Brought up in the English countryside, Mary was a simple girl with no remarkable talents, and her mother had little hope for her future. Her mother would often say, After school, youll end up a dairymaid or a shop assistant. Theres nothing more here for you in the village.
But Mary did not follow the path others set for her. After finishing her third year of secondary school, she fell pregnant by a boy a year older than she. The families gathered and decided that their grandchild would live with his paternal grandmother, for Mary was not ready for motherhood and her own mother could not afford to support her. After giving birth, Marys life took a turn: she left her village and enrolled in an art college, determined to become an artist. She had both the talent and the will to thrive. City life brought her new joysweekends spent dancing at the local hall, trips to the cinema, and shopping sprees, all a far cry from the village toil of tending the garden, heaving buckets of water, and keeping the old stove alight. Mary chose to remain in town, especially since she began earning a decent living through her art.
In her final year at college, Mary fell pregnant once more. Though she contemplated ending the pregnancy, she eventually gave birth to her second son. Her fiancé gave them a room in the familys terraced house, but juggling studies with a young child proved overwhelming, so for a time, she sent her son to live with her mother back in the village. Some years later, her mother passed away, forcing Mary to bring her boy to live with her in the city.
As the years rolled on, Marys health declined swiftly. Her thoughts often turned to her first son, who by then was making his way in a neighbouring town. She began asking him for financial help, pleading for money for medicine and food, lacing her requests with guilt and sorrow. Unable to resist her appeals, her eldest son eventually invited her to his town, hoping it would be easier to care for her there. Mary eagerly prepared to leave, but the father of her younger son asked that she let the child remain with him, promising to raise him well. At first, Mary dismissed his offer, doubting he could be a proper father, but in the end she relented and agreed to leave her son in his father’s care.
