You know, Tilly, to look all glitzy in gold Ive got to be up at five every morning. Im already milking the cows, feeding the calves, handing out the feed, and only then do I head off to my real job. So theres really nothing to be jealous about.
Oh, Olivia! You look stunning! And you cant even say you live in the village. Look at you, all in gold chains, bangles, even a little gold bracelet. Tilly laughed nonstop, watching her childhood mate. Well, Olivia, they say village lifes rough, but honestly, if anyone could make a city girl want to move out here, its you. Living in the countryside and still looking so posh, dressed to the nines and sparkling with gold thats the life!
You think thats easy, Tilly? To look like that Ive got to be up at five, milk the herd, give the calves their bottles, throw the feed out, then dash to the main job. If you ever saw what a day on a farm is like, youd think twice.
Olivia, you dont get it! Ive known cows and pigs since I was a kid, but you turning into a fullon country gal is still a mystery. We all thought once you finished school youd never come back to the village.
Ah, whats the point in living in the past? When we were younger we all thought wed stick to the plan wed drawn, but life has a way of doing its own thing.
Olivia was a stubborn sort if she said shed do something, shed do it. From the start she bragged that she didnt need any of the straw piles, the potatoes or the cows she was pretty and smart, worthy of the best, and shed never need a cow again.
Mum, Ill never go back to the village. Ill finish school, move to the city, find a rich bloke, marry him, and stay there. I cant be stuck in the countryside!
Alright, love, if thats how you feel. But who knows where life will take you? The village isnt any worse than the city; people live there too. If youd just help with the cows, dear, itd make things easier for us, and I could sort dinner while youre at it.
Imagine me chasing cows! The whole village would have a laugh. Mum, your cows are my problem, not yours. Dont even bring that up again.
Other kids help with the herd and lend a hand at home. What makes you any better, love?
Mum, why should I compare myself to anyone else? Ive got my own head on my shoulders.
Margaret sighed and quietly went out to meet the milking herd, while her daughter was busy slathering on layers of makeup for the village disco.
Olivias friends stared enviously at the local queen who never bothered with chores, never washed a dish, let alone set foot in the barn. She probably hadnt the foggiest idea which way to approach a cow. The older sister was already married with grandkids, and Margaret had just found out she was expecting again. Theyd had the babies almost backtoback, just two months apart. How could anyone not spoil a little one?
Time passed, the kids grew, the parents aged. Olivia finished school with a string of Cs not brilliant, but she was ambitious enough to keep trying.
She decided to train as a nursery assistant. The job was tidy, respectable, and paid decently. Margaret and her husband sold a couple of beef cattle and chipped in for a years tuition.
No one realised at first what Olivia was up to. In her final college year she kept popping home, looking at herself in the mirror, fixing her hair, staring out the window as if waiting for someone who never showed up. She was getting prettier, more confident. Then, on a Sunday, the inlaws turned up, saying they had a buyer for some of the farm produce.
The parents didnt get the jokes the inlaws were making. Olivia, without asking anyone, threw herself into a relationship with a lad from the same village whod stayed in town after college. He was four years older, and they fell in love.
They married not long after Olivia finished college, already pregnant. Rumour had it shed been passed the required credits because of her situation, not because she was a star student.
They rented a flat in the city and settled in. The parents kept sending parcels of groceries so the young couple could feed themselves. Olivia went on maternity leave, and James, her husband, worked double shifts. Their baby girl arrived a little beauty just like her mum. With two mouths to feed, Jamess salary barely covered everything; with three, it was impossible. He snapped:
You do what you like, but Im fed up. Im tired of giving half a salary to Uncle for a city flat. Lets move back to the village until Lucys grown, and thats that.
So they packed up, sold a few things, and drove back to the countryside. Jamess parents had bought a new house there, leaving the old one empty for the couple. James got a job on the farm a proper mechanics role, though the pay was a touch less than the city, it covered everything and they didnt have a mortgage. Olivia was initially resistant, Why bring me back to the farm? but soon settled, especially with Mum and motherinlaw nearby, helping with the baby and the shopping. It felt like a fairytale.
The fairytale didnt last long. Both the motherinlaw and Margaret started complaining that Olivia spent hours in front of the mirror while they were kneedeep in the garden. Lets take turns with the granddaughter, love, theyd say. Olivia, still young, preferred the garden work. She tried to argue, but James gave her a look that said, I get it, and she went off to pull carrots. The summer passed with the garden spotless. The next year she decided to plant a proper vegetable patch, tired of asking the parents for carrots every time.
James thought about breeding more cattle seemed profitable, the farm needed hay and feed, and where there are calves there are cows. The family eventually moved to the nearest market town, gifting a young cow to the couple. At first Olivia struggled with the early mornings, but soon she was in the swing of things.
Four years later a spot opened up at the local nursery when a longtime staff member retired. Olivia stepped into the role, the nursery thrived, and life settled.
She never really missed the city dream. From dawn till dusk she was busy with the farm, the kids, and the garden. The motherinlaw eventually moved to the town, Lucy was at school, and Olivia stayed put, eventually becoming head of the nursery. James nudged her one day, Maybe its time we get a bit closer to civilization?
What do you mean, James? Weve got our house, our garden, the farm. Moneys enough. We still pop into the city now and then. Im happy here. If I went back, whod look after the nursery? Lucys finishing school soon, then well see, but for now Im staying put.
Twenty years slipped by like a single day. The old schoolmates got together for a reunion some still in the city, some still on the farm. Olivia hadnt seen Katie or Emma for ages, but they all turned up that evening.
They were stunned at how life had turned. Who would have thought the village girl would end up like this? Half the class now lived in towns, the rest still on farms.
Take Katie, for example. Shed worked on the farm from the moment she could walk, both parents on the land. She scraped through school, never planning to go further, but ended up training as a chef, moved to the city, got married, and now runs a bistro. And Emma? She tied the knot with Mike back in secondary school, now lives in the city with a flat and a car, husbands a businessman, shes a stayathome mum, never imagined city life when she was planting seedlings.
It was a warm, heartfelt catchup. Numbers were swapped, phones exchanged, stories shared, then everyone drifted off. Olivia and James went home, thoughtful and a bit reflective.
Im sorry I dragged you away from the city, James. I thought youd hate the village life.
Dont be silly, love. I still drive the car, were not any worse off. City life isnt all its cracked up to be. I like the village. Im tired of the city hustle. When I was a kid I never helped at home, it was all my parents spoiling me. I thought it was shameful, but growing up I realized nothing comes easy. Wed still be paying rent or a mortgage if wed stayed in the city. Remember how Id be scared to even clear the table? Here, with you and the farm, Ive learned hard work beats any fancy flat.
When did you finally fall in love with the village?
I always loved it, I just didnt see it. Never say never. Remember me shouting Id never live here? Turns out I was wrong.
