The car screeched to a halt. Alex was a serious young man, and it was uncharacteristic for him to offer a ride to a stranger waving for a lift on the roadside.
The country village where Alex had a cozy and warm house with his mother was about 10 miles from the town. Living there in the summer was a joy. Alex always left for work around 7 AM since the roads were empty then, and the surrounding woods brought back pleasant thoughts and memories.
The girl ran up to the car and, smiling, peered through the open window.
“Hello,” she almost sang cheerfully, “Could you give me a lift to town?”
“Aren’t you afraid of getting into a car with a stranger in the middle of the woods?” Alex asked, unable to suppress a smile.
“Why should I be afraid?” replied the girl. “You have a fancy car and kind eyes. Why would you want to harm me with such a car and eyes like those?”
Alex burst into laughter. He hadn’t encountered such innocence and simplicity in a long while and was quite sure it no longer existed.
Growing up in a village, Laurie was open and trusting. When Alex proposed to her three weeks after they met, she agreed without hesitation. Alex seemed solid and handsome to her, just as Aunt Nancy had predicted in her fortune-telling, she thought to herself, holding Alex’s hand tightly and glancing nervously at his mother, for whom the news of the upcoming wedding was akin to a mild earthquake.
After the wedding, Laurie and Alex moved to Alex’s city apartment as living in the country wasn’t quite convenient, and Alex’s mother wasn’t particularly fond of her new daughter-in-law.
“I’m amazed at you, son,” Victoria often told Alex when he visited her. “Was this village beauty really the only worthy option in your whole circle?” she sighed and shook her beautifully styled head.
Alex smiled but didn’t argue with his mother. He couldn’t explain how content and at peace he felt in his small, cozy family. Alex’s mother was a cold and reserved lady. So for Alex, the warm and affectionate Laurie was like a combination of a mother and wife.
A few years passed, and Laurie and Alex had a charming daughter, Mary. Laurie adored her, and even the grandmother began to thaw. She noticed how Laurie loved and spoiled her son, and how wisely she raised her daughter. Victoria, despite being a strict and slightly cynical lady, could admit her mistakes.
Thus, Alex wasn’t surprised when one fine day she invited Laurie and her granddaughter to stay at the country house for a few days.
“Alex, I’m scared of her,” Laurie whined, trying to find any excuse not to visit her mother-in-law.
“She’s not going to eat you,” Alex laughed, gently kissing his wife’s neck.
“Oh, she will, she will,” Laurie groaned, “and she’ll have Mary for dessert. Then you’ll be mourning and crying, but it’ll be too late,” Laurie convincingly finished, even shedding a tear for effect.
But nothing helped. Alex took the basket of food from his wife, loaded cheerful, blue-eyed Mary in, pushed the resistant Laurie into the front seat, and the whole family set off, chattering and bickering.
Victoria was genuinely glad to see them. She smiled at Laurie, and the young woman realized the war was over. From that moment, their wonderful friendship began. As each day passed, the bond between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law grew stronger and more trusting.
Laurie returned to work, and Mary often stayed with Victoria, who read her books, taught her piano, and helped her with her English. You see, Victoria had been a simultaneous interpreter, and the curious girl loved hearing her amusing tales of overseas trips and meetings with interesting people.
A few more years went by. One day, Laurie and Mary arrived at Victoria’s unannounced. Laurie looked thinner, strangely tense, and uncommunicative.
“Laurie, what happened?” Victoria asked sympathetically. “You haven’t fallen ill, have you?”
Laurie sighed, sat on a chair, and burst into tears.
“Alex hasn’t lived with us for six months,” she finally managed through her sobs. “He used to just not come home sometimes, saying he had a lot of work. Then he started disappearing for several days. He’d come in, change, kiss Mary, push me away, and leave again. At first, I thought he had problems at work. After all, it’s been almost a year since we’ve seen any money. But that’s okay. I work as a nurse and earn enough. We’re managing. Then one day, the doorbell rang. I opened it, and there stood a lady. Beautiful, well-groomed, wearing a hat. Her handbag was expensive. The kind I’ve only seen on TV.”
Laurie calmed down a bit, took a deep breath, and continued,
“She said, ‘You’re a pauper, and not a match for Alex. He’ll live with me now, and you should clear out with your silly daughter. Alex and I will manage without your uncouth girl.’”
“I’m not silly and am very well-mannered,” Mary suddenly declared to the adults and turned away indignantly. Victoria and Laurie hadn’t noticed she slipped into the kitchen and had been listening to the grown-ups for several minutes.
“Of course, you’re not silly,” Victoria affirmed, straightening her back. “You’re a smart and well-mannered girl. So, we’ll live together, and we’ll bring your mum along.”
Laurie wiped her tears and looked at Victoria in surprise. But the iron lady had already made her decision. When her son informed her he was getting a divorce and hoped she would soon change her will regarding the house, she accepted it calmly and with dignity. After all, the will had already been changed. Victoria simply forgot to tell her son that his former wife and blue-eyed Mary were now the owners of the house. At that moment, Mary was light-heartedly playing with her grandmother’s beautifully styled hair, as always.
