The Surprise – An Unplanned Visit Changed Everything
Cottage on the English Coast
“Are you out of your mind? Selling the cottage by the sea? It’s a goldmine!” Tom stared at his wife Lucy as if she’d just suggested tossing a million pounds out the window.
Lucy sighed. How many times had they debated this? The cottage had been left to her by her grandmother three months ago and had brought more trouble than she could have imagined.
“Goldmine? I work myself to the bone there! Changing sheets, cleaning, buying groceries. And those holidaymakers…” She grimaced, “It’s always something – the water’s too cold, the neighbours are noisy, the beach is too far.”
“Then charge more! Your grandmother managed somehow.”
“Grandmother was different. She could give someone a piece of her mind and still have them thanking her for it.”
Tom’s phone rang. He glanced at the screen and frowned.
“Mum’s calling. It’s the third time this morning.”
Lucy turned to the window, dreading another encounter with Mary Smith.
“Tom, darling!” His mum’s voice blared through the speaker in the kitchen. “My blood pressure’s through the roof! 180 over 100! I’m on my deathbed here, and you…”
“Mum, we saw you yesterday. Did you take your tablets?”
“What tablets? I need care! I’m an old, sick woman! Meanwhile, you and that wife of yours are gallivanting around on holiday!”
Lucy rolled her eyes. A trip to the cottage to welcome new guests and clean up after the last ones hardly qualified as a getaway.
“Mum, I’m at work. I’ll call you back.”
Tom ended the call and looked at Lucy apologetically.
“Lucy, maybe we should just bring her to live with us? Just for a while?”
“So she can make me miserable too? No, thank you.”
The cottage greeted Lucy with the smell of the sea and dust. Opening the windows, she started cleaning. An hour later, the new tenants arrived – a family from London with two kids.
“Where’s the air conditioning?” the woman asked, looking around the room. “The ad said ‘all amenities’.”
“There’s a fan,” Lucy pointed to a shelf. “And it’s only a fifteen-minute walk to the sea.”
“Fifteen?!” the man grumbled. “We were told five!”
“If you run, maybe,” Lucy muttered.
“This wasn’t the agreement. Either give us a discount or we’re leaving.”
Lucy relented. So much for a goldmine.
“Can you believe it? They demanded a discount!” she vented to Tom over the phone. “I’m barely breaking even with this cottage.”
“Lucy, you’re too soft. You need to be tougher.”
“Easy for you to say. I’ll sort it out when I return tomorrow.”
But returning wasn’t an option. Tom’s call came at six in the morning.
“Lucy, Mum’s really unwell. An ambulance came. They say she needs constant care.”
“And?”
“I think she’d be better off staying with us. Just temporarily.”
Lucy felt herself tense up inside.
“Tom, we’ve only got a two-bedroom flat. Where would she stay?”
“In the lounge. It’s only for a short while.”
“How short?”
“Well… until she’s better.”
Lucy knew what that meant. Mary Smith had been “recovering” for over a decade, using every health scare as a tactic.
“Maybe we should hire a nurse?”
“We can’t afford that! And Mum wouldn’t have strangers in her home anyway.”
“But we’ve got money for a cottage that only loses money?” Lucy snapped.
“Precisely! Maybe it’s time to sell it?”
“No! It’s a keepsake from Grandma. And besides… I’ll sort it myself.”
When Lucy returned home, Mary Smith was already settled on the sofa in the lounge, surrounded by pillows and blankets.
“Here you are,” the mother-in-law commented. “Had a nice time on your holiday?”
“Hello, Mary. How are you feeling?”
“What kind of question is that for an old woman? Barely breathing. And you’re off to distant shores.”
“I was working.”
“Working, she calls it! Letting rooms is work now? I was at the factory my whole life…”
Lucy silently made her way to the kitchen. Tom gave her an apologetic smile.
“Mum, fancy a tea?” he called into the sitting room.
“I do! But not like last time. Your wife stints on the tea leaves.”
Lucy clenched her fists.
“Tom, we need to talk.”
“Later, okay? Mum’s not well.”
“And I am? I’m working like a maniac at the cottage and now I can’t even get a break at home!”
“Lucy, she’s my mother! What else could I have done?”
“At least discuss it with me before making decisions!”
“Mum! Where’s that tea? I need to take my pills!”
A week later, Lucy escaped to the cottage. She packed her things and left a note: “Gone to sort things with the tenants. Back in a few days.”
The sea welcomed her with a storm. The sky was overcast. Perfect weather for her mood.
The phone rang as she unpacked.
“When are you coming back?” Tom sounded weary.
“Not sure. I need time to think.”
“What’s there to think about? Mum’s ill, she needs help.”
“And I need personal space! Which I don’t have anywhere now!”
“What do you mean ‘nowhere’?”
“I mean the tenants are driving me mad! They called yesterday to complain the shower pressure was weak. Can you imagine? The pressure!”
“Maybe we should just sell the cottage? Solve two problems: we’d have enough for a nurse, and you’d be free from this hassle.”
“No! It’s the only place I can retreat to, even with guests!”
“With guests?”
“I won’t rent out rooms anymore. Enough.”
There was silence on the line.
“Tom, are you still there?”
“Yes. You know, maybe… maybe Mum should go to the cottage? Sea air is supposed to be good for blood pressure.”
Lucy almost dropped the phone.
“Are you insane? So she can torment me here too?”
“But you said you wouldn’t have guests. Plenty of room.”
“Tom, no! This is my place, my inheritance! My personal space!”
“And our flat isn’t your home?”
Lucy had no answer.
The next morning, she was woken by the doorbell. Tom stood there with a suitcase and Mary on his arm.
“Surprise!” he said awkwardly.
Lucy froze in the doorway.
“What’s this?”
“We decided to visit,” Tom lugged the suitcase into the hall. “The doctor said sea air is the best medicine for Mum.”
“Yes, yes,” Mary chimed in, breezily entering the house. “And it normalizes blood pressure, calms the nerves. Your nerves are a bit frayed, my dear daughter-in-law.”
Lucy watched them make themselves at home in her sanctuary.
“Tom, can we talk on the veranda?”
Once alone, she hissed:
“How could you? Without asking! I said no!”
“What choice did I have? You left! Mum’s upset! I’m stuck in the middle!”
“Then pick a side! Me or your mum!”
“Lucy, that’s not fair.”
“Not fair? Bringing her here without my consent?”
Their row was interrupted by the doorbell.
“Who’s that?” Tom was surprised.
“New tenants,” Lucy said resignedly. “I forgot to cancel the reservation.”
She opened the door. A young couple with a child stood there.
“Hello! We’re here for the week. Is the room ready?”
“Well, you see…” Lucy started, but was cut off by Mary:
“Of course it’s ready! Come in! Just a prepayment first. And a fee for the child.”
Lucy turned around. Mary, who moments ago had been feigning illness, now stood upright, hands on hips.
“Mum,” Tom whispered, “you’re not feeling well…”
“Hush, Tom. I can see your wife’s no good at business.” She turned to the guests. “Five hundred pounds a night. Extra one hundred for the child. Pay upfront for three days. If you make noise past ten, out you go with no refund.”
The young couple exchanged looks.
“But the ad said four hundred…”
“Prices change with the season. Demand’s up. Take it or leave it.”
To Lucy’s surprise, they agreed and fetched their cash.
That evening, the three of them sat on the veranda. Mary was counting money.
“That’s how you do it,” she declared. “Lucy, you’re too soft. Anyone can take advantage of you.”
“Mum!” Tom chided.
“What, Tom? It’s true. We’ll make a good sum this way. And she’s here, whining about selling.”
Lucy looked at Mary, astonished.
“Mary, what about your blood pressure?”
“What blood pressure?” she waved her hand dismissively. “Sea air works wonders. I’m almost fit as a fiddle.”
Tom spluttered on his tea.
“That quick?”
“Of course! Plus, I quite like it here. Maybe I’ll stay the whole summer? Manage the room lets while you work. Lucy’s no good, just loses money.”
Lucy and Tom exchanged glances.
“Mum, what about the flat?” Tom asked carefully.
“It’ll be fine. I’m not here forever. Just for the season.”
Lucy suddenly laughed.
“You know, Mary, that’s actually a brilliant idea.”
“Really?” Tom seemed surprised.
“Absolutely! You manage the lets, keep things in order, and collect payments while we come during the quiet season, once everyone’s gone.”
Mary squinted.
“And the money?”
“Half for you, half for us. Fair and square.”
“One-third you, two-thirds me. I’m the one doing the work.”
“Forty-sixty,” Lucy said firmly. “And no health complaints the entire season.”
Mary considered this, then nodded:
“Deal, Lucy.”
Tom watched them, agape.
“Are you serious?”
“Completely,” Lucy replied. “Your mum gets a project and income, I get freedom and a share of the earnings, and you get peace. Everyone wins.”
Mary smirked:
“You’re not as soft as I thought. You drive a hard bargain.”
“Learning from a good mother-in-law,” Lucy smiled.
A month later, Lucy sat in their London flat, enjoying the quiet. Her phone buzzed with a message from Mary:
“Kicked out some late-payers from the third room. Found new ones quickly; they’re staying for two weeks. Transferred the money to your account. Come in September when everyone’s left.”
Lucy grinned and replied:
“Thanks, Mary. How’s your health?”
“Great! Too busy to be sick!”
Tom peered over her shoulder:
“Can’t believe this actually worked.”
“Neither can I,” Lucy admitted. “But sometimes people need a purpose. And clear boundaries.”
“And a bit of cunning,” her husband winked.
“And a bit of cunning,” she agreed.
