Nora hurried home as the clock struck nearly ten in the evening. The day had been exhausting, and she longed to reach her flat, have a simple supper and collapse into bed. Her husband was already there, dinner was waiting, and their twelveyearold son, Harry, had been fed.
She had spent the day working the night shift at a modest hairdressers on Deansgate, and after closing she tidied her station, set the alarm, and locked the door. Only then did she linger a little longer.
The route home passed through a tiny square on the outskirts of Manchester. By day it was a quiet spot for pensioners to sit on the benches, and by night the lamps gave enough light to keep it feeling safe.
On this particular night, however, one of the benches was not empty. Huddled together were two childrena boy of about nine or ten and a little girl who could not have been older than five. Nora slowed her steps and approached.
Why are you two out here alone? Its getting late. Lets get you home, she said.
The boy looked up, brushed a hand over the girls head and squeezed her tighter.
Weve nowhere to go. Our stepfather chased us out, he muttered.
And wheres your mother?
Gone with him. Shes drunk.
Without a moments hesitation, Nora took the childrens hands. Come with me. Well sort things out tomorrow.
She led the girlMilly, as she introduced herselfto the flat and handed the boyTomto his arm. Inside she explained everything to John and Harry. Knowing Noras generous heart, they asked no questions; instead they showed the children where they could wash up and set a place at the table. Hungry but shy, the youngsters ate everything offered to them.
Later, Nora paid a visit to her neighbour, Mrs. Clarke, whose daughter was in the first grade, and asked for a few bits of clothing for Milly. The neighbours, like many families after a childs arrival, had more than enough to spare. They gathered a modest pile of handmedowns.
Nora bathed Milly, dressed her in clean clothes, and Tom managed to wash himself; a few old shirts from his own brothers wardrobe were handed to him. The children slept on the sofa in the living room togetherMilly clinging to her brother, who kept her close in his arms.
Stuffed and weary, they soon fell asleep on the fresh bed. Nora sent Harry to his room and lingered in the kitchen with John, discussing what to do next.
The following morning she rose early, saw John off to work, and prepared for her second shift. The children awoke, she fed them, gathered their freshly laundered garments into a sack and set off to return them.
They escorted her to a house just down the lane. The flat on the third floor stood ajar; the children stepped inside and froze in the hallway.
Nora paused at the door, yearning to meet the woman inside eye to eye and ask what had haunted her through the night while her children were left alone.
From the bedroom emerged a gaunt, thinskinned woman with a prominent mole beside her eye. She glanced indifferently at the children and said, Ah youve come And who is this?
This is Aunt Nora. We spent the night with her, Tom replied.
Ah very well, she muttered, turning back to the room as if nothing had happened. Nora stared, bewilderedwas this their mother?
The woman then turned back to Nora. Come into the kitchen, well talk, she said.
Nora followed. To her surprise, despite the modest surroundings, the flat was spotless: dishes washed, floors gleaming, belongings in order. Even her own faded housecoat, its buttons missing, lay clean on a chair. Sit down, the woman instructed, pointing to a chair.
Nora obeyed. The woman settled opposite her, her one good eye fixed on Nora. Do you have children? she asked.
Yes, a son, twelve years old, Nora answered.
Listen If anything happens to me, please look after my children, okay? Theyre innocent, the woman pleaded.
You plan to leave them? Nora asked, baffled.
I cant go on. Ive tried to stop but it never works. He she nodded toward the bedroom where a loud snore echoed, has been taken to the police a few times, only to return, beating worse each time. I cant stay sober; I drink every day. He throws the children out the door; theyre not his.
Wheres the father?
He drowned when Milly was barely a year old. Ive been alone ever since.
You work?
I was a shop assistant. Got fired last week for repeated absences.
And the man?
He scrapes by now and then. We just manage.
She fell silent, then again looked at Nora. If anything happens, I beg youdont abandon them. If you cant keep them, take them to a shelter, please.
Nora rose, her mind refusing to accept what she had just heard. It all seemed like a nightmare. The children came forward, each embracing her. Tears welled in Noras eyes; she dabbed them away with her sleeve and told Tom where to find her.
She stepped out onto the street, letting the tears fall in a steady drizzle, drawing the curious glances of passersby. That evening she recounted the whole tale to John. He asked nothing, simply promised that they would never abandon the children. Their own son, hearing his parents, came over and hugged both of them. The three sat together in the kitchen, silent but clasped in each others arms.
Three days later, AntonHarrys older brotherrushed in, pale and trembling. Mums vanished, the stepfathers been taken by the police. Millys with the neighbour now, but theyre taking her to a childrens home today, he said, breathless. The children were indeed removed that very day.
The following morning the river yielded a cold, lifeless bodyMillys mother, drowned. It seemed she had sensed her fate and begged Nora to look after her children.
Nora and John began the arduous process of applying for guardianship. No relatives could be found for Tom and Milly, and after thorough investigations, bolstered by Noras testimony of the nights conversation, the authorities finally granted them custody.
Nora left her job at the salon. Milly, still frightened, clung to her brother, flinching even at the clatter of a spoon, as if expecting punishment from John. Gaining her trust took patience. Anton, older and more perceptive, soon realised that this household posed no threat.
Gradually Milly opened up. She approached Nora confidently, played with Harry, smiled and talked, though a lingering wariness of John remaineda deeprooted fear of adult men. John, ever gentle, treated her with care. He had always dreamed of having a daughter, but Noras health no longer allowed her to bear another child.
When the day came for Johns return from a threeday business trip, Nora and Milly met him at the door. He drew a circle around them and extended his arms toward the girl. Milly stepped forward shyly and hugged his neck. He lifted her up, and together they entered the kitchen. Harry, seeing Millys bright smile, joined them, followed by Nora. All embraced, standing there in quiet solidarity, warmth filling their hearts.
In that home, at last, peace settled over the lives once tangled by hardship.
