With her swollen belly, my wife continued her daily activities. Even this early, she had already brewed coffee and joined me while I drank it. Afterward, she boiled some eggplants freshly picked from behind the chicken coop. There were also boiled spinach and tender cassava leaves.
“Is there still no money for the baby’s clothes, dear?” she asked simply.
That one question immediately stirred my instincts as a husband. We had planned to go shopping for the baby’s arrival weeks ago, but our finances were constantly drained, causing those plans to vanish like the steam from her freshly brewed coffee.
I could only respond with empty promises.
“Once Mr. Ateng pays for the stones, I’ll take you to the market right away,” I said.
She nodded and moved around the kitchen, gathering spices, pounding them in a pestle that had already lost one of its edges. I took another sip of my coffee, trying to enjoy the morning.
After breakfast, I headed to the stone quarry—the place where we earned our bread, sweating and toiling under the sun to keep life going.
“Im! Time to head home!” a voice shouted from across the hill.
It was Suji, my neighbor and fellow stone gatherer. He always left before me, working half-heartedly. Being an old bachelor, he had no family to provide for. If he didn’t work for a day, no one would complain about a lack of food. Rumor had it his money was spent on women and other men’s wives.
“You go ahead, Ji!” I called back and returned to my hammer, smashing the rocks. The hill was growing quiet, with swallows and bats filling the evening sky, and fatigue began to settle over me.
I rode my aging motorbike home as the afternoon transitioned into dusk, the gas pedal pressed hard. The sweat covering my neck and body cooled in the breeze. My mind drifted back to my wife’s question about preparing for the baby’s arrival.
“Has Mr. Ateng not paid for the stones yet?” she asked as night grew deeper.
I made her another promise, assuring her I’d bring the money home by tomorrow evening.
At first light, I went to Mr. Ateng’s house near the market. With humility, I greeted the wealthy man, hoping for some sympathy.
“How many truckloads of stones do you have, Im?” he asked.
“In a day or two, I’ll have five loads ready,” I replied confidently. Five loads of stones would be worth enough to pay off my debts.
He flicked the ash from his cigarette into the ashtray, and the thick smoke filled the cramped, stuffy room. The man coughed.
“Can I count on your word, Im?” he asked again, sounding doubtful.
“Of course, sir,” I answered, though I was unsure. The promise I had made to my wife weighed heavily on me, while the one I gave to Mr. Ateng would have to be fulfilled in time.
He handed me an envelope. As I reached for it, he coughed again, this time harder. I hesitated.
“Well, off you go then. Before Suji and Santo take all the stones,” he said abruptly.
I took the envelope with a mix of gratitude and hope. My wife would be thrilled tonight when I took her to Mr. Kamil’s shop to buy baby supplies. I even planned to treat her to fried rice at the street corner afterward, reminiscing about the past. Joy filled my mind as I rode my motorbike to the quarry, picturing our evening together and the arrival of our first child.
Upon arriving at the quarry, I saw Suji waiting. I parked the bike carelessly by the roadside, covering it with dry bushes.
“You’re here already, Ji?” I greeted him.
“Where’ve you been?” he responded, throwing a question I couldn’t easily answer.