babbling at the sight of dragonflies.Reaching the site, my heart raced upon spotting a silhouette of a stranger, a man in his late 50s, standing near Kyra’s grave. He adjusted his Irish cap, brushing the tombstone with its epitaph: “A twinkle in our eyes & hearts is now on the skies. — In Loving Memory of Kyra.”I strained my memory but couldn’t place the tall, stout figure. “Who is he, and what’s he doing near my wife’s tomb?” I pondered, moving closer.”Amen!” he exclaimed with a lopsided smirk, completing his prayer and turning to face me. His eyes lit up with eagerness, his hand extended for a handshake,then awkwardly retracting it upon noticing the babies.My eyebrows furrowed in suspicion. Who was this man loitering at Kyra’s grave? I had never seen him before, not even at her funeral.”You must be Jordan… It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Fox,” he said. “I knew you’d be here today. I’ve been waiting for you. I’m Denis…from Chicago… Kyra’s ‘old’ pal.”I was taken aback. Kyra had never mentioned having an old friend from Chicago named Denis.”Nice to meet you, Denis. Have we met before? I’ve never been to Chicago,” I replied cautiously.”Not really! I just got to Manhattan. I found out that…” Denis trailed off, his gaze fixating on the babies again. “May I see your babies…if you don’t mind?”I hesitated, unwilling to entrust my children to a stranger. Sensing my reluctance, Denis didn’t wait for an answer and leaned over the stroller, admiring the other two. “They are angels! Sweet little cinnamon rolls! They have my nose and eyes…and chestnut hair… And those big lashes… I had them when I was little!” he babbled excitedly before dropping a bombshell.”Mr. Fox, this might seem baffling, but I need to tell you—I am the real father of these boys, and I’ve come to take them.””EXCUSE ME??” My shock turned to anger, tempting me to confront him physically, yet I refrained, considering his age. I maneuvered to bypass him, dismissing him as delusional.”Please, Mr. Fox, hear me out. I am the father. A past mistake haunts me. I need to make it right. Let me take the kids. I have an amazing offer for you,” he pleaded.Fury rose within me. “Are you insane, old man? Move, or I’ll call the police,” I snarled, gripping the stroller and Alan tighter.Yet, Denis persisted, revealing shocking details about Kyra that stopped me in my tracks.”Kyra, your wife… She loved disco and bikes… was a brunette with a taste for art and French cuisine… Soupe à l’oignon and crème brûlée were her favorites. She was allergic to peanuts and had a small burn scar on her right thigh… and she had this…””ENOUGH…STOP!” I shouted, my voice echoing through the cemetery. “I don’t want to hear another word about my wife. Who the hell are you, and how do you know all this? What do you want?””I’ve told you, I’m the father of her children. Mr. Fox, I know it sounds strange, and I can’t take custody of my kids. I get that, okay? But surely you don’t want to sacrifice your youth for them. You’re young, charming, with your whole life ahead of you. Me? I’m old, alone, with no one but these babies. I want them back. Please, let them go with me, and move on.””Listen, I don’t know what you’re on about. It’s not your place to tell me what I should do with my life, understand? You sound insane… Get a life, man. I don’t know you, and you must have me mistaken for someone else… Back off and stay away from my kids.””Mr. Fox, these children are mine, and I’ll do anything to take them with me. I don’t want to complicate things for you, given you’ve raised them till now. Let’s be clear — I’m offering $100,000! More if needed. Just give me the babies. Think it over and contact me, alright? Here’s my card.”Tears welled in my eyes as shock and sorrow overwhelmed me. How could this Denis know so much about Kyra? For a moment, I wished it was all a cruel joke, a hoax by some old man. But the mention of the burn scar on Kyra’s right thigh haunted me.”It’s not a bribe, Mr. Fox. It’s gratitude for raising my children. And don’t worry, I’m fifty-seven, experienced with kids. You should be relieved they’re in good hands. I know this is hard. Take your time, think about it, and call me, okay? But remember, I don’t easily accept no.”Denis pressed his card into my hand and walked away swiftly, leaving me stunned and heartbroken.The flickering candlelight on Kyra’s tombstone brought me back to reality. I laid the bouquet on the grave, stood in silence for a minute, and then left the cemetery with my babies. Driving home was a struggle as I was unable to focus. “Was everything Kyra told me a lie? How could she do this?” I muttered, envisioning Kyra beside me in the car. I couldn’t help but suspect her, considering the circumstances under which I met her two years ago…It was the spring of 2022. I was making cocktail shots behind the bar counter when my gaze fell on Kyra, young and beautiful, the life of the party with her friends. I found her stunning and wished to date someone as gorgeous as her, but I never had the means or the time.As days passed, Kyra began showing up more often, and I was more than happy to serve her each time.”One more Margarita on the rocks, please!” she would say, her glossy smile lighting up her face. Kyra never gave me a ‘special’ look, treating me just as a friendly, young bartender, but I was already smitten. Night after night, I’d prepare for work, hoping to impress her with my smile, my black bow tie, and my muted gray shirt, checked and rechecked a dozen times.Then, one night, my heart shattered seeing her kiss another guy in the pub. The harsh truth dawned on me that to her, I was just the barkeeper, nothing more. Heartbroken, I began keeping my distance, accepting that she would never be mine. However, one night, I couldn’t ignore her sitting alone, crying bitterly in the lounge.”Miss, hey, are you alright?” I approached, noticing her boyfriend Shawn dancing with another girl. My heart ached for her; her eyes were puffy and red-rimmed, tears streaking down her face, smudging her makeup.”I want to go somewhere… can you please take me away? I feel like dying,” she sobbed, burying her face in her hands. She poured her heart out to me, a stranger, yet she meant everything to me, and I was determined to comfort her.Taking an hour off, I offered to drive her home, seeing as she was too intoxicated to be alone.”Shawn and I have been together for six months,” she slurred, reeking of alcohol. “That jerk! He left me for that Lily… What does she have that I don’t?” Her words trailed off into sobs.”I’m so sorry for you. Be strong, Miss. It happens… and life goes on. Maybe he’s not worth it. It’s his loss… Please don’t cry. I’m here for you as a friend, okay?”She nodded, looking at me with tear-filled eyes before passing out. When we arrived at her place, I helped her out of the car.”Thanks, Jordan!” she managed to say, smiling through the car’s fogged window. “See you around!”From then on, we grew closer, and love blossomed. We danced through Manhattan’s night-lit streets, shared kisses, and exchanged promises. She vowed to quit drinking; I swore never to leave her like her ex did.Just two weeks into our relationship, Kyra revealed her pregnancy with triplets and urged me to marry her. Though shocked by the swift turn of events, the thrill of fatherhood outweighed my hesitations.We married quietly, and I found it odd that no one from her family was there. She claimed her parents were dead, and I didn’t press further, not wanting to cause her pain. At that moment, all that mattered was our future together, and I trusted her completely.It all felt like a cruel jest now, staring at the wedding ring on my finger.”I was an IDIOT! Everything she told me was a LIE… Her love, a game…she married me just to pin someone else’s kids on me.”I berated myself for not seeing the truth earlier, especially when Kyra announced her pregnancy merely two weeks into our relationship. “How could I have been so naive? She cheated on me…with an older man, no less. How repulsive,” I muttered, tears streaming from my bloodshot eyes. The babies’ cries from the backseat snapped me back to reality, their wailing piercing my heart. I wanted to escape from the noise that reminded me of Kyra’s lie. Yet, I couldn’t find it in me to resent the triplets. Torn and skeptical, I headed home, unsure of my next move.I tried to push aside the encounter with Denis, focusing on caring for the triplets. One by one, I changed their diapers—Alan, then Eric, and Stan. I bathed them, sang lullabies with a voice I hoped didn’t sound too gruff, and put them to bed.While they slept, I tackled the household chores, only to be interrupted by the smell of burning spaghetti. In my haste, I nearly burned my fingers rescuing the pan from the stove. Then, remembering the laundry, I discovered the bathroom flooded with foam from too much detergent. My day seemed to cascade from one disaster to another.Realizing it was time for my night shift at the bar, I called Mrs. Wills, my elderly neighbor, to babysit.“Thank you, Mrs. Wills… I’ll wait until you arrive,” I assured her, then checked on the peacefully sleeping babies. The sight of them twisted my heart. Before, I felt capable of conquering the world for them, but now, everything felt tainted, Denis’s haunting words echoing in my mind.”Why, Kyra? I was always honest with you… How could you deceive me like this? You lied about everything, leaving me to wonder what’s true and what’s not… Even on the day you died, you said you were at a party. I never found out where you really were,” I whispered, my tears falling through my weathered face as I recalled the events of that dreadful night…Rain lashed against the windows as I awaited Kyra’s return, my phone growing hot from frantic calls to her friends, none of whom knew her whereabouts. She had said she was going to a party, but her phone was off, likely dead. Panic set in as midnight approached, with the newborns crying from hunger, their distress mirroring my own helplessness.I had just managed to get the triplets to sleep when my phone rang, breaking the silence. I picked it up, hoping for any news of Kyra.”Yes, Jordan F. here.””Mr. Fox, this is the police station. We need you to come to the morgue to help identify a woman’s body,” the voice on the other end said.My heart raced as I rushed to the hospital, leaving the babies with my neighbor. Approaching the cold, still form covered with a thin white sheet, my steps slowed, dread mounting. As the sheet was lifted, despair overwhelmed me.It was Kyra, motionless and pale, her death later attributed to a drug overdose.Life turned bleak after that night. Numbness and guilt consumed me, raising the babies alone seemed impossible. Anger eventually overtook my grief, yet I couldn’t let go of Kyra’s memory. I still wore our wedding ring.I committed to being both mother and father to my sons, forsaking personal time and social life, driven solely by their needs.However, Denis’s revelation shattered my world, seeding doubt about my bond with the children. “I can’t do this anymore,” I murmured, frustration echoing in the clatter of the chair against the wooden floor, disturbing the babies’ sleep.Barely acknowledging Mrs. Wills’s arrival, I left for the night shift, my mind a mess. It was a horrible night at work. Once I returned home, I bypassed the nursery, seeking Denis’s card in my room.Moments later, I came out with my phone in my hand, already having dialed. But the sight of my sons reaching out, babbling “Da-Da,” melted my resolve. “How could I consider abandoning you? You’re my everything,” I wept, the phone already connecting me to Denis.”Hello? Anyone there?” Denis’s voice faintly came through.”Mr. Roberts, it’s Jordan,” I responded, voice steady.”I was waiting for your call, Mr. Fox. So, when will I come with the check to take the babies?””Mr. Roberts, I’m sorry, but I can’t accept your offer,” I declared, my decision firm. “A father isn’t just someone who biologically fathers children. I may not be their birth father, but they are my children. I can’t imagine life without them.””Mr. Fox… please wait. We need to talk more about this. You don’t understand… I need my babies. I can’t live without them.””I’m sorry, Mr. Roberts, but I can’t live without them either. They are my world, and your money means nothing to me. Love can’t be bought. I’ll let the children know about you when they’re older. They can choose then. But I won’t send them away now. I love them!”Disheartened, Denis tried to persist. “If that’s your final word… But could we meet tomorrow, at a café or your place? You decide.””I won’t be free tomorrow, Mr. Roberts. I don’t think I can…””But don’t you want to know the whole truth? I’ve only told you part of it. There’s more you don’t know.”This caught me off guard, and, curiosity piqued, I agreed to meet Denis at my home the next evening, after taking time off work.When Denis arrived, he brought boxes filled with new sweaters, diapers, and blankets for the triplets, laughing off the awkwardness as he settled in. He noticed the empty playpen in the living room and realized I had kept the kids away from him.The silence was unbearable, and I was desperate to know this ‘truth’ he mentioned. Finally, I pressed him for answers.”So, what is it? You said there’s something I need to know.”With a somber expression, Denis pulled out an old photo from his blazer, tears welling up as he looked at it.”Mr. Roberts, what’s going on? Please, I don’t have all night,” I urged, growing impatient.Unable to contain his tears, Denis finally spoke. “Mr. Fox, these babies…they aren’t yours, and they aren’t mine either. I’m actually their grandfather.”He handed me the photo of him with Kyra, then moved to the window, overwhelmed with emotion.Stunned, I asked, “Where have you been all this time? Kyra said her parents were dead. She never mentioned you. What happened?”Denis broke down. “I was a terrible father, Mr. Fox. I did the unthinkable to my own child.”He recounted how, after his wife’s death, he raised Kyra alone, providing love, money, and education, aiming for a life he envisioned for her. But Kyra struggled with addiction, resisting rehab and spiraling out of control.Her late-night escapades and the men who brought her home tarnished his reputation, leading him to throw her out of his home. She left, furious, warning him never to search for her. He hoped she would return when her money dried up, but she never did. Denis blamed himself for not reaching out and lived with the guilt of abandoning her.”But how did you find me? And how did you know these children aren’t mine?” I asked, still stupefied by his revelation.”I didn’t know my daughter was married, had children, or had passed away until I met Amy, her best friend in Chicago. She told me everything, and I came here immediately,” Denis explained.Kyra had confided in Amy during her pregnancy, expressing fears that I would leave if I discovered the babies weren’t mine.”Could these be her ex-boyfriend Shawn’s children?” I gasped, shocked by the possibility.Denis shook his head. “I can’t be certain. Kyra had relationships with several men around the time she was with you. She wasn’t sure who the father was. Honestly, we don’t need to know that,” he admitted tearfully.”I’m just relieved my grandsons have someone like you to call ‘Dad.’ Mr. Fox, you’re the one who can truly love and care for them. I’m sorry for deceiving you into thinking I was their father. I was scared you’d refuse to let me into their lives, and I knew I wouldn’t get custody any other way. That’s why I offered the money. I’m deeply sorry. I’ve made many mistakes and now, I just want to be part of my grandchildren’s lives.” I responded with silence, then embraced Denis. It was the least I could do for a man burdened with regret, seeking redemption in the twilight of his life.Over time, Denis became a regular presence, eventually moving in with us. He saw me as a son and delighted in helping raise his grandsons. And I…was happy my children had one more person to love them.