Listen, Emily, if I want to look all glittery and walk around in gold, Im up at five every damn day, milking the cows, giving the calves a drink, handing out the feed, then Im off to my real job. So theres no point in being jealous, honestly.
Oh, Olivia! You look stunning! And you dont even live in the village, do you? Look at you all in goldchains, bracelets, even a little gold cuff. I cant stop chattering, love. Folks in town always say village lifes rough, but if they saw you, theyd pack their cars and move out here straight away. Living in the countryside and looking this posh, dressing sharp and sparkling with goldwhat a treat!
You know, Emily, to look like that Ive got to be up at five, milk the cows, give the calves a sip, sort out the feed, then head off to my main job. If youd seen how life works out here in the village, youd think twice before judging.
Olivia, I cant possibly know what village life is like! I grew up with cows and pigs from a young age, unlike you. How you managed to turn into a proper country gal is still a mystery. We always thought youd never come back home after school.
Oh, lets not dwell on the past. Whats done is done. When youre young you think youve got it all planned, but life has other ideas.
Olivias temperament was stubbornif she said shed do something, shed do it. From childhood she claimed that the village with its fields, potatoes, cows and calves, the hay bales and all, was beneath her. She saw herself as beautiful and clever, deserving the best, and thought shed never need any of those farm chores.
Mum, Ill never go back to our village. Ill finish school, move to the city, find a rich fiancé, marry him and stay in town. Ive had enough of village life!
Alright, love, if thats how you feel. No one knows what the future holds. The village isnt worse than the citypeople live there too. If youd just help with the cows, dear, things would be easier for me and I could sort dinner while youre at it.
Oh, please! Imagine me chasing after cowseveryone would have a laugh at me. Mum, Ill meet your cows and thats it. Dont bring that up again.
Other kids help with the livestock and their parents. What makes you any different, love?
Mum, why should I compare myself to anyone else? Ive got my own head on my shoulders.
Martha, Olivias mother, just sighed and silently went back to the pasture to meet the milking herd, while her daughter piled on layer after layer of makeup for the village disco.
Olivias friends eyed the local queen with envyshe never bothered with housework, never washed a dish, let alone went into the barn. She didnt even know which side of the cows to approach. The older sister was already married with grandchildren, and now Martha discovered she was pregnant too, giving birth almost at the same time as her elder daughterjust a twomonth gap. How could anyone not spoil the little one?
Time went on, the kids grew up, the parents aged. Olivia finished school with a string of Cgrades, but plenty of ambition. She decided to train as a nursery teacherclean, respectable work with a bit of dignity.
Martha sighed again, sold a couple of calves with her husband and paid for Olivias first year of training.
No one quite got what was happening at first. Olivia was in her final college year but kept popping home, trying to juggle studies and family duties. Shed sit in front of the mirror, prim herself up, and stare out the window as if waiting for someone, yet shed end up alone at the local club.
She started to blossom, became more confident. One weekend the inlaws turned up, saying theyd bring a shipment of goods, and the family was all buzzing about it.
Her parents didnt understand 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. They dated for four years, then married, and soon after she finished college, now a married, heavily pregnant woman.
Rumour had it shed only passed her exams because of her situationnot because of brilliance. They rented a flat in the city and settled in. The parents only sent parcels of provisions, hoping the young couple could keep themselves fed. Olivia was on maternity leave while James, her husband, worked double shifts. Their baby girl, Lily, arrivedjust as pretty as her mum. With two of them, Jamess salary barely covered things; with three, it was a stretch. James snapped:
You do what you like, but Im fed up. Im tired of paying half a wage to some landlord for a flat. Lets move back to the village until Lilys bigger, and thats final.
So they packed the essentials and headed back to the countryside. Jamess parents bought a new house, left the old one empty for a while. The young couple moved in, James took a job on a local farmhes a skilled mechanic, diploma and all. The pays a bit lower than the city, but its all cash, and they dont pay rent. Olivia balked at firstwhy bring her back to the sticks?but she settled once she saw Mum and her motherinlaw helping with the baby and the groceries. It felt like a fairytale.
Soon the fairytale hit a snag. The motherinlaw and Martha started complaining that Olivia spent hours in front of the mirror while they were out in the garden. Lets take turns watching the grandkid, they said, but Olivia, still young, preferred the garden work. She tried to protest, but James gave her a look that said, I get it, and she went off to weed the carrots. The whole summer the garden was spotless, no rubbish, just neat rows. The next year she decided to plant a proper vegetable patchshe was tired of pulling carrots for the parents every season.
James decided to raise a few beef cattleseemed profitable, the farm gave hay and feed. Where there are calves, there are cows. Olivias parents moved to the nearby town and gifted a young cow to the couple. At first Olivia struggled with the early mornings, but soon she got the hang of it.
Four years later a nursery slot opened up when a longtime employee retired. Olivia applied, got the job, and the little nursery business blossomed.
She didnt even notice her citylife dreams slipping into the background. When youre up at dawn and working till dusk, theres barely room for daydreams.
Now the motherinlaw lives in the town, Lily is at school, and Olivia is still in the village, now headmistress of the nursery. James nudged her, Maybe its time we get a bit closer to civilisation?
You kidding, James? Whats wrong with this? Weve got our house, our garden, the farm. Money isnt tight, and we still pop into the city whenever we like. I dont want to leave the nursery; Lilys finishing school soon, then well see. But for now, Im happy here.
Twenty years flew by like a blink. The old school class decided to reunion after everyone graduated. Olivia ran into a few old matessome stayed in the village, others moved to towns. She hadnt seen her childhood friends Katie and Poppy in fifteen years, but they all turned up for the evening gettogether.
They were shocked at how life had turned out. Half the old classmates were now city folknobody could have guessed that. Take Katie, for example. She grew up on a farm, parents both farmers, did okay at school, never planned to go further, but ended up training as a chef, moved to London, got married, now runs a boutique restaurantlook at her! And Poppy? She married her schoolmate Michael, lives in a city flat, drives a nice car, husbands a businessman, she never planned a city life either, always dreamed of the village.
The reunion was warm, phones were swapped, stories shared, and everyone went their separate ways. Olivia and James walked home, thoughtful, each lost in their own thoughts.
Sorry I dragged you back to the village, love. I knew you couldnt stand it, thought youd be driving a car in the city now.
Oh, James! I still drive, were not any worse off than anyone else. City life isnt all sunshine; both have their pros. I actually love the village. The city wears me out. I used to think it was shameful not to help at home, but my parents spoiled me a bit. If you hadnt taken me back then, wed probably still be paying rent or a mortgage. Remember how Id barely clean my plate? Out here, with you and the family, Ive learned hard work pays off. Were not far from the city, we could move anytime. We have work, a roofwhat more do we need for happiness?
Yeah, Olivia. When did you finally fall for the village?
I always loved it, just didnt realise it. Never say never. Remember how I swore Id never live in the countryside? Turns out Im right where I belong.
