Emily! Em! shouted Oliver across the road.
Emily let out a heavy sigh, set her grocery bags on the curb and paused. She glanced at the car belonging to her exhusband parked on the opposite side, sucked in her cheeks, and lowered her head. How tired she was of this endless loop. Oliver jogged toward her, almost stumbling, eager to help.
Hey, Emily, he said, reaching for the bags.
Hello, she replied.
I was just passing by, saw you struggling with those heavy bags and thought Id lend a hand, he said with a goofy grin. Lets get you home.
You were just passing by? You live on Oldfield Road, and this is the suburb
Oliver had already turned toward his own car, two bags clutched in his hands.
My colleague gave me a lift from work, and then I saw you I couldnt just drive past, he shrugged. Come on, Ill give you a lift.
I only have a halfkilometre walk left.
No problem, Ill take the heavy bags for you. Hows little Charlie, and hows your mum?
Great, pick him up this weekend and youll hear everything. You guys talk every day, dont you? Why are you always asking about me?
Just being interested. Were not strangers, Oliver said, opening the passenger door for his former wife.
Ill sit in the back.
Its a mess back there! Dont.
Emily opened the rear door, peeked inside and indeed saw a jumble of items.
You still dont believe me
She sighed and finally settled into the front seat. Oliver stowed the bags in the boot. He beamed at her, while she stared out the window at the familiar neighbourhood.
You look as lovely as ever, he said.
Oliver, just get me home. I still have dinner to finish, she snapped.
Right, right! Oliver kicked the engine and they pulled away. Ive just taken a new job, sorting out the paperwork for a shift system, he blurted, while Emily stared blankly out the window. Charlie mentioned you moved out of your motherinlaws place?
Its been three years now, Emily answered without moving.
Emily, stop playing hideandseek! Why do I only get to see our son when youre around? Are you hiding your address? Let me drop you off.
Dont, Emily muttered, tugging at the edge of her coat. I bought groceries for Mum.
Give them to her and Ill take you home, Oliver replied.
They stopped in a courtyard.
What did you say about Charlie? I told him not to see you. Are you two still on good terms?
Yes.
What the devil do you want from me? Emily snapped, losing her composure.
Emily, were not strangers we have a son, Oliver tried to take her hand. She pulled her hand back into her pocket with obvious dislike.
Oliver, enough! How many times must I hear your accidental visits? Stop calling my mother, stop begging for forgiveness it wont change anything! We moved out because I couldnt stand you any longer. Im on the brink of a nervous breakdown, hearing everyone say how sorry you are, how you miss us, how you dream of getting the family back together. And Charlie? Why are you rubbing it in? Hes just starting to get used to his dad on weekends, and you keep promising reconciliation, asking for greetings, asking when I get home, where Im at.
Im worried.
I am too about our son! How many times can you pressure him? Stop using him to push me.
Emily slammed the car door, trying to haul the bags from the boot, but the lock jammed. She yanked at the boot lid, fuming, eager to be rid of Oliver. Her mother watched from the upstairs window, her eyes hidden behind blinds. Oliver opened the boot and carried the bags to the front steps, intending to go up to the flat, but Emily stopped him sharply.
No, Ill do it myself.
Emily, you have to understandI love you still! Id give up everything for you. Should I quit the shift job? Go back to my old job? Buy you a car? Why keep walking? he pleaded. Itll be easier for you and Charlie. You could pick him up from karate.
No, she ripped the bags from his hands. I actually want you to go far away! Find a woman you truly love, live happily, and leave me alone.
Emily, forgive me, it was a mistake, she meant nothing to me! I still curse myself.
Forgiven, Oliver. Ive long forgiven and let go, but you wont release me.
I cant! Living without you is unbearable, he shouted as Emily climbed the stairs.
Oliver, stop the theatrics, came a voice from above. Ive forgiven you, but I cant love you again.
The secondfloor door slammed and silence fell. Oliver clenched his fists, walked to his car, glancing at the windows of his former motherinlaws flat. He realized how foolish hed been, trading a family for a fleeting fling. After a year of single life he finally understood: there was no one better than his own Emily and his little bear, Charlie.
They had met in secondary school when Emily transferred into their form and outshone every girl. Oliver could see only her; everyone else faded. Summer holidays brought a fleeting romance with another girl, and when school resumed, Emily was no longer his focus. They stayed friends, lost touch for five years while both studied abroad, then remet at a reunion. Emily earned a firstclass degree and a solid job, returning to her hometown to work at the familyowned factory. Oliver drifted through odd jobs, finally landing a post at a plant, never quite satisfying his ambitions.
Everything changed when Emily told him she was pregnant. Oliver, terrified but determined, rushed to introduce her to his parents. They married, Charlie was born, they bought a house with a mortgage that the grandparents helped clear early. Summers were spent at the seaside, birthdays, christenings, weekend trips, and family anniversaries. Oliver grew restless at work, craving recognition; after a series of deadend moves, he fell into a dubious arrangement with a former colleague, which soon collapsed.
Emily sensed his burnout. She suggested he take a break, even offering him to take Charlie with him. Reluctantly, he agreed to a short fishing trip with a friend in Eastbourne, but never even made it to the lake. The friends wife sent a polite message asking him not to bother them any longer. Emily packed her things, Charlie, and left for her mothers house.
When Oliver finally demanded where she was, she sent him a grim photo from her fishing weekend. He rushed to her door, only to find it locked; his motherinlaw glared at him from the hallway. He tried to buy time, but soon received divorce papers. He fought the process, begging for forgiveness, but Emily finalised the divorce.
A year later, Oliver, now paying maintenance, called Charlie every weekend, reestablished a rapport with his exmotherinlaw, and tried to win Emilys forgiveness. She eventually forgave him, but the trust was shattered. Their relationship became a collection of memories without feeling.
They finally went their separate ways.
Emily, why are you still pestering him? their mother asked from the doorway.
Whos pestering whom? Emily replied. Has Charlie come home from school?
No.
Hes driving me mad, Mum! I wish hed get a shift far away, somewhere else! Im afraid to build any relationship because I never know what Oliver will do next.
Emily entered the kitchen with her bags; her mother had already brewed tea, the house smelling of fresh biscuits.
Ah, it smells wonderful, her mother said.
Emily, you cant just toss everything aside. You have a son. Youve lived together for years
How could I? Mother? How can we share a bed or a flat if hes a stranger to me now? My life feels stuck between legal notices and court dates. How do I live with someone I no longer feel for?
Then why give him hope, keep in touch? her mother replied, avoiding eye contact.
He wont let me go. Hes been harassing me, even after I told him Im moving on. He wants forgiveness, but what am I forgiving?
He wont quit, her mother said calmly. Men like Oliver cant handle being rejected.
What? Emily laughed bitterly. Weve been divorced for three years, hes no one to me.
He cant release you.
Exactly, its infuriating!
Oliver kept calling until his new job paperwork was done, phoning during Emilys lunch break, asking Charlie to pass messages. The former motherinlaw stopped answering. A few weeks later he met Emily and Charlie at the school gate.
Emily, Im leaving
Good luck.
Charlie, Daddys going far, but not for long, Oliver said, looking at Emily who turned away. Anything to say?
Charlie tugged his mothers sleeve, his first lesson was English and punctuality mattered.
Ive said it. Glad youre changing scenery, hope it helps you.
Dont expect Ill stay away! Oliver shouted from the car, Ill always forgive you, but I wont forgive betrayal.
Emily smiled at the absurdity. She moved on, eventually meeting Simon at work, and they built a life together. Charlie, though initially upset by his fathers silence, found a stable routine with Simon, who even helped him with school Russian lessons.
The story ends with a simple truth: holding onto past hurt only hardens the heart, while letting go opens the way for new beginnings and peace.
