The Beloved Children Did Their Best
“Natalie, Ive just heard the most unbelievable thing!” Irene, who was usually unflappable, sounded utterly shaken. “I cant even wrap my head around it!”
“What happened?” asked Natalie, surprised by her friends uncharacteristic distress.
“I cant tell you over the phone. Im just round the cornerlet me come over.”
“Of course, come in,” Natalie replied, curiosity piqued.
***
“Well, out with it!” Natalie urged as she ushered Irene to the table, where a freshly baked apple pie, two delicate china cups, and a glass teapot filled with fragrant herbal tea sat waiting.
“I dont even know where to begin,” Irene murmured distractedly.
“Start at the beginning,” Natalie suggested.
“The beginning? Ill try”
Irene fell silent for a moment, gathering her thoughts, then finally asked, “Do you remember Dr. Grace Thompson from our old paediatric clinic?”
“Grace? Of course I remember her! She was brilliantsaved my son, you know,” Natalie said warmly. “And not just mine! I could tell you a hundred stories about how accurately she diagnosed the children, how many complications she prevented. People rang her personal number, called her to their homesshe never refused anyone. A wonderful woman, truly heaven-sent.”
“Exactly,” Irene nodded. “I owe her my daughters health too. If not for her sharp eye, who knows what mightve happened? It couldve been a lifelong disability.”
“Why bring her up now?” Natalie asked. “She retired years ago. I heard she sang in the church choirsaw her there once myself.”
“Sang,” Irene corrected grimly. “Shes gone now.”
“What? I spoke to her not long agosmiling, cheerful as ever, her eyes full of kindness. She didnt look ill. Though age, I suppose. She mustve been well into her seventies.”
“Nearly eighty. And she was perfectly healthy.”
“Then how?”
“You wont believe it,” Irene said bitterly. “Her own children did it. Drove her to the grave. Literally.”
“Oh, come now! That cant be true!” Natalie gasped.
“It is,” Irene replied firmly, her face hardening, her eyes flickering with something like stunned helplessness.
***
Grace ThompsonGrace Henderson, back thenhad married a cadet from the military academy just after graduating from medical school. Naturally, she followed her husband, William, to his first posting. She found work as a doctor straight away.
They moved often, living out of suitcases, before finally settling in a cathedral city. Grace worked tirelesslydoctors were always needed in small towns and garrison communities.
Then, the big citya district clinic. By then, they had two children. The eldest, Eleanor, took after her father. The younger, Edward, was the spitting image of Grace.
William served; Grace kept the home fires burning and treated the local children.
Only a military wife knows what it means to be one. Grace was no exception. The children, the household, the endless movingall fell on her shoulders. Add to that the responsibility of her work, and Williams difficult temperament
It was a lot.
But Grace never complained. She handled everything with ease, always smiling, always immaculate. Not even her closest friends suspected things werent as smooth at home. Outwardly, the family seemed happy. A spacious three-bedroom house. A car. Comfortable. The children always well cared for.
Grace wasnt just a gifted doctor and a lovely personshe was the sort of homemaker youd be lucky to find. The whole garrison adored her, adults and children alike. Her son, Eddie, was the life of the party, though a proper roguemore interested in strumming his guitar and chasing girls than studying.
Eleanor, though A clever girl, top of her class, mature beyond her years. She didnt get on with her brother, kept to herself. Grace worriedshe feared Eleanor would struggle with people when she grew up.
And so it proved.
***
The familys peace shattered in a single day. One Sunday morning, William, the father of the house, walked out without a word. The children were in sixth form by then.
Grace had suspected his infidelity, of course. But shed decided to weather the storm, to avoid a scenefor Eleanors sake, for Edwards. They were old enough to understand, and the shame of them discussing it, imagining it No, Grace couldnt bear that. So she said nothing. Pretended she saw nothing.
And William, sensing his advantage, stopped hiding his affairs altogether. Then one day, he packed his things, tossed out a casual “See you,” and moved in next door. To a widow with a small child. Whether it was true love or something else, no one knew. Garrison gossip ran wild, but no one really understood. William retired soon afterforty-five was the cut-offtook his new wife and child, and vanished without a trace.
***
Grace was devastated. Twenty years together isnt nothing.
Theyd started with nothing, moved from place to place, even lived in barracks at times. It was hardest when the children came. He was away flying; she was alone with two babies. Just two years between them. Hed be on deployment; shed be alone. Things eased when Eleanor and Edward started school, but Grace didnt stay home like some officers wives. She worked at the clinic.
When she was young, it never crossed her mind that William might cheat. Not even a thought. Then, when grey had begun to streak both their hair, she felt ita wall, rising between them, swift and silent.
Then she saw it with her own eyes.
But she didnt break the family. Not for herself. For the children. And later, they blamed her for their father leaving.
Father
A rare visitor, and thus the best, the most beloved, the perfect one.
Their mother had taught them that.
***
An invisible war began in Graces home.
The children stopped taking her seriously. In their eyes, shed fallen “beneath contempt.” Whatever she said, whatever she didit was met with hostility or indifference.
Grace endured, smoothing over every conflict, hoping theyd grow up and understand.
But no.
Eleanor went off to university in London, married some businessman almost at once. Lived in luxury. For some reason, she bought a flat in the city where Grace and Edward lived. Bought it, but never lived therejust rented it out.
She visited rarelyonce, twice a year, no more. Sometimes she didnt even stop by. Had no interest in her brother.
They lived like strangers.
***
Years passed. Grace grew used to the idea that she had a daughter who was both there and not there.
She poured her soul into other peoples children.
That was her life.
Then Edward, her darling boy, her baby, made things worse.
By forty, hed racked up two failed marriages and two children. His “harridan” ex-wives had no patience for a rogue who still strummed his guitar like a teenager, barely worked, and drank too much. Both threw him out.
And where did he go? To his mother, of course.
A freeloader.
Another mother mightve disciplined her grown son, but not Grace. She truly believed she was to blame for his failuresthat shed deprived him of a fathers guidance. Thats why her “little boy” had gone off the rails.
And Eddie well, he lost the plot. First, he drank himself into a stupor, then ran off to avoid paying child support.
“Good grief,” Natalie murmured, shaking her head as Irene spoke. “I had no idea Grace had such trouble with her son.”
“Oh, thats not the half of it. Listen,” Irene said darkly. “After Eddie skipped town to dodge alimony, Gracewho adored her grandchildren and was the soul of decencywent to the court and had the payments redirected to herself. Can you imagine? She paid them!”
“Why?” Natalie was half out of her seat.
“So the grandchildren wouldnt go without, and so her son wouldnt be punished for evasion.”
“Thats madness.”
“Yes. But Grace couldnt do otherwise. She worked double shifts till the end. Whenever you went to the clinic, she was theremorning, evening, on call, never refusing, even with plenty of younger doctors around Then she retired, and Eddie suddenly came back. With a new girlfriend. And where do you think they moved in? Thats rightwith Grace. She couldnt say no. Within days, she was their maid and cook. Those two layabouts werent keen on work, but they loved a drink. And all that comes with it.”
“Horrible!”
“Worse than that. Meanwhile, everyone saw Grace smiling in the street, greeting everyone, neat as ever Never once complained. Then, about a year later, Eddies girlfriend demanded he throw his mother out. So he packed Graces things into a bag and tossed her out. Said she was in the way.”
“No!” Natalie gasped.
“Oh yes,” Irene said. “The neighbours heard him shouting. Then they found Grace sitting on the steps. They invited her in, but she refused. Said Eddie would calm down and let her back. He didnt. She lived in the stairwell for days. Wouldnt go to anyone. Why? Only she knew. Finally, the neighbours couldnt take itthey found Eleanors number, rang her, told her everything. She turned up two days later (Londons only two hours away). Took Grace to her flat, tossed her the keys with a sneer: Live here. Pay the rent yourself, and left.”
“Just like that? Didnt even stay a day with her?”
“Just like that. Dropped her off, handed over the keys, and drove away.”
***
For a few months, Grace lived in peace. Alone. Quiet. No drunken rows or chaos.
She started going to church.
Someone heard her singing during the service and invited her to join the choir.
Life was slowly improving.
Then
One evening, the doorbell rang. It was Eddie. Drunk. Demanding money. Grace, seeing argument was pointless, handed over what she had. But it wasnt enough. He took her pension card tooher savings were on it.
“Eddie, how will I live?” she asked softly.
“Figure it out,” he sneered. “Dig into your stash, or let that church of yours feed you.”
There was no stash. Grace was too proud to borrowhow would she repay it? So she rationed what food she had, counting every crumb. She lasted nearly three months.
Then Eleanor showed up.
“Why havent you paid the rent?” she shrieked. “Now theres a fine!”
“Darling, Im sorry, its justEddie has my card, and”
“What?” Eleanor cut her off. “You gave him everything? Well, if you love him so much, go live with him. Pack your things.”
Grace didnt get a chance to reply.
Eleanor threw her things into a bag, yanked her coat off the hanger. “What are you waiting for? Im serious. I helped you, and you threw it in my face. Eddies your favourite. Let him take care of you.”
She drove Grace to Eddies flatthe one Grace had lived in for yearsrang the bell, set the bag on the step, and left.
Didnt even look back.
***
A bleary-eyed Eddie opened the door. Saw his mother. Slammed it shut again.
Grace sank onto the step and wept.
Just then, an old acquaintance came into the stairwell.
“Grace! There you areIve been trying to catch you for ages! Why are you crying? Whats happened?”
Grace, too exhausted to hold back, told her everything.
“Come home with me,” the woman offered. “Ive plenty of spacelive alone. Itll be nice to have company.”
Grace agreed. Where else could she go?
“Well, thank goodness,” Natalie sighed. “At least one kind soul.”
“Yes,” Irene nodded. “But not for long. After six months, Grace became a burden. The woman rang Eleanor, shouted at her: Have some decency! Im not obliged to keep your mother! Come and sort this out. Permanently.
Eleanor arrived a week later. Had Grace committed to a social care bed in a psychiatric hospital. The locked ward.
But thats not all.
She left no contact number. Told the staff only to call in emergencies.
An emergency came soon enough. Grace died four months later. They say in her last days, she barely knew where she was.
Eleanor was summoned. She arrived, had Grace cremated, and took the urn. Told no one.
Eddie didnt know where his mother had gone. Didnt much care. Though sometimes, in his drunken rambles, he still mutters about how nice it was to have everything done for him.
***
No one knows where Dr. Grace Thompsonbeloved by countless patientsis buried.
But shes remembered. Spoken of with warmth.
And the story of her sad end spreads, troubling hearts.
Some blame her husbandsay his betrayal started it all.
Many blame the children.
Some say Grace brought it on herselfshouldve left her husband sooner, raised her children better, spent less time on other peoples.
A few, after a long silence, simply say: “What can you say? Nothing happens without reason. And everything has its cause. The Beloved Children Did Their Best. They really did. They carried on as they were taughtsilent, dutiful, never making a scene. They fulfilled their obligations in the only way they knew how: by vanishing when needed, by looking away, by passing the burden along. They did not shout or curse or break things. They simply let the door close behind them, again and again, and called it living. And if grief could wear a polite face and speak in measured tones, it would sound exactly like them.
