I didn’t even remember ending the conversation. I just stood there with my hand on my stomach, whispering apologies to a child who hadn’t even entered the world yet.
“I’m trying,” I told her softly. “I really am.”
She kicked, strong and stubborn, like she already understood more than I did.
I needed air, something that didn’t feel like panic. So I stepped outside, blinking against the heat, the kind that presses against your skin and makes breathing feel like work.
That’s when I saw Mrs. Higgins.
Eighty-two years old, standing behind a rusted mower, trying to cut grass that had grown far too high for her strength. She smiled when she noticed me, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
“Beautiful day,” she said, like the sun wasn’t trying to take her down with it.
I should have gone back inside.
My back hurt. My feet were swollen. My life was unraveling.
But something about the way she held onto that mower—like pride was the only thing keeping her upright—stopped me.
“Let me help,” I said.
She resisted at first. Of course she did. People like her don’t give up control easily.
But eventually, she let go.
And I pushed.
Every step felt heavier than the last. The heat made my vision blur, my breath shallow, my body protest in ways I couldn’t ignore. But I kept going.
Because stopping felt worse.
Because for once, helping someone else felt easier than thinking about myself.
When I finally sat down, dizzy and shaking, she handed me a glass of lemonade. Cold. Sweet. Steady.
We sat in silence for a while.
Then she asked, “Who’s in your corner, Ariel?”
And I didn’t lie.
“Nobody,” I said. “Not anymore.”
She didn’t pity me. Didn’t offer empty comfort.
