The car screeched to a sudden halt. Alex, a typically serious young man, found it quite out of character to offer a lift to a stranger standing by the roadside.
The cottage in the quaint summer village where Alex and his mother had their cozy home was about 10 miles from the town. Living there in the summer was pure bliss, and Alex would set off for work around 7 a.m., as the road was usually clear at that time, with the surrounding woods evoking pleasant thoughts and memories.
A girl ran up to the car and, smiling, peered through the open window.
“Hello,” she sang cheerfully, “Could you give me a lift to town?”
“Aren’t you afraid of getting into a stranger’s car in the middle of the woods?” Alex asked, unable to suppress a smile.
“Well, what is there to be afraid of?” replied the girl. “You have an expensive car and kind eyes. Why would someone like you, with kind eyes and such a car, want to do me any harm?”
Alex burst into laughter. He hadn’t witnessed such naivety and simplicity in a long time and honestly thought it barely existed anymore.
Lily, who grew up in the countryside, was open and trusting. Three weeks after meeting her, Alex proposed, and she agreed without hesitation. He seemed like a reliable and handsome young man to her.
“It’s just as Aunt Nancy predicted,” Lily thought to herself quietly, holding Alex’s hand tightly and glancing nervously at his mother, for whom the announcement of the upcoming celebration was akin to a minor earthquake.
After the wedding, Lily and Alex moved into Alex’s city apartment. Living at the cottage was not entirely convenient. Besides, Alex’s mother wasn’t especially fond of her daughter-in-law.
“I’m amazed at you, son,” Victoria often said when Alex visited her. “Was this countryside beauty the only decent option in your entire circle?” she sighed wistfully, shaking her perfectly styled head.
Alex would smile but never argued with his mother. He didn’t wish to explain how content he felt in his small, cozy family. Alex’s mother was a cold and reserved woman, making Lily’s openness and warmth resemble both a mother and wife to Alex.
Several years passed, and Lily and Alex had a charming daughter named Amy. Lily adored her, and even the grandmother began to soften. She saw how Lily loved and spoiled her son and raised her daughter wisely and strictly. Eventually, even Victoria, despite her tough and slightly cynical demeanor, was able to admit her mistakes.
So Alex wasn’t surprised when one day she shifted from anger to kindness and invited Lily and her granddaughter to spend a few days at the cottage.
“Al, I’m scared of her,” Lily whined, seeking any excuse not to visit her mother-in-law.
“She’s not going to eat you,” Alex laughed, kissing his wife gently on the neck.
“She will, she will,” moaned Lily, “and she’ll have Amy as a snack. Then you’ll wail and cry, but it will be too late,” she concluded convincingly, even shedding a tear for effect.
But nothing could stop it. Alex took the basket of food from his wife, packed the cheerful, blue-eyed Amy, coaxed his reluctant wife into the front seat, and the family set off, bickering and noisy.
Victoria genuinely welcomed them, smiling at Lily, who realized the war was over. Their extraordinary friendship began from that moment, growing closer and more trusting each day. Lily returned to work, and Amy frequently stayed with Victoria, who read her books, taught her piano, and practiced English with her. Victoria, a simultaneous interpreter in her day, regaled the curious girl with amusing stories about overseas trips and interesting people she’d met.
A few more years passed. One day Lily and Amy arrived at Victoria’s unexpectedly. Lily had lost weight and seemed uncharacteristically tense and silent.
“Lily, what’s wrong?” Victoria asked with concern. “Are you unwell?”
Lily sighed, sat down, and burst into tears.
“Alex hasn’t lived with us for six months,” she said through her tears. “Earlier, he just sometimes didn’t come home, claiming to be busy with work. Then he started disappearing for days. He’d come, change clothes, kiss Amy, push me aside, and leave again. At first, I thought he was having work troubles. We haven’t seen much money for almost a year now. But that’s okay. I’m a nurse, and I earn decently. We manage. But then, one day, the doorbell rang. I opened it to find a well-dressed, beautiful woman, wearing a hat. She had an expensive handbag, the kind I’d only seen on TV,” Lily managed to calm herself a bit, took a breath, and continued,
“She said, ‘You’re a nobody and not a match for Alex. He’s going to live with me now. You need to clear out of the apartment and take your silly daughter with you. We don’t need your unkempt girl, we have plenty to do.’”
“I’m not silly and very well-mannered,” Amy suddenly announced before turning away in defiance. Victoria and Lily didn’t notice her slipping into the kitchen to eavesdrop.
“You’re certainly not silly,” Victoria confirmed, straightening up. “You’re a smart, well-mannered girl. So, we’ll all live together, including your mum.”
Lily wiped away her tears, looking at Victoria in surprise. But the iron lady had already made up her mind. When her son informed her about the divorce and hoped she would soon change her will to leave the house to him, she accepted it with calm dignity. The will had already been amended, but Victoria forgot to mention that the new owners were now his ex-wife and blue-eyed Amy, who at that moment was innocently tousling her grandmother’s carefully styled hair.
