Zach didnt have much luck in lovehe divorced his wife after three years of marriage. He was around thirty at the time.
“At least we didnt have kids,” hed say to his colleagues. “Wouldve been harder to walk away otherwise.”
Hed misjudged Tanya. She wasnt the settling-down typealways out with her mates, always in the thick of it. Hed fallen for her lively spirit, only to realise too late she was too lively, too reckless.
“Zach, we need you to go to Cliffton, a village about thirty miles from the city,” the chief engineer told him. “They need help fixing some equipment. A month, maybe less. Since youre a free man nowno wife, no stringsmight as well make the most of it.”
Zach didnt mind. A change of scenery sounded good, especially somewhere new. When he got there, they offered him a choice: “You can stay in the staff quarters, though theyre renovating at the moment, or board with a local. Theres a cottage near the substation where youll be working.”
“No way am I putting up with renovations,” Zach laughed. “Ill take the cottage. Maybe the landladys a decent cooksingle blokes gotta eat, right?”
Turned out, his landlady was a widow named Evelyn. She was quiet, reserved, dressed in long black skirts with a scarf always covering her hair. At first glance, Zach assumed she was older, but her movements gave her awaysharp, energetic.
They kept to themselves, speaking little, but Evelyn fed him well. Hed struck a deal with herhome-cooked meals instead of the canteen. One day, he asked his mate, “Dave, dyou know why Evelyn dresses like that? Thought she might be religious, but Ive never seen her pray or anything.”
“Evelyn? Youve never seen her without the scarf, then?” Dave asked.
“Nah, shes always covered up when I see her in the morning. Breakfasts ready, we exchange a few words, thats it. But the foods spot-on. Cant complain.”
“Mate, good grub makes all the difference,” Dave grinned. “My missus, Lucyshell feed me even if I come home three sheets to the wind. Gives me an earful first, sure, but thats part of the deal.” His eyes lit up when he talked about her.
“Yeah, well, us blokes do love a proper meal,” Zach smiled. Then, curious, he asked, “Whyd you ask if Id seen her without the scarf?”
“Oh, nothing major. Justshes got lovely hair, but she hides it. Shes young, but shes dressed like an old widow.”
“Why?”
“Because of what happened with her husband, Michael. They were mad about each otherproper golden couple. I was at their weddinghe was my cousin, but we were close. Then, a month after they married, he took a shortcut driving home in spring. Ice on the river was still thick, but not thick enough. His Land Rover went through. They only found him after the thaw, miles downstream.”
Zach whistled low. “Bloody hell. All for a shortcut.”
“Five extra miles over the bridge,” Dave sighed. “But he was impatient. Evelyns been a widow ever since. Shes only twenty-seven, twenty-eight now.”
That night, Zach walked home lost in thought. He let himself inand froze. Evelyn stood with her back to him, brushing out long, dark waves of hair. The door creaked, she turned, and for a moment, he couldnt speak. She was stunning.
“Oh!” She quickly twisted her hair up, covering it again.
“Evelyn, why hide all that?” he asked softly. “Youre young. I thought you were older because of the way you dress.”
“I made a promise,” she said simply, then disappeared into the kitchen.
Things stayed awkward after that, but one evening, Zach came home with a bunch of wild daisies. “For you. No refusingits my birthday.”
She almost smiled. “You shouldve said. Id have baked something.”
“Dont worry.” He pulled out a cake, a bottle of wine, and some chocolates. “Lets celebrate.”
She took a sip of wine, then set it down. “I dont drink. But happy birthday, Zach.”
He hesitated, then said, “Tell me about Michael. I heard a bit. Sometimes talking helps.”
She was quiet, so he filled the silence with his own storyhis failed marriage, his ex-wife whod wanted no part of family life. Eventually, Evelyn spoke.
“I still love him. He was my fategiven and taken too fast. At his grave, I promised to live only with his memory.”
“Evelyn,” Zach said gently, “memory matters. But we only get one life.”
She nodded. “I know. But I cant break my promise. Youre a good man, Zach. Youll find happiness.”
When his work there ended, he left with a heavy heart. Shed said only, “Goodbye. Be happy.”
Ten years passed. Zach never married. Then, driving back from a seaside holiday, he saw the sign for Cliffton. On impulse, he turned.
The cottage had a new fence. His heart pounded as he stood there, unsureuntil a voice behind him said, “Looking for someone?”
He turned. Evelyn. Even more beautiful, no longer hidden in black.
“Youre Zach,” she said softly. “The one who told me lifes only given once.” She smiled. “Come in. Ive just made tea.”
They married five years later. Now they live in the city with their daughterwho looks just like her. Happiness, at last.
