I Was Following My Son after I Found Cigarettes in His Desk, It Turns out He’s a Gang Member – My Story

I entered my son’s room and discovered a pack of cigarettes, although he was only 15. I followed him and found something even more shocking than I could have expected.

Being a single mom is difficult, but I never thought I would become one. I married Pol, had a child, and thought my life was perfectly average until my husband decided to bolt on us. Unfortunately, Austin was five, so he remembered his father. I think he saw him the night he left because I found my kid in my living room, looking at the door.

I never saw my ex again, and I had to hold down the fort. Suddenly, I was the sole breadwinner of our family, which wasn’t that bad because I had a good job, but I was my son’s only parent now.

Honestly, it would’ve been easier if Pol had left when Austin was younger. He wouldn’t have loved him. He would just be curious. But for the next few weeks after Pol left, I was stuck with a kid who asked about him often.

“When is Daddy coming back?”

“I don’t know, sweetie,” I was forced to say.

But I knew. Pol was never coming back. Despite efforts from my lawyers and even my brothers, no one could find him. Pol seemed to have disappeared from the earth… or at least, from this country. Coward. The worst part is that I didn’t see this coming at all.

I might have been more prepared if we had been fighting or something. But we didn’t. We always acted like best friends, but our chemistry was still great. We were intimate often each week, even with a child who hated closed doors, and I was a great wife.

But none of that mattered. I didn’t even have time to process the end of my relationship. I was a single mom, and there was only one focus in my life: my kid.

I did my best to become Austin’s father and mother. I went to all his little league soccer games and played basketball with him, using the hoop Pol had installed outside.

“Mom, you’re the worst,” he told me after I got hit by the huge ball when it ricocheted from the hoop base right to my face.

“I know, honey. Sorry,” I said, and he laughed, bubbling over with humor. Despite the pain on my face, I laughed too, and I knew we would be alright.

Austin had several men like my brothers and his coach as male figures, and I researched as much as possible about raising a son to be a good man.

I never imagined that he would go astray as many kids do. My teenage years were pretty dull, but that’s because all I liked to do was study and read. I thought Austin would be the same because, aside from sports, he got good grades and played video games all the time.

I wished...