Victoria just couldnt seem to find her happiness. She was nearing forty, and still, she was alone. She had been blessed with intelligence and beauty. Her job was respectable, her salary generous in pounds, and yet she lacked that special sort of happiness meant for women.
Her parents, Ann and John Edwards, worried about their only daughter. They offered their support, though mostly emotional, as financially Victoria was more than capable of helping them instead. They always refused.
Stay with us, darling, theres plenty of space! Ann and John would say. Youll need that money one daywhen you find your happiness.
They felt for Victoria every time she came home from work exhausted.
No one else to care for you, poor thing, except us, Ann sighed.
When were gone, youll have no one to lean on, not even to have a moan with! You must start looking for your happiness, love, John would add.
And so, all three of them would settle in front of the telly for the evening. Day in, day out, year after year, this searching for happiness always seemed to involve the television! Dull, wasnt it? Enough to make you yawn!
It was strange to hear John say, one day when were gone. After all, Victoria was born when Ann and John were only nineteen, still so young and utterly in lovetheyd wed right out of school! It felt a tad early for talk of such things.
Victoria, too, had once fallen for a young man while at university, called Charlie. He was tall and a little clumsy, rather endearing. Wherever he went, he would somehow manage to knock something over or smash it.
Ann would tease him kindly, calling him Charlie-Broken-Crockery or Walking Calamity. John did silly impressions, showing Charlie stumbling about, trying to catch everything that would inevitably fall.
No, sweetheart, this lads unlucky in life, they gently conditioned Victoria against her suitor. Everything he touches ends up broken or in pieces. He is not your happiness, love, not your destiny!
Slowly but surely, Victoria began to see Charlie as unlucky herself. But, as it turned out, her parents were mistaken. Charlie graduated, started his own solicitors firm, and married a woman who found his clumsy ways irresistibly charming. Charlie just needed room to be himself, thats all. Now he and his wife live just outside the city in their own home.
Victorias happiness is still out there; we must help her to find it, Ann and John reassured both their daughter and themselves.
They were a good family at heart, close and loving. Just a few months ago, they had all gone on holiday to Spain. In the evenings, they loved looking through the photos: the sunbathing, the laughter, and even the delightful feasts they enjoyed together. A truly memorable trip.
While there, Victoria met a man named Patrick. He was from Ireland. As usual, her parents ridiculed her new acquaintance in their trademark fashion.
Well, just our lucka holiday romance with Patrick from Ireland! joked Ann.
John stuffed a cushion under his shirt, waddling around the hotel room, impersonating Patrick being large. It hurt Victoria, as Patrick was not overweightjust solidly built. More importantly, he was interesting and could talk endlessly about the stars. In the evenings, he would point them out to her, their names sparkling in the Spanish sky. Victoria, stubbornly ignoring her parents mockery, gave Patrick her number.
But upon their return home, when Ann heard that Victoria and Patrick were still in touch, she declared, Holiday romances are common, darling! They never lead to anything good.
Never mind the fact that neither Victoria nor Patrick had families back home; what did it matter? The romance happened abroad, and so it was painted as a dead-end.
Find your happiness, love! Well help you all we canyou can always rely on us! John assured his daughter.
When summer arrived, the family, as usual, went to their little cottage in the English countrysidepicnics by the river, tea under the apple tree, barbecues by the gazebo. The fruit and vegetables from their own garden. The neighbours would often come around for a cuppa. One afternoon, the neighbours son arrived to visit with his little boyabout five years old. The sons name was Ben; his boy was Andrew. Both were fair-haired, blue-eyed and freckled, their ears sticking out the same way.
Later, the neighbours mentioned that Bens wife had left him for a businessman. The child had stayed with Ben, as the businessman wanted nothing to do with the boyapparently, he looked too much like his father and not enough like his mother to be welcome in his house.
Victoria was drawn to both Ben and Andrew, finding something deeply human and touching about them. There was a spark between Ben and Victoria, and little Andrew immediately clung to her warmly.
Again, Ann couldnt resist poking fun at her daughters attachment: Bens eaten all the carrots, left just one! Clearly, his parents have brought him here just to meet you! Why do you need a man with baggage?
Hes not even a catchwhat sort of woman leaves a good man, especially one with a child? John added.
This time, for the first time, Victoria stood up to her father.
Dad, sometimes, leaving a child with a good man shows trust. She must be confident he wont lose himself, that hell bring him up right.
No, darling, this isnt your happiness! Find your own! We want our own grandchildren to spoilnot someone elses! To hold their little hands, to hear their tiny feet padding around our flat
Ann and John suddenly became quite cold, cutting off contact with the neighbours and saying things that deeply hurt. The evening teas and neighbourly get-togethers ended abruptly.
Still, Ann and John continued to sit under the apple tree, cups of tea in hand, lamenting how the Lord simply would not bless Victoria with happiness. The summer passed in sadness and longing.
Yet Victoria, with all her heart, came to love Ben and Andrew. And she deeply loved her parents, tooshe couldnt bear to cause them pain. She even felt guilty for loving someone her parents wouldnt approve of. At seasons end, the three of them returned together to their city flat.
Out of love, Ann and John never mentioned Ben or Andrew again, not even in jest, during those dreary autumn evenings.
One rainy day, Victoria spotted a little ginger kitten, shivering under the wheel of a car for shelter. The kitten didnt have a mumjust like Andrew. The small, miserable fluff mewed pitifully, alone in the world, at risk of getting crushed at any moment.
Victoria instinctively scooped up the tiny, shivering creature and tucked it inside her coat. She didnt care that he was dirty and dampshe just wanted to warm him with her kindness.
Victoria took the stray home, dried him off, and poured some milk into a saucer. Sitting on the kitchen floor, she watched the kitten hungrily lap up the milk with his little pink tongue working away.
Poor thing, must be starving, she thought.
John appeared at the kitchen doorway with a newspaper in hand, Ann peering in as well. They watched the unexpected guest, though their faces wore no warmth or sympathyonly a sort of irritated bewilderment: what now?
The kitten, finally full, let out a contented yawn. Then, searching for the right spot, he left a little puddle on the floor.
Victoria barely managed to fetch a tissue when Ann let out a shriek:
Get rid of that creature this instant! Hell ruin the whole flat! Scratch the furniture, tear the wallpaperJohn, tell her! Our flat isnt for fleabags!
Aye, the whole placell reek of cat! Decent folks wont step foot within a mile! John agreed.
Mum, Dad, hes just a baby! Well get him a scratching post, train him to use the litter tray. Look how sweet he is! Victoria pleaded, struggling to see what harm the poor kitten could bring. No one in the family was allergic. The flat was large enough for football.
No, no and no! Ann fumed passionately.
Listen, love, I get that you feel sorry for him. Take him to the sheltertheyre supposed to take in strays. And if they dont, threaten to go to the papers! John yelled, still waving his newspaper.
Silently, Victoria tucked the kitten into her coat and closed the door behind her.
She felt hurt, despairing. How could it be that at forty she had nothing of her ownno children, no husband, not even a roof over her head? Not even her own life! She couldnt even keep a kitten! No, she needed her own home, even if it was the smallest roomsomewhere she could be herself.
Instead of heading to the shelter, Victoria walked straight into an estate agents. Soon enough, she found herself a lovely little one-bedroom flatadvertised as pets welcome.
For the first time, Victoria felt the joy of being the lady of her own house. She bought everything her new pet would need. The vet said the kitten was a girl, about two months old. Victoria named her Poppy.
Immediately, Victoria felt just a little happier. Whenever she looked at Poppy, she remembered little Andrew and Ben.
One day, the phone rang. Victoria had never expected it. Ann and John had fallen out badly with the neighbours, yet Ben rangspeaking as if nothing had happened.
Hi, how are you? Andrew wants to say something, Ben said.
Victoria smiled, recalling Andrews sweet freckles and curious blue eyes.
Vicky! We miss you! Come visit us! Daddy and I are waiting! the small voice sang out.
Id love toif I can bring my kitten? she asked.
Ben chuckled in the background. Bring half of Battersea Cats Home if you like! Give us your address; well be right over!
And so Victoria finally found her happinessdespite everything. She enjoyed her life with Ben, Andrew, and Poppy. Before long, there would be another childbrother or sisterit didnt matter. Happiness wasnt about fitting someone elses idea.
Victoria never forgot her parents. She loved them just the same, calling them often just to say things were alright, that she had found her happinessthough it wasnt quite what theyd imagined.
Perhaps one day, Ann and John would understand, and accept her happiness for what it was. And when that happened, maybe they, too, would get the chance to hold tiny hands and hear the patter of little feet running through the flat.
In the end, Victorias story taught her that happiness cant be found by living someone else’s dreambut only in embracing the life and love that truly feels right for you.
