“Why are you sitting out in the cold?” asked Mrs. Margaret Jones, grimacing against the biting chill.
The young girl lifted her eyes, looking at her with sadness. Mrs. Jones appeared to be around forty-five, no older. She was lovely and well-groomed, though there was a hint of melancholy about her.
“Sorry, I’ll leave if I’m bothering you!” the girl replied.
“I’m not telling you to go. I just wondered why you’re sitting here. It’s winter!” the woman asked more gently.
It was an especially cold day, and the wind howled. Not good weather to be sitting on a bench for no reason.
“I have nowhere to go!” the girl said, bursting into tears.
Her name was Kelly. She genuinely had no place to turn to. A couple of days ago, her own father had thrown her out. She had come to this city hoping to stay a bit with her aunt on her mother’s side.
Kelly’s mum had passed away three years ago. Since then, her father drank heavily. Their relationship had worsened daily, becoming unbearable after three years.
Her father, Tom, often brought strange friends home. Sometimes, they would harass Kelly. She complained, but her father didn’t lift a finger to help. She had to defend herself. After yet another skirmish with his so-called friends, her father simply told her to leave.
“Get lost! You’re of no use here, just a freeloader!” he shouted after her.
Kelly went to her Aunt Mary, hoping she’d take her in, but her flat was too crowded. She had three kids of her own, plus her mother-in-law and sister-in-law with her daughter were staying with them in their three-bedroom apartment.
Mary had no choice but to send her niece back to her father.
“Go back, your father will take you in. Cry if you need to. Ask for forgiveness if required. You have every right to live in your father’s flat, dear, and he’ll have to understand that!” her aunt insisted, not even offering her a cup of tea.
Kelly left, feeling utterly dejected. She didn’t want to go back to her father. There was nothing good waiting for her there.
She wandered the city’s snowy streets until she grew tired. She decided to rest on a bench when the stranger approached her.
“What do you mean there’s nowhere to go? You’re just a kid! Don’t you have parents?” the woman asked.
Kelly had turned eighteen. She was attending college. It was just the holidays now. She hadn’t weighed everything properly when she rushed out. It was during her long walk she realized how difficult things might become.
“Not anymore,” the girl said softly, burying her nose in her knees.
She sat on the bench, legs pulled up to her chest for warmth. Her hands were blue from the cold, a stream of tears and a runny nose on her face. Snowflakes clung to her eyelashes as they fell from the sky.
Mrs. Jones felt sorry for the young girl. She had a son a bit older and didn’t think any child should be left in a time of trouble, even if they weren’t her own.
“Come with me. Let me at least give you some tea; you’re freezing!” she proposed.
Kelly agreed. They went together to the second floor where Mrs. Jones lived. She had a spacious flat, and importantly, it was warm. The girl finally warmed up.
“Would you like some stew?” the woman offered.
Kelly nodded gratefully. She hadn’t eaten since the previous evening. When a plate of hot stew was placed before her, she dove into it as though she hadn’t eaten in a year.
After the meal, she told her new acquaintance about her troubles. Mrs. Jones shook her head disapprovingly.
“That’s a sad tale. Tell you what, stay with me. We have plenty of room. My son is serving in the Armed Forces right now and won’t be back for two months. We’ve got three rooms; stay until you figure out what to do next.”
“And where is your husband?” the guest inquired.
“He passed away five years ago. I miss him still. It’s lonely sometimes, you know? Everything’s a bit brighter with company. So, please stay with us. I’ll be glad of the company, and so will Charlie. Isn’t that right, Charlie?” she asked the ginger cat grooming himself by the table.
Kelly felt a bit uncomfortable, rather very uncomfortable, but she accepted. She had nowhere to go and was invisible to anyone. So, they ended up living together.
Mrs. Jones liked the girl immediately. She was polite and well-mannered; evidently, three years hadn’t dulled her mother’s upbringing despite living with an alcoholic father.
Kelly was tidy and not afraid of chores. She cleaned diligently, washed dishes, and eagerly learned to cook.
Kelly had to leave college, but she planned to apply to another institution the following year.
Mrs. Jones helped her find a job in a nearby shop where her close friend worked. She took in the young girl with no experience as a sales assistant, her gut feeling rewarded when she praised Kelly to Mrs. Jones later on the street.
“You sent me a gem of an employee! Hardworking, humble, and bright.”
Kelly was very grateful to Mrs. Jones for providing shelter, often expressing her thanks. She tried to help as much as she could to avoid feeling like a freeloading lodger. They soon became friends.
Even Charlie, the cat, grew fond of the young girl’s company, often sharing her bed and trailing behind her like a shadow.
Two months later, Mrs. Jones’s son returned from his service. When he walked in wearing his uniform, bringing flowers for his mother, Kelly saw him for the first time. She had only seen his childhood pictures on the shelf. He was strikingly handsome.
After embracing his mum, Mike finally noticed the guest.
“Hi, who might you be?” he asked, surprised, looking at the slender blonde in a casual dress.
“Oh, sweetheart, this is our guest, Kelly. It’s a long story. She’s staying with us for a while. I hope you two get along! Remember, you can’t be mean to her. She’s a good girl.”
“I didn’t plan anything of the sort! Almost thought I’d been given a sister while I was away! Would’ve picked up an extra bouquet if I’d known!” he said with a smile. “Nice to meet you!”
Kelly couldn’t bring herself to respond. She simply stood there, captivated. A few moments later, she managed to regain her composure and finally averted her gaze.
Returning from the service, Mike had matured and strengthened. Even his mother was surprised at how well-built and handsome he’d become, while Kelly saw him as her perfect match. It’s true what they say, the service turns boys into men.
After roughly a week’s rest, Michael started looking for a job too. He planned to enter university in autumn, but life had to go on in the meantime, and he didn’t intend to rely on his mother.
So they lived together. They usually met in the mornings and evenings as they were away working during the day.
Mike and Kelly got along well. They were nearly the same age with many shared interests. Evenings were often spent in conversation or watching films together. Without even noticing, they became attached to each other, not as siblings, but as something more.
Kelly hesitated to make the first move, fearing to upset Mrs. Jones, while Mike also held back, uncertain of her feelings. Only Mrs. Jones noticed the mutual affection growing, though she didn’t interfere.
One evening, pondering the situation, Mrs. Jones considered whether she would like Kelly as a potential daughter-in-law. And yes, there were many qualities in her that she admired as a future mother-in-law. It was then Mrs. Jones decided to gently nudge the young couple closer together.
When summer arrived, she booked two tickets for a seaside trip. It was supposedly for her and her son, but at the last moment, she claimed urgent work commitments. Under this pretext, she sent them off for a holiday together.
“Don’t just stand around! Or someone might whisk her away!” she teased her son with a knowing smile.
Mike got the hint. His mother wasn’t wrong. They returned as a couple, and a month later, announced they wanted to get married.
While some thought it was hasty, Mrs. Jones didn’t object.
After all, good daughters-in-law aren’t found easily. Sometimes, they happen to be sitting on a bench in the winter, but that’s rare. She considered herself lucky. And her son was lucky, too.
Neighbours sometimes whispered, and friends even said to her face that she’d let her son marry a poor lodger. They claimed she was naïve, but she knew she’d made the right choice.
Even years later, Mrs. Jones never regretted taking in a cold, homeless girl that day. Kelly became a loving and devoted wife to her only son, cherished him deeply, and blessed them with three wonderful grandchildren and countless warm memories.
