THE OBSESSION
In any workplace full of women, gossip finds its home. And as they say, a gossip’s tongue is longer than a ladder. At one nursery school, the staff often whispered about the personal and married life of Lucy, one of the teachers. To the young woman, these were two entirely separate worlds. Lucy, it seemed, delighted in giving them plenty to talk about.
She always had admirers flocking around her like bees to honey. The moment a plumber, carpenter, or decorator stepped into the nursery, Lucy would drop everything and rush to “help” them—though it never went beyond shameless flirting and promises in her smile. Still, everyone was convinced she had “a bit of a past.”
Lucy chattered away, always finding herself surrounded by men. She even teased old Mick, the caretaker—a man on the brink of retirement. She adored bathing in compliments, feeling like the brightest star among her colleagues.
Yet Lucy was married, with a seven-year-old daughter, Emily. But none of that stopped her from living her own secret life.
Her husband, William, adored his Lucy. He treated her like porcelain, careful not to let a speck of dust settle on her. He had an inkling of her little games. “Well, if a woman’s beautiful… it’s hard to ignore attention from other men. But my Lucy is a faithful wife,” he reassured himself.
Bless his simple heart. Besides, Lucy swore endless love to him.
She had married William at her mother’s insistence. “You can mould him into the perfect husband,” her mother had said. And so it was. William was a skilled electrician, often away on jobs across the country. When he returned, he showered Lucy and Emily with gifts, devoting all his free time to them. But something was missing for Lucy in this quiet, comfortable marriage. Passion? Wild emotions?
Then one day, Lucy fell head over heels.
It all began when Mick was finally sent into retirement, and the headmistress, Victoria, hired her own son to take his place. Daniel was a fourth-year medical student, training to be a dentist.
Victoria had arranged the job to help him make ends meet. Daniel agreed—every extra pound helped. Maybe he could even take a girl to the cinema, buy her an ice cream. Never mind that there was no girl yet. A handsome, promising young man like him? One would come along soon enough.
The moment Daniel started working, Lucy couldn’t resist slipping into the caretaker’s lodge.
It was a winter evening. The last child had been collected. Lucy let herself into Daniel’s little room uninvited, just to introduce herself. The polite young man offered her a chair while he perched on the worn-out sofa. Lucy had a gift for effortless conversation—her words tumbled out faster than anyone could keep up.
They talked and talked, losing track of time. Daniel rambled about medicine, his friends, his dreams. Lucy nodded along sympathetically. Then she lamented her dull, stifling life—until Daniel was soothingly holding her hand. Before they knew it, night had fallen over the town.
Daniel walked her home—luckily, she lived close to the nursery.
And so began their dizzying affair.
Lucy couldn’t control herself. She was plunging headfirst into the abyss. Soon, Daniel confessed his love. The news spread like wildfire through the staff. After all, you can’t lock another’s lips.
Victoria summoned Lucy to her office.
“Lucy, I’ll remind you—you have a family. As a mother, I’m begging you, leave Daniel alone. What could you possibly have in common? You have a husband, a daughter. Daniel has years of study ahead. He doesn’t need stolen love. Or do you want me to sack you for misconduct?”
“Sack me, then!” Lucy snapped. “I won’t give Daniel up. He’s mine!” She stormed out.
“You’ll regret this!” Victoria shouted after her.
The next day, Lucy handed in a request for leave. Victoria signed it without a word, adding only:
“I hope you come to your senses, Lucy. I don’t need a daughter-in-law with baggage.”
Lucy took Emily (“the baggage”) and fled to her parents’ village, desperate for solitude to make the right choice. She didn’t understand what was happening to her—lust? Passion? Obsession? Her logic had gone silent, but her heart ached for love.
In the village lived Madam Elsie, the local fortune-teller. People travelled from miles for her advice. At ninety, her mind was sharp, her spirit unbroken. She lived alone in a crumbling cottage on the village edge. Once, she had a husband and seven children. She outlived them all, wept every tear dry, then suddenly became a seer. Every prediction came true.
Lucy brought gifts (Madam Elsie never took money) and set off to “read her fate.”
Before she could knock, the old woman startled her:
“Well, girl, what’ll you name your little boy?”
Lucy blinked. “What boy?”
“Your son. You’re due in spring. Didn’t you know?”
Lucy was stunned. The seer ushered her inside. The tiny, dim cottage smelled of herbs, candles flickered on the table, icons watched from the walls.
“Sit, dear. I’ll tell you everything. I know your sorrows.”
She laid out her worn cards, sighed deeply.
“Don’t keep me waiting,” Lucy pleaded.
“Your daughter will marry a military man. Go far away with him. But you—go back to your husband. He’ll take you as you are. You’ve strayed, but he’ll love your boy too. You’re building castles in the sand, girl. Turn from him, and you’ll be alone in this world.”
Madam Elsie whispered prayers, melted wax, poured it into water. A shape formed.
“What do you see, girl?”
Lucy peered. “Good Lord—it’s a camel!”
“Go in peace, then. I’ve no more to say.”
Dazed, Lucy left the gifts and stepped outside.
“What on earth does a boy and a camel have to do with anything?”
For a moment, doubt crept in. But Lucy had already decided. She would leave William for Daniel.
Wait—where would they live? Daniel still lived with his mother. Victoria. Right. Well, no matter. She’d figure it out.
Lucy returned to town. Two weeks of leave had dragged unbearably.
She missed Daniel terribly. The moment work resumed, she flew to the caretaker’s lodge.
There sat Mick, puffing on his pipe as always. Lucy paled.
“I know who you hoped to see,” he said. “Your lad’s gone. Victoria sent him packing—off to her relatives in Devon. ‘Better my son herds sheep than tangles with a married woman!’ So I’m back. With a bonus, no less.”
Seeing Lucy’s despair, he softened.
“Daniel left this address for you. You’re not really going, are you? It’s a plane ride away. Lucy, love, you’re chasing trouble. That husband of yours is solid gold. You’ll lose him, and then what? Daniel’s a rolling stone. He’ll move on. The devil puts honey in another man’s wife, they say.”
Mick sighed—his warnings were wasted.
Lucy was already sprinting to the post office, clutching the paper like treasure, drafting a letter in her head.
Three months later, a reply came. Lucy had nearly gone mad waiting. She kissed the envelope, wept over it. Then she read it—and froze.
In neat feminine handwriting: “Woman, Daniel is my husband. Don’t write again.”
Lucy confronted Victoria. The headmistress smirked.
“You won’t have my son. Haven’t you grasped that yet?”
“But I’m carrying his child!”
“I see you’re expecting. Maternity leave, then. But is it Daniel’s? Your husband’s? Or… who knows?”
Lucy packed for the long trip. She told William she was visiting her parents.
He let her go, urging her to take care—”we want a healthy baby.”
He still had no idea of the storm in her heart.
Finally—Devon.
Lucy arrived at the address. Along the way, she’d seen sheep grazing…
Daniel, spotting her, rushed over. “Lucy? What are you doing here?”
“Is this true?” She waved the letter.
“What?”
“Your wife wrote this. Where is she?”
Daniel frowned. “I don’t have a wife. Wait—I think I know what happened. My mother must’ve arranged this.”
It turned out Victoria’s sister had written the letter, hiding Lucy’s own from Daniel. He’d only come to help with the harvest. Realising Lucy was pregnant, they hurried home.
Lucy confessed everything to William. He listened calmly, packed his things, and left.
“I suppose this was coming. I just want you happy, Lucy.”
Daniel moved in at once.
Victoria raged, threatened.
In time, Lucy gave birth to a son, Oliver.
Now, her married and personal life were one. She doted on Daniel, hanging on his every word, fulfilling his whims like a gen
