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A story from the father who misses his son...
"Men are pigs who only want to get in your pants," my mom told my 12-year-old sister today. You’d think after all the mess that her son had been through in the past four years, she would check her facts. So when we went out for a quick stop at Walmart, I sat down with y sister and shared my life’s story with her. I'm Seth Monarch, and this is my life as The Cheated.

I’ll begin with how I got that name. It all started when I was 13. I was new to the feelings of love, puberty, and all that teenage angst stuff. It was my first day of sixth grade and fortunately for me, I wasn’t an awkward little kid anymore. I was a new man. I had new clothes, a new haircut, a new pair of cool glasses, and even a couple of new friends from over the summer.

The beginning of the day went very smoothly right into lunch. I sat with all my friends at the big table. And that’s when I met her. She was my ex-bestie's sister. She was perfect with her long brunette hair and her personality. I started to feel very awkward and went through what I now tend to call Love F***ed Syndrome. It's an awkward feeling a lot of kids in my area go through that shows a clear sign that they're in love. She saw right through me as soon as it started. Fortunately for me, she fell for me too. By the end of the first week, we were a couple.

We went out for a long time. I still remember the Christmas we stent together. It was the best moment of my life. But as good as that Christmas felt, December 26th rolled up and all hell broke loose. She was pregnant. She thought I would turn my back on her and she broke down crying on my bed. I just sat next to her and held her close whispering, "Everything will be okay. I promise." About an hour later, she looked up at me and smiled. All I could do was smile back.

By mid-February, she was arranging for the arrival of our son and I was doing odd jobs around the neighborhood for money. However, soon I would find that my efforts would be wasted. A boy arrived on my doorstep on February 13th; he was tall, about 15-years-old, and had a pained look on his face. I asked him what he wanted and he responded, "You must be Seth. We need to talk." The next two hours were hell. He explained to me the relationship between him and my now ex-love. He told me about their romantic summer, and about their romantic Christmas. I was in shock. He then left and I went to bed.

I didn’t get up for what I've been told was three days. When I went back to school, I was in a fit of rage. She walked up to me and tried to hug me. I stepped back and just looked at her with a look of pure disgust. I kind of blacked out and don’t remember the supposed rant I went on. The school actually gave me the security tape; it was about an hour and a half long. For some reason, every word I said I later realized was true. She earned the nickname The Cheater.

I was deemed the Cheated.

To this day I walk into school and the first greeting I usually hear is, "Hey, Cheated." I have somehow learned to get used to it and it doesn’t bother me anymore. My ex moved to Las Vegas in '08. She married her real boyfriend last month. I have never seen my son, though I have seen the DNA test proving he is mine. I probably never will see him. That's the part that pains me every day I live.

She's the one with a good home. She's the one with a family, something that has been my life's dream. I am the one who was dealt the trash hand. I'm the one who has a two-year-old son who will never know his real father.

I am The Cheated.