Husband Returns from Business Trip Deep in Thought and Detached

Dad Bill came back from a business trip looking oddly pensive, his mind clearly elsewhere.

Dont tell me youve fallen in love? his wife, Margaret, joked over dinner as he reached for the salt twice. The joke fell flat; Bill pushed his untouched plate aside and slipped away to the study.

One morning, Sam asked his mum why their sister Lily never turned up for dinner, Margaret recalled. The weddings right around the corner!

But his older brother Colin stayed silent.

At work, the frantic project manager suddenly remembered she hadnt seen her sons fiancée in ages

Lily, the younger sons future wife, had won Margarets heart straight away, though a few doubts lingered. After all, the elder brother had married a highmaintenance, siliconeenhanced Instagram star with false lashes and nail art who spent whole days livestreaming and the rest polishing her otherworldly looks.

The parents were mortified. Yet their son was already a grown man, running a department at his firm and even owning a flat in Manchester.

Let him bring whoever he likes! Margaret declared. Hell have to live with it, and Ill put up with the minimal contact he wants.

The bewilderment lingered, though: twentysixyearold Colin was always the clever one. Why had such a sharp, sensible man settled on this particular choice? It was a mystery, but love is love, after all.

The rosecoloured glasses shattered quickly when they realised they werent seeing the same person a real shock, as if a plot twist had just arrived.

Colin, visiting his parents, announced his divorce after just over six months of marriage.

What happened? Margaret asked, while Dad Bill stared pensively. Did you clash? Was the borscht not to her taste? The dumplings?

There was no borscht, Mum! Colin snapped. Did you see her nails?

I saw them, but you?

Fine, I saw them, he muttered, feeling a bit like a reluctant doctor.

And what now? Did you think theyd both disappear after the wedding? Or that shed knead dough with those claws?

Not knead, but

Colin hadnt really thought it through; he was more of a let things sort themselves out type, like the famed Balzac of his day, hoping everything would fall into place on its own.

He imagined meals magically appearing in the fridge, shirts neatly hanging on the wardrobe door each morning, and the toilet cleaning itself to a pristine shine all the conveniences hed enjoyed while still living at home, his flat being let out until his own wedding.

But the selfcleaning loo refused to work. Why, he wondered?

His dreams of a smooth prewedding life crumbled. The honeymoon itself went off without a hitch, and the nails were no longer an issue.

The trouble began when the new bride tried to handle an iron with those clawlike hands. Of course, no one intended to do that, just as none intended to cook or clean. That was not what Margaret and Bill had raised their daughter for.

A fullblown misunderstanding erupted: Why should I do all this? Your shirts you iron them! Want borscht? Cook it yourself or order it! Im a beauty; my main purpose is to look pretty!

The logic was sound, at least by modern standards. Consequently, the influencer returned to her parents house, who had raised such a remarkable daughter, only to have spent the wedding budget for nothing.

Then the younger brother introduced Lily, and she won everyone over. Bright, diligent, she worked as a manager for an oil firm, earned a decent salary, wore minimal makeup, and boasted natural lashes and nails a rare, pleasant exception to todays trends.

Her parents breathed a sigh of relief and gave Sam their blessing: Go ahead and marry her! They even offered to let the young couple stay with them until they could buy their own place.

Lily often spent the night at the family home. Bill and Margaret didnt mind; she brought a fresh note of tenderness, carelessness, and cosy comfort, and the flat felt cozier with her there.

Even Bill, who rarely joined in chatty gatherings, started to enjoy the evening sitdowns after dinner whenever Lily stayed until dawn.

Sam was proud, outpacing his older brother in the familys unofficial whos the better son contest. At last, the parents can stop comparing me to Colin! he thought.

And where was Colins wife now? No idea.

With Lily, Sam imagined a completely different future, because she was

Lily truly turned out to be a charming mix of bright mind and natural beauty a rarity these days. She didnt shy away from household chores and delighted the family with her homemade cakes and pastries, which Bill adored.

Sam felt lucky, and Colin could only watch enviously.

The parents approved Sams choice; he was a dutiful son. He made a heartfelt proposal and set a wedding date.

Then Lily asked to push the ceremony back two months instead of one, wanting more time to prepare. There was nothing wrong with that who knows what secrets a young, lovely bride might keep? A little mystery keeps things interesting, right, Sam?

Sam, eager to seal the deal, felt a sting of irritation. Hed always believed a bride should be keen for a swift wedding; after all, isnt that the norm?

But Lily had a reason. Her own parents had perished in a car crash the previous year while living in Liverpool, so all the planning now fell to the grooms side.

Buy the dress and the rings in a day, well sort the rest without you, love! the family said, but Lily dug in her heels, and Sam couldnt persuade her.

There was no major fallout; it was simply a minor snag, like a spoonful of sand in a tea cup.

Sam told his parents about the delay, wondering if he was overthinking it.

Margaret mulled it over, while Bill unexpectedly sided with his future daughterinlaw, delivering a short speech:

Whats the big deal? Who knows whats in her head? A month earlier or later makes no difference. Youll see each other regularly anyway.

His support was a surprise; usually he kept out of family drama, preferring to solve his own problems.

It was a sensible stance, and Sam calmed down.

Time passed, the dress was purchased, and then Lily fell ill with a nasty feverish virus. She texted, Sorry, Sam, I cant come Id just spread the bug! She added, Dont come to me either Im renting a flat. If I need anything Ill order delivery! and then signed off, disappearing like a bright bird.

Sam spent his evenings at home, chatting with his mum about Lily and the upcoming nuptials, his excitement spilling over. Meanwhile, Bill was sent on another short business trip, leaving the house quiet.

Bill was a man of few words and, as mentioned, rarely joined these heartfelt talks. And perhaps it was for the best; when you love someone, you want to keep talking about them, which would have been awkward with Bill around.

Lilys illness lingered, complicated by pneumonia.

It wont ruin the wedding! Sam insisted, though he worried about Lilys frailty and the modern virus.

Bill eventually returned, and Lily was still unwell, though she allowed Sam to visit. Their conversation was stilted; she looked pale and embarrassed illness does that to you, after all.

Something else was amiss too; Lily seemed to avoid intimacy.

Sam, trying not to overthink, left her alone, saying, Take care, love, and trotted off, feeling a bit rattled a first for him.

Perhaps she truly felt poorly, perhaps not; the question lingered.

This time he didnt run to his parents for advice. Bill didnt need any mumtalk and Margaret was buried in work deadlines.

When Bill finally came back from his trip, he was even more thoughtful and even quieter than before.

Dont tell me youve fallen in love? Margaret teased at dinner as he oversalted the soup again.

The joke fell flat; Bill pushed his halfeaten plate away and retreated to his study.

A few days later, Colin popped by. By then Lily had returned to work, but she kept avoiding Sam, citing a packed schedule a fact Margaret finally noticed.

Everything was ready for the wedding, just a week away.

Colin and Sam locked themselves in a room, talking for ages. It turned out Colin had run into Lilys father in town while she was bedridden with a high temperature and he was away on a trip. Theyd been at a café, holding hands and laughing, completely oblivious to the fact that Colin was head over heels for Lily.

And that, dear reader, is how this lovestory unfolded.

Margaret often wondered if shed made a mistake revealing everything, but ten days later the truth surfaced anyway no one was planning to marry Sam without Lily.

A chaotic scene followed, with Colins father storming out of Lilys rented flat, promising to sort things out later which, of course, meant hed already solved everything in his mind.

In the end, Lily did get married, but much later, and to Bills exspouse, despite a huge age gap. By then Bill was already divorced. Does love have an age limit?

It turned out to be a double betrayal. Colin finally beat his younger brother at his own game: his wife didnt give him a hard time with his own fatherinlaw!

The pretty girl turned out to be the ultimate heartbreaker, a serpent theyd all unwittingly cuddled against their chests.

Who knows whats best now, my dears?

Its a bit like that joke about a horse being asked whether it prefers a sled or a cart the answer is both, just a bit muddled, especially for the horse.

But what about Lily? Shes the orphan of this tale, and Bill? Not a bad bloke either!

So the story ends on a sad note. Sam and Colin decided not to marry, staying with their mum, who now needed support after twentyeight years of marriage fell apart.

By the way, Margaret was about to turn fifty. They werent planning a big birthday bash; all the money and energy had gone into Sams wedding, which was supposed to happen a week before her anniversary.

Now the wedding was postponed, and the brothers convinced Mum to flip the script celebrate her birthday instead. It was cheaper than paying for the wedding fallout, and brains triumphed over feelings.

The celebration was moved a week forward, the venue decorations were scrapped, and there was plenty of time to recover. Guests were told everything was still on just the theme had changed a bit, and gifts could stay the same.

Happy birthday, Margaret! Sam shouted, Dont be glum about the years!

Who knows what else this hastily arranged marriage will bring? Therell be a streetwide party someday just wait a bit, Bills not turning eighty yet.