Life isnt a walk in the park, you know. The whole village was buzzing about how Irene had stolen her sisters husband. Unless you were deaf or mute, youd have heard the gossipit was the talk of the town, the juiciest scandal to spice up their dull routines. For some, it was just gossip to pass the time; for others, it was a life-altering twist of fate.
Nicholas married Helen way too youngwell, for him, it was about time, but she was still practically a child herself. Helens parents were drunks, barely looking after their four kids. As the eldest, she carried the weight of the household. She cooked, cleaned, got her siblings to school, checked their homeworkall while keeping up with her own studies. Then one day, she came home from school to find their house in ashes. Neighbors stood around, whisperingthe fire brigade arrived too late. Her parents, drunk as ever, never made it out. Helen collapsed right there in the mud, screaming, but nothing could bring them back.
Her siblings were taken to an orphanage, but Helen went to live with her aunt, Annaher fathers half-sister. Life with Anna wasnt bad, though the woman worked herself to the bone, running the household like a drill sergeant. Her husband, William, was a quiet, hardworking man, tall but cowed by Annas sharp tongue. The house was peaceful, no shouting, no drinkingnothing like the chaos Helen had grown up with. She wasnt afraid of work, and though Anna pitied her, she never had to push herHelen did everything on her own, just like she always had.
Then Nicholas came back from the army, and everything changed. Tall, dark-haired, with a devil-may-care charm, he had every girl in the village swooning. Fights broke out near the pub over whod catch his eye. Like his mother, he was hardworking, a jack-of-all-trades, and though he wasnt Williams blood, he respected him as the head of the family. Quiet, steadythe kind of man youd trust with your life.
Anna had found Nicholasbrought him home as a babe, no one knew who his real father was. When William proposed, she didnt hesitate, knowing few men would take a woman with another mans child. But love grew between them, and they had three more children. Their middle boy, Max, died before he turned three. The twins, Mary and Rachel, were their pride and joyso when Helen came into their lives, they doted on her too.
Anna noticed something was off with Helen right awaythe girl was pale, queasy, avoiding eye contact. And shed seen how Nicholas looked at her. One evening after supper, she cornered him.
*”Out with itno lies. Did something happen between you two?”*
*”With who?”* Nicholas joked, raising a brow.
*”Dont play dumb! With Helen!”*
*”I love her,”* he said, steady. *”And she loves me.”*
*”I can see thatand I can see shes carrying your child! Isnt she?”*
Helen trembled when they called her in, barely able to stand from fear.
*”So, youre in love, are you? And how long have you been sick in the mornings?”*
*”Two months,”* she whispered.
*”Mum, its my child. Ill take responsibility.”*
*”Course you willyoull marry her! What else? I wont have anyone shaming this girl!”*
And so they did. The wedding was grandthe whole village celebrated. Two days of feasting, smashed dishes, and enough ale to drown in. A proper country affair, with stolen brides, drunken dances, and even a dip in the pond for the poor mother-in-law. Gifts piled upchina, quilts, even a goat and two geese from Nicholass godparents. Helen, radiant in white, blushed every time Nicholas whispered in her ear.
They moved into their own homean old but sturdy cottage, fixed up by Nicholas while Helen and Anna whitewashed the walls. They built a life togetherlivestock, crops, promises sworn in love and hardship.
A year later, Helen gave birth to a daughter. A son followed soon after. Happiness bloomed. Then, against Annas warnings, they took in Helens youngest sister, Irene.
*”Mark my words, this wont end well,”* Anna muttered.
Irene was nothing like Helenlazy, vain, leaving her room a wreck. Shed lounge by the window, twirling her hair, eyeing Nicholas whenever she could.
*”Whered she get those high-and-mighty airs?”* the neighbors scoffed.
Irene didnt care. And when Anna and William left to tend to a sick aunt, she saw her chance.
Helen was out milking the cow when their little girl cried outthe baby was burning up. A frantic trip to the hospital, a missed bus, and Nicholas was left alone with Irene.
Dinner was oddly preparedtea that left him drowsy. And when he woke, Irene was beside him, smirking.
*”What in Gods name!?”* Anna yanked the sheets away. *”Youre naked!?”*
Irene stretched like a cat. *”Ask your son what happened. He dragged me here.”*
Nicholas, groggy, barely remembered a thing.
*”Out! Now!”* Anna snarled.
*”Oh, Im not leaving. Hell divorce Helen and marry me. Or shall I remind you Im underage? One call to the police…”*
Helen returned to chaosAnna raging, Irene smirking, Nicholas shattered. The truth hit her like a knife.
Seven years passed in a blink.
Helen moved to the city, rebuilt her life. Nicholas begged, swore nothing happenedbut her heart had turned to stone.
Irene? Vanished into the city, spun a web of lies, then slithered out of sight. Years later, drunk and bitter, shed confessshed drugged him. Nothing happened.
Nicholas never remarried. Helen found love againa man named Stephen, who adored her children. Then tragedy struckStephen died in a crash. Grief swallowed her whole.
Nicholas came when their daughter called.
*”Dad, Mums not okay. Please come.”*
Time heals, they say. Maybe. Slowly, Helen clawed her way backfor the kids, for herself. And Nicholas? He stayed, quiet, steady.
Maybe one day, theyll find their way back. Maybe her heart will thaw.
But lifes no straight pathits twists and turns, storms and stillness.
As they say, *life isnt a walk in the park.*
