“Bet you wore your husband out, so he ran off for a break,” her mother-in-law whispered, handing Lika an old shovel.

“No, Aunt Nina, I agreed to this,” Lika silently replied.

The heat was cruel, the air thick with the scent of earth. Lika dug, even as her back ached and her legs swelled. When it became intolerable, she would sit on the edge of the garden bed and gently rub her belly.

“Hang in there, baby… just a little longer…”

In the evenings, she would overhear her mother-in-law gossiping with a neighbor.

“She’s lazy! Women used to give birth in the fields and go right back to work! Now look at her — acting like a queen!”

The Return

“Hey, Lika!” he said casually, giving her a quick peck on the cheek, not watching how hollow it looked or how dull her eyes