I would be very interested to hear what you think of my story.
I grew up not knowing who my natural father was, believing that he never knew of my existence. I went to work at 16 and worked, more or less without pause until the age of 36, when I had my son. I am a single parent and chose not to return to work but to care for my child full-time. Since June 2010 I have claimed income from combined benefits of, currently, £18,936 per annum of which £10,920 directly pays rent in Greater London. I intend to return to work full-time when my son starts school in September 2014, and to continue working until at least 2040.
Early last year I was able to write to my father and introduce myself. I asked him to meet me; he did and we've had lunch together maybe ten times, twice with my son. In our first few meetings he told me that he met me as a baby and "did wonder" if I was his, and that my mother told his then-girlfriend T, that she thought I was his daughter. T is his wife of 37 years, B and W are their adult children.
Last week I received these text messages from him, "Perhaps it's time for some home truths. I would be happy for you to meet my family but they do not want to meet you. Here's a simple explanation why: both B and W are about to buy houses, they will pay a combined total of £21,500 in Stamp Duty. A good wheeze invented by the Labour Party to get the south of England to pay their constituent's taxes for them. That's real money paid by real people. Come back to me when you have got a job"...."Still £21,500 will keep you going for another year"...."You are not contributing and they are contributing the money that pays you the equivalent of the national average wage without the inconvenience of getting your arse out of bed in the morning. How do you expect them to see you? Get real."
I?d like to know what you make of it, morally or otherwise. Thank you.