“You saved my life.”
I sat on her porch, gulping down the lemonade, my pulse pounding. Mrs. Higgins sat down next to me. She didn’t speak, she just patted my knee.
After a minute, she asked, “How much longer for you?”
I glanced down. “Six weeks, if she lets me go that long.”
She smiled, a little nostalgic. “I remember those days. My Walter, he was so nervous he packed the hospital bag a month in advance.” Her hand trembled slightly as she sipped her drink.
“He seems like a good man.”
“Oh, he was, Ariel. You feel lonely, you know, when you lose the person who remembers your stories.” She was silent for a moment, then turned to me. “Who’s helping you, Ariel?”
“How much longer for you?”
I stared at the street, trying not to cry. “No one… anymore. My ex, Lee, left when I told him I was pregnant. And I got the call this morning, the seizure. I don’t know what’s going to happen next.”
She studied me, scrutinizing my face. “You do this all by yourself.”
I gave a half-smile. “It certainly seems so. I’m stubborn, I suppose.”
“Stubborn is just another word for strong,” said Ms. Higgins. “But even strong women sometimes need a break.”
The rest of the lawn seemed to take forever. My body was screaming at me, but finishing was the only thing that made sense. When I was done, I put the mower away, wiped my hands on my shorts, and tried not to notice how blurry my vision was getting.
“I guess I’m stubborn.”
Ms. Higgins squeezed my hand, hers surprisingly firm. “You’re a good girl, Ariel. Don’t forget it.” She looked at me with an odd intensity, as if she were memorizing my face. “Don’t let this world take that away from you.”
I tried to joke. “If the world wants something from me, it will have to wait until I take a nap.”
She smiled. “Get some rest, darling.”
I greeted her as I walked home, grateful for the shade. That night, I lay in bed, my hand on my stomach, staring at the cracks in the ceiling. I felt lighter, just for a moment.
“Get some rest, darling.”
***
A siren woke me at dawn. Blue and red lights flashed through the blinds, painting the walls of my room in a panic. For a crazy second, I thought maybe Lee had come back to cause trouble, or that the bank was already there to take the house.
When I put on the first vest I could find and went outside, the street was a real circus.
There were two patrol cars, a sheriff’s SUV, and neighbors huddled on the lawns, their faces twisted with curiosity. I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and stepped onto the porch, trying to look braver than I actually was.
