The car came to a sudden stop. Alex, a serious young man, found it quite unusual to feel compelled to give a lift to a stranger, especially a girl he had never met before, standing on the roadside.
His cottage, shared with his mother, was located in a quaint village about 9 miles from the city. Summers there were pure bliss, and Alex typically set off for work around 7 in the morning when the roads were clear and the surrounding woods filled his mind with pleasant thoughts and memories.
The girl approached the car, peeking through the open window with a smile.
“Hello,” she chimed brightly, “Could you take me to the city?”
“Aren’t you afraid to get into a stranger’s car in the middle of the woods?” Alex asked, a reluctant smile forming on his face.
“Why would I be afraid of you?” she replied. “You’ve got a nice car and kind eyes. With a car like that and a look like yours, why would you want to do me any harm?”
Alex laughed heartily. He hadn’t encountered such naivety and simplicity in a long time, truthfully thinking it was long extinct.
Having grown up in the countryside, Lisa was open-hearted and trusting. Three weeks after meeting Alex, he proposed, and she agreed without hesitation. This young man appeared so solid and handsome to her. “Just like Aunt Nancy predicted,” Lisa thought to herself, holding onto Alex’s hand firmly, casting cautious glances toward his mother, who received news of their impending celebration as if it were an earthquake.
After the wedding, Lisa and Alex moved into Alex’s city apartment. Living at the cottage wasn’t very convenient. Also, Alex’s mother didn’t particularly warm up to her daughter-in-law.
“I’m amazed, son,” Victoria would often remark when Alex visited, “Was this country beauty really the best option in your entire circle?” She’d sigh sadly, shaking her head with elegantly styled hair.
Alex smiled and refrained from arguing with his mother. He didn’t want to explain how peaceful and content he felt in his small, cozy family. His mother was a reserved and composed woman. For Alex, Lisa’s warm and affectionate nature felt like a blend of both a mother and wife.
Several years went by, and Lisa and Alex had an adorable daughter named Mary. Lisa absolutely adored her, and even the grandmother began to soften. She saw how Lisa loved and spoiled her son, how wisely she raised her daughter. Although Victoria was a stern and somewhat cynical woman, she could admit her mistakes.
Alex wasn’t surprised when one fine day, she put aside her anger and invited Lisa and her granddaughter to stay at the cottage for a few days.
“I’m scared of her, Alex,” Lisa mumbled, trying to find any excuse not to visit her mother-in-law.
“She won’t eat you,” Alex laughed, kissing his wife gently on the neck.
“She will, she will,” Lisa groaned, “and Mary will be dessert. You’ll cry about it, and it’ll be too late,” she finished convincingly, even shedding a tear for effect.
But nothing worked. Alex took the basket of food from his wife, loaded the cheerful, blue-eyed Mary into the car, prodded his reluctant wife into the passenger seat, and the family set off on their journey, chatting and bantering along the way. Victoria was genuinely pleased to see them. She smiled at Lisa, and the young woman realized the war was over. Their remarkable friendship began at that moment. With each day, the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law grew closer and more trusting.
Lisa returned to work, and Mary often stayed with Victoria, who read her books, taught her piano, and practiced English with her. Victoria, being an interpreter, shared delightful stories from her travels and fascinating encounters with people from around the world.
A few more years passed. One day, Lisa and Mary arrived at Victoria’s unexpectedly. Lisa looked thinner and appeared tense and withdrawn.
“Lisa, what happened?” Victoria inquired kindly, “You’re not unwell, are you?”
But Lisa sighed, sat down, and began to weep bitterly.
“Alex hasn’t lived with us for half a year,” she said through tears, struggling to form the words. “At first, he’d just not come home sometimes. Said he was working a lot. Then he’d disappear for several days. He comes, changes, kisses Mary, pushes me away, and leaves again. At first, I thought he had troubles at work. We haven’t seen any money for almost a year now. But it’s okay. I’m a nurse and earn decently.
We manage. But then, someone knocked on the door. I opened it, and there was a lady standing there. Beautiful, well-groomed, wearing a hat. Had a pricey handbag. I’ve only seen such on television,” Lisa calmed briefly, took a deep breath, and continued, “She said, ‘You’re a pauper, and not a match for Alex. He’s living with me now, so pack your things and take your silly daughter with you. We’ll handle life without your unruly girl.’
“I’m not silly and I’m very well-behaved!” Mary suddenly stated to the adults and turned away in annoyance. Victoria and Lisa hadn’t noticed her quietly slipping into the kitchen and listening to the grown-ups for a while now.
“Of course, you’re not silly,” Victoria confirmed, straightening her back. “You’re a smart and well-mannered girl. So, we’ll live together and take your mum with us.”
Lisa wiped her tears and looked at Victoria in surprise. But the iron lady had already made up her mind. When her son informed her that he was planning to divorce and hoped she would soon revise her will involving the house, she received it with grace and dignity. Little did he know, the will had already been updated.
Victoria simply forgot to mention to her son that the new owners of the house were his ex-wife and the blue-eyed Mary, who at that moment was joyfully and carefree as ever, playfully tousling her beloved grandmother’s beautifully styled hair.
