Go home! Well talk there! I shot at Emily with a huff. Ive no intention of entertaining passersby with a row.
Oh, as you wish! she snorted, tossing her ponytail behind her and marching off towards the house. And you can keep your attitude!
Emily, dont push me! I warned through gritted teeth. Well have words at home! Ooh, youre so frightening! she called over her shoulder, unbothered, and kept striding away.
I waited until Emily was a fair distance down the road, then I whipped out my phone and hissed quietly into the mic:
Right then, shes on her way home! Make sure you greet her as discussed! And dont let her leave the cellar until shes calmed down a bit! Ill be there soon.
I shoved my phone into my pocket, turning towards the corner shop for what I thought would be a celebratory drink for putting my foot down at home. But before I could cross the street, a complete stranger grabbed hold of my arm.
Sorry to be so brash, mate! the man said awkwardly, giving a weak smile. That young woman just with you…?
My wife. Why? I asked, frowning.
Oh, nothing, nothing! he tried a sycophantic smile. But She wouldnt happen to be Emily Henderson, would she?
Emily, yes before we married, Henderson was her surname. Whats your business with my wife?
And her fathers name, is it William? By any chance?
It is, I answered, growing increasingly irritated. How do you know my Emily?
Emily had only moved into our little village three years ago. Before that, no one had ever heard her name. She always said shed run out on her parents because they wanted to marry her off to someone she detested.
So this odd fellow, knowing all these details in the middle of nowhere, unsettled me.
Oh, sorry, Im not a friend of hers or anything! he blushed crimson. I suppose you could call me a fan of sorts!
Listen, fan, Ill be counting your ribs if you dont start explaining yourself I growled, glaring. What dyou mean a fan? Trying to take my wife, are you?
Oh, no, no, you misunderstand! Not that kind of fan! I meant I admired her skills!
Emily? Skills? Shes nothing remarkable I spluttered in confusion.
Oh, come now! To get banned from competitive kickboxing for life at eighteen for excessive brutality thats quite a talent! the man all but cheered.
Its a shame she stopped after winning a handful of private tournaments! Watching her in the ring was an utter thrill!
My hands shook as I fumbled for my phone, but it slipped from my grasp and shattered across the pavement as if sensing my panic. When I pieced it together, the thing wouldnt switch on.
I sprinted home muttering to myself:
Please, let me be in time!
When Emily had first turned up in our village, she caught my eye straight away. And why wouldnt she? Young, athletic, clever, famously cheerful. Even got herself a job as a PE teacher at the local primary school.
Everyone assumed she was some young graduate, here for a stint before heading off to bigger things. Turned out she was twenty-five, and had come to stay.
We waited for her family to follow her into the countryside, but it never happened. She was on her own.
Somethings off there! the village gossips tutted. Young and lively but turns up in sleepy Derbyshire? Swear down, shes hiding a scandal!
Nonsense! another would reply. Bet she fell out with a fella and came here to lick her wounds. Or maybe she clashed with her family and bolted! You see these stories on telly all the time!
I bided my time, keeping an eye on her though not rushing in.
Who knows what sort of mess she might be carrying from her past? Best wait and see.
Working in a school means more than hard graft its the staff room, where colleagues pour their hearts out over endless cups of tea. Six months in and Emily had spilled her own tale:
My parents ran several businesses. Decent folk. Then, suddenly, it went bust one partner let them down.
And so, to recover, my dad thought hed marry me off to this important man. Greasy hair, even greasier smile. No thanks! So I packed my bag and left!
All by yourself? asked one of the senior teachers, shaking her head.
The worlds full of people Emily shrugged. Better to make my own way than marry some toad for their money!
It wouldnt have been a wedding, just a sale! And Im no commodity!
Never mind, love, youll find happiness here! her colleagues assured her. Small place, but plenty of good lads around!
Once Emilys story spread round the village, I made up my mind.
Ill have her for a wife! The local girls are greedy and full of themselves these days this ones different! No pesky in-laws either!
Id tell this to my own lot: Mum, Dad, and my older brother, Hugh.
Shes young, healthy, sporty no wonder she teaches PE! Shell give us sturdy kids and keep the house ticking over! Besides, how many lessons can there be in a day?
Perfect match! everyone agreed. And if she gets too big for her boots, well sort her out, good and proper!
Why were we all so sure Id succeed? Because, if I say so myself, I was a catch. Not just pleasant in looks, but assistant manager at the countys biggest produce market.
When the bosses rolled in, I started as a mere clerk. But after making enough noise, they left the old boss in place and named me his number two well connected, thats me.
If you know so much, be our guest! But youd better get results!
Folk scoffed at my initiative punishment, yet soon the whole market owed its success to me. The thefts, which had plagued the warehouses, vanished once I made Hugh head of security muscle runs in the family.
Cant sneak out a single carrot! Theyll give you a right hiding, the pair of them! locals would say, but ultimately, theft stopped, and thats what truly mattered.
How could Emily say no to someone as diligent as me? First, she agreed to an outing, then to my courting, and eventually to marry.
I whisked her out from her digs and brought her to live with us.
A bride should know, were one big family declared my mother, Dorothy, with a flourish.
Everythings done together, and we help each other out! In our family, thats the way!
There were never any rules in mine, Emily replied. Though, as you know, its rules I ran away from. But if I marry into this family, Id best learn the ropes.
The response to that was overwhelmingly positive.
Just, apologies, Ive barely done housework, Emily said, embarrassed. My folks kept staff for all the chores.
Thats easy enough my father chirped in. You can learn! Youre smart, arent you?
Sure, but I cant stand unfairness, Emily admitted.
Well, dear, my Mum cut in fair or unfair, these are rules as old as England! Respect your husband, respect his kin! A wife is made for gentleness and obedience, and its men who sort the worlds problems! Women are cared for by their menfolk!
If thats how its done, Emily shrugged. But, I hope you dont mean anything like those old stories…
No whips or horses here! said my Dad with a laugh.
Emily had read the tea leaves. Within a month of the wedding, her freedom was all but gone.
Work, or a quick stop at Tesco and thats it. For everything else:
Off somewhere? Tons to be done here! Theres the garden, chickens, ducks! Emily! Mum would bellow We do everything together, cant leave it all to me!
She wasnt exaggerating much; Hugh and I were always at work from daybreak till late. Dads back and knees were shot, so he supervised. So truly, juggling family duties came down to Dorothy and Emily.
Except, Dorothy wasnt young herself one day her blood pressure was high, the next her joints ached, another day a migraine. The house, however, stopped for no one.
What about some time for myself? Emily would moan. Not talking husband-and-wife stuff. I mean friends, or a film, a coffee, just a quick walk. Ive not got a single friend here!
Married women dont need friends! Dorothy would retort. Trust me, friends bring more trouble than joy especially to wives!
And as for cafés and cinemas, thats for you to discuss with your husband! Its not proper for a woman to be out alone people talk in a small place like this! They spread stories youll never live down.
Are you serious? Emily asked, baffled.
You lived in big cities before things are different out here! One misstep and youre the talk of Derbyshire! Youre a teacher, they could get you sacked if youre not careful!
Solid logic, if you fancied being buried alive in chores. Emily kept at it, working, running errands, but she stood her ground about being treated equally. Shed protest, speak her mind, even tell you straight to your face.
If works shared, fine! But if one lounges and the other breaks their back, count me out!
Two and a half years went by. Emily still wouldnt be tamed. She demanded everyone pull their weight, or shed stop too.
That Emily! Dorothy would moan when she sent her to the shop. Shes worse than horseradish! Tell her one thing, she bounces back with five more!
She doesnt respect me Dad would grumble. Ask her to fetch a cushion or a bit of water and she just says shes busy!
Its just not right Hugh would rumble. She mouths off to our parents! Thats not on who puts up with that?
Shes making a fool of me! Id agree. She argues, and Im supposed to be the man! Time to curb her, like a wild horse! And we dont even have kids yet! If we did, shed be impossible claiming the mothers rights and making life awkward for the rest of us!
We have to be tough Hugh said. Take her out for a stroll in the village, send her home on her own, and well have it out with her.
If she listens to reason, fine. If not, well use force! And if she gets rebellious, well lock her in the cellar and tell the school shes gone on leave! A month in the dark should sort her out!
So, thats what we planned. While I distracted Emily on our walk, the family readied themselves, brewing up their righteous anger, and waited for my call when Emily headed home… so they could welcome her.
I didnt make it in time.
The gate was standing, but the front door was totally gone as if it had never been there. In the hall, among smashed furniture, Hugh was howling in pain, clutching a broken arm. I fished his phone from his pocket and dialled 999, pressing it to his ear.
Give them the address! I barked, my mind reeling And tell them to send a couple ambulances!
He nodded, sweat beading on his brow.
Dad was sprawled in the hallway, unconscious, but clearly alive. Relief flickered briefly. In the kitchen, Mum sat on the floor, swelling bruise on her face, still gripping a hefty rolling pin, snapped clean in half.
Emily? She calmly sipped her tea at the table.
Back already, love? she smiled up at me. Come to get your share?
N-no I stammered.
Then Im not sure what to offer you, she mused. Perhaps a touch of fairness in this family?
You could have warned me! I exploded. You nearly…
I know what Im doing! Everyone got exactly what they asked for. Came at me with something, left with the same!
And the rolling pin? Snapped it over my knee! As for your mum, she ran straight into the door herself!
How do we go on after this? I muttered.
Fairly, I think! Emily grinned. And dont even think about a divorce: Im expecting. And our child will grow up with their father.
I swallowed hard.
All right, love.
When everyone was patched up and tempers cooled, we agreed to a thorough revision of the family rules.
Now, peace reigns in our home. And never again did anyone insult or try to step on anyone else.
If theres anything I learned, its this: If you harbour injustice at home, it will come back at you threefold. Never underestimate the strength hidden behind a gentle smile.
