Nora leans over Emma and says, Watch yourself, love, if you drag that loaf into the pantry youll trip over the doorstep and tumble out. Weve already got enough disgrace. The old womans warning catches Emma offguard, just as she was hoping for something kinder from her grandmother.
Since she was a child, Emma has heard whispers that her mother Sarah was a bit of a wanderer. We lived five years with Tom, never had any kids, and then one day she went off to a seaside resort and brought back a boy, Nora raves, not choosing her words carefully. Emma tries to argue that Sarah only travelled three years before Emma was born, and she wasnt alone she was with her sister Nadine, Sarahs aunt but Nora repeats that Emma is a wanderers child.
John, Emmas father, eyes his wife like a wolf; what else can he do when every day the neighbours gossip that their daughter is being raised by some unsuitable partner? The household is large, and when John married, he never left his mothers side, feeling obliged to look after his elders. The motherinlaw despises her daughterinlaw, constantly telling her son to kick her out. I cant stand the way she sits, walks, everything about her. Shes no match for you, she hisses, though she still clings to her son.
Emmas own grandmother, the one who raised her, is loved by all: bright, pretty, sweethearted. Yet the other women in the family call her a troublesome and unsociable creature, like a wolf pup spitting poison. When her granddaughter runs in, calling her gran, the old woman watches from a corner, feeling the blood that isnt her own.
Love, have some cucumbers, Nora offers.
No, theyre too bitter, Emma replies.
Thats fine, Nora says, bitter things are hard for you, lazy girl, always watering the garden.
Mary, Mary, feed the child, the hungry little thing.
Here, dear, some cream and rolls.
The rolls are hard, Emma pouts.
Theyre hard, all the same. Mary, your rolls are like stones.
Nora cant stop looking at her beloved granddaughter, scolding her for every little flaw. There will be a proper home for you, my only grandchild, she says, or shall I leave a poor soul without shelter? Let your parents sort it out, or you do it yourself.
Thats how Emma lives. Now she plans to go to the city to apply for university, and Nora gives her one last piece of advice. Emma studies easily, with curiosity and cheer, loving everything the city offers: girls in elegant dresses, women in smart trousers, dashing lads. She wants to show her mother the citys beauty, but how can she take her there? The old woman and John wont let her; a cold snake has wrapped itself around their lives, and Emma can only visit her mothers house.
She befriends Annabelle, the warden of the student hall, whose son lives up north and has two grandchildren. Annabelle invites her over, saying her mother is being called to a parentteacher meeting. A girls been at school a year, and the parents arent around, so why not bring the mother to town? they decide. John grumbles, Nora snarks that the girl is flirting with boys instead of studying. Emmas mother worries shell be scolded, yet teachers praise her, and her mother feels a surge of pride.
Emma shows Annabelle her dorm, and the two women quickly become friends. Dont be shy, Mary, they say. Late into the night they sip tea, and Mary (Emmas friend) confides, Ive spent my whole life as a servant; besides Emma, Ive never had children. Its hard for a father, but not having kids doesnt hurt either. She adds, Ive always gotten top marks, wanted to live in the city, go to the library, but fate had other plans. She thanks Emma for letting her see the town, something shes never done before.
Annabelle asks, Are you happy, Emma?
Hopefully, if I stay in the city, Annabelle replies, waving her hand. Otherwise Ill spend my whole life here, hoping a good man appears.
What do you do, Mary? Annabelle asks.
Im an accounts clerk, Ive been working for a few years now.
So youre educated? Annabelle chuckles.
Certainly, Mary laughs, I studied locally, always dreamed of the city, oh Annabelle
Annabelle simply says, Move if you must. Mary sighs, If only I could teach Emma The women keep whispering about their lives.
Back home, Marys motherinlaw stalks her, her husband eyes her like a wolf. She runs to work, covering bruises with a smile, her mind elsewhere. The next month she returns to the meeting at Emmas place. The girl isnt studying, shes flirting, they mutter, shell bring a loaf into the pantry and fall. They also claim Mary has found a man, I keep showing her off, she should hush, otherwise shell run off and disgrace us.
Tom, Emmas former partner, beats Mary badly, scaring even the old woman. She runs to the local constable with a halfcooked sausage and a slab of bacon, pleading for help. Tom circles his wife like a vulture. Mary finally pulls herself together, looks at her husband, at the yard full of cows, at a house that isnt really hers after twentyfive years, and thinks of what might happen if Tom hurts her again. She gathers a few belongings, writes a resignation, and leaves her job without notice. Everyone is stunned; they let her go.
Emma jumps for joy. Mum, is that you? she cries.
Im exhausted, love, my body aches, her mother replies, showing a bruised face.
Its all right, Annabelle will help, Emmas mother comforts her.
Will you ever come back?
No, Mary says, clenching her lips, Im doing this for you, so you can have a better life.
Mary finds work at a textile mill as an accounts clerk, gets a room in a dorm, and begins to blossom again. She and Emma stroll together in the evenings. Someone from the village spots them and tells Tom. He storms in, angry, Im coming for you, Mary.
Im not going anywhere with you, she replies, Ive had enough.
Tom snarls, but Mary no longer fears him; shes changed. Dont be foolish, Mary, youll stray and Ill forgive you, he shouts. Leave, or Ill call the police.
Police? On my husband?
Tom, they tricked us a month ago.
What?
You didnt get the letter?
No, she stammers.
Then sorry, Tom.
You love me, Tom whines.
Youre like a wolf who loved a sheep, youve hurt me out of love
She snarls, Enough.
Dont go back, Tom pleads.
No, she says, youll regret it.
Leave, he orders.
Ill go, but dont expect me to return, she warns, and walks away, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Later, her mother, old and frail, begs, Come back, love, we cant manage without you.
No, Mary shakes her head, I wont return.
Why? she asks. You drank my mothers blood, grew up an orphan, why let her treat you so?
Forgive me, dear, things will be different now, come back
No, Tom, leave. Let me spend my old age in peace.
Tom storms back home like a storm cloud, shouting at his mother, drinking vodka, buying more, and slurring, Maa?
Whats wrong, Tom?
A letter came with my name on it
His eyes dart, his hands tremble.
A week later Tom brings home Katarina Yalymkina, a new bride. She settles the household quickly, unlike gentle Mary. The old woman hides her nose from the room, fearing the new womans presence. Then comes Lily, the granddaughterbright, pretty, the familys hope. A scoundrel deceives the sweet girl, almost choking her, dragging her away to hide the sin.
People gossip that Mary lives in the city, a lady who coaxed a match, but they never see her. Some say Lily married, left a boy named Nathan, and went to the city, hoping to find happiness. Others claim Marys the source of all trouble, a snake that twists everyones fate. Katarina runs the house, and Tom bows to her. Mary blames herself for everything, wishing she could return to the old village, steam the bathhouse, and show respect, but Katarina only tears at her skin, leaving bruises.
Emma, now a granddaughter herself, refuses to let her grandmother attend the wedding; theyre city folk now, far from the old ways. Some say a mother swapped her love for a flirt, but Mary, however flawed, remains respectable, unlike the scheming Katarina. Nadine, the aunt, also tries to help, but theres never enough time.
Perhaps someday someone will travel to the town, see Mary, and bring a message: Mary, youre still kind, think of the old lady. We lived hand in hand with her, soul to soul. Katarina, that restless spirit, appeared out of nowhere, pulling everything toward herself, a true mischief. Mary, once a sturdy woman, baked breads and pies, kept the hearth warm. The other woman, born of darkness, could only ruin the stew, making it fit only for pigs. Tom boasts about a greatgrandchild, wanting to catch a glimpse. The mischievous little one, Lily, runs about, wiping the old womans tears from her parchmentthin skin, never knowing why she suffers. She spent her life treating everyone kindly.
