You know, Eleanor, to look like that and parade around in gold, I get up at five every morning, milk the cows, give the calves a drink, hand out the feed, and only then trot off to my proper job. So theres really nothing for you to be jealous of.
Oh, Molly! Look at you, shining in goldchains, bracelets, even a tiny gold bangle. Youre a proper village dazzler, you know. If a cityslicker saw you, they’d pack their bags and move out to the countryside just to live like you. Who says village life has to be drab? You manage to look fabulous, dress snazzy and sparkle with gold!
You think thats easy? If you only knew what a day on a farm really looks like, youd think twice.
Eleanor, Ive known cows and pigs since I was a tot, unlike you who only turned into a village auntie overnightstill a mystery to me. We all thought after school youd never set foot back home.
Ah, whats the point in dwelling on the past? In our youth were all dreamers, convinced everything will go exactly as we plot, only to find life has other plans.
Eleanors temperament was as stubborn as a bull; once she said shed do something, shed see it through. From childhood she bragged that a life of fields, potatoes, cows and calves was beneath hershe was beautiful, clever and deserved the best, and she swore shed never need a cow again.
Mum, Ill never go back to your village. Ill finish school, head to the city, find a rich fiancé, marry him and settle there. Ive had enough of country life!
Very well, dear, but who knows where life will take you? The village isnt worse than the city; people live there too. If you ever helped with the cows, Id have one less thing on my plate while I cooked dinner.
Imagine me chasing after cows! The whole village would have a good laugh. Mum, your cows are my future, not mine. Dont even bring that up again.
Other children help with the herd and lend a hand to their parents. What makes you think youre any different, love?
Mum, why should I compare myself to anyone else? Ive got my own head on my shoulders.
Mrs. Harper, Eleanors mother, sighed quietly as she walked to meet the herd, while her daughter piled on layers of makeup for the village disco.
Eleanors friends watched the local queen with envyshe never bothered with housework, never washed a dish, let alone entered the barn. She seemed clueless about which side of the cows to approach. A lateblooming, unexpected sort of girl. Her older sister was already married with grandchildren, and now Mrs. Harper learned she was pregnant too, giving birth just two months after her elder.
Time went by; the children grew, the parents aged. Eleanor finished school with a string of Cs, ambition barely flickering. She decided to train as a nursery teacherclean, respectable work, and a bit of dignity.
Mrs. Harper let out a weary sigh as she and her husband sold a pair of bullocks to fund Eleanors first year of tuition.
No one quite understood why Eleanor kept drifting back home during her final college year. Shed sit before a mirror, prim herself up, stare out the window as if waiting for someone who never came, while the local club was empty.
She started to blossom, rounder, more confident. Then, one weekend, the inlaws turned up with a trade proposalapparently they had something to sell.
The parents scratched their heads at the joke. Eleanor, however, didnt ask permission; she threw herself into a romance with a lad from the same village whod stayed in the town after college. Four years later they married, she was heavily pregnant, and rumors swirled that shed only passed her exams thanks to special circumstancesshe wasnt exactly a star student.
They moved into a modest flat in the city. The parents sent tins of jam and biscuits to keep the newlyweds fed. Eleanor was on maternity leave when Victor, her husband, was working double shifts. Their baby girl, Lucy, arrived looking just like her mother. With two mouths to feed, Victors wages barely covered anything; with three, it was a disaster. Victor snapped:
Im fed up, Eleanor. Im paying half my salary to my brother for a flat. Lets pack up and go back to the village until Lucys a bit older. Thats it.
So they gathered their belongings and drove to the countryside. Victors parents bought a new house, leaving the old one empty for the couple. Victor got a job on a farmhes a competent mechanic, not the highest paid, but the wages go straight into the pocket, no rent to worry about. Eleanor at first balked at the move, then settled when Mum and motherinlaw were there to help with the baby and the shopping.
Life felt like a fairy taleuntil the motherinlaw and Mum started griping about Eleanor spending hours at the mirror while they were out digging in the garden.
Lets take turns looking after the grandchild, dear. Eleanor, youre still young, youd do better in the garden.
Victor gave Eleanor a sideways glance, and she realised shed better get her hands dirty. She spent the whole summer pulling carrots, not a speck of rubbish left in the plot. The next year she decided to plant a proper vegetable patch instead of begging her parents for every carrot.
Victor turned to rearing more cattle, thinking it would be profitable. A farm needs both cows and calves, after all. Eleanors parents moved to the nearby market town and gifted a young cow to the couple. At first Eleanor found the early mornings odd, but soon she was in the habit.
Four years later she secured a spot at the local nursery when a longstanding employee retired. The little business thrived, and she finally felt settled.
She never really missed the city glamour; from dawn till dusk she was busy with chores and worries. Her motherinlaw eventually relocated to the market town, Lucy was at school, and Eleanor ran the nursery as headmistress. Victor suggested:
Shall we think about moving closer to civilisation?
Victor, what could be wrong with this? We have our house, our garden, a decent income, and we visit the city often enough. Im happy here. Who would look after the nursery if I left? Lucys finishing school soon, then well see, but for now Im staying put.
Twenty years slipped by like a day. The old school class arranged a reunion, the first since graduation. Many faces were familiar; some classmates still lived in the village, while othersCatherine and Poppyhad never returned. The evening brought a crowd of former pupils.
They were surprised at how life had turned. Half the gang were now city dwellers, something none of them had imagined.
Catherine, for instance, grew up on a farm, parents both farmhands. She barely studied, never planned a further education, and a spot on the farm was waiting for her. She did a short course as a chef, but ended up marrying a city businessmanlook at her now!
Poppy married her classmate Michael while still in school, moved to the city, bought a flat and a car. Her husband runs a firm, she doesnt work, yet she never dreamed of city life, always picturing herself in the countryside.
The reunion was warm, numbers were exchanged, and everyone marveled at the twists of fate before heading home.
Victor and Eleanor arrived, thoughtful and a little solemn.
Im sorry I whisked you away from the city, Victor, you knew I couldnt stand village life. Id still be driving a car in the city now.
Oh, come off it, Victor! I still drive, and were not any worse off than anyone else. City life isnt all roses; every place has its pros. I love the village. The city wears me out. When I was a kid I didnt help at home because Mum spoiled me, and I thought it was shameful. If you hadnt taken me back then, wed probably still be renting or paying a mortgage. Remember how I used to fear even washing a plate? Here, at home, with you beside me, Ive learned work is needed everywhere. Were not far from the city; moving is always possible. We have a job, a roof, what more do we need for happiness?
Yes, Eleanor. When did you finally fall in love with the village?
I always loved it; I just didnt realise it until I grew up. Never say never. Remember how I shouted Id never live in a village? Look where we are now.
