**Just Breathe**
*”Oh, for heavens sake Where on earth did you dig her up? She must weigh a ton! I dont understand you, Oliver. Honestly, shes a right old lump. What on earth do you see in her? Mum, tell him” Emma ranted, her voice sharp with frustration.*
*”Come now, Emma, calm down. Its your brothers choice. Olivers the one wholl live with her. Let him figure it out,” Anne Victoria replied, casting a questioning glance at her son.*
*”Finished? Right. Im marrying Tammy. Besides, were expecting a baby in autumn. Thats it, ladiesdebate over.” Oliver strode out of the room without another word.*
Oliver had been married once before. To a beauty. A daughter remained from that shattered union. Hed loved his wife beyond reason, but in the end, he hadnt been good enough. His mother-in-law made sure of it, chipping away until the love crumbled. Oliver had no choice but to leave.
After that, he spiralled. Drank himself into oblivion, brawled in pubs, drifted from one woman to another
Then, out of nowhere, Tammy appeared. They met at a gatheringfriends of friends. She noticed him straight away. Handsome, well-built, quick with a joke. No one could make her laugh like Oliver.
Tammy taught maths at a local school. Lived with her parents in a quiet terrace house. She was twenty-four when they met.
Sometimes, you see someone and it just clicks. No reason, no logicjust a knowing. A soul-deep recognition, as if youve known them forever. Thats what happened to Tammy.
Oliver hadnt even glanced at her that night.
First, he was absolutely plastered. Second, Tammy wasnt his type. Not even close.
Third, hed sworn off marriage. *”Had my fill. Not setting foot in that trap again,”* hed tell his mates.
But there was Imogen at that party. A proper stunner. Oliver struck up an easy chat, steering her away from prying eyes, stealing moments in the kitchen. By nights end, they slipped away together, fingers entwined.
Imogen was brilliant. Everything Oliver wanted. A woman who turned heads, left men sighing in her wake.
He introduced her to his sister, Emma.
*”Pretty girl. But not wife material,”* Emma concluded.
*”I know,”* Oliver said.
Imogen left him for another man.
Oliver didnt mourn her. Knew she wasnt the one. Let her go without a second thought.
Tammy waited for her moment. Oliver was freetime to make her move.
She asked him out. He hesitated, but agreed.
Tammy brought him home, introduced him to her parents. They adored him.
And just like that, life shifted.
Oliver was wrapped in constant care. Tammy fluttered around him like a butterfly, indulging his every whim.
Six months in, he finally told his mother and sister about Tammy.
*”But do you love her, Ollie?”* his mum asked.
*”No. I loved once. You know how that ended. It hurts.”* He paused, voice low. *”Knowing she loves me thats enough.”*
*”Itll be hard, son. Living under the same roof with a woman you dont love. Will you manage?”* Anne Victoria wiped a tear away.
*”Well see,”* Oliver murmured.
The wedding was held at Tammys family home.
*”Love each other, quarrel, but always make up,”* his mother-in-law advised the newlyweds.
They quarrelled. Never made up. Oliver started drinking again. Moved back in with his parents.
Anne Victoria shook her head but stayed silent.
Tammy stormed in that same day.
*”What are you playing at, Oliver? Come home. I wont let you go!”*
He went back.
A son was born.
Life rushed on in a blur of nappies and night feeds.
Oliver grew fonder of this warm, bustling home.
His in-laws adored himalways saving the best cuts of meat for *”our Ollie.”*
When he came home from work, the house hushed. *”Let him rest.”*
They spoiled him with little gifts.
Oliver never disrespected them. Took charge of the household chores.
Called Tammy *”my Tam”*always, without fail.
Adored his boy.
Twenty-five years slipped by like a single day.
Age crept up on her parents. Doctors visits became routine.
*”Ollie, maybe you should get checked too, just once?”* Tammy suggested.
*”If you say so, love”* Oliver replied.
Always rushingfixing the fence, repainting the house, tidying the garden. Too much hurry
The ambulance arrived.
*”Nothing more we can do. Sudden death.”*
The world dropped from under her. Tammy collapsed.
Medics revived her.
*”How? He saw the doctorsthey said he was fine! And then just slipped? Its not right! I dont believe it!”* Her voice cracked into a scream.
Her elderly parents sat stunned.
*”It shouldve been us! Why him? Why?!”* Her mother sobbed into her hands.
*”Ollie youre my life. Just breathe please”* Tammy flung herself at his still body.
They buried him.
Two months later, Tammys father passed.
His last words?
*”Ollie take me with you.”*
Her mother followed within a month.
Six months on, Tammy sold the house. Couldnt bear the memories. Bought a small flat. Saw her son married.
Seven years a widow, she confessed to Emma:
*”Youd search the world and never find another like Ollie. Losing him was hell. I shouldve taken better care”*
She left strict instructions for her son: *”Bury me next to your dad.”*
The ache never faded.
*”Time doesnt heal, Emma. Believe me”*
