You know, Pippa, to look all that glittering, I have to be up at five every morning. I milk the cows, feed the calves, hand out the feed and only then do I think about my proper job. So theres nothing to be jealous of, really.
Oh, Eliza! Youve turned into a proper sight. You could be in a village and still sparkle with chains, rings and even a gold bracelet. Ive always heard the countryside is a hard place to live, but looking at you, any cityslicker would pack up and move out there just for a chance to dress like you. Who knew you could be so chic while tending the fields!
Pippa, if you only knew what life in a village truly is, you wouldnt think its all glitz and no grit.
Eliza, I grew up knowing cows and pigs, unlike you who turned into a country auntie overnight a mystery to me. We all assumed after school youd never return home.
Ah, whats the point in dwelling on the past? In our youth were all idealists, convinced everything will go our way, only to discover life has its own plans.
Elizas temperament was stubborn; once she said something, shed see it done. From childhood she declared that the village with its gardens, potatoes, cows and calves was beneath her she was beautiful and smart, deserving the best, and the livestock would never be her concern.
Mum, Ill never go back to that village. Ill finish school, move to the city, find a rich fiancé, marry him and stay there. I cant stand the idea of living in a hamlet!
Very well, Eliza, but who knows where life will lead? The village isnt worse than the city; people live there too. If youd help with the cows, dear, it would ease my load while I whip up dinner.
Imagine me fetching cows! The whole village would have a laugh. Mum, your cows are my nightmare I wont go near them, so please stop asking.
Other children fetch the cattle and help their parents. What makes you any different, love?
Mum, why should I compare myself to anyone else? Ive got my own wits.
Miriam, Elizas mother, sighed silently as she headed out to meet the milking herd, while her daughter slathered her face with layers of makeup for the village disco.
Elizas friends eyed the local queen jealously the one who never bothered with housework, never washed a dish, let alone entered the barn. She seemed clueless about how to handle cows, a late bloomer and a complete surprise. Her older sister was already married with grandchildren, and now Miriam discovered she was expecting another baby, just two months after her first. How could they not spoil the little one?
Time passed; the children grew, the parents aged. Eliza finished school with a string of Cs, ambition barely flickering. She chose to train as a nursery teacher a tidy job, respectable, and clean. Miriam, weary, sold a couple of heifers with her husband and footed the bill for her daughters year of study.
No one understood at first why Eliza kept drifting home during her final college year. Shed sit before the mirror, prim herself, stare out the window as if waiting for someone, while the local club was empty. She grew into a plump, confident woman. One weekend some relatives turned up, bragging about their goods and trade.
Her parents didnt get the jokes, but Eliza threw caution to the wind and ran after a local lad. Hed been a fellow villager who stayed after college; they fell in love.
They married while Eliza was still in college, heavily pregnant. Rumour had it she passed her exams only because of her circumstances, not her intellect. They rented a flat in London and moved in. Parents sent parcels of provisions so the young couple could sustain themselves. Eliza went on maternity leave, while George worked double shifts. Their first child, a little beauty, arrived just like Mum. With two mouths to feed, Georges salary barely covered them; three would have been impossible. He snapped:
Do what you like, but Ive had enough of this halfpay, halfrent nightmare. Lets move back to the village until Lucy grows up, and thats final.
They packed their belongings and headed back to Littlebrook. Georges parents bought a new house there, leaving the old one empty for a while. The couple settled in, and George found work on a farm a respectable mechanic with a diploma, earning a tad less than in the city but with housing covered. Eliza initially balked at the idea of returning to the countryside, then calmed down. With mum and motherinlaw nearby, the baby was looked after, groceries kept coming, and life felt oddly fairytale.
Soon the fairytale hit a snag. The elders began complaining that Eliza spent hours in front of the mirror while they were out in the garden. Lets rotate the grandchildsitting duties, they suggested, and let the young mum work the beds. Eliza tried to protest, but George gave her a glance that said, I get it, and she went on pulling carrots. The summer was a flawless harvest; not a speck of waste in the garden. The next year she decided to plant her own plot, tired of begging the grandparents for each carrot.
George decided to raise a few more calves, thinking it would be profitable more cattle meant more milk, more feed, more everything. Their parents moved to the nearby market town and gifted a young cow to the couple. At first, Eliza struggled with the early mornings, but soon she settled in.
Four years later a vacancy opened at the local nursery when a senior left. She applied, got the job, and finally had a respectable position. She never noticed how her city dreams slipped to the background when every day began at dawn and ended with chores.
Now her motherinlaw lived in the market town, her daughter attended school, and Eliza ran the nursery. Shed risen to head teacher. George nudged her one day: Maybe its time we think about moving closer to civilisation?
George, whats wrong with this? My own house, my garden, my little empire. Moneys enough, and we still pop into the city now and then. Im happy here. Who would run the nursery if I left?
She smiled, thinking of Lucy finishing school, and replied, Well see then.
Twenty years whisked by like a single day. The old school class got together for a reunion. Many faces were familiar; some old friends still lived in the village, while others, like Katie and Molly, had taken very different routes.
Katie had spent her whole life on the farm, her parents working the land. Shed studied a bit, never plan to leave, and eventually took a job as a kitchen assistant at a city hotel, married, and now lived in a flat with a car.
Molly, meanwhile, married her schoolmate Michael right after graduation, moved to the city, bought a flat, and now lives a comfortable life with a businessman husband, never having dreamed of countryside living.
The reunion was warm, full of phone exchanges and astonishment at lifes twists. Eventually Eliza and George returned home, thoughtful and a bit solemn.
Im sorry, Eliza, for whisking you away from the city back then. I knew youd hate village life.
Oh, George! I still drive my car, and were not worse off than anyone else. City life isnt a bed of roses either. Both have their perks. I love the village now Im tired of the city hustle. As a child I didnt help at home because Mum pampered me, but Ive learned that nothing comes easy. If wed stayed in a rented flat or paid a mortgage, wed still be struggling. Remember how I used to dread even clearing my plate? Here, with the garden, the house, and you beside me, I finally understand that work is the key everywhere. Were never far from the city; a move is always possible. We have work, a home, and all we need for happiness.
And when did you finally fall in love with the village?
I always did; I just didnt realise it. Never say never. Remember how I swore Id never live here? Turns out I was wrong.
