Im looking at the listings tonight, love, Katie says, her eyes bright with excitement. Theres a threebed flat in the part of town weve been dreaming about exactly what we need. We have enough for a deposit, dont we? Once we sell the house we can help Rosie finish off her mortgage. She leans forward, hoping Simon will share her enthusiasm.
Simon sighs, runs a hand through his hair and pushes his coffee cup away. Not today, love. Ive been pulling an allnighter on the report again, and Ill probably be late getting home tonight. He snatches his car keys and a folder of paperwork from the kitchen table and heads out the door.
Katie watches him go, disappointment curling in her throat. She doesnt dare argue; lately Simon has been home only in fleeting moments, working weekends, and his paycheck is solid, but she craves a city life closer to their daughter. They have been saving for years, funneling every spare pound into a joint account while living on Simons mothers pension and Katies modest salary as the manager of the local community centre and the leader of a dance group. Its a hard grind, but the thought of a modern arts centre in the city, a real stage for her dancers, keeps her going.
Simon and Katie first met at the county college. He was in his final year of engineering; she was studying choreography at the dance school. They fell hard for each other, rushed through the paperwork once Simon got his degree, and moved to his familys cottage in a Yorkshire village. Katie left her studies after one year, but she doesnt regret it she now has a husband and a future she believes will be bright.
Their new life hits a snag almost immediately. A week after moving in, Simon receives his callup notice and is conscripted for a year of army service. Katie is already anxious about the separation, and then Margaret, Simons mother, arrives. From the moment Margaret sees that her son has come home with a wife, she despises Katie. She refuses to speak to her, and the only thing she says, with a sharp tone, is, You promised! Katie tries to win her over, offers to help around the house, but nothing eases the tension.
Why didnt you talk to Mum first? What did you promise her? Why does she hate me? Katie asks, her voice trembling.
Simon explains that two years ago his sister Laura died at seventeen after a reckless romance with a man fresh out of prison. Laura ran away from home, and while they were on a motorbike she fell when the boyfriend, drunk, lost control. The tragedy convinced Margaret to make Simon swear never to marry without her blessing. He broke that promise, and now Margaret feels betrayed.
Katie insists she will stay, promising to win Margarets heart. Within a few weeks, Margarets frost thaws. She sees Katies hard work, cheerfulness and kindness, and admitsreluctantlythat she chose a worthy daughterinlaw. Katie also reveals that her own mother died eleven years ago; her father remarried a woman with two small children, who promptly told the stepdaughter she must fend for herself.
Dont think I married Simon because of all that, Katie blushes under Margarets stern gaze. I got a place in a hall of residence, a scholarship for top grades. I couldnt live without Simon, I love him dearly. Margarets eyes fill with tearsboth sorrow and reliefand she embraces Katie, feeling a weight lift from her heart.
A year later Simon returns, takes a job at the district office, commuting daily in a shift pattern. Katie becomes the dance coordinator at the towns arts centre. Their pay is modest, but soon Rosie is born. Money is tight, yet Margaret steps in, caring for her granddaughter and sparing no expense.
Simon soon lands a position at a larger firm, starts traveling for work, and climbs the corporate ladder, his salary multiplying. The small village hall is replaced by a spacious community arts centre, and Katie is appointed its manager, while still running her beloved dance troupe, taking the girls to competitions where they win prizes. Their lives settle into comfort: they buy a decent car, renovate their home, and take holidays to the seaside.
Everything runs smoothly until Rosie moves to Manchester for university and gets married. Katie, missing her daughter, remembers her longheld dream of working in a grand city arts centre. She suggests they sell the house, use the proceeds to buy a flat in Manchester, and help Rosie clear her mortgage. Simon hesitates, then agrees, noting the firm has a branch there and he could transfer. He warns that theyll have to put his entire salary on a savings account, living on Margarets pension and Katies earnings. The family council approves, and they begin saving.
Life becomes harder. Katie never complains; shes never been pampered. Simon starts staying later and later at work, citing extra responsibilities that bring higher pay. Katie trusts him, though unease gnaws at her. When she timidly brings it up, Simon snaps, Im working from dawn till dusk to earn more. Stop nagging me. Decide whether you want me here at night or a flat in the city next to Rosie, or whether you want a grandchild to visit by bus. Just bear with it.
Katie swallows her anger and endures. One night, after Simon arrives home at 1:30am for the third night in a row, she finally breaks down. I dont want to move anywhere else. I just want you home in the evenings so we can spend time together, visit friends, be a proper couple again. Simon listens, strips off his coat, and lies down facing the wall in silence. He returns late again the next day.
Then Simon vanishes. He leaves for work in the morning and never comes back. His phone is off, and Katie cant reach any of his colleaguesSimon never spoke about his job. Desperate, she calls the morgue and the hospital, screams into the night, and decides to drive to Manchester to check his office.
As she packs, Margaret sits nearby, breathing heavily, eyes rimmed with sleeplessness.
Dont worry, Mum, Katie says as calmly as she can, slipping an arm around her. Hell turn up, alive and well. She tries to convince herself, tears welling, throat tightening, but she repeats, Hell be found, I know it.
At the bus stop, a familiar voice calls out, Hey, Katie! Heading into town? We can go together. Its her old friend Lucy.
Whats going on? Katie asks, bewildered.
Simon withdrew a huge sum from his savings account a few days ago. He said he was buying something, but I saw him paying a council tax bill. You didnt hear any of this?
Katies skin turns pale. The missing money feels like a death sentence. She rushes to Simons office, only to learn from the receptionist that he left the firm weeks ago and has no known new employment. She files a missingperson report; the police take her statement seriously, noting the oddity of her claim.
The next day an officer asks, Why didnt you tell us you and Simon divorced three months ago? He shows her a copy of a divorce decree and a marriage certificate. Katie stares, stunned, realizing the paperwork was forged. She returns home and tells Margaret everything.
Margaret gasps, clutching her mouth. Im so sorry, love. Simon told me the court papers were about a loan taken out in your name by scammers. He asked me to hide them so you wouldnt be distressed. He said his good friend, a judge, would sort it out. I never knew hed actually sign the divorce.
Katies voice shakes, He tricked me into a divorce? Is he really gone?
Margaret, tears streaming, whispers, He messaged me this morning saying hes left with another woman, theyll marry soon. He took all the moneysaid it was his salary.
Katie stands, feeling the cold seep from the inside out. She remembers planting lilacs and birches by the fence with Simon years ago, their sturdy trunks now swaying in the wind. She recalls winter sled rides with their little Rosie, the piglet that escaped the garden, the laughter that filled the yard. The memories flood her, and she weeps, the emptiness crushing.
I wont let you go, Mum, she says firmly, turning back to Margaret. Simon betrayed me, not you. I love you like a mother, and I know youd never hurt me. Im sorry you had to see this. She embraces Margaret, both sobbing.
Later that evening Katie and Margaret call Rosie, who is horrified by her fathers betrayal. She declares she will never forgive him. She then offers her grandparents a place to stay with her.
Lets sell your house and move in with us. We have a threebed flat, plenty of room for everyone. Were expecting twins soon, and we need you both.
Katie and Margaret exchange a tearful glance, smile through their sorrow, and agree.
Simon does turn up once, years later, hoping to see his daughter, but Rosie shuts the door on him. He never finds a warm welcome in the home that once held his life.
