Life isnt a walk in the park.
The whole village buzzed about how Irene had stolen her sisters husband. Only the deaf hadnt heard the news, and the mute couldnt spread it further! Gossip like that was pure entertainment for the villagers, spicing up their dull routines. Some saw it as just another scandal to chew over, while for others, it was a life-changing twist.
Nicholas married Helen far too youngor rather, he was ready to settle down, while she was still playing with dolls. Helens parents drank heavily and neglected their four children. As the eldest, she shouldered everything. Thanks to her, the younger ones were fed, clothed, and cared for, though the family barely scraped by. Helen washed, cooked, walked her siblings to school, checked their homework, and still managed to excel in her own studies, nearing graduation.
One day, Helen returned from school to find their home in ashes. Neighbors stood in clusters, murmuring about how the fire brigade had arrived too latethe blaze had already engulfed the house. Her parents, drunk and unconscious, hadnt stood a chance. Whether her father had fallen asleep with a cigarette or something else had sparked the flames, no one knew.
Helen wailed, lunging toward the smoldering ruins, collapsing into the sooty muck. But nothing could be done. Her siblings were taken to an orphanage, while Aunt Anna, her fathers half-sister, took Helen in.
Life with Anna wasnt bad. The woman worked herself to the bone, both at her job and at home, ruling her household with an iron fist. Yet she treated Helen kindly. Annas husband, William, was a quiet, hardworking man, tall but bent under his wifes sharp gaze. The house was free of shouting or drunkennesssomething Helen struggled to adjust to at first. She wasnt afraid of work, though Anna rarely assigned her any. Helen just did what shed always done, pitching in without being asked.
Then Nicholas, Annas eldest son, returned from the army, and Helens life changed overnight. Tall, dark-haired, and effortlessly charming, he had every girl in the village swooning. Fights even broke out near the pub as they vied for his attention. Like his mother, Nicholas was diligent and skilled with his hands, though he took after William in temperamentcalm, steady, the kind of man you could trust with your life.
Anna had “found” Nicholasbrought him into the world without a known father. When William proposed, she married him without love, knowing few men would take a wife with another mans child. Yet over time, affection grew between them, and three more children followed. Tragically, their middle son, Max, died before his third birthday. Their twin daughters, Mary and Rachel, became their pride and joy, which was why theyd taken Helen in so willingly, doting on her as their own.
Anna noticed something was off with Helen immediately. The petite girl had grown gaunt, often nauseous, her eyes swollen from crying. And the way Nicholas looked at her Anna knew at once.
“Out with itno lies,” she demanded one evening after supper, calling her son aside. “Whats going on between you two?”
“With who?” Nicholas joked, arching a brow.
“Dont play dumb! With Helen!”
“I love her,” he said firmly. “And she loves me.”
“Love? Shes carrying your child, isnt she? Call her in here!”
Nicholas returned with Helen clinging to his arm, trembling like a leaf.
“So, youve fallen for each other?” Anna snapped. “How long have you been sick, girl?”
“Two months,” Helen whispered.
“Mother, its my child. Ill take responsibility,” Nicholas declared.
“Youd better. Youll marry herwhat else? I wont have this poor girl shamed!” She turned to Helen. “Dry your tears, love. Youll be eighteen next week, and then well have a wedding!”
The wedding was grand, the whole village celebrating. Two days of feasting, drinking, and traditionbreaking plates, stealing the bride, even carting the mother-in-law around in a wheelbarrow. The gifts piled up: porcelain sets, woven blankets, even a goat and two geese. Helen, radiant in white, blushed whenever Nicholas whispered in her ear. The next day, they finished off the leftover roast chicken and salads, forcing latecomers to kiss a dirty frying pan. They danced on a mat, scattering coins for prosperity, singing folk songs late into the night. Anna, half-drunk and hoarse, belted out the loudest.
Helen and Nicholas moved into his late grandmothers cottage, sturdy despite its age. Nicholas fixed the roof and fence while Helen and Anna whitewashed the walls inside and out. They built their livestockadding pigs and chickens to the wedding gifts. That night, they made their vows:
“Together forever, in love and sorrow, health and hardship, no matter what life brings.”
After settling in, they held a housewarming, receiving more household gifts. Anna even gave Helen hand-embroidered towels.
Life flowed like a river, sometimes rocky, sometimes smooth, but they faced it together. Within a year, Helen gave birth to a daughter, then a son. Happiness bloomed.
Then, in a moment of kindness, they took in Helens youngest sister, Irene, from the orphanage.
Irene had just turned seventeen.
Anna had begged them not to. Something in her wise heart warned against it. And she was right.
Irene was taller, bolder than Helen, and knew how to use it. Anna noticed immediately.
“I dont like this, children. My heart says itll end badly.”
“Mother, dont worry,” Nicholas laughed, hugging Helen. “Irene will finish school, marry well. Well have another wedding to celebrate!”
“Mark my words”
Irene was Helens oppositelazy, as if raised in luxury. Her room was always a mess, yet she spent hours preening in the mirror. She moved with a sly grace, making sure Nicholas noticed.
“Whered she get those airs?” neighbors muttered. Irene didnt care. She barely noticed others.
Truthfully, she wasnt interested in Nicholasjust irritated by Helens happiness and itching to ruin it.
Then Annas elderly aunt fell gravely ill in the next village. She and William rushed off, leaving Helen and Nicholas to manage the farm.
That morning, Helen milked the cow while Nicholas fed the pigs and stacked hay. Their daughter, Daisy, called out:
“Mum, Dannys crying! I gave him bread and porridge, but he wont stop!”
Helen found her son burning with feverlikely from swimming in the river the day before. They rushed him to the city hospital, taking Daisy along. By evening, Helen called: both children had the flu, and theyd been admitted. Nicholas tried to visit but missed the last bus.
Irene, suddenly domestic, cooked dinnera first. Nicholas assumed she was worried about the children. Exhausted, he drank herbal tea and collapsed into bed.
Irene smoothed the sheets beside him.
That night, Anna couldnt sleep. Something gnawed at her. Shed called home repeatedlyno answer. At dawn, she and William returned.
She hurried to Nicholass house first. The cow was bellowing, the yard untouched. What she saw didnt surprise her.
Nicholas lay sprawled in bed, Irene curled against himnaked.
Anna yanked the sheets away. “Good God, what is this?!”
Nicholas woke, disoriented. Irene stretched like a cat, smirking.
“Ask your son what happened. He dragged me in hereI tried to stop him!”
“Tried so hard you lost your dress?” Anna snarled. “And youwhat do you say?”
Nicholas rubbed his temples, memories foggy.
“Get out, you hussy! Crawling into your sisters husbands bed!”
“Im not leaving. Hell divorce Helen and marry me. Or should I report him? Im still underage.”
Annas throat went dry.
“If only Helen knew what a snake shed warmed in her bosom”
“I dont care!”
Helen returned from the hospital at dawn, uneasy. Near the house, she heard shouting. Neighbors fell silent, watching her pass.
Anna and Irene were arguingno, Anna was raging, Irene sneering. Nicholas sat with his head in his hands.
Helen understood at once.
Seven years passed in a blink.
Helen moved to the city, refusing to stay with Anna. Nicholas begged, swore nothing had happenedbut her heart had turned to stone.
Irene vanished for years. Rumors said she sold vegetables at the market, loud-mouthed and crude. She had a child, abandoned it at birth, and later stabbed a drunken lover in a brawl, landing in prison.
Nicholas never remarried, working silently, visiting his sisters. Only when Helen brought the children did he brighten.
Helen rebuilt her life. The pain faded. She met Stephenkind, devoted, a father to her children. They had a daughter. Happiness seemed hers again.
Then, like a storm on a clear day, Stephen died in a crash.
Grief swallowed Helen whole.
Nicholas came at once when Daisy called.
“Dad, Mums not well. Please come.”
Time heals, they say. Maybe not all wounds, but it softens the edges. Helen slowly returned to life, for her childrens sake. Nicholas stayed close, quiet but steady.
Perhaps one day, theyd find their way back. Perhaps her heart would thaw.
No need to rush. Life, after all, is the greatest teacher.
As the saying goes:
“Life isnt a walk in the park.”
