“Leave her here, let her die!” they sneered, tossing the old woman into the snowdrift. The fools didnt realise the boomerang would soon come swinging back.
Margaret Whitmore trudged toward her apartment block. The elderly women on the bench were gossiping about the sleek car recently parked nearby.
“Whose is that?” Margaret asked.
“No idea, love,” one of them replied. “Must belong to Mary. Folks round here dont drive motors like that.”
“Only ambulances stop by our lot!” another cackled.
They carried on, swapping rumours about the council and local scandals. Then out came Mary herself, the owner of the expensive car, striding past without so much as a glance at her neighbours or the vehicle parked on the grass. Margaret hurried inside.
“Margaret Whitmore?” A mans voice echoed in the stairwell. “Remember me? We spoke a few days ago. Im your nephew.”
“Oh, Edward!” Margaret gasped. “Why didnt you say you were coming? Is that your car on my lawn?”
“Suppose so.”
“Then move it before someone complains! What were you thinking, parking there?”
Edward hurried out to shift the car while Margaret put the kettle on. She needed to sell the flatcouldnt leave the neighbours to deal with the ruined flowerbeds.
Years ago, her uncle used to visit with his son. Then, like most family, they drifted apart. And now here he was, this grown man, standing in her kitchen. Something about him unsettled her. He chain-smoked, his teeth already yellowed despite his youth. Still, at least hed turned up. Shed rather give the sale to family than some estate agent. But when she offered him a cut, he refused.
Margaret had outlived her husband and children. Now, she wanted countryside airbetter than hauling herself up four flights of stairs. A little village had a nursery. While she still had strength, shed plant her own vegetables. By autumn, a buyer appeared.
“Winters coming. Lets wait till spring,” Margaret decided, postponing the sale.
“But prices rise by then!” Edward argued. “Cold weathers best for checking the heating. And what if the buyer backs out?”
“You havent found me a house yet! Where will I live? Find one first, then we sell.” She sighed.
Edward reluctantly agreed.
Soon, he had optionsall needing work. The cottage they settled on was shabby but manageable. The flats sale would cover repairs. Edward knew construction; hed handle the quotes.
But doubt gnawed at Margaret.
“Winters at the doorstep. I dont want the hassle. I just want to move in and live properly.”
“Ill help you!” Edward insisted.
She didnt like how eager he was to sell. Still, she told herself he had nothing to gain. He was just being kind.
The day came. The buyer and solicitor arrived. Edward served tea. Margarets chest tightenedthis flat had been her life. But the deed was done. Boxes packed, papers signed.
“Right, time to move!” Edward announced.
“Now? I havent emptied the cupboards!”
“Buyer needs the place tonight,” he pressed.
Grudgingly, she agreed.
In the van, Margaret yawned, her eyelids heavy. Drifting in and out, she caught snippets of the mens murmurs.
“Margaret, can you hear me?” Edwards voice sounded distant. She lacked the strength to answer.
“Leave her here,” she heard later, her mind foggy. They dumped her in the snow.
“Let her die,” Edward added.
Realisation struckhed drugged her tea. She braced for death.
Nearby, a young woman, Emily, spotted the parked van. Suspicious, she watched as the men dragged something toward the woods. Heavy snow fell. Why unload in this weather? She noted the license plate.
When they left, she investigatedand found Margaret, barely alive. Emily called her husband, and together they carried her to their car.
“Where am I?” Margaret rasped.
“We found you,” Emily said. “Do you remember how you got here?”
“Yes. My nephew… the tea… he dumped me!”
“Lets get you warm.” Emily rubbed her hands.
“With you, Ill live,” Margaret smiled weakly.
They reported Edward. During the investigation, Emily offered Margaret a temporary home.
Weeks later, the flat was returned to her. Edward and his accomplice faced fraud charges. Come spring, Margaret sold up and bought her cottageno repairs needed. By summer, she invited Emily and her husband for tea. Shed never forget their kindness.
