Fearless Daughter-in-Law
Frank, I could have walked out half an hour ago, she says coolly. And if you even think about laying a finger on me, Ill be the one to bury you out here!
Why on earth did you let yourself get tied up, then? he snaps, leaping to his feet.
I wanted to see how far youd take this little circus. Sophie tosses the bit of rusty metal aside. Where Ive survived before, youd be curled in a corner begging for your mummy!
How long are you planning to keep me here? Sophie asks, her voice impressively calm. You do realise this counts as kidnapping?
I could keep you here as long as I like, Frank grins. And kidnapping? Youll need proof.
People will look for me! Sophie points out.
No, they wont! Franks smirk widens. All theyll discover is that you left of your own accord!
Whats that supposed to mean? Sophie frowns.
You know, using the cashpoint to withdraw money?
That was the transfer you made so I could avoid the fees, Sophie replies.
Whos to know that? All theyll see is you at the ATM, taking out cash! Frank taps his temple knowingly. Plus the petrol station just past the ring road. Security cameras everywhere!
And you didnt just top up your tank you filled three jerrycans! And when you packed them in the boot, you had two suitcases with you!
But wont they ask you questions? You were with me, Sophie reminds him.
Ill say you ditched me at the bypass, and I hitched back to mine, Frank shrugs. So, evidence says you packed your things, emptied your bank account, filled up for a long drive, and vanished into thin air!
And how long do you plan on keeping me here? Sophie repeats, now a little less steady.
As long as I fancy, Frank shrugs again. Until the end of days or until you stop breathing!
Its clearly meant to scare her, but Sophie doesnt even flinch.
One question, Sophie looks him dead in the eye. Why are you doing this?
Remarkable composure. Frank snorts. Honestly, I think youre the same way with my brother!
Youre only with him for the money! Acting the perfect wife, waiting until hes completely besotted so you can bleed him dry!
So youre playing knight in shining armour for your brother? Sophie smiles thinly. Exposing the scheming daughter-in-law?
Sophie, lets be honest, Frank crouches in front of her. No one sane could put up with all the criticism from the parents, deal with all our family mess, and still be so cheerful!
Youre a model wife always calm, nothing fazes you, chores done with a smile like its all second nature!
And? Sophie prompts.
Its not normal! Frank shakes his head. Nobody does that without a really big motive!
Look, my brothers got a nice flat, a holiday cottage in Devon, a garage, two cars, a company all thanks to Grandpa, who spoiled him silly. Everyone else resented it.
But Jacks not like Grandpa. Hes easier to take for a ride! You see your catch and tolerate everything: from him, from me, from mum and dad! Have to hand it to you
So, you brought me out here to question my motives or to finish me off quietly? Sophies tone is icy and even.
See! That composure! Frank exclaims. Any other woman would be hysterical by now! Are you a psychopath or just dead inside?
Frank, Ive been through worse than this. What you consider a crisis is just background noise for me, Sophie replies. Work, the house, our daughter, running everythingeven your mothers endless moaning is just a minor nuisance! This whole kidnapping nonsensefeels more like a bad joke!
Lies! Frank says, certain. Youre trying to play for sympathy so Ill let you go!
Confession, then? Sophie muses. You really want to hear it? You, the kidnapper?
Go on then, Frank slouches against a mossy wall of the derelict cottage he dragged her to.
Ive never told anyone everything, Sophie pauses. Might as well start at the beginning.
***
Sophie wasnt born in any hospital ward, nor under a cosy roof, but aboard the 6:15 bus crawling through the rain to the Birmingham factory.
Her dad, tired beyond sense, finally agreed to take mum to hospital thanks to her hours of complaining. Hardly a super-parent, he forgot nine months ends with labour.
Sophies arrival was witnessed by twenty grumpy factory workers, who gave her dad a right earful, but took pity on her mum, fresh out of agony. The bus turned off its usual route and sped to the nearest A&E.
The doctors rattled off dire predictions, but Sophie was a miracle, born unscathed and robust.
Her birth made a stir among the nurses, and social services were called in at once.
Sophies gran, Dorothy Williams, took her home. She didnt give a second thought to her own daughter, Sophies mum. She received Sophie from the nurse, hopped in a black cab, and left. As for her mum Claire, Sophies dad Paul swung by later that day, hours after the fact.
Word around the estate had it that her parents werent all that bothered about not bringing the baby home! But the birth was celebrated all the same, with more than a few pints at the local.
It took Sophie another five years to see her parents again under truly harrowing circumstances.
Dorothy Williams, after taking on guardianship and adopting Sophie, was suddenly alone, well into her fifties, struggling with a toddler.
Raising a child, especially one as energetic as Sophie, was a strain for Dorothy shed had Claire in her forties, and now this. She was tired, her health failing, but she wasnt about to let Sophie end up in care.
So she struggled on until Sophies fifth birthday, then slipped quietly from this world. The morning she died, she still managed to switch off the gas under the porridge. No doubt divine mercy. Sophie was at home, alone with her gran. No one else.
Sophie spent five days in the locked house, until the local nursery grew concerned and staff came knocking.
All that time, she learned how to survive. Raw pasta, mouldy bread, sour soup, rotting carrots.
Once they broke the door Dorothy had always locked up tight to stop Claire or Paul showing up unannounced once they broke in
We hope, the psychologist said later, shell forget all of this. But I fear this is a trauma that lasts a lifetime.
Dorothys death briefly shocked Claire into action. She booted out Paul and fought tooth and nail to get Sophie back.
Paul tried too, cleaned up his act, quit the pub for nearly a year.
For a short while, Sophie had a family. She started school that September, with mum and dad by her side at the gates.
Maybe life could have carried on well, but old habits die hard for a reason. They destroy not just the body, but the spirit. And Sophies parents spirits were broken long ago.
Paul backslid first, then Claire followed soon after, unable to resist. The chaos returned.
Maybe fate gave up on Sophie, or maybe social services had their hands full. Anyway, for six years Sophie survived with her parents and it was a savage, joyless existence.
Life at home worshipped the bottle. Arguments, parties, strangers, shouted rows, drunken reconciliations. Filth and neglect reigned.
Typically, it was one day of eating to three days of drinking.
Sophie saw it all, whether she wanted to or not.
Thats how she learned why shed ended up back at home. The details changed with each argument; the story was gossiped about so much it became almost a refrain.
There were occasional moments of clarity from her parents. Never at the same time. Sometimes Claire would have a good stretch; sometimes Paul pulled himself together.
Then, after another blazing argument, theyd clean the house, banish guests, restock the fridge. The parent back in their right mind would try, for a day or two, to be good to Sophie.
You should be grateful for your mother. If you lose her, youll be lost yourself! Claire would intone.
Paul would echo the same: Come on now, eat up! Dadll get you fed! Youve gone skinny as a rake!
So Sophie lived from one rare bout of clarity to the next. The lessons drummed into her she never forgot.
There were times when skinny little Sophie dragged drunken, unconscious parents through the snow to prevent them freezing. All because she knew: if mum or dad died, shed be finished. That fear was deep in her bones. Again and again, she hauled them home. She saved them, more than once.
The care home she landed in at twelve could have been her salvation at least from her parents. But not from the other children.
Children can be terribly cruel, especially where survivals concerned. In Sophies home, the only rule was eat or be eaten. Only the strongest got by.
Sophie was tiny from years of poor nutrition.
She fought for every meal, never showing weakness or self-pity, because both could get you devoured.
She survived. She learned. Later, she realised the real world played by different rules, but it took a year after leaving care before she understood this.
And then she met Jack.
She saw kindness in Jacks eyes, felt his thoughtfulness, glimpsed the purity of a soul unburdened by anger or fear. Thats when she fell in love.
Jack didnt care a jot that she was from a childrens home. He just loved her.
His family, though, were outraged by his choice. They told Sophie outright that she was no match for their son. She simply replied,
Ill do my very best to be a good wife for him.
They were already married.
She was endlessly criticised her cleaning, cooking, the way she looked after Jack. Typical mother-in-law complaints.
But Sophie seemed oblivious. She never complained to her husband about the way his family treated her.
Jacks younger brother, Frank, observed it all from the sidelines. Ten years, he watched in silence.
By then, Jack had inherited the family business and several properties from their grandfather making him a wealthy man. Years before that, Sophie had sold two houses shed inherited from her parents and gran, giving every penny to Jack to buy their first home.
Jack and Sophie had a beautiful daughter. Jack ran his late grandfathers business, Sophie worked as a beauty salon manager, and she was an exceptional homemaker.
Their home was always spotless, welcoming. She was always loving and attentive, greeting Jack every night with a home-cooked dinner and a smile.
Frank realised that to cope with it all, to manage the home and the family and his parents relentless negativity, Sophie must have a very strong motive to stick around and never lose her cool.
He decided to stage her kidnapping. Take her to an abandoned cottage, scare her, and force out her real intentions. He believed she was only enduring his brothers family for his money, ready to take whatever abuse came her way, just to get her hands on it.
***
Frank, after everything Ive lived through, this is nothing, Sophie says calmly. Work, home, our daughter, running the place.
Honestly, even your mothers constant bickering is a minor irritation. Even this kidnapping is ridiculous compared to what Ive faced before!
But I could leave you here! Frank tries again.
Seriously? Sophie stares at him. Please.
She slips out of the rope and stands, holding onto the rusty metal.
Frank, as I said, I could have gone half an hour ago. And if you try anything, youll regret it more than you can imagine!
Why let me tie you up then? Frank demands, frustrated.
Curiosity, mostly. I wanted to see what this performance was leading to. Sophie drops the metal. Where I survived, youd jump at your own shadow, cry for mummy for days.
All these terrible problems you imagine are nothing to me. I simply love your brother. I love our family!
And if you ever threaten our happiness, youll just vanish without all this drama and fake evidence!
Her voice is cold and razor sharp. Frank believes her. A chill runs down his spine.
Take me home then, kidnapper! Sophie grins.
As they pull up outside Sophies flat, Frank asks:
Should I leave town? Are you turning me in?
Stop being an idiot, Sophie replies, smiling. And dont judge people by your own standards.
Frank does leave town, though. Sophie tells her husband nothing about any of it. She simply heads to the nail salon. After wrestling with the ropes, three nails snapped. Now *that* was a problem!
