**To Stay or To Go**
Charlotte opened the door and blinked in surprise at the sight of her daughter, Emily, and an unfamiliar young man who offered a polite smile.
“Hi, Mum, meet Jake,” Emily said quickly, nudging him forward. “Thought it was time you got to know him. Dad’s not in, is he?”
“Hello,” Jake greeted, slightly awkward, stepping into the living room.
Charlotte smiled warmly, hoping to ease his nerves, and nodded in return.
“Sorry for dropping in unannounced, but we’ll just have a quick cuppa,” Emily chattered, “then we’re off to the cinema.”
Jake remained quiet but polite, his smile shy yet genuine.
“Mum, where’s Dad? I wanted him to meet Jake too.”
“Where else would your father be? Tinkering in the garage, of course,” Charlotte sighed. “Said he needed to vacuum and wash the car himself—never trusts those car washes.”
Soon enough, Emily and Jake were ready to leave. He thanked Charlotte with quiet courtesy before stepping out.
*What a polite, well-mannered boy,* she thought, shutting the door behind them.
Emily was in her second year at university—already a young woman. Charlotte hadn’t even noticed the years slipping by. Now her daughter sought advice, asking about life’s big questions, waiting for her mother’s wisdom.
Sometimes Charlotte had answers. Other times, she’d sigh and say,
“Love, there isn’t always one right answer. Life has its own way of leading us—some things just take time.”
Everyone had their own path. And after twenty-odd years of marriage, Charlotte still found herself at a crossroads. She remembered vividly the night her friend Lucy had introduced her to Edward.
“Charlie, this is Edward, my Mike’s mate,” Lucy had said, pushing forward a tall, awkward man who looked faintly bewildered. “They work together. Mike’s been nagging me to set him up. Anyway, chat away!”
With that, she vanished into the crowd of dancing students.
The university disco was in full swing. Charlotte and Lucy were finishing their degrees. Lucy and Mike were set to marry in two months. Edward, though, stood out—uncomfortable, slouching as if embarrassed by his own height, glancing nervously at the carefree students.
“Edward, do you study somewhere?” Charlotte had asked, breaking the silence.
“No, been driving lorries for three years now. Did my national service before that.”
*Strange,* she’d thought. *Most lads come back from service looking tougher. He’s still all arms and legs.* Her own brother had returned a different man.
“Mike and I served together,” Edward had continued. “Stuck together after, got jobs at the same place. Never went to uni. You and Lucy study here, then?”
He’d smiled then, a boyish, disarming grin that made Charlotte smile back despite herself. She hadn’t fancied him—not then. Had someone told her he’d be her husband one day, she’d have laughed.
But fate had other plans. Life would be dull if we knew where we’d end up. Every time Edward asked her out, Charlotte told herself it was the last time. Yet she never refused.
Part of her pitied him—kind, unassuming Edward. The other part? There were no other men she took seriously enough to marry.
“Charlie, how’s it going with Edward?” Lucy had asked once.
“Fine, I suppose,” Charlotte had replied, indifferent.
They’d even been witnesses at Lucy and Mike’s wedding. By then, Charlotte had graduated, started her job. Still, she and Edward carried on. And somehow, she’d grown used to him—his steadiness.
She’d asked her mother’s advice.
“Mum, I’ve introduced you to Edward. He’s talking marriage, and I… I don’t know what to say. He’s reliable, hardworking, kind—but he’s not exactly book-smart.”
“Darling, stop overthinking it. So what if he doesn’t read? He adores you. Love grows with time.”
When Edward finally proposed, fumbling with a ring box, his nerves plain as day, Charlotte had stared at the ring before smiling.
“Yes. But where are my flowers?”
“Blimey, completely forgot!” he’d laughed. “But the ring mattered most. Promise I’ll get you flowers.”
Later, she’d wondered how they’d even ended up married. He was so ordinary—someone she’d never taken seriously.
Maybe it was because all her friends had married. Maybe loneliness had nudged her. She wasn’t sure, though she’d never lacked suitors.
But they’d built a life. Years passed—mortgages, family gatherings, problems Edward always handled. Yet the more they shared, the deeper the gap between them felt.
Dinner conversations revolved around bills, never films or gallery visits with friends. They bickered over TV programmes, weekend plans. Charlotte always led; Edward just agreed.
“Edward, must you watch cartoons? You’re not a child.”
“And who says cartoons are just for kids?”
She’d tried to refine him—teaching him table manners, social graces—terrified he’d embarrass them at dinner parties.
The real crack came when she attended her office gala alone. Edward had a fever, barely able to speak.
“Go without me,” he’d croaked.
At the banquet, a guilty relief washed over her.
*Thank God he didn’t come. I’d have spent the whole night on edge.*
Something had to change.
But two days later, the doctor’s words stalled everything: “You’re expecting.”
“I’ll keep the baby,” she’d said, dazed.
Edward had been overjoyed. “Charlotte, I’ll love you even more—protect you both.”
And he had. Years flew by. Emily grew.
Charlotte knew a child needed both parents. But she still dreamed of leaving.
Yet divorce never happened. Emily was born, adored by Edward, who doted on wife and daughter alike.
By primary school, Emily was chattering about top marks.
“Mum, Dad, I’ll get all A’s! My teacher says they’re the best!”
“That’s my girl,” Edward had said. “Clever and kind—just like your mum.”
More years passed. Emily thrived. Charlotte’s parents died, leaving just the three of them.
Watching friends’ marriages crumble—husbands drinking, cheating, shouting—Charlotte lay in bed some nights thanking God for Edward.
“Charlotte, you’re so lucky,” Lucy sighed once, long divorced from Mike and raising two kids alone. “Edward’s solid. Still looks at you like you’re twenty.”
Charlotte had smiled. “Yes, he’s reliable.”
She never confessed how suffocated she’d once felt. How often she’d nearly left.
Now, with Emily grown, she wondered: *Would she even understand if I left?*
Besides, there was no one else. Just Edward and Emily.
They’d built a life. Achieved stability. Maybe now was the time to stay.
The golden years loomed. Beyond that? Only time would tell.
