Worn Out Goods
How dare she? I shouldve been the one to throw her out like a scabby cat, grumbled Victor to his mother.
Dont fret, love, soothed Dorothy Brown. Youre a fine-looking man, with your own flat. Just lift a finger, and any woman would be at your side.
But Dorothy was wrong. She was used to Alice quietly enduring every slight, completely unaware what a desperate, quiet woman was truly capable of.
***
Alice Mary and George Leonard stood atop the slopes. An untouched, dazzling sheet of snow stretched before them, not yet blemished by other skiers. Above Mount Snowdons peak, a tremendous red sun bathed the hills in a scattering of precious gems. They exchanged an awed glance, understanding: this wasnt just sunrise, it was the start of their new life.
Well, shall we? called George, his eyes bright.
Lets! Alice echoed, pushing off first with her poles, her heart soaring.
Alice Mary was sixty-two. Lately, shed been traveling alone. Her dearest companion had died three years ago, and the remaining ladies she knew at home preferred drab seaside retreats with boiled chicken and a list of health routines. Shed divorced her husband a decade before. Everyone condemned her then: family, old friends, even her own daughter needed time to accept her decision. But Alice simply could not spend another day with a man whod sunk lower as the years went on, taking every disappointment out on her.
Why must I eat reheated beef? How many times do I have to say: steak ought to be served straight off the grill! Victor would bellow, stumbling in late after failed business talks.
Dinner was done by seven, just as you asked, Alice would defend herself, though experience told her he was never listening.
The next day, he found something else to complain about.
Did you take Mum to her massage at two, like she asked? he snapped, barely inside.
She did ask, but I was at work. I couldnt leave a client to go run after Dorothy.
A client? Your work is more important than my mothers health? You left an elderly, ill woman alone? Selfish, heartless. If your job stops you looking after my mum, then youll have to give it up. Understand?
And what will we live on then? You havent brought much money home lately, Alice tried to appeal to his reason.
So now youre reminding me of my temporary financial difficulties? Have you forgotten?
Victor would then repeat everything his mother had ever said: that Alice was nothing before she met him, that hed made her somebody, and now, ungrateful as she was, she revealed her true self.
But the final straw was his brazen infidelities. When Alice tried to talk, Victor just laughed in her face.
What do you want, to bury myself alive with you? Youre yesterdays news, so keep your head down while Im still being decent. I could leave you, you know.
Dont trouble yourselfIll go. And Ill file for divorce myself.
Victor just sneered. He was so sure of himself, the thought never crossed his mind that Alice might actually leave. After work, he even lingered at his mothers, sitting up late to make Alice worry. He expected her to call. But the phone was silent. Returning close to midnight, he was met by an unfamiliar hush.
Asleep? he wondered. Alice always waited up, fed him, washed up, and only then went to bed. He called for her, then, without taking off his shoes, wandered through the kitchen and bedroomeverything spotless. In confusion, he opened the wardrobe to find the shelves barren.
Shes making a point, he thought. But shell crawl back, begging, by tomorrow.
But the next day came and wentso did the next week. Alice sent only a single, terse message: shed filed for divorce.
How dare she? I shouldve been the one to throw her out like an alley cat! he complained to Dorothy.
Dont worry, loveyoure a catch. A nice flat, good looks, you could have any woman.
But Dorothy had misjudged her. She never imagined the power of a silent woman, once driven to the edge. Alice filed for her share of the assets, and Victor was forced to sell the flat to pay her compensation. Months later, he found life with his mother unbearable, and no women queued to catch his eye. Attempting to reach out to Alice, he ran into a stone wall.
Meanwhile, for the first time in twenty-five years, Alice was free. She bought a small new-build flat of her own, and for the first time, felt safe from Dorothys snooping and Victors demands. Her good salary meant she could live as she wished. She met friends without guilt, discovered the joys of a spa, and finally experienced the thrill of travelholidays never again planned around Dorothy Browns whims.
Yet age had its say. Alice, despite her trim figure, no longer wore revealing swimsuits and kept to the quiet corners of the beach. She felt embarrassed when a tour guide warned of strenuous walks meant for the young, even though she could easily keep pace with women half her age. Every mountain trip, she promised herself: This is the last. Next time, its spa hotels, lazy beach days, and gentle walks, just like the other women.
This time, Alice told herself once more, Last run, then back to hotels and cable carsno more skis, no more worrying the instructors. Maybe in Switzerland theyre more respectful, but at home, anyone over fifty is considered a nuisance.
Her first day in Snowdonia, she did just that: took the lift to the top, watched skiers with nostalgia.
Unexpectedly, a voice reached her ear. She turned. A group of men were chuckling, readying themselves for the slope, their faces hidden by dark glasses. She watched as each one darted down. She found a spot on the veranda, sipped mulled wine, and prepared to ride the cable back to her hotel. Thats itgoodbye, mountains, goodbye, skiing, goodbye She almost said youth, but snortedwhat youth at her age? At the foot of the mountain, she exited the cable car and walked toward her hotel.
Alice? came a voice behind her. She paused.
Alice Green? it said again.
Her heart flutteredsomething good was about to happen. She turned and saw a man in ski gear.
I thought I saw you atop the slope, but I wasnt certainyou didnt have skis, so I waited here just in case.
George? Is that really you? Alices eyes widened, recognizing a face from long ago.
And suddenly, memory conjured a moment from the past she thought long forgotten… Back then, she was set to marry Victorthe most wonderful, beloved man in the world. Or so she thought…
***
A week before the wedding, Victor had said,
Tomorrow, Ill introduce you to my best mate. Hes coming early just to see us.
Where will he be staying? Alice asked.
With us, of coursewere practically brothers.
Alice wanted to mention the awkwardness of a stranger in their tiny flat, but kept quiet.
There we areme and George! Victor called, bursting through the door.
Alice hurried to the hallway, suddenly halted by a strange forcea feeling, as in a pageant, that he was the one. She banished the ridiculous notion. But that following week tormented her. She caught Georges gaze again and againher heart skipped, troubled by sensations she dared not name. Whenever Victor left, George would quickly make an excuse and follow.
Whats become of me? she thought. I love Victor. Soon, Ill be his wife. Stillshe couldnt shake thoughts of George. Three days before the wedding, she and George were suddenly alone.
Alice, I know this is foolish, maybe even wrong to Victor, but if I dont say this Ill regret it forever, George blurted.
She tried to stop him, but he pressed on:
Lets run away tonight. I can see you want this too. Maybe weve stumbled on that once-in-a-lifetime love. I promise Ill make you happy.
Alices heart yearned to take the chance, to abandon everything, but her mind clung to responsibility.
Ive made my choice, George. Please, leave tonight.
By the time Victor returned, George was gone…
***
Now, fate had brought them together again. Alice Mary and George Leonard walked for hours in the snowy, starlit night, talking ceaselessly under the ancient sky. He confided hed lost his wife three years beforehappily married, but never forgetting their meeting so long ago.
How strange not to know what might have been had we run away, sighed Alice.
Life doesnt allow ifs. But we have a future left, and I hope it might be ours, together, George replied softly.
Im afraid to wake, afraid this is all a dream. Id come to think my time was almost upthat Id simply live out my days quietly, as the young like to say. But right now, I just want to climb that mountain again and feel the rush and wind in my face.
Who could stop us now? he said, taking her hand. Ahead of us isnt the endits a whole lifetime to live.Alice looked up at the mountain, the sky shimmering with the blue promise of morning, and laugheda clear, delighted sound that startled even herself. George grinned, squeezing her hand in wordless understanding.
Later, as they traced fresh lines along the untouched slope, their laughter rang out, wild and unashamed, two beacons carving through the cold air. At the bottom, rosy-cheeked and breathless, Alice felt none of the old weightno regret, no apology, no shrinking away. There was nothing left to fear. The world was large again, the map unrolled; the familiar past grown distant beneath the new snow.
That night, they warmed their hands by the fire in the hotel lounge while Alice told George about her dreams for the years to come: a little house overlooking wild hills; morning bread and coffee on craggy balconies; long walks, quiet reading, nights of music and light. George listened, then unfolded his own: days spent side by side, wherever life would take themno longer missing what was lost, but gathering everything yet to be found.
When they stepped out into the frozen stillness to say goodbye to the day, Alice tilted her face to the moon and whispered, Strange how discarded things sometimes end up shiniest of all. What was it they called meworn out goods? Perhaps. But oh, I have never felt so dazzling.
She took George’s arm, and together they walked on beneath the velvet sky, their laughter trailing behind like footprints in deep, unbroken snow, certain now that a second beginning was not just possible, but shining, and wholly theirs.
