The car came to a sudden halt and stopped. Alex was a serious young man, so the strange urge to give a lift to an unfamiliar girl waving from the roadside was quite out of character for him.
The cottage, where Alex and his mother had a cozy and warm home, was located 10 miles from the city. Living there in the summer was a pleasure, and Alex always left for work around 7 in the morning, as the road was relatively empty at that time, and the surrounding forest stirred pleasant thoughts and memories.
The girl ran up to the car and, smiling, peeked through the open window.
“Hello,” she sang cheerfully, “are you heading to the city?”
“Aren’t you afraid of getting into a stranger’s car in the middle of the woods?” Alex asked, involuntarily smiling.
“Well, why should I be afraid?” the girl replied. “You’ve got a nice car and kind eyes. What nasty things could someone with such a car and eyes want to do?”
Alex laughed heartily. He hadn’t encountered such naivety and simplicity in a long time, and frankly speaking, he was pretty sure it barely existed anymore.
Growing up in a village, Lucy was open and trusting. When Alex proposed to her three weeks after they met, she agreed without hesitation. He seemed such a solid and handsome young man to her.
“It’s just how Aunt Nancy predicted,” Lucy thought quietly to herself, tightly holding Alex’s hand and nervously watching his mother, for whom the news of the upcoming celebration was akin to a mild earthquake.
After the wedding, Lucy and Alex moved into Alex’s city apartment. Living at the cottage wasn’t entirely convenient, and Alex’s mother didn’t have much affection for her daughter-in-law.
“I’m amazed at you, son,” Victoria often said to Alex when he visited her. “Was this village beauty the only suitable option in all your surroundings?” she sighed sadly and shook her head with gracefully styled hair.
Alex smiled but never argued with his mother. He didn’t feel like explaining how peaceful and content he was in his small, cozy family. Alex’s mother was a woman who was cold and reserved. Therefore, for Alex, the open and affectionate Lucy embodied both a motherly and wifely figure.
Several years passed, and Lucy and Alex had a charming daughter named Mary. Lucy was utterly devoted to her, and even the grandmother gradually began to warm up. She saw how Lucy loved and spoiled her son and how strictly yet wisely she raised her daughter. Victoria, though a tough and somewhat cynical lady, knew how to admit her mistakes.
Thus, Alex wasn’t at all surprised when, one beautiful day, Victoria moved past her anger and invited Lucy and her granddaughter to stay at the cottage for a few days.
“Alex, I’m scared of her,” Lucy whined, trying to find any excuse not to visit her mother-in-law.
“She won’t eat you,” Alex laughed, planting a gentle kiss on his wife’s neck.
“She will, she will,” Lucy moaned, “and she’ll snack on Mary too. Then you’ll wail and cry, but it’ll be too late,” Lucy concluded convincingly and even shed a tear for effect.
But nothing helped. Alex took the basket of food from his wife, loaded the cheerful, blue-eyed Mary, urged the hesitant Lucy into the front seat, and the whole family, chattering and bickering, set off on their journey.
Victoria was genuinely happy to see them. She smiled at Lucy, and the young woman realized that the war was over. From that moment, their remarkable friendship began. With each passing day, the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law grew closer and more trusting.
Lucy went back to work, and Mary often stayed with Victoria, who read her books, taught her to play the piano, and worked on her English with her. The thing was, Victoria had been a simultaneous interpreter, and the curious girl delighted in hearing her amusing stories about overseas trips and meetings with interesting people.
Several more years went by. One day, Lucy and Mary arrived at Victoria’s place without warning. Lucy had lost weight and seemed strangely tense and uncommunicative.
“Lucy, what’s the matter?” Victoria asked with concern. “Surely you’re not ill?” But Lucy sighed, sat down on a chair, and burst into tears.
“Alex hasn’t been living with us for six months now,” Lucy said through sobs. “He used to just sometimes not come home. Said he was working late. Then he started disappearing for days. He’d drop by, change, kiss Mary, push me away, and leave again. At first, I thought he had trouble at work. We haven’t seen money for nearly a year. But that’s alright, I’m a nurse, I earn okay. We manage. Then one day the doorbell rings, I open it, and there’s a lady standing there. She’s beautiful, sophisticated. Wearing a hat. Her handbag looked expensive. I’ve only seen them on TV,” Lucy paused to catch her breath, then continued, “She says, ‘You’re a pauper, and not a match for Alex. He’ll be living with me now, so pack your things, and take your stupid daughter with you. Alex and I will have better things to do without your ill-mannered girl around.’”
“I’m not stupid and I’m very well-mannered,” Mary interjected, turning away indignantly. Victoria and Lucy hadn’t noticed that she had quietly crept into the kitchen and had been listening to the adult conversation for a few minutes.
“Of course, you’re not stupid,” Victoria confirmed, straightening her back. “You are a wise and well-mannered girl. So you and I will live together and we’ll take your mother with us.”
Lucy wiped her tears and looked in astonishment at Victoria. But the iron lady had already made her decision. When Alex informed his mother that he was getting a divorce and hoped she would soon change her will over the estate, she took it calmly and with dignity. Because the will had already been changed.
Victoria had simply neglected to mention to her son that the new owners of the house were now his former wife and the blue-eyed Mary, who at that moment was tugging playfully and carefree at her beloved grandmother’s beautifully styled hair.
