Then the server crashed, and we had to wait half a day for it to be brought back up! The order almost fell through; can you imagine the loss that would have meant?
Emily caught herself, once again, halflistening to James. They were in a little coffee shop opposite her office, and he was rambling about the latest project at work. She watched his fingers fidget with a napkin and realised that after six months together she still hadnt met his family.
She was thirty, the age when you stop flirting with romance and start craving certainty. James was a solid sort of manhardworking, attentive, dependable. A month ago hed popped the question in the very same coffee shop where theyd first met. Emily said yes, but a nervous knot settled in her stomach.
Whenever she tried to bring up his parents, James would steer the conversation elsewhere. Hed talk about the weather, or claim something urgent had come up. She chalked it up to shynessperhaps he was embarrassed about his modest upbringing or simply wasnt used to sharing personal details.
James, when will I finally meet your parents? Emily asked, pushing her cooling cup of tea aside.
James tensed. The napkin in his hand crumpled into a tiny ball. He looked up at her, his eyes flickering with something like apprehension.
Well go this weekend, he said after a pause.
A wave of relief flooded Emilys chest. At last! She could picture herself stepping into Jamess family home, his mother hugging her, calling her dear, and them all sharing tea and scones around a big wooden table.
The days leading up to the weekend were spent prepping. She combed through three shopping centres hunting for the perfect presents. For Jamess mother she bought an elegant silk shawl and a bottle of French perfume. For his father a quality set of toolsanything a bloke would love. For his sister, a stylish handbag shed been eyeing herself.
On Saturday morning Emily rose at six to get everything doneshower, hair, a bit of makeup. She chose a classy kneelength beige dress and a pair of sensible heels; classic elegance never goes out of style. She examined herself in the mirror, gave a final spin, and decided she looked perfect. This is how a future daughterinlaw should appear.
James slipped into his car in silence. Emily started the engine and merged onto the M1. The radio hummed a soft ballad while roadside cafés and petrol stations whizzed past. She smiled, daydreaming about the upcoming meeting, while James kept a tense silence.
You look sullen. Nervous? Emily asked, glancing at him.
Just, James clenched his fists on his knees. Dont worry if something goes wrong, okay?
She frowned, shifting gears.
What do you mean goes wrong? What could possibly go wrong? she pressed.
Well, theyre particular, he muttered, turning his gaze to the window. Just keep that in mind.
Before she could ask more, the GPS announced a left turn. The village they were heading for was tinyabout a dozen houses stretched along a single lane. The road wound between sagging fences and garden patches. The navigator led them to a weatherworn wooden cottage with peeling paint on the shutters.
Emily turned off the engine and looked around. The yard was overgrown; grass sprouted in clumps, a stack of firewood loomed in a corner, and rusted tools lay near the shed. She forced a smile. It wasnt about wealth; it was about people.
On the porch three figures waiteda elderly lady in a faded housecoat, a man in a stretchedout Tshirt, and a twentysomething girl with a scowl.
Well, look whos arrived, said Jamess mother, eyeing Emily with a measuring glance.
Emily stepped forward, extending her hand. Hello. Im delighted to finally meet you.
The mother gave a weak shake. The father merely nodded. The sister crossed her arms, narrowed her eyes, and said nothing.
Emily turned back to the car to fetch the gift bags from the boot. She popped the tailgate open and bent down when a sudden hissing sound startled her.
From behind the cottage burst a massive white goose, the size of a small dog, with a long, winding neck and a fierce glare. It charged straight at Emily, flapping its wings and opening its beak.
What the Emily leapt aside, sending a perfume bottle crashing to the ground.
The goose didnt stop. It swooped at her with a fury shed never expected from a farm bird. Its wings slapped at her legs, its beak pecked her calves. Emily scrambled, trying to shut the car door, but the bird kept harrying her, giving her no respite.
James! she shouted, trying to dodge another lunge.
James stepped forward hesitantly, only to hear a boisterous laugh from behind.
Oh, she didnt pass the test! Jamess mother cried, clutching her belly from laughter. Look, look! Gosh has exposed her!
Jamess sister snorted, clearly enjoying the spectacle. A proper woman wouldnt be scared off by a goose, but here she is, trembling in her pretty dress.
Jamess father whipped out his phone and began filming, his face lit with amusement as if this were the best entertainment hed seen all month.
James, do something! Emily pleaded, trying to fend off the bird, but it kept attacking, pecking at her shins and slashing her thighs with its wings.
James moved toward her, waving his arms uncertainly. The goose paused for a heartbeat, but Jamess mother shouted sharply, Dont interfere! Let Gosh handle it! He knows bad people!
James froze, glanced at his mother, then at Emily, and stepped back obediently, retreating to the porch where his family stood.
Emily leaned against the car, cornered by the goose. Her dress was stained, her shoes slipping on the uneven ground, and bright red bite marks dotted her calves. She stared at James, his mother, his sister, his father filming, and a cold dread settled deep inside her.
They were humiliating her on purpose. It wasnt an accident or a misunderstanding. It was a testa cruel, vindictive trial set up by Jamess family to put her in her place. And James just stood there doing nothing.
With a sudden burst of adrenaline Emily dove into the car. The goose pecked at the window for a few more seconds before losing interest and waddling away, proud as if itd won a battle.
James walked up to the car and knocked on the window. Emily lowered the glass just enough to let a sliver of air in.
Emily, calm down, please, James said hurriedly. Its just a family tradition. A little test for a bride, you know, to see her character. Mum always does it.
Emily stared James straight in the eye. Her fingers tightened on the steering wheel. Inside, resentment, anger, and disappointment boiled.
There wont be a wedding, she said quietly but clearly.
James blinked, as if he hadnt heard.
What? Emily, what are you talking about? Its just a joke
No wedding, Emily repeated, sliding the engagement ring off her finger and pushing it through the tiny opening in the window. Take it.
Youre mad! James tried to open the door, but it was locked. Dont be foolish! Lets talk this out!
Theres nothing left to say.
Emily turned the engine over; the motor growled, the car shuddered. James stood nearby, clutching the ring helplessly. She put the car in reverse, backed out of the driveway, and drove away. In the rearview mirror she caught the silhouettes of his family on the porch, still laughing.
The first few miles she drove on autopilot, barely noticing the countryside. Her hands shook on the wheel, her heart thudded in her throat. Tears welled up, but she brushed them away. Shed cry later, at home; now she just needed to get away.
By evening her phone buzzed nonstop. James called again and again, sent apologetic texts, begged for another chance. Emily read them but didnt reply. Once she answered, his frantic, guilty voice poured out, and she hung up immediately.
A week later she blocked his number on every messenger, deleted the photos of them together, tossed away the little trinkets that reminded her of Jamesa tshirt, a novel, a coffee mug.
Life slipped back into its normal rhythmwork, meetups with friends, the gym. She tried not to think about the incident, but when she fell asleep she still saw the gooses angry eyes and heard his familys cruel laughter.
A month later a friend mentioned shed heard that James had married a village girl whose mother approved him straight away. No goose, no tests.
Emily listened, feeling a strange lightness. The goose, the family, their nasty amusement had shown her the truth before shed ever tied her life to them. She ran a fingertip over the place on her finger where the ring had sat, smiled, and thought that everything had ultimately worked out for the best.
