Ellie, you think you can stroll around in gold and look like a queen, Tara snapped, her voice a thin ribbon of sarcasm. Youre not some country girl, youre dressed in glitterchains, a hoop earring, even a gold cuff. Look at you, darling, youve turned the whole village into a runway. If anyone from town saw you, theyd pack up and move out here just to live like this. Who says village life is dull?
Ellies eyes flashed. You have no idea what it takes, she replied, breath catching. Every day Im up at five. I milk the cows, feed the calves, hand out the hay, then I head off to the school as a teaching assistant. No ones got a right to envy me. If youd lived a day in this field, youd understand.
Tara laughed, a sharp bark. Ive known cows and pigs since we were kids, unlike you, who only just decided to be a village lady. We all thought youd never come back after you finished college.
Ellies lips tightened. The past is the past. When we were young we dreamed big, thought we could map our lives, then life steered us elsewhere.
Ellies temperament was fierce; once she said something, it was set in stone. From early childhood shed boasted that the village, with its gardens, potatoes, and livestock, was beneath her. She claimed she was too pretty, too clever for a life of muck and milk, that the cows would never need her again.
Ill never return to our little hamlet, she had once told her mother. When I finish school Ill go to London, find a rich husband, marry him, and stay in the city. I cant stand the thought of staying here.
Her mother, Maureen, sighed, her voice soft as she tended the herd. Alright, love. Who knows where life will lead? The village isnt worse than the citypeople live here too. If you helped with the cows, things would be easier for me, and I could have dinner on the stove.
Help with the cows? Id be the villages laughingstock, Ellie snapped. Your cows are the only thing Id ever meet. Dont even ask me that again.
Other children help, dear. What makes you any different? Maureen pressed.
Ellies cheeks flushed. I dont need to compare myself. I have my own mind.
Maureen watched in silence as her daughter piled on layers of makeup, preparing for the village halls evening dance.
Ellies friends stared with envy at the local queen who never lifted a spoon, never washed a dish, never set foot in the barn. She didnt even know which way to approach the milking stalls. The older sister was already married with grandchildren, and now Maureen discovered she was expecting again. The twins were due within two months of each otherhow could anyone not dote on a newborn?
Years slipped by. Children grew, parents aged. Ellie finished school with a string of average grades, ambition flickering like a weak candle. She chose to train as a childcare assistantclean, respectable work, offering a modicum of respect.
Maureen and her husband sold a pair of old oxen, using the money to fund Ellies first year of training. No one realised at first what Ellie was really doing: during her final college year she kept drifting back home, polishing herself in front of the mirror, waiting for someone who never came, while the village club emptied.
She blossomed into a confident young woman. One weekend, her inlaws dropped by, saying, Weve got a buyer for the farm.
Ellies parents blinked in confusion at the joke. She, however, threw herself into a romance with a local lad, Tom, whod stayed after college. He was four years older, from the same parish, and they fell in love.
Their wedding came as Ellie was wrapping up college, now a married woman with a heavy belly. Rumours whispered that shed passed her exams only because of her circumstances, not brilliance. They rented a modest flat in London, and the parents shipped provisions to keep the young couple fed.
Ellies first child, Lucy, arriveda spittingimage of her mother. The threeperson household strained Toms wage; when a third mouth opened, the pressure snapped. Tom barked, Im fed up. Were giving half our pay to Uncles rent. Lets move back to the village until Lucys grown, and thats final.
They packed the few belongings they owned and drove to the family farm, now owned by Toms parents. The old house sat empty; the new one was ready. Tom found work on the farm as a skilled mechanica respectable trade, though the pay slipped below city wages. He didnt pay rent; everything was covered. Ellie hesitated, wondering why shed been dragged back, but soon settled, surrounded by Maureen and her motherinlaw, who still supplied food like clockwork. It felt like a storybook.
The fairytale cracked soon after. The inlaws and Maureen started nagging, You sit at the mirror all day, while were crawling in the garden! They argued over who should tend the beds, and Ellie, weary, finally took a shovel, pulling carrots from the soil without a complaint. Summer passed, the garden thrived, and she decided to plant a proper plot next yearno more endless begging for carrots.
Tom, meanwhile, turned to breeding calves, hoping to profit from milk and hay. The family relocated to the nearby towns council estate, gifting a young heifer to the younger siblings. At first, Ellie struggled with the ungodly early mornings, then fell into the rhythm.
Four years later, a vacancy opened at the local nursery when a senior assistant retired. Ellie stepped in, the nursery blossomed, and she rose to headmistress. Her city dreams faded into the background, replaced by the endless chores from dawn to dusk.
Now, with Maureen settled in the town, Lucy thriving at school, and Ellie content in the village, Tom suggested, Maybe its time we thought about moving closer to the city?
Ellie hardened her gaze. Whats wrong with this? We have a house, a garden, the nurserymoney isnt a problem. We still visit London often. Im happy here. Who would run the nursery if I left? Lucy is finishing school; well see then, but for now Im staying.
Twenty years rolled by like a single day. The class reunion arrivedEllie, now head of the nursery, stood among former schoolmates. Some had become city dwellers, others stayed on farms. Katie, whod spent her life in the village, married a chef and now ran a bustling restaurant in Leeds. Tara, whod wed Michael straight out of school, owned a sleek flat in London, driving a sleek car, while her husband ran a tech startup. Neither had ever imagined village life.
They laughed, exchanged numbers, marveled at the twists of fate, and drifted apart. Ellie and Tom arrived home, thoughtful, each lost in their own reflections.
Tom, Ellie began, you took me back to the village, thinking Id hate it.
Tom shrugged, a faint smile tugging at his lips. Now I see youre happy here.
She replied, I drive to London when I need to. Lifes not perfect anywhere, but Ive learned that hard work pays off wherever you are. I used to think Id never manage a house or a garden, but here I am, caring for children, the land, the community. We could always move if we wanted, but weve built something here. What else do we need for happiness?
Tom nodded, his eyes softening. Youve always loved this place, even when you didnt admit it. Remember when you swore youd never live in a village again?
Ellie laughed, a gentle, melancholy sound. I said that when I was a teenager, full of rage. Life has a way of teaching us that the places we run from often become the ones we cherish.
