Our only son absolutely stunned us when he announced he wanted to get marriedhes only 22! Still, my husband and I decided we wouldnt stand in his way, since we ourselves married young. My husband was just barely 22, and I was 19 at the time, so perhaps its simply fate repeating itself. Besides, we really liked his fiancée. Anna studied with our son in the same university course. Once we realised they were serious about it, we began to prepare for the big day. Since Edward is our only son, we knew we had to throw him a proper wedding.
As tradition calls, my husband and I arranged to visit the parents of Anna, our future daughter-in-law. We didnt know much about herjust that wed seen her a few times with Edward, and that she lived with her mother in a village not far from our town. So, we set off on the customary visit, making sure to let Annas mother know ahead of time.
My husband bought a lovely bouquet of flowers, I baked a cake, and off we went to meet our soon-to-be in-laws. The first thing that struck us when we arrived was just how tidy and well-kept the garden was.
The house itself was quite old, but it was just as neat and spotless as the garden. We were greeted warmly at the door by Annas mother, Elaine. We liked her instantly: she was a pleasant and attractive woman. Elaine invited us in and set a lovely spreadshed clearly put a lot of thought into it. We had a truly enjoyable time, and Elaine turned out to be absolutely charming, but we didnt manage to settle anything about the wedding on that visit. You see, Elaine immediately told us she couldnt afford to help with the wedding costs. As soon as she said it, you could see how uncomfortable Anna felt, and Edward was quietly disappointed. He hadnt dreamed of a big day for himselfhe just knew how much Anna wanted one.
My husband and I decided we wouldnt cancel their wedding. We assured our son we would pay for it ourselves, and wed simply see what the future held.
We told Elaine she could invite as many of her important relatives as she wished. After all, people never come to a wedding empty-handed, do they? Whatever they gave in cards would go towards the cost of their reception meals. Elaine hesitated for a while, unsure whether to accept our offer, but we managed to convince her to support the children.
Just days before the wedding, on Wednesday, our doorbell rang unexpectedly. Elaine was standing at our door. We were surprised, but we invited her in for tea. She seemed nervous, and, after a pause, pulled out a white envelope from her handbaginside was cash. It turned out shed felt so uncomfortable about us paying for everything that shed taken out a loan at the bank. We urged her to return the money, as we didnt want her to burden herself with debt, especially after seeing how modestly she and Anna lived. But Elaine was firmshed made her decision. So, the wedding went ahead and it was marvellous.
The children were overjoyed. At the reception, Elaine surprised us againnot only was she clever and warm, but she truly blossomed on the day. She was only 45, long divorced, raising Anna by herself, and on the wedding day, she looked a picturewith her hair done, makeup perfect, and dressed beautifully. It wasnt just us who noticedthe guests did too, especially my husbands younger brother, Stephen. Hes 46, also divorced, and has spent the last decade living and working in Poland. Hed specially returned for his nephews wedding. Stephen couldnt take his eyes off Elaine the whole evening, and afterwards told us he intended to stay in England a bit longer. I had my suspicions as to why
The very next Sunday, we found ourselves driving out to Elaines village againthis time, for Stephen to propose to her! Things went splendidly for them. They got married, and a few months later Stephen took his new wife to join him in Poland. So, my in-law has now also become my family. Elaine deserves every bit of happiness thats come her way.
