Peter, a longhaul truck driver, rolled into the culdesac with a suitcase and a stranger in tow.
Shell be living with us now, he announced, his voice echoing off the brick façades.
Gail, eyes swollen from tears, stared at the newcomer in a mixture of disbelief and fury. The woman strutted into the kitchen without a pause, slipped into the masters bath, emerged wrapped in the housewifes robe and clutching the favourite towel like a trophy.
Youre not going to stand there like a statue! she snapped, thrusting a fork into the air. First, Im starving. Second, your husband will be home any minute.
Gail wanted to scream, to fling the intruder out the front door, but she held her tongue. The flat belonged to Peter, an asset acquired before their marriage, and the law protected it. Nothing had hinted at troubleGail had been living comfortably, her days funded by Peters steady earnings, her own work long since set aside.
Friends often joked that Peter had taken the road job just to avoid seeing his wife too often. Yet they all believed he loved her deeply, Gail included. That confidence began to crumble the day Peter arrived.
He introduced the woman as Nora. Shell be staying with us, so you wont have to object, he said, as if it were a simple matter of rearranging furniture.
Gail, thirtyfour, still freshfaced and stylish, tried to process the sight of a woman who looked more like shed been in her fifties than anyone else in the house. Unkempt hair, a harsh tone, the kind of demeanor that could belong to a market stall owner on a rainy day. Could such a person possibly captivate her charming husband? The thought gnawed at her, even though the age gaponly ten yearswas not unusual for some men who preferred older companions.
Are you going to stand there all day? Nora bellowed from the kitchen, eyes on the clock. Im famished!
Gail moved to boil a pot of meat pies, the scent of butter filling the cramped kitchen. Nora watched, arms folded, lips curled in a scornful smile.
You feeding him with halfcooked leftovers? Nora asked, raising an eyebrow. And you dumped those pies on the floor?
Exactly, Gail replied, her voice thin with contempt, staring at the mess.
Nora flung the tray of pies out the open window with a theatrical flourish.
What the? Gail shrieked, lunging for the pies.
The cat will eat them, Nora called over her shoulder, turning back to the television. You, love, better get a proper soup going, or fry some chips. Got that?
When Peter finally trudged through the front door, Gail dragged him into the kitchen, her face a mask of desperation. Get her out! Why did you bring her here? Shes thrown our food away
Before she could finish, Nora stepped into view, eyes flashing.
Peter, why are you tolerating her? she hissed. Youre a good-looking bloke with a decent house and a steady paycheck, and she cant even make you a decent meal. Shes a spoiled brat, a complainer!
I live here. Im the lady of this house! Gail snapped back.
Nora shrugged. Fine, then.
Together with Peter, she sauntered to the corner shop. Later, Nora cooked the dinner herself. Gail, still lacking appetite, watched as the table filled with bright beetroot borscht and navyblue naval macaroni. She never liked to cook, but something shifted.
The weeks that followed saw Gail scrolling through recipe blogs, fumbling at first, then finding rhythm. She stopped picking fights with Peter over every little thing. Fear crept in, thoughwhat if Nora stayed, and she was forced out? She said nothing to her mother, though she usually called daily, but confided in her best friend, Kate.
Kick her out! Kate urged, voice sharp. A fake! I cant imagine Sam bringing someone like that home.
You think its easy, Gail whispered, tears welling. The flat is ours, but Sam earns nothing. Im the one holding everything together. And now
Youre welcome, love, Kate said, snorting. You keep whining about him, and Im the only one listening. Go back to your Peter and his Nora!
Life seemed unchanged on the surface. Peter still gazed at Gail with adoration, though she tried to ask why hed introduced Nora, how long shed be welcomed. He never answered. Nora found work in a local supermarket, and Gails mind began to plot a desperate escape: pregnancy.
Shed never wanted children, had told Peter she didnt plan to be a motherno desire for a baby, no wish to alter her figure. Yet now the notion felt like a lifeline. If Im carrying his child, maybe I cant be pushed out, she thought, a spark of resolve igniting.
Friends noted the transformation. Gail started cooking, stopped histrionics, seemed to blossom into the perfect wife. One evening, she announced to Peter, Im pregnant.
His face lit up. Finally! Raise that child well, love, so we dont end up like mekicked out of my own home!
Nora, wiping a tear from her eye, sighed, I was forced out once. My husbands boys grew up, then they told me to leave. I poured my heart into that family, and they threw me away.
Gail, hearing the raw pain, felt an unfamiliar sympathy. What happened then?
I started drinking, didnt want to live. One night a driver nearly hit me as I crossed the road. He stopped, we talked, he gave me a place. I learned there are decent people out there. Youre lucky, Gail, to have a good husband, Nora replied, voice softening.
That night, the three of them shared a dinnermeat pies, mash, and a side of steaming greens. For the first time, Gail didnt feel the urge to expel Nora.
Nora smiled, pleased with her subtle reeducation of the oncetroublesome wife. The next day, Peters uncle arrived from the countryside, eyes flicking toward Nora with curious interest. After a weeks stay, he left, and Nora waved him off.
In our age, you must seize the moment, dont turn down offers, she said, chuckling. Thanks for taking us in.
Gail found herself missing Noras presence. Life had shifted. She gave birth to a daughter, and, as the godmother, she asked Nora to stand beside her at the baptism. The two women, once strangers, now shared a bond as close as sisters.
Every summer, Gail retreated to the countryside with her child, breathing fresh air, while Peter marveled at how unrecognizable his wife had becomemore confident, more capable. He credited Noras influence for the change.
Thus, an odd twist of fate wove these lives together, each now indispensable to the other, bound by hardship, hope, and the strange, stubborn love that only ordinary people can forge.
