I hesitated, then shook my head, forcing a smile. “It’s nothing I can’t handle.”
I reached for the mower. She finally let go, sinking onto the porch steps with a relieved sigh.
“It’s nothing I can’t handle.”
“Thank you, Ariel. You’re a lifesaver.”
I started the mower. My shoes squelched in the grass and I felt dizzy, nauseous, but I kept going.
Every so often, I caught Mrs. Higgins watching me with a strange, thoughtful expression.
Halfway through, my breath caught. I stopped, leaned on the handle, and wiped my face. Mrs. Higgins came over with a glass of lemonade, cold and beaded with sweat.
“Sit,” she ordered. “You’ll make yourself sick.”
“You’re a lifesaver.”
I sat on her porch, drinking the lemonade too fast, my pulse still racing. Mrs. Higgins sat beside me. She didn’t speak at first—just patted my knee.
After a moment, she asked, “How much longer for you?”
I looked down. “Six weeks, if she lets me go that long.”
She smiled faintly, nostalgic. “I remember those days. My Walter, he was so nervous, he packed the hospital bag a month early.” Her hand trembled slightly as she sipped.
“He sounds like a good man.”
“Oh, he was, Ariel. It’s lonely, you know, when you lose the person who remembers your stories.” She went quiet, then looked at me. “Who’s in your corner, Ariel?”
“How much longer for you?”
I stared down the street, fighting tears. “Nobody… not anymore. My ex, Lee, left when I told him I was pregnant. And I got the call this morning, foreclosure. I don’t know what happens next.”
She studied me. “You’ve been doing this all by yourself.”
I gave a small, tired smile. “Looks that way. I’m stubborn, I guess.”
“Stubborn is just another word for strong,” Mrs. Higgins said. “But even strong women need a break sometimes.”
The rest of the yard took forever. My body screamed, but finishing was the only thing that made sense. When I finally stopped, I set the mower down, wiped my hands on my shorts, and tried not to notice my blurred vision.
“I’m stubborn, I guess.”
Mrs. Higgins squeezed my hand, her grip unexpectedly firm. “You’re a good girl, Ariel. Remember that.” She looked at me with an intensity like she was memorizing my face. “Don’t let this world take that from you.”
I tried to joke. “If the world wants anything from me, it’s going to have to wait until I get a nap.”
She smiled. “Get some rest, honey.”
I waved as I walked home, grateful for the shade. That night, I lay in bed, one hand on my belly, staring at the ceiling cracks. I felt lighter—just for a moment.
“Get some rest, honey.”
A siren woke me at dawn. Blue and red lights cut through the blinds, washing my bedroom walls in panic. For a wild second, I thought maybe Lee had returned to cause trouble, or maybe the bank had already come for the house.
When I pulled on the first cardigan I could find and stepped outside, the street was chaos.
There were two patrol cars, a sheriff’s SUV, neighbors gathered on their lawns, faces tight with curiosity. I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear and stepped onto the porch, trying to look braver than I felt.
