At last, Father is Happy
Dreams and desires often go hand in hand, but they don’t always come true. Life has a way of mixing joy and sorrow—like an unpredictable English summer. We make choices, face obstacles, and muddle through as best we can.
Fate isn’t always kind. Sometimes it sets traps, plays games, and only those clever enough escape unscathed.
At the start of Year 11, a new girl arrived at the village school—Marianne. She was lovely, soft-spoken, with rosy cheeks and a gentle smile. Polite and humble, she stood out instantly.
She’d moved to the countryside with her mother after her father’s passing. Her mum had spent childhood summers at her grandmother’s cottage and never took to city life after marriage. Grieving, she’d kept searching crowded streets for her lost husband’s face.
«Sweetheart, we’re moving back to the village. Granny’s house is still there. I can’t stay in the city—it’s too loud, too lonely. The countryside will heal us.»
«But, Mum, what about university?»
«You’ll go. Then visit on holidays.»
«And leave you alone?»
«I’ll manage. Nature mends the soul.» So they packed and left.
The class welcomed Marianne warmly—especially the lads. Even Zach, the school’s resident heartthrob, was smitten. But Marina, the reigning beauty, eyed her with suspicion. A rival had arrived.
Marina’s mum was the village council leader, so her grades were suspiciously perfect. She flirted outrageously, dreaming of a posh Londoner swooping in to rescue her from rural tedium. Zach, tall and athletic but painfully shy, fawned over her. Marina, however, kept him on a tight leash, barking orders while he jumped to obey. They walked home together, lingered at dusk.
Then everything changed. Zach stopped noticing Marina—because of Marianne. Now, he lingered at her desk between lessons, even walked her home.
«Marianne, you speak so kindly,» Zach mused. «I’m used to Marina snapping like a disgruntled terrier.»
Strolling home, he’d recite his poetry.
«Zach, you’re brilliant! You could be a proper poet,» Marianne said. Zach flushed. Marina had called his verses «nonsense fit for the bin.»
His confidence grew. Marina’s charms? Gone. Every flaw magnified. It infuriated her. Zach, her obedient admirer, was slipping away—for *that* girl. She tried rallying classmates to ambush Marianne, but no one bit. The new girl was too well-liked.
Graduation loomed. One evening, Marina cornered Marianne, feigning panic.
«Please, could you help? Mum’s away overnight, and that creep Neville next door keeps threatening to break in…»
«Ask Zach! He’s strong—»
«I *can’t* ask him.»
So Marianne did. Reluctantly, Zach agreed.
Marina beamed. Everything was going to plan.
That night, she let Zach in, bolted the door. The table was set: sandwiches, strawberries, champagne.
«Graduation’s tomorrow… Who knows when we’ll meet again?» She poured, slipping two sleeping pills into his glass.
Soon, his head lolled. She climbed onto his lap.
«Kiss me. Pretend I’m Marianne…»
She led him to her room, whispering,
«I’m your Marianne now…»
Morning came. Her mother returned, shrieked at the sight, and—being a «decent bloke»—Zach proposed.
At graduation, he muttered to Marianne, «I’m sorry…» Marina gloated nearby.
Marianne left for university. Her mother stayed behind.
Seventeen years passed. Her mother died. Marianne married a fellow student—a charming cad who couldn’t resist flings. She endured a decade before divorcing.
Now, a train halted at a sleepy station. A woman and a thirteen-year-old girl stepped out.
«Here we are, love. This is where I grew up. Granny lived here—long gone now.»
«Is our house far?»
«Just down the lane, Dinah.»
Villagers nodded curiously as they passed. Near one cottage, a woman hung washing.
«Hello, Aunt Cathy.»
Cathy squinted. «Goodness—Marianne? Back at last?»
«Indeed.»
Cathy bolted inside. «Up, you lazy mare! Marianne’s here—with a daughter. Properly divorced, just like the gossips said. Better keep your Zach on a leash.»
Marina yawned. «Impossible.»
«Don’t be daft! Strutting about like a duchess. Watch your husband—bet he’s still sweet on her.»
«As if! He was *my* puppy first.»
«Aye, but you tricked him into marrying you. Now he’s stuck with your nagging. Why d’you sleep apart? Another row? Squeezing him for cash while you loaf about? He’ll leave, mark my words.»
Marina scoffed. «He won’t. Too proud. And we’ve got Anthony—he’d never abandon his *son*.»
Cathy rolled her eyes. Anthony barely spoke to his mother, clinging to Zach instead. Now he aimed for Sandhurst—his father’s suggestion.
Marina stormed into the living room, where Zach dozed after overtime.
«Lazy git! Up! You’re my *husband*—act like it!»
«You’re nobody to me,» he said quietly. «Haven’t been for years. Once Anthony’s gone, so am I.»
She hurled insults as he walked out.
Zach wandered toward the river, pausing near the last cottage. A girl swept the steps. His breath caught.
«Lost, are you?»
He turned. Marianne.
His throat dried. Taking her grocery bags, he whispered, «Fancy a cuppa?»
«If you’re serious…»
He never went home.
The village soon buzzed. Cathy howled curses from her garden, but neighbours remembered Marina’s scheming.
«Justice,» they murmured. «Karma’s a patient hunter.»
Anthony approved of his father’s choice, visiting Marianne’s cottage on holidays—never his mother’s. He adored Marianne and his little half-brother, George, Zach’s spitting image.
«Dad… I’ve never seen you this happy.»
Zach smiled. «Neither have I, son. Now I’ve three children I love dearly.»