Sarah Andrews almost agrees to sell everything. Then she hears the truth outside the door.
What do you mean sell?! she exclaims, bewildered, staring at her son. Where will I live? In the hallway? At the station? Have you decided to hand me over to a care home?
Mom, why are you starting this again, Kevin sighs.
Do you really think Id offer you a washingmachine box? she says, voice rising. Have you lost your mind, Kevin?!
Dont shout. Im just suggesting we look at the options
Whats there to discuss? A house isnt a thing you can offload when times are tough! she snaps, pushing away from the table. I was born here, you grew up here, and youve decided to put it on the market!
At that moment the neighbour, Lucy Bennett, slips in without knocking.
Sarah! Why are you sitting there like a statue? You promised youd plant all the beds this year. Remember last winter you barely made it through! Where are your garden plans?
I tried, honestly Sarah lowers her eyes. The seedlings have just sprouted, and I cant bring myself to pull them up
Dont pull them out! I gave you Ians number a month ago the tractor driver from Littleton. Hed plough the whole field for you, tidy it up! You could grow something useful instead of staring at roses in your golden years
Kevin mentioned maybe his friends will come over in summer barbecues, a fire pit. And I have lilac, roses
Those roses of yours! Lucy scoffs. In the past five years your son has come over three times, and always with a case of beer, never a grill.
Hes busy. He has a lot on his plate
And remember how the winter snow cut us off? No food, no medicine! Good thing I stopped by. Where was your hardworking son then? You couldnt even get a phone call!
He always shows up when I call
Sarah, youre like a schoolgirl: you believe and you wait. Time is slipping by. You need to think with your head, not your heart. You need garden beds now, not rose bushes!
Maybe Ill finally make the beds, where the lilac has already taken root
Exactly. And whats the word from your daughter?
Everythings the same. Kevin only pops in for birthdays, New Year thats all the conversation we have.
Your visits from Kevin are getting rarer, and the worries are fewer. I dont want to sound harsh, but things are only going to get quieter
Sarah lives in the hamlet of Willowbrook, near Yorkshire. Shes been alone for twenty years after her husband died on the motorway. Her first child, Eleanor, was born early, sensible, learned to wash and cook before most. Kevin arrived later, when she was in her forties, becoming her comfort. Theres a fifteenyear age gap between them. Different eras, different upbringings.
Eleanor leaves first.
Mom, Im getting married, she says.
Marry who? That bloke Tom from the village? I wont allow it! He has no trade, no education, no culture!
Its my life, Mum. Im eighteen now.
Have you seen his character? Hes all flesh and no soul!
Its not about looks, hes kind, smart. Hes got a job in the city.
And youll go with him? What about me?
Ill study and live on my own.
Sarah weeps, begs. Eleanor packs a suitcase, throws it out the window and disappears. No letters, no calls, only occasional gossip through acquaintances.
Kevin stays with his mother for years, turning the yard into a leisure space: a gazebo, a swing, a barbecue, a lawn, flowers. No vegetable patches, no potatoes.
Mom, why do you need garden beds? Theres a supermarket in Willowbrook now! Everythings there potatoes, courgettes, greens. No need to bend your back.
Tradition says we keep whats ours
That was once tradition! Its the twentyfirst century now!
Sarah concedes. She lives modestly but comfortably. Kevin brings groceries, medicine, drives her to doctors. Later he meets a girl, Marina, marries her. Sarah accepts Marina, but they never click, and Sarah never hides her disdain for the country life, especially toward her motherinlaw.
During another visit Kevin, as usual, embraces his mother, lays out the groceries, sits at the table.
Mom, I want to talk. I have an idea its very profitable.
Business again?
Mom, developers are buying land in Willowbrook! They want to build a cottage estate full infrastructure, everything you need. If we sell the house with the plot, we could buy a nice onebed flat in York and still have startup capital.
Wait what about me? Where will I live?
Mom, dont start. We could think about a care home or rent a flat. Not on the street!
You want to move me into an apartment? From the garden thats been in our family for generations? Are you serious? This is our family home!
Mom, its just a house. Old, inconvenient. As long as the price holds, we have to sell.
Never! Sarah clenches her fists. As long as Im alive, this house stays. I wont put it in a will!
Kevin abruptly stands, grabs his keys, and leaves without a goodbye.
Sarah steps into the yard. A rose bush sits halfbloomed on the flower bed. In one hand she holds a spade, in the other an axe. She decides to dig up the bed for vegetables but cant move a muscle.
Still stuck? Lucy shouts from over the fence.
No strength. Neither in my arms nor in my heart.
Its too late now! The seasons wasted. And Kevin may never come back.
What would you advise?
Think clearly. Do everything by the book youll get a onebed flat in York. Hospital nearby, shop, warmth, good neighbours. Civilised living.
Sarah sleeplessly ponders all night. At dawn she hops on a bus and heads to York, to Kevins flat. She decides to compromise and talk calmly.
She reaches the third floor, pauses at the door.
Inside a voice rings out:
Vera, she never wants to sell! Stubborn as a bulldozer!
Then go work as a loader! How am I supposed to keep a business? Were on the brink and youre whining! Let the house rot in Willowbrook!
Sarah freezes, then pounds the door with fury.
Mom? Kevin answers.
Thank you, son, for already burying me! her voice trembles. I came to talk, to make peace. And now know this: I will not sell! Never! Id rather be buried in the earth than hand it over to your scheme!
Mom
Get out of here with your nightmare! Let others sell their flats! My house is not yours to touch!
Sarah turns and walks away. She spends the night at the station, returns home at first light. She lies in bed for three days, then grabs the axe but cant get close to the rose bush.
In the morning someone knocks on the garden gate.
Whos there?
Mom, its me. Emily.
Emily?! Sarah freezes. My daughter
Mom, how are you?
I, her voice cracks.
Kevin called. He says youve gone off your rocker, you dont want to sell the house. I told him to go away. He thought youd already given up but Ive realized its time to come home.
Darling but we
When did that happen? I have three children now. I understand you perfectly!
Children?
Two daughters and a son. And Roman is slim now, does sports, works in IT.
And you?
Well visit on the weekend. Ill bring groceries and everything you need. Were close now, Mum.
What about the garden beds?
Theyre not needed any more. Youve got grandchildren now.
Sarah bursts into tears and embraces her daughter.
