In her final year at university, Emily fell in lovenot with just any boy, but with Oliver, the handsome, confident lad all the girls fancied. He came from a well-off family, while Emily, though pretty and bright, was from a working-class background. She knew they were worlds apart, but love, as they say, knows no bounds.
“Emily, you’re wasting your time with Oliver,” her dorm mates warned. “Hes got a big head, looks down on most people, and only mixes with his own crowd.”
“So what? I know my worth too,” Emily shot back. “Im not some silly girlIm clever, I get top marks, and I can hold my own in any conversation.”
“Just dont come crying to us later,” they sighed. “His parents are probably posh as anythingyou wont even get a foot in the door.”
The thought of meeting his family terrified Emily, especially his mother. But when Oliver surprised her by asking her out first, she couldnt believe her luck. They dated all through their final year, and just before summer break, Oliver dropped the bombshell.
“Em, were going to meet my parents on Saturday. Mums been nagging mewants to know all about you.”
“So soon?” Emily panicked. “Im not ready!”
“Dont worry,” he chuckled. “Dads quiet, but Mums the chatty one. Just be yourself.”
Emily was certain theyd marryif she could just impress his parents. She spent days studying etiquette, terrified of making a mistake. When the day came, Oliver met her, and they walked to his familys flat together. Her heart pounded as she stepped inside.
“Hello,” Emily stammered, spotting Olivers mothera striking woman with a warm smile.
“Hello, love! Im Elizabeth Whitmore,” she beamed. “Come through, both of you.”
At the table sat Olivers father, Charles, who gave a curt nod. Emily sat straight, elbows off the table, handling her cutlery perfectlyuntil she dropped her fork. It landed silently on the plush cream carpet. She froze, but Oliver just laughed.
“Sorry,” she mumbled.
Elizabeth tutted. “Oliver, stop teasing. Fetch her a clean fork.”
“Relax, love,” Elizabeth said kindly. “Were not at some posh dinnereat up, or Ill think you hate my cooking.”
“Its delicious!” Emily blurted. “I just thought well, Oliver said you had a housekeeper, Mrs. Hughes.”
“We do,” Elizabeth admitted. “But today, I wanted to cook myself.”
“Why?”
Elizabeth grinned. “Had to impress my future daughter-in-law, didnt I?”
Emily gaped. “Waitso today wasnt just my test?”
“Exactly!” Elizabeth laughed. “And Olivers done well. Charles agrees, dont you?”
“Of course, dear,” he murmured.
The visit went smoothly, and two weeks later, they were engaged.
“Where will we live?” Emily asked.
“Not sure,” Oliver said. “But Mum and Dad are up to something.”
At the wedding, his parents handed them keys to a one-bed flat in their building. Emily was overjoyed.
“Youre blessed,” her mother said. “A roof over your head already.”
Life seemed perfectuntil Emily discovered she was pregnant. Thrilled, she told Oliver, who exploded.
“A baby? Were still students! I thought wed have years just for us.”
“You want me to?” Emily sobbed. “Never!” She fled, running into Elizabeth downstairs.
“Whats wrong?” Elizabeth demanded, ushering her inside.
Between tears, Emily confessed.
“Youre doing the right thing,” Elizabeth said firmly. “Ill talk to him.”
Later, Oliver apologised, but his coldness towards their son grew. He started coming home late, reeking of drinkthen perfume.
“Are you cheating?” Emily confronted him.
He left without denying it.
Elizabeth intervened. “Stay with us. Get a jobkeep busy. Youll get through this.”
Five years later, Emily remarrieda colleague, Daniel. They moved across town, happy with their children. Elizabeth doted on her grandson, summers spent at their countryside cottage.
Life had thrown storms, but Emily weathered them. Happiness wasnt givenit was claimed, stubbornly, against all odds. And sometimes, the unlikeliest allieslike a mother-in-laws kindnessmade all the difference.
