coming home from war to be surprised with a new baby

@winterose (39887)
Canada
March 18, 2008 4:27pm CST
this is a true world war II story, Lilly and Bill were a married couple with 5 children when he went away to war. When Bill gets back home he is greeted with a new baby, he is happy and life goes on. He adores his baby daughter Wilma. He treats her like all the other ones, and better actually since she was the baby of the family. Now Wilma is getting married, and Lilly takes Bill aside as says, Bill I have something I have been keeping away from you for years, while you were away and I was alone with the six kids, I got lonely, I made a terrible mistake that has tormented me for these past 20 years. I slept one time with another man, I lost my head and I paid the price for it, you see Wilma is not your daughter. Bill if you want a divorce I totally understand, it was just the one time I swear but it was still wrong and God punished me for it. Bill replied, God didn't punish you, he brought us Wilma the joy of our lives. I know from the very beginning that Wilma was not mine, the dates didn't add up. If she was mine she would have to be born 3 whole months earlier. Why didn't you say something Lilly asked. Because Wilma is a person a gift from God, and deserves both a mother and father, and even though she is not mine biologically how could I not love her, she is yours and I love you, and I could not help but love her too. These people were my grandmother's friends, when I heard that story, told to me but bill, lilly, and wilma, I was so touched, this was indeed a loving dad of the highest caliber, Do you think bill did the right thing? Do you think he should have divorced Lilly from the beginning? Do you think your husband would ignore that mistake and raise another man's child as his own? If you were a man would you do it?
5 people like this
14 responses
• United States
19 Mar 08
I think Bill is a real man and I would be proud to know such a man. I have had doubts about my own son. My daughter is 37 and I can't deny her as she is the spitting image of me in a lot of ways..down to the way she walks..but my son on the other hand was born 13 months later and he does not have any of my features..His mother and I divorced a long time ago..in 1974 and I would visit him and his sisters..(I had a 2 year old step child when we got married) Alice and RANAY...but I treated them all the same ..and still do..but Ranay and I were the closest..my own kids were too much like their own mother..and my friends and relatives find it hard to believe this is my son..and have told me about this ..over the years..but I never got a DNA or blood test? well, it is something I would not do any different...the fact is birth is just an incidence and it what happens after birth that counts..it is a great WWII story..as I was born in 1945 and always like to hear about this time in history..people were closer then..i think
3 people like this
@paulsy (1263)
• Philippines
18 Mar 08
My gosh, that man is so wonderful! He truly loves his wife. Only the truest of true loves can forgive such a mistake that the other can commit! If I were the man, I probably would have acted on impulse, and probably would have divorced my wife for cheating on me. I don't think any man would easily accept this kind of unfaithfulness and dishonesty, considering that the wife had continued to keep it from him for 20 years of being together! He knew all the time that the wife was keeping this from him for a long long time, but he forgave her, and that shows that he truly loved her!
3 people like this
@lilaclady (28207)
• Australia
18 Mar 08
Oh what a wonderful man, so understand and such a peaceful soul, sad to say a very rare man, not too many men would accept that and not to ask one question he was amazing it is sad that it took so long for him to be able to show such a wonderful nature...
@jpso138 (7851)
• Philippines
19 Mar 08
Its very difficult to believe since most husbands would not do the same. But I am not saying that I don't beleive your story. Its very difficult to find such kind of love and care what bill has given to his wife! She is very lucky.
@winterose (39887)
• Canada
19 Mar 08
perhaps you have not come across it but you do not know every man is this world and what that man would do, I actually have a personal friend who knows that his youngest son is not his, and he will tell everyone, don't ever say he is not mine, he is mine I raised him. I am his father, not some nameless face that may not even know he was every born.
1 person likes this
@kilani123 (864)
• United Arab Emirates
19 Mar 08
I think wilma has to know her biological father. that is the missing part of the story.
2 people like this
@winterose (39887)
• Canada
19 Mar 08
maybe she does, that is not what this family wanted to share with us
1 person likes this
• United States
19 Mar 08
If I was a man, I don't think I would have reacted that way. I probably would have been too hurt and angry at first and would have divorced her. And I find it interesting that many people support the man so much for this. When women stay with men who cheat, people call them weak, belittle them, hell them they should leave, but in this story when the man is cheated on by his wife while he is away fighting for his country, he's applauded for staying and not making the 'rash' decision of divorcing her. Interesting.
2 people like this
@winterose (39887)
• Canada
19 Mar 08
remember it is not all about her, it is about wilma and six other children and he must have considered all of that when he made his decision and in the 1940's life was very different people did not divorce like they do now, it was very rare.
1 person likes this
@RebeccaLynn (2256)
• United States
19 Mar 08
I think that's a wonderful story. It's sad that Lilly felt such profound loneliness that she turned to another man but Bill is a wonderful man for silently forgiving her and embracing the baby as his own. That, to me, is a living definition of love.
2 people like this
@cripfemme (7698)
• United States
18 Mar 08
I would hope that my man would understand. He's an awesome guy for doing that. That girl is lucky that her dad is that sort of guy, not many little girls are that lucky.
@tyc415 (5706)
• United States
18 Mar 08
What a beautiful story. If something like that happened to me I am not sure how my husband would have reacted but hopefully he would have been as loving as Bill. I can't say what I would do either if I was a man but the type of person I am I do think I might could be like Bill or at least I hope I could.
2 people like this
@laurika (4532)
• United States
18 Mar 08
Cute story, but not very real, even if it is. I don't think many man will do a same thing, but if some one can live with the woman, who cheat on him and get forgive her, there is not much to say, only that we should admire him. I don't think many people do such a thing today , although it was all different world back then.
2 people like this
@winterose (39887)
• Canada
19 Mar 08
I am telling you it was three all three told us about it together one night at our house when they were over for dinner,
@Hatley (163781)
• Garden Grove, California
19 Mar 08
I think that Bill is one great man and I think he did the right thing as he loved his wife and he loved Wilma so he made the best of what had already happened.He did not judge his wife and he forgave her for her mistake.Maybe all men might not have done what Bill did I wish more of them would. That would be really true love. It is easy to love someone when everything is coming up roses but when thorns come along and you still love someone and weather the thorns that is real love.
@Hatley (163781)
• Garden Grove, California
20 Mar 08
thanks much for best response
@Shawchert (1094)
• United States
18 Mar 08
In all honesty... I would have asked... just because I'm curious, but kudos to him because he did something I'm sure VERY few men would do especially if they knew about it. Something like this is rare and can either be good or bad, and it seems in this case it is good but the thing is, what if it was another family, and the dad was the same but the mother wasn't? Instead of having an affair once she would do it more and more and more... and the dad wouldn't know about it, but still accept the child... so there are in a way good and bad things about this thought. But because i think they trusted each other soooo much that things would have worked out no matter what. although if i was the mother... i wouldnt have waited 20 years lol... i have a HUGE conscience and well it would have spilled out within the week he was back.
• Indonesia
19 Mar 08
I am deeply mowed to this story.... I also feel sorry for that has happened... How Bill could face that? He is a betrayed-husband who has no choice to do else but accept all...... He needs to know how his wife could do that? Although Lilly feels sorry, but is it enough to replace the pain that Bill endured hardly? Bill is a man with pain-hart that he himself will never know for how long could it last...
2 people like this
@woooya (14)
• China
19 Mar 08
If i was the husband,i will kill the daughter and the wife !I hate evryone that cheats me !Just as i know man have kudos !
1 person likes this