“One of the biggest mistakes is thinking people are just good or bad, clever or stupid. People changetheyve got all sorts inside em. Someone mightve been foolish and then wise, cruel and then kind, and vice versa. Thats the beauty of us. You cant judge a person once and for all. You might condemn em, and already theyre someone new,” Leo Tolstoy once scribbled in his diaries.
Arguing with the greats is hardsometimes near impossible. And life keeps proving em right, if you look close enough, sift the wheat from the chaff. Then the heart of the truth becomes clear as day.
But todays too hot for deep thoughts. Proper July heat, like the airs bounced off scorching walls, landed on blistering pavement, and just given up, bowing to the sun pouring summer down from the sky.
Except for Emily. Inside, its midwinter. A bitter freeze. This summers happening without her.
Schools just ended. Unis the next step, like any graduates meant to think about. But Emilys pregnant. Unis off the table now. And Jake? Turned out to be a right coward. When she told him about the baby, he just bit his lip, turned to the window, and said,
“Course I was first but maybe I wasnt the only one.”
Emily didnt even cry. Just stood there, staring at his back. And his back was just calm. Breathing steady. She wanted to say more, ask what she was supposed to do now, but then the doorbell rangher mum home from work. Jake went to answer, mumbled a hello in the hallway, and left.
Mum marched straight to Emilys room. “Whats happened?”
Emily panicked. Blurted it out. “Nothing. Just Im pregnant.”
Mum stared right into her eyes. Then shriekedbut Emily didnt catch the words, cause the sound was cut off by the slap across her face.
And thats when winter started inside her. Like snow had dumped all at once, burying her up to her neck. Cold. Empty. Inside and out.
Mum kept shouting. But snow muffles sound. So Emily just sat on the edge of her bed and started cryingexcept the tears froze inside, never falling, just turning to icy little marbles in her chest. She could hear em rattling in the hollow space.
Mum stormed out. The front door slammed. Silence. And Emily was left alone with her frozen tears in the middle of a blazing July evening.
She curled up under the covers and *then* the proper crying startedmessy, snotty, full-on girl tears. Not for herself, no. For the baby. Not even born yet, and already no one wanted it. Not its dad, not its gran, not even her, its useless mum. No one was glad for it.
She mustve dozed off, even though it was still light out. Dreamt something, woke when someone sat beside her, stroking her hair.
Mum was back. “Em, love forgive me. Im an idiot, and not even old enough to blame it on age. Should be celebratingmy girls all grown up. Gonna be a mum herself soon. And me, I”
She was crying now, swiping at her cheeks. “Only thing I keep thinkingplease dont let it be a boy. Just not a boy. Cause men, theyre all well. None of em ever *really* understand, or know how to care proper. Not your dad not mine either!”
Then Emily properly wailedloud, ugly sobs. She sat up, clung to her mum, hugged her tight. The most important person in the world. And there they were, both crying, grieving their own hurts. But warm together. And summer outside, still.
Thendoorbell again. Mum sniffed hard, wiped her face, stopped Emily from jumping up. “Stay there, love. Ill get it.”
She went, smoothing her hair on the way. Tragedy or not, if a mans at the door, you cant look a complete mess.
Opened it. And there *was* a man. Two, actually. Jake, and in fronthis dad, who started talking first.
“Evening, Mrs. Thompson. Sorry for the late hour. But this numpty here finally told me the whole truth, I reckon.” He turned to Jake. “Or was there more, future grandad?”
Jake just hung his head. His dad went on.
“So weve come, both of us, to ask for your daughters hand. That is, if Emily can forgive the rubbish he said when he left.” He glared at Jake, then cuffed him round the head. “Go on, you little git. Apologise to the lass! And if she dont forgive you, youre no son of mine!”
Yeah. People change. Mess up, no clue how to fix it. Good thing weve got mums and dads about. They know better.
