One of the biggest mistakes people make is thinking folks are just good, bad, clever, or stupid. People changetheyve got all sorts of possibilities inside em. One day theyre foolish, the next wise; one moment cruel, the next kind. Thats the beauty of being human. You cant judge someone because by the time you do, theyre already different. Thats something Leo Tolstoy once wrote in his diaries, and whos gonna argue with him? Life proves him right every time, if you look close enough, sift through the nonsense, and hold onto what really matters.
But today, thinking about all that feels too heavy. Its boiling hot outproper July heat, like the airs bounced off sun-scorched brick walls and just given up, lying flat on the pavement, too tired to move. Everyones sweating, but inside Emily? Shes got winter. A proper deep freeze. So this summers happening without her.
Schools just finished. Unis the next stepleast, thats whats expected when youre eighteen. But Emilys pregnant. Unis off the table now. And Jake? Turned out to be a right piece of work. When she told him about the baby, he just bit his lip, stared out the window, and said, Well, I was first but there couldve been others.
Emily didnt even cry. Just stood there, staring at his backcalm as anything, breathing steady. She wanted to say more, cause honestly, she didnt know what to do next. But then the doorbell rangher mum was home from work. Jake went to answer, mumbled a hello in the hallway, and left.
Mum marched straight into Emilys room. Whats happened? she asked. Emily panicked, blurted it out: Nothings happened. Im just pregnant.
Mum stared. Then she shriekedEmily didnt catch the words, though, cause the sound was drowned out by the slap that followed.
And thats when the winter settled in. Like snow had dumped inside her, burying everything, leaving nothing but cold and emptiness. Mum kept shouting, but it was muffled, distant. Emily sat on the edge of her bed, cryingexcept the tears didnt fall. They froze inside, turning into little ice marbles rolling around in the hollow space where her heart shouldve been.
Mum stormed out. The front door slammed. Silence. And there Emily was, alone with her frozen tears in the middle of a sweltering July evening.
She curled up under the covers and *then* the proper crying startedmessy, snotty, *girl* crying. And God, it hurt. Not for herself, nofor the baby who wasnt even born yet and already no one wanted. Not the dad, not the grandma, not even her, the useless mum-to-be.
She mustve fallen asleep, cause next thing she knew, someone was stroking her hair.
Mum was back. Em, love Im sorry, she murmured, voice thick. Im a daft cow, even if Im not that old yet. Should be celebratingmy girls all grown up. Gonna be a mum herself soon. And here I am She was crying now, swiping at her cheeks. Just pray its not a boy, yeah? Cause menbloody hell, the lot of em. Your dad, *my* dadnone of em ever really understood a woman, did they?
That set Emily off proper, wailing like her nan at a funeral. She sat up, clung to her mumthe most important person in the worldand they both sobbed, each mourning their own hurts. But it was warm, at least. And summer *was* still out there, even if it didnt feel like it.
Thendoorbell again. Mum sniffed hard, wiped her face, pushed Emily back down. Stay there, love. Ill get it. She straightened her hair on the way. Cant answer the door looking a mess, even mid-crisis.
Opened it. And there stood two blokes: Jake, and his dad in front.
Evening, Mrs. Thompson, his dad said. Sorry for the late hour. But this idiot of mine finally told me everything. Least, I *hope* its everything. He turned to Jake. Isnt it, future grandad?
Jake just hung his head.
Right, his dad went on. So were here to ask for your daughters handif Emily can forgive the rubbish he said earlier. He cuffed Jake round the back of the head. Go on then, you little git. Apologise properly. And if she doesnt forgive you, youre no son of mine.
Yeah. People change. Mess up, fix things, mess up again. Good job weve got mums and dads to knock some sense into us when we need it.
