Peter Hargreaves, a longdistance lorry driver, rolled into the culdesac one rainy evening with a stranger in the passenger seat.
Shell be living with us now, he announced, as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world.
Ethel, who had been dabbing at a tea stain on her favourite sofa, burst into tears. She stared at the newcomer in disbelief. The woman sauntered into the bathroom without a second thought, emerged wrapped in the hosts bathrobe and brandishing Ethels favourite towel like a flag. Dont just stand there like a lamppost! she shouted from the kitchen. First, Im starving. Second, your husband will be back any minute.
Ethel wanted to shout at her, to chase her out the door, but she kept her mouth shut. The flat belonged to Peter, and technically it was his premarriage property, so there was no legal ground to evict a guest.
Everything had been hunkydory up until that day. Ethel didnt work, the money came in nicely, and Peters wages were more than enough. She was known for her capricious temperament, and acquaintances often joked that Peter had taken the road job just to spend less time at home. Still, they said he loved Ethel fiercely, and she believed themuntil now.
On the day Peter arrived, Ethel wondered what surprise hed bring this time. The reality blew her expectations out of the water. The womans name was Mabel, and shed been met on the motorway.
Ethel, thirtyfour and still considering herself young and pretty, tried to size up Mabel. She looked about fifty, a little unkempt and bluntspoken. Could such a woman have attracted her charming husband? After all, she was only ten years his senior, and Peter did fancy older ladies, but not quite like this.
Are you going to stand there forever? Im famished! Mabel roared from the kitchen.
Ethel set about boiling a pot of dumplings. Mabel stared silently. When Ethel placed a plate in front of her and reached for some cabbage rolls for Peter, Mabel raised an eyebrow. What, youre feeding the man with readymade stuff? And youre handing me the same? she snapped.
Exactly, Ethel replied, her voice dripping with annoyance.
Mabel dramatically flung a window open and tossed the dumplings out onto the pavement.
What on earth are you doing? Ethel shrieked.
The cat will have a snack, Mabel said, nonchalantly. You, love, can make a soup or fry some potatoes. Got it? Then she drifted back to the telly.
When Peter got home, Ethel dragged him into the kitchen and launched a tirade. Kick her out! Why did you bring her here? Who is she? She threw the dumplings away!
Before she could finish, Mabel appeared. Peter, why are you putting up with her? Youre a respectable man with a decent house and a good job, and she cant even manage a simple meal. Shes a spoilt daughterinlaw and a whiner, she scoffed at Ethel.
I live here, and Im the one who runs the house, Ethel snapped.
Fine, thats that, Mabel replied, and the three of them shuffled off to the corner shop together.
Mabel took over the cooking that night. Ethel had lost her appetite, but the next day she actually ate the borscht and the navystyle pasta Peter loved. Shed never liked cooking, but she resolved to give it a proper try, browsing recipes online. The first few attempts were disasters, but eventually she found her rhythm and stopped nagging Peter over every little thing.
A nervous fear crept in: what if Mabel stayed and Ethel left? She hadnt told her mother a wordshe usually called her for everythingbut she confided in her best mate, Katie.
Get rid of her! Shes an impostor! Katie urged. Can you imagine if my Sam brought someone like that home?
Its not like you have a joint mortgage or anything, youre the one keeping the household afloat while Sam brings home his money. Im stuck with Peters drama! Ethel wailed.
Mate, thanks for the pep talk, but Im done. Im heading back to my own Peter and Mabel! Katie snapped back.
Life seemed to stay the same: Peter still adored his wife, and Ethel kept probing why hed hauled Mabel into the flat and how long theyd have to endure it. Peter, however, dodged the conversation.
Mabel found a job at the local shop, and Ethel suddenly realised there was one way to make the strangers presence permanent: have a baby. Shed never wanted childrenshed told Peter she didnt plan on motherhood, fearing it would ruin her figure and that she had no maternal instinct.
Now, though, the idea seemed like a perfect, foolproof plan.
Friends were startled by the change in Ethel. She was cooking, she wasnt throwing fits, and she was turning into a model wife. Then, with a radiant smile, she announced to Peter that she was expecting. He was over the moon.
Its about time, Mabel sighed. Just raise the kid well, so they dont get kicked out like I was.
What do you mean kicked out? Ethel asked.
Mabels eyes welled up. I raised my husbands boys like my own. When my own child, Colin, passed away, they shut me out, telling me not to return. I poured my heart into them, and they turned their backs.
Ethel felt a pang of sympathy and said, And then what?
Mabel chuckled weakly. Nothing much. I started drinking, didnt want to live. One night, a blokes car swerved, we talked, he showed me a different way. He invited me to stay with him. I began to believe there are decent people out there. Youre lucky, Ethel, to have Peter.
That evening the three of them finally ate dinner together, and Ethel didnt feel like tossing Mabel out. Mabel, smiling, thought she might have actually reeducated the wayward wife.
The next day Peters uncle arrived from a little village up north for a visit, and everyones eyes kept drifting toward Mabel. After a weeks stay, he lefthand in hand with Mabel.
At our age you have to seize the moment and not turn down offers, Mabel said, grinning. Thanks for taking us in!
Ethel even began to miss her. Life had shifted, and she herself had transformed. She gave birth to a healthy baby girl, and she asked Mabel to be the godmother. The two women now shared a bond as tight as tea and scones.
All summer long, Ethel would head to the countryside to visit the village, enjoying fresh air and watching her little one thrive. Peter still stared at his wife in amazement, marveling at how unrecognisable shed become, and he credited Mabel with a big part of that change.
Thus a peculiar twist of fate intertwined strangers who now couldnt imagine life without each other.
