if trying to gather the right words.

“I was scared, Molly. I was young and stupid, and I didn’t realize what I was giving up. Not a day has gone by that I haven’t thought about you… about what we could have had.”

He exhaled.

“When I saw Tommy, it all clicked. I see so much of myself in him, and it made me realize what I missed out on. I can’t undo the past, but I want to make things right now.”

“Nigel is Tommy’s father now,” Molly said, though her voice lacked conviction.

“I’ve made a life with him, and I can’t just throw that away.”

“I’m not asking you to throw anything away, Molly. I just want to be there for Tommy. He deserves to know his real father, and I want to help him in any way I can.”

He came closer.

“I’ve seen kids like him before—kids who are acting out because they’re missing something important in their lives. I know I can be that for him, and maybe… maybe we can find a way to make this work.”

Molly’s heart ached with the weight of the decision she faced. She knew Christian was right—Tommy needed more than what Nigel was providing. But admitting that felt like betraying the life she had tried so hard to build.

“Please, just think about it,” Christian said, his voice gentle but pleading.

“I’m not asking for an answer right now. But I want you to know that I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere this time.”

Molly nodded slowly, her mind racing. “I’ll think about it,” she whispered, her voice filled with uncertainty.

Christian gave her a small, hopeful smile. “That’s all I ask. Take your time, Molly. I’ll be here when you’re ready.”

Molly returned home with Tommy later in the evening. She decided to take her son for a ride after school and have dinner out. As she opened the door, the familiar sight of Nigel sprawled on the couch greeted her.

His shirt was rumpled, and a half-empty bottle of whiskey sat on the table beside him. The room was dim, and the air smelled of alcohol and stale air.

Nigel had lost yet another job, and rather than facing his problems, he had chosen to numb himself with drink.

Molly sighed deeply, her heart heavy. This wasn’t the life she had envisioned for herself or her son. She walked him to the bed; he was already sleepy, and as soon as he touched the sheets, he closed his eyes.

She glanced around the small, cluttered apartment, filled with items they had collected over years of moving from one place to another, never really settling.

The decision she had been avoiding for so long suddenly became clear. It was time to leave, to give Tommy a better life, one where he could feel stable and loved.

Quietly, Molly packed a few bags, gathering Tommy’s clothes and his favorite toys. She checked if Nigel woke up, and after seeing that he was still asleep she went for her son.

She moved with a sense of purpose she hadn’t felt in years. When everything was ready, she gently shook Tommy awake.

“Come on, Tommy. We’re leaving,” she said softly.

Tommy rubbed his eyes, still half-asleep. “Where are we going, Mom?”

Molly smiled, her heart swelling with a newfound sense of hope. “We’re going to stay with someone who cares about us. Someone who wants to be part of our lives.”

As they left the apartment, Molly felt an enormous weight lift off her shoulders.

For the first time in a long while, she felt like they were on the right path, heading toward a future that held promise and happiness—a new beginning for both of them.

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