Leave and never look back.
Sam, I was scrolling through the listings last night. Theres a threebedroom flat for sale in the area weve been eyeing, exactly what we need. Weve got enough saved for it, right? Once we sell the house we could help Tara finish off her mortgage. Lets go see it, Kate said, her eyes sparkling with excitement. Sam just gave a tired wave.
Not today, he muttered. I was up until midnight closing a report yesterday, and Ill probably be late again tonight. He gulped his coffee, snatched his car keys and a folder of papers, and was out the door.
Kate let out a sigh, not wanting to argue. Shed noticed Sam hadnt been home much lately late nights, weekend work but his salary was good and she was desperate to move closer to her daughter. Theyd been scrimping for years, parking every paycheck into a joint savings account while living off Sams mums pension and Kates wages. She worked as the manager of the local community centre and ran a dance club on the side. It was a tough grind, but being near her daughter and working in a big cultural centre was her dream, so she could bear the sacrifice.
Sam and Kate had met at a college in the city; he was on his final year of engineering, she was studying choreography. They fell head over heels, married the moment his degree was handed in, and moved to his little hometown. Kate quit her course after a year, but she didnt regret it Sam was now her husband, and she was certain theyd have a long, happy life together.
The honeymoon was shortlived. As soon as theyd settled into Sams family home, he was called up for a year of National Service. Kate was already upset about the separation, and then Sams mother, Margaret, made her presence known. The moment Margaret saw her son arrive with a wife, she bristled, refusing to speak to Kate and reminding Sam, You promised! Kate tried to win her over, helped out with chores, but nothing seemed to soften the matriarch.
Why didnt you call Mum before you got married? What did you promise her? Why does she hate me? Kate pressed.
Sam explained that two years earlier his sister, Lily, had died at seventeen after falling in love with a bloke whod just been released from a threeyear sentence. Lily ignored her mothers warnings, ran away, and one night she and her boyfriend rode a motorbike to a neighbouring village. He was drunk, lost control, and Lily was killed. The boyfriend went back to prison for good. After the funeral, Margaret made Sam swear never to marry without her blessing. Hed broken that promise, and Margaret never forgave him.
Kate swore shed stay, refusing to move out because she loved Sam and wanted to get on with Margaret. Slowly, after a couple of weeks, Margarets heart melted. She admitted Kate was hardworking, cheerful and kind. She could not deny that Kate loved Sam genuinely and missed him terribly, so she started to accept her as a daughterinlaw.
Kate also opened up about her own past: her mother had died eleven years before, and her dad had raised her alone. Hed recently remarried a woman with two small children, who promptly told Kate shed have to fend for herself now that she was an adult. Dont think I married Sam just for a roof over my head, Kate blushed under Margarets pointed stare. I got a place in a student hall, a scholarship for good grades Id have survived. I just cant live without Sam, I love him so much.
Margaret, eyes softening, embraced Kate and tears slipped down her cheeks a mix of sorrow and relief. She felt a weight lift, as if a longstanding grief was finally easing.
A year later Sam returned, got a job at the district office, and commuted each day. Kate became the organiser and head of the dance group at the newly built community centre. Their pay was modest, and soon after their daughter Tara was born. Money was tight, but Margaret helped babysitting and never holding back. Later Sam landed a role at a serious firm, started travelling for work, and was promoted repeatedly, his salary soaring. The little towns centre turned into a spacious cultural hub, and Kate was appointed its manager, yet she kept her dance club alive, taking the girls to competitions where they often clinched prizes. Their life settled into comfort: they bought a nice car, renovated the house, and took holidays by the sea.
Everything stayed sweet until Tara left for university in the city and got married. Kate missed her and recalled her own dream of working in a grand city cultural palace. One evening she suggested they save up, sell the house, and buy a flat in the city where Tara lived, using the proceeds to clear Taras mortgage. Sam thought it over, smiled, and agreed there was a branch of his firm in the city, so he could transfer. He warned it wouldnt be easy; theyd have to stash his whole salary in a bank account and live off Margarets pension and Kates earnings. The whole family agreed, and they started saving.
Life grew harder, but Kate didnt complain; shed never been pampered. Sam began staying later and later at work, citing extra responsibilities that came with higher pay. Kate believed him, never suspecting anything, though it nagged at her. When she tentatively raised the issue, Sam snapped:
Im working from dawn till midnight to bring in more money. Youll stop whining? Decide what you want me here beside you or a flat near Tara? Do you want a grandkid to come by on the bus? Just hold your tongue and bear with me.
Kate swallowed his outburst and tried to be patient, but it wore on her. One night Sam trudged in at half past one, and she finally snapped, saying she didnt want to move anymore, just wanted him home in the evenings so they could spend time together, visit friends, be a proper couple. Sam listened, stripped down, lay down facing the wall, and fell asleep. The next day he was late again.
Then Sam vanished. He left for work in the morning and didnt come back that evening, nor the next. His phone was switched off, and Kate couldnt call anyone at his office she didnt even know any of his colleagues. She rang the morgue, the hospital, and, trembling with fear, decided to drive to the city office where he worked.
As she packed, Margaret stood nearby, eyes hollow, sleepless. Dont worry, Mum. Hell turn up, alive and well, Kate said as calmly as she could, pulling Margaret into a gentle hug. Kate tried to convince herself, but tears welled up, her throat tightened, and she kept whispering, Hes out there, I know it.
A familiar voice called out from a minibus stop. Hey, you heading into town? We could go together. You buying a new car, right? Maybe youll sell yours cheap?
What are you on about? Kate asked, puzzled.
My friend Sam withdrew a heap of cash from the bank a few days ago. I thought he was buying something, saw him paying a utility bill, and figured youd know, the woman replied, shrugging.
Kate went pale. Could those withdrawn funds be the reason Sam disappeared? She raced to his office, only to learn from the receptionist that Sam had left his job weeks ago, moving to an unnamed new position. Desperate, Kate went to the police and filed a missing person report. They took her seriously, recorded everything, and promised to start searching.
The next day a detective called her in. Why didnt you tell us youd been divorced three months ago? That changes everything. Did you find any of his documents at home? Did he take everything with him?
Kate stared, bewildered. The officer showed her a copy of a divorce decree and a marriage registration record. She was stunned. When she got home, she told Margaret everything. Margaret gasped, covering her mouth, eyes wide with shock.
What? Kate managed after a minute.
Im sorry, its my fault, Margaret whispered, hands trembling. Sam told me that youd get court summons because some fraudsters had taken a loan in your name. He asked me to hide them so you wouldnt worry. He said hed sort it out with a judge he knew. I didnt realise hed actually filed for divorce. He never told me.
So he cheated me out of the marriage? Kate whispered, sinking onto the sofa, numb. Where is he? Whats happened?
Margaret sobbed, He texted me this morning hes gone off with another woman, theyre planning to marry soon. He took all the money, said it was his salary. I thought Id move into a care home and leave everything to you, hoping youd forgive me.
Kate stood, shivering, as if a cold wind had slipped inside her soul. She remembered the lilac and birch trees theyd planted by the garden fence years ago, the winter sled rides with Tara, the piglet thatd escaped the farm and the frantic family chase. The memories made her eyes flood.
I wont let you go, Mum, she said firmly, returning to the house. Sam betrayed me, not you. I love you like my own mother, and I know youd never hurt me. Im sorry for everything. She wrapped her arms around Margaret, both of them weeping.
Later that night they called Tara and explained everything. Tara was horrified at her fathers betrayal and declared shed never forgive him. She then offered the grandmothers a place to stay with her. Were expecting twins soon, so well need you both. Sell your house, move into our threebedroom flat theres plenty of room, she said.
Kate and Margaret exchanged a look, tears turning into smiles. They agreed.
Sam did turn up once, visiting the city once, but Tara never let him in. Perhaps he hoped to return, perhaps not now nobody was waiting for him, not even his mother.
