“Life must go on. He ran off, and that’s that. Even if he had been decent, but you see what sort he was. We’ll raise the child ourselves, dont you worry!”
Edward grew up in the care of his mother and grandfather. His memories of his grandmother were hazy at best. Hed only been five when she passed, but he remembered well the smell of her freshly baked scones.
As for his father, Edward had never set eyes on him. The man had disappeared before he was even born. His mother, Margaret, came to the village with him as a young woman.
She introduced her fiancé to her parents, the date for the wedding was set, but thensuddenlythe groom vanished without a word.
They didn’t bother looking for him. Margaret wept bitter tears, carrying Edward under her heart.
“Tears wont help anything!” his grandmother had said firmly. “Life must go on. He ran off, and that’s that. Even if he had been decent, but you see what sort he was. We’ll raise the child ourselves, dont you worry!”
Edward never wanted for anything as a child, though he never became spoilt. He did well at school, always striving for more.
His grandfather was a stern sort, teaching the boy to respect his elders and value what he had. Edward was a jack of all trades, and whatever he set his mind to, he accomplished.
By the time he was thirty, Edward was considered a most eligible bachelor: handsome, a solid career, an enviable salary, and a spacious three-bedroom flat in London. He seemed to have it all.
He was in no rush when it came to women; plenty tried to win his attention, but Edward always kept busy. Every weekend, he travelled to the countryside to visit his mother. Grandfather was long gone, and Margaret often battled illness.
She still tended to the cottage as best she could, though it had become more difficult of late. Edward begged her to come live with him, but to no avail.
“Why on earth would I do that?” Margaret always protested. “Youll never settle down properly, nor will I see any grandchildren at this rate. Id far rather stay on my own herepeace and quiet suits me.”
“Spend the summer with me, Mum. Then you can go to a rest home, and afterwards, perhaps stay with me a bit longer. You need a proper holiday. Youll recover, then return home in better health. Or maybe Ill even come back with you.”
“Youve your career in London!” Margaret exclaimed. “What business do you have wasting days here in the sticks?”
“Theres plenty of honest work in the countryside, too,” Edward replied, waving off her worries.
At that time, Edward was seeing two women. He hadnt the foggiest idea which, if either, he might choose.
First, there was Alice, a modest village girlpractical and gentle.
The other, Lily, was striking and lively. At first glance, youd think her too pampered to keep a proper house, always quick with a laugh.
He never invited either to live with him, meeting instead on neutral ground. But the time had come to make a choice, and Edward found himself unable to do so.
He decided, in the end, to introduce both to his mother. Margaret had just returned from a stay at a rest home looking noticeably better for it.
Alice was first to visit. She needed little persuasion, bright with excitement, believing her dreams were finally coming true. Surely, if she was meeting his mother, marriage would soon follow.
“Your flat is lovely, Edward, so much space,” Alice noted, looking about.
“Yes, theres room enough. Mother likes it too, though shes not been well lately.”
“Oh she lives with you?” Alice hesitated. “I thought shed just come for a visit. Is she quite poorly?”
“Yes,” Edward admitted.
“Well, Ill say this from the start: I wont be looking after your mother”
“I never asked that of you!” Edward replied in surprise. “I manage on my own.”
“Still”
“What is it?” Edward challenged.
“Nothing. Only, its simply easier living on ones own, isnt it? You always said your mother lived in the country. Shes got her place there. Shed be better off, and so would we.”
“My mother will always live with me. That isn’t up for discussion.”
“Well, I never! I thought you were serious, but youre just a mummys boy. If you change your mind, call me!”
Alice left in a flurry, not even staying for tea.
“So, thats that,” Edward thought. “She bolted quickly enough. If thats Alice, Lily will run faster, and Ill end up with neither.”
Edward decided to tell Lily straight away about his mother, not wanting to waste either of their time.
“No matter what happens, my mother comes first. She stays with me,” he declared.
“I dont understand,” Lily replied with a puzzled smile. “Why dyou need to spell it out? I mean, I do get ityour mother being there”
“If you and I were to live together, what do you make of that? With my mother in the house?”
“Fine by me! Are you proposing, by chance?”
Edward couldnt help but chuckle.
“Perhaps. Would you like to meet her?”
“Oh heavens, right now? What if I dont make a good impression?”
“Of course you will. What are you worrying about?”
“Im not even sure, but I am worried”
Lily and Margaret liked each other at once, falling into an easy companionship. Sometimes, theyd stroll in the garden waiting for Edward to get home from work. Later, they all travelled to the village together. Oddly enough, city-bred Lily found she loved the country too. Margaret decided shed stay on there for a spell.
“Edward, Im feeling better every day now,” she said, her eyes bright.
Six months later, Edward and Lily were wed.
“At last, Ill live to see the grandchildren!” Margaret laughed.
And so she didfirst a granddaughter, then a grandson.
Edward and Lily raised their children in the city, the young ones already preparing to head off to university. Margaret spent her later years with them in town, though every summer, theyd all return together for the holidays. Yet she could hardly bear to part with her beloved cottage.
“Lily, forgive me for asking out of the blue. Would you mind if we head home to the village? Shall we wait for Edward to get back from work before we travel?”
“Of course! Ill just wait till Edward gets in, then well be off.”
“Good, but lets set off straight away. Please let him know; it feels very important.”
The village was quiet as ever. Fewer and fewer people lived there with each passing year.
“Well,” Margaret said suddenly, “this is it. Im home for good now. Sell the house for whatever you can, though I doubt itll fetch much. Still, if we leave it, itll just fall to pieces”
“What are you talking about, Mum?” Edward asked in astonishment. “Were leaving first thing tomorrow!”
“Yes, yes,” Lily echoed. “Whatevers gotten into you, saying such things?”
“All right,” Margaret replied, waving her hand dismissively. “Pop the kettle on, will you? I could do with some tea”
After tea, she went off to her room, just to lie down and rest a bit.
Edward and Lily sat chatting in the kitchen a while longer.
“Mum, we ought to go soon!” Edward eventually called.
There was no answer.
When Edward entered the room, he stopped short. His mother had slipped away quietly in her sleep.
Margaret was laid to rest in the village churchyard.
“She must have known,” Lily wept. “She came home one last time. I loved your mother as my own.”
“I noticed. I noticed long ago. But what shall we do with the cottage?”
“It seems a pity to sell”
“So it is. Itll stand for now, a piece of the old days. The children can visit, perhaps one day the grandchildren too”
And so that was their decision. To let the family cottage stand, a memory of days gone by, and a place still filled with the laughter and footsteps of those who had passed through its doors.
