Get away from me! I never said Id marry you! In fact Ive no idea whose baby this is, Victor snapped at the stunned Valerie.
She stood there, mouth open, eyes wide, trying to believe what shed just heard. Was this the Victor whod once held her close, the one whod whispered sweet promises? Or was it some other bloke, the one who used to call her my little love and speak of heavens blessings?
Before her was a bewildered, slightly angry stranger. Valerie sobbed for a week, waving goodbye to Victor for good.
By the time she was thirtyfive, feeling invisible and sure shed never find true happiness, she decided to have a child.
She gave birth, right on schedule, to a loud little girl she named Mabel.
Mabel grew up quiet and easygoing, never causing Valerie any trouble. She seemed to know that whether she shouted or not, nothing would change anything.
Valerie treated her daughter decently enoughshe fed her, clothed her, bought her toysbut she never had the patience to hug her, cuddle her, or take her out for a walk. It just wasnt there.
Little Mabel would reach for her mothers hand, but Valerie would push her away, saying she was busy, tired, or her head was pounding. It was as if the maternal instinct never switched on.
When Mabel was seven, something unexpected happenedValerie met a man.
She even brought him into her house, and the whole hamlet in Westshire started whispering. What a careless old thing Valerie is, letting some stranger into her home, theyd mutter.
He was a bit of a drifter, no steady job, seemed to be living off the gridmaybe even a con artist, they guessed. Yet he showed up one day at the local corner shop where Valerie worked, offering to unload crates of goods. Thats where their romance sparked.
Soon enough, Valerie invited him to move in. The neighbours condemned her, saying shed taken in a mystery man. They fretted about the little girl, noting how quiet he wasyou cant get a word out of him, must be hiding something.
Valerie ignored the gossip. She felt this was her last shot at a proper life.
Then the villagers opinion shifted. The manGeorge, as they later learnedstarted fixing up the rundown cottage that had seen better days. First he repaired the porch, then patched the roof, and finally rebuilt the sagging fence.
Each day he was out with a hammer or a wrench, and the place began to look brand new. Folks started lining up for his help, and hed say, If youre old or broke, Ill lend a hand. If not, chip in with cash or groceries.
He took money from some, but from others he accepted tins of beans, a slab of meat, eggs, milkwhatever they could spare.
Valeries garden finally produced something, but without a man around shed rarely splashed Mabel with cream or fresh milk. After George moved in, the fridge stocked butter, fresh milk, and even a pot of cream.
Georges hands were practically golden. As they say, Hes a jackofalltrades. Valerie, whod never been considered a beauty, began to glow, softened, and even grew kinder to Mabel. The little girls cheeks developed cute dimples, and she finally started school.
One afternoon she sat on the front step, watching Uncle George work his magic, everything falling into place. Later she trotted over to a neighbours house and didnt return until nightfall. When she pushed open the gate, she froze.
In the middle of the yard stood a pair of swings, gently swaying in the breeze, beckoning her.
Is that for me? Uncle George, you did this for me? Swings?! Mabel whispered, eyes wide.
Of course, Mabel! Consider it a gift, George chuckled, his usual gruffness softened by a twinkle.
Mabel hopped onto the swing, soaring back and forth as the wind whistled in her ears. Shed never felt happier.
George was up early for his shop, so he also took over the cookingbreakfasts, lunches, and the occasional pie or casserole. He taught Mabel how to make a decent meal and set the table, showing a talent no one had expected from the quiet bloke.
When winter shortened the days, George would meet Mabel after school, carry her backpack, and spin tales of his own lifehow hed cared for a sick mother, sold his flat to pay for her treatment, and how his own brother had driven him out of the family home with deceit. He wanted her to see the messy side of people.
He showed her how to fish, taking her to the river at dawn, sitting silently until a bite, teaching patience. In summer he bought her first childs bicycle and helped her learn to ride, rubbing ointment on bruised knees when she fell.
Dont worry, shell learn to fall and get back up, hed say when Valerie fretted, Shell be fine.
On New Years Day George surprised Mabel with a pair of proper childrens ice skates. That evening the whole family gathered around the table George and Mabel had set, glasses clinking, laughter echoing.
The next morning, the house awoke to Mabels excited shriek, Skates! Ive got real skates! Theyre white and brand new! Thank you, thank you! She hugged them to her chest, tears of joy streaming down her face.
Later, George and Mabel trudged out to the frozen river. He cleared the ice of snow while she helped, then taught her to glide. She stumbled at first, but he held her steady until she could stand firm. When she finally glided without falling, she squealed with triumph and threw her arms around his neck.
Thank you for everything, Uncle George thank you, dad, she whispered.
George, overwhelmed, tried to wipe away his tears before she sawtiny droplets froze instantly on the cold air.
Mabel grew up, left for university in Manchester, and faced the same hardships anyone does. Through it all, George was there. He turned up at her graduation, hauled groceries to her flat so shed never go hungry, and stood beside her when she married.
When she had children of her own, George was at the maternity ward, waiting anxiously for news, doting on his grandchildren with a love that sometimes even parents forget to show.
Eventually, his time came to an end, just as it does for us all. At his funeral, Mabel, handinhand with her mother, tossed a handful of earth into the ground, sighed heavy, and said, Goodbye, dad You were the best father anyone could ask for. Ill always remember you.
George lived on in her heart, not just as Uncle George or a stepdad, but as a true fatherbecause sometimes a father isnt the one who gives you life, but the one who gives you love, shares your pain and joy, and stands by you through everything.
