A College Girl Claimed My Son Got Her Pregnant and Demanded $30K, The Truth Shocked Us
An Unexpected Accusation and the Mystery of the Manila Envelope
“Your son made me pregnant.”
“Excuse me?”
“Pay thirty thousand dollars as alimony.”
When I picked up the restaurant’s phone, I was told that with a young woman’s voice. Suddenly, she was utterly one-sided in the conversation and not even giving her name. I completely underestimated that must be a prank call, so I never expected that this call would lead to such a mess.
My name is Melissa Brown. This may sound self-flattering, but I run a popular restaurant somewhere in New York City. We have been featured on national television and in magazines, and thanks to that, almost every seat for lunch and dinner is booked every day.
However, because of being famous, nuisance calls and aggressive sales pitches increased. I got quite sloppy with this call because I thought it was just another prank. But when I was told over the phone to my restaurant that she got pregnant, I was actually taken aback and I could hardly understand what she was saying.
I do have a son, but the thought of him getting someone pregnant seemed absurd. Yet, this prank call with its shocking accusations intrigued me. I decided to listen to her story for a bit out of fun.
“I had an abortion.”
“What are you going to do about the wounds of my body and soul?”
“Pay for the surgery too.”
“First off, if I may ask, who I am speaking to?”
Even when dealing with prank calls, one of the challenges of the service industry is having to respond politely. It would be a nuisance if our conversation were recorded and exaggerated with false information being spread around.
“I’m a customer at your restaurant.”
“Is that the first thing you have to say to me after your son hurt me?”
“Your family lacks both common sense and compassion.”
“I find it hard to believe my son would do such a thing.”
My staff in the kitchen and at the counter glance over at me as they sense this isn’t a usual dinner reservation call. I smiled and waved at them to make them feel safe and assuring them that everything is all right.
“Your son assaulted me on a dark street.”
“And you recognized him in the dark?”
“Of course.”
“But are you sure it was my son?”
“Don’t play dumb.”
“I’m absolutely certain it was your son who lives with you.”
“I’ve been so scared since then; I even can’t go out alone.”
“What are you going to do about this?”
She started detailing how the assault had happened.
“I think you might be mistaking my son for someone else, but this seems like a serious matter.”
“Can we meet in person to discuss it?”
Most people who make prank calls like these tend to shy away from meeting face to face, so suggesting a meeting is a good way to get them to back down. In the beginning, I was merely entertaining her call out of fun, but as it seemed to be dragging on, I proposed the meeting to end the call soon.
“You saying meet with the criminal’s parent?”
“How dare you suggest that kind of thing to a victim!”
“But I’d like to verify your story in person.”
“Are you saying I’m lying?”
“That’s not what I mean.”
To be honest, I wanted to say you’re lying, aren’t you, but I held back. Then she started berating me.
“I can’t believe a person like you is a business owner.”
“Why don’t we meet and talk about this anyway?”
No matter how many times I suggested it, she continually refused to meet.
“I see. So what do you want me to do?”
“Pay me alimony. Thirty thousand dollars.”
“But it’s a case of mistaken identity anyways, and also I can’t afford such a large amount of money.”
“You can pay. I know your business is thriving.”
“Pay it or I’ll sue you.”
Even though my business is thriving, it’s just a small place and thirty thousand dollars is a large amount of money, and I don’t even intend to pay.
“Are you sure you want to involve the police?”
“I don’t mind.”
At my unhesitant response, the woman fell silent for a moment. If my son truly did such a thing, I should hold him accountable as a parent, but I don’t think he did.
“You are pretty confident he didn’t do it, huh?”
“Maybe you should have some doubts about your own son.”
“I would believe it if there was evidence.”
“Do you have any evidence?”
“I’d be troubled if you asked me for money without any proof.”
There was silence on the other end of the phone as the woman seemed to be contemplating something.
“If there’s no proof, I’m hanging up.”
I said that and trying to end the call.
“Then hold on. If there’s evidence, you’ll pay the alimony, right?”
“Well, I would consider it.”
“Then wait. I’ll bring the evidence.”
