The Little Things That Make a Life
A little excerpt from the beginning of Chapter Four – Friday Night Rummy – of A Very Ordinary Mystery, the cozy mystery I’m currently writing.
This is a scene that moved even me when I first imagined it.
I believe that the joy of life isn't built on grand moments alone. It's found in everyday kindness, thoughtful gestures, affection, and the simple pleasure of sharing ordinary moments with the people we love.
These little things are what make a life meaningful. They create warmth, belonging, and memories that make us smile when we look back.
Sometimes, the most beautiful moments are the ones that seem perfectly ordinary. ❣️
Chapter Four – Friday Night Rummy
Friday evening was slowly settling into the Hayes family home. Outside, it was already completely dark, while the living room was filled with the comfortable warmth of the fireplace. Julian had prepared the rummy table earlier: the cards were neatly stacked and waiting, the glasses had been put in their places, and everything around the table was ready for their usual evening game.
Elise, meanwhile, had been down in the cellar. She was carrying a bottle of homemade must upstairs, something Margaret particularly loved. As she reached the hallway, she met Julian.
They smiled at each other.
Neither said a word. There was no need. Julian paused for a moment, then started up the stairs, as though he had remembered something he still needed to take care of. After climbing a few steps, however, he looked back.
His eyes met Elise’s.
There was something especially tender in Julian’s smile. Elise returned it, and then he continued upstairs while she headed towards the kitchen.
She poured the must into a small saucepan and placed it on the stove. She did not want to bring it to a boil, only warm it enough for its pleasant aroma and flavour to come through. As she stood beside the stove, her thoughts began to wander.
Had she succeeded?
Had she managed to make real all those things she had once felt for Julian? Those tangled, difficult-to-describe emotions that had slowly grown into a life they now shared?
She had always wanted Julian to be happy. Not just occasionally, not only on special occasions, but in the ordinary moments of every day. She had wanted him to feel proud of her, to be glad that he had chosen her, and that together they had built the life they now lived.
Elise held her hand above the saucepan, watching the must slowly warm.
The thought filled her with such affection that her vision briefly blurred. Smiling, she raised a hand and wiped away a tear from the corner of her eye.
Then she remembered Margaret.
Margaret was particularly fond of the homemade must. Elise already knew that her sister would hardly be satisfied with just one glass. She would probably ask whether there was a little left that she could take home, too.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
Get Helena Linden’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
Elise glanced at the clock. It was still fifteen minutes before seven.
“Margaret,” she thought with a smile.
Of course she had arrived early. Margaret always liked to help with the preparations, even when nobody had asked her to. Perhaps she thought that if she was coming over for rummy, she might as well contribute something to the evening with the cake and a little help setting things up.
Julian reached the door before Elise did. By the time she stepped out of the kitchen, her husband had already taken the homemade chocolate cake Margaret had brought with her.
Margaret was just hanging her coat on the rack. Her grey hair was neatly brushed back, although a few strands had escaped and framed her face. Her still-sporty figure was dressed in a grey cardigan over a black, round-neck cotton sweater and a pair of jeans. There was something light and lively about the way she moved, as though even after a long day she was still ready for a pleasant evening.
“Hello!” Elise greeted her.
“Hello, both of you! I hope I’m not too early,” Margaret said, adjusting her coat on the hook.
“Not at all. Come in, we’ll be starting soon,” Elise replied. “Julian has already prepared the table. I’m just warming the must.”
“Then I’ll take care of the cake,” Margaret announced, already heading towards the kitchen. “I’m not going to let you do everything.”
“Margaret, you’re a guest,” Elise remarked, although her voice held more amusement than protest.
“Exactly. And guests can be useful, too.”
Julian placed the cake on the kitchen counter and then turned towards the living room.
“I’ll put another log on the fire,” he said. “It’ll be lovely and warm in there by the time you’re ready.”
Margaret had already taken out a knife and some plates.
“Wonderful. Then I’ll slice the cake. Elise, I hope you won’t mind if I don’t wait until the end of the game for my first piece.”
“I think I’ll survive,” Elise replied.
The kitchen was filled with the pleasant mingling of the sweet aroma of warming must and the rich scent of freshly brought chocolate cake. From the living room came the quiet sounds of Julian tending to the fireplace.
The evening had hardly begun, yet the house was already filled with the warm, homely bustle Elise loved about their Friday nights.
The cards were waiting on the table. The cake would soon be on the plates. The must was slowly reaching just the right temperature.
And Margaret, naturally, already felt at home.
(...)
A Very Ordinary Mystery – Work in Progress
