The server crashed just as we were about to lock in the order, and we spent half a day waiting for the IT team to bring it back online. The deal almost slipped through; can you imagine the loss that would have meant?
Mabel found herself, once again, halflistening to Andrew as they sat in a little café opposite her office on Oxford Street. He was rambling about a new project at the firm, while she watched his fingers fidget with a napkin, wondering how, after six months together, she still hadnt met his family.
She was thirty, the age when romance feels like a pastime and certainty becomes a craving. Andrew was a decent blokehardworking, attentive, reliable. A month earlier, in the very café where theyd first locked eyes, hed slipped a ring onto her finger. Shed said yes, but a nervous knot had settled in her stomach.
Every time she tried to bring up his parents, Andrew would steer awaytalking about the weather, mentioning urgent meetings. She chalked it up to shyness; perhaps he was embarrassed by his modest upbringing or simply unused to sharing personal details.
Andrew, when will I finally meet your parents? Mabel asked, pushing her cooling coffee aside.
Andrew tensed. The napkin in his hand crumpled into a tight ball. He met her gaze, and a flicker of worry passed through his eyes.
Well go this weekend, he said after a pause.
Joy surged through Mabel, washing away her doubts. She could already picture herself stepping into his family home, his mother embracing her, calling her dear, and them all sharing tea and slices of cake around a large oak table.
The days leading up to the weekend became a whirlwind of preparation. She roamed three shopping centresWestfield, Bluewater, and the Harrods annexsearching for the perfect presents. For Andrews mother she bought an expensive silk shawl and a bottle of French perfume; for his father a highquality tool set that any handyman would envy; for his sister, a stylish leather handbag that she herself had long coveted.
On Saturday morning Mabel rose at six. She took a quick shower, did her hair, applied a light makeup. She chose an elegant beige kneelength dress and classic heelstimeless and appropriate for a future daughterinlaw. She twirled before the mirror, inspected the result, and decided it was perfect.
Andrew slipped into the car in silence. Mabel turned the key, rolled onto the motorway, while a soft, lyrical song drifted from the radio. Roadside cafés and petrol stations flickered past the windows. She smiled, imagining the impending meeting, while Andrew kept a tightlipped stare.
You look glum, Mabel said, flashing a quick glance his way. Nervous?
Just, Andrew clenched his fists on his knees. Dont worry if something goes wrong, okay?
She frowned, shifting gears.
What do you mean go wrong? What could possibly go wrong?
Theyre particular, he muttered, turning his face to the window. Just keep that in mind.
Before Mabel could press further, the GPS announced a left turn. The village they were heading for was tinyjust a handful of cottages along a single lane. The road weaved between sagging fences and vegetable patches, finally stopping before a weatherworn wooden house with peeling paint on its shutters.
Mabel eased the engine and surveyed the courtyard. Overgrown grass, a crooked pile of firewood in the corner, rusty tools scattered near the shed. Yet she forced a smile; wealth mattered little compared to people.
On the porch three figures waited: an elderly woman in a faded robe, a man in a threadbare Tshirt, and a young woman of about twentyfive with an impatient expression.
So youve arrived, said Mrs. Hart, Andrews mother, casting a assessing glance at Mabel.
Mabel stepped forward, extending her hand. Hello. Its a pleasure to finally meet you.
The mother gave a halfhearted shake; the father merely nodded. The sister crossed her arms, narrowed her eyes, and said nothing.
Mabel turned back to the car to retrieve the gift bags. She lifted the boot, reached for the parcels, and at that instant a loud hiss cut through the air.
From behind the house burst a massive white goose, as large as a small dog, its neck coiled like a serpent and its eyes gleaming with malice. It charged straight at Mabel, wings splayed, beak open.
What the Mabel leapt aside, sending the perfume bottle spilling onto the grass.
The goose did not pause. It lunged with a fury she had never imagined a domestic bird could muster, its wings slapping at her legs, its beak snapping at her calves. Mabel stumbled, tried to slam the car door shut, but the bird pursued relentlessly.
Andrew! she shrieked, dodging another swipe.
Andrew took an uncertain step forward, only to be overtaken by a roaring laugh that echoed from the porchboisterous, almost cruel.
Oh dear, she didnt pass the test! cried Mrs. Hart, clutching her belly with mirth. Look, look! Gosh has brought her out in the open!
Andrews sister snorted, clearly enjoying the spectacle.
A real woman wouldnt be frightened by a goose, she jeered. Shes a coward in that fancy dress.
Mr. Hart pulled out his phone and began filming, his face lit up as if this were the most entertaining thing hed seen in months.
Andrew, do something! Mabel pleaded, swatting at the bird as it continued its relentless assault on her feet and thighs.
Andrew moved again, waving his arms hesitantly. The goose momentarily hesitated, but Mrs. Hart barked at him sharply:
Dont interfere! Let Gosh deal with it! He knows whos bad!
Andrew froze, looked at his mother, then at Mabel, and stepped back obediently, retreating to the porch where his family stood.
Mabel pressed her back against the car, the goose cornering her, her dress stained, her heels slipping on the uneven ground, red bite marks on her shins. She stared at the familymother, sister, father with his phonewhile a cold dread settled inside her.
They were humiliating her on purpose. This was no accident; it was a test, a cruel ritual devised by Andrews family to put her in her place, while the groom watched helplessly.
Mabel dove into the car. The goose pecked at the glass for a few more seconds before losing interest and strutting away, proud as if it had won a battle.
Andrew walked up to the window and knocked. Mabel lowered the glass to a narrow slit.
Mabel, calm down, please, he said hurriedly. Its just a family tradition, a sort of initiation for brides. Mum always does this to test character.
Mabel met his eyes, fingers tightening on the steering wheel. Inside, hurt, anger, and disappointment boiled.
There will be no wedding, she whispered, unmistakably.
Andrew blinked, as if shed spoken nonsense.
What? Mabel, what are you saying? It was just a joke
No wedding, she repeated, slipping the engagement ring off her finger and sliding it back through the crack in the window. Take it.
Youve gone mad! Andrew tried to open the door, but it was locked. Dont be foolish! Lets talk, properly!
Theres nothing left to say.
She turned the key, the engine rumbled, the car shuddered. Andrew stood there, bewildered, clutching the ring. Mabel put the car in reverse, backed out, and drove toward the exit. In the rearview mirror the silhouettes of his family lingered on the porch, still laughing.
The first few miles she drove on autopilot, the countryside blurring past. Her hands trembled on the wheel, her heart thudded in her throat. Tears welled, but she brushed them away. Shed weep later, at home; for now she needed only to get away.
That evening her phone rang incessantly. Andrew called over and over, texted apologies, explanations, pleas for another chance. Mabel listened but never replied. Once she answered, heard his frantic, guilty voice, and hung up immediately.
A week later she blocked his number on every messenger, deleted every photo of them together, threw away the remnants of Andrewhis Tshirt, the novel hed lent her, the chipped mug.
Life slipped back into its ordinary rhythm: work, coffee with friends, the gym. She tried not to think about the goose, but when she fell asleep she still saw its angry eyes and heard the familys hysterical laughter.
A month later, a friend mentioned over brunch that Andrew had married a village girl whom his mother approved right away. No geese, no tests.
Mabel listened, feeling a light relief rather than sorrow. The goose, the familys mockery, had shown her the truth before shed tied her life to theirs. She ran a fingertip over the spot where the ring had been, smiled, and thought how everything had finally settled into its proper place.
