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.
“What’s going on?”
“Your wife was rushed to the hospital. You’d better go to her,” Suji said, startling me.
My body suddenly weakened. Without waiting for further explanation, I rushed back to my motorbike, panic swirling in my mind.
“Don’t worry. Your in-laws are already with her,” Suji reassured me.
“Did you take her to the hospital?” I asked.
“After you left this morning, I heard screams from your house. Her water broke, so I took her to the hospital. Your in-laws followed shortly after,” he explained, handing me a water bottle covered with moss at the rim.
After thanking him, I revved up my motorbike and sped to the hospital. My mind raced, consumed by fear and uncertainty. Dust from the quarry filled the air.
When I arrived at the hospital, I immediately looked for my wife. Damn. Masks were still required. The fear of the virus lingered, even though the pandemic had long since passed. Maybe it was just the hospital’s way to sell more masks. I bought one anyway from the hospital’s shop.
“Your child was eager to see you, dear,” my wife said weakly. My heart sank as I saw her pale face and the tiny, red baby lying beside her. I cried tears of joy, looking at them both in turn. The baby had her mother’s sharp nose and thick hair. But whose wide ears did they resemble?
“Now, go buy some diapers. Ask for a sling from Sister Sarinah at home. I still have a few that were never used,” my mother-in-law said, snapping me out of my thoughts.
I left to buy the diapers, stopped by my in-laws’ house for the sling, and picked up a change of clothes for my wife.
As I sat down to eat some rice with fish, I heard the sound of a motorbike approaching. I glanced out the window. I didn’t recognize the rider or know his purpose. I had never seen him before.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Startled, I hastily gulped down some water and reluctantly opened the door, inviting the stranger inside with a sense of unease.
“How much money have you made selling stones?” the man asked, catching me off guard.
“Not much, just enough to keep the kitchen going. Who are you?” I replied.
“I’m the owner of that land, and now I’m here to collect damages,” he said calmly.
“What do you mean?” I asked, my emotions flaring, and confusion taking over.
“I thought I was clear enough,” he replied.
“Are you some kind of extortionist?” I shot back.
He furrowed his brow.
“Ten years ago, I left this village to seek my fortune. The land on that hill belonged to my parents, and my brother Suji was supposed to take care of it.”
His words left me frozen in shock.
“I planned to use those stones to build a house and shop. I had no idea the hill would be nearly flattened by now,” he continued.
“As far as I know, it’s Suji’s land, sir. I didn’t know it belonged to you,” I replied sincerely.
“Well, now you know. And there’s one more thing I’ll tell you.”
“What is it?”
“You have two choices,” the man said, his voice sending a chill down my spine.
“Which are?” I asked, my voice trembling.
“Return the stones in either their original form or in cash. Your choice.”
His words drained the strength from my body. Just when I needed money the most, it was about to be snatched away. My mind was in turmoil.
“But I have no money…” I stammered, utterly lost.
“What’s the most valuable thing you own?” he asked again.
I paused, searching for an answer.
“My wife and child are the most precious things in my life,” I finally said, struggling to respond to his demand.
“Then give me your child,” he said, his eyebrows arching as he delivered the cruel statement.
“Who are you really? Enough with the nonsense!” I barked, my temper flaring.
“Face reality. You don’t have a child. Didn’t Dr. Liem tell you years ago that you were infertile? So how do you have a baby now?”
His words hit me like a brick, triggering memories I had tried to forget. Dr. Liem’s diagnosis from years ago echoed in my ears. I had no response.
“Don’t you wonder what your wife does while you’re out working? Haven’t you noticed how Suji always comes home early? Or how he sometimes skips going to the quarry altogether?”
“Stop right there!” I shouted.
“Just wait until you see who the baby resembles!” he sneered. “That child is the payment for the stones you stole.”
He kept speaking, but I was at a loss for words.
“You don’t have a child. That baby belongs to Suji. Your wife has been unfaithful. Leave her, and let me take the baby.”
“Are you Sarjono, the man who was castrated for impregnating those young girls? You must be bitter about not being able to have children now!” I finally recalled. He was Suji’s eldest brother, a notorious womanizer who had been exiled years ago.
He laughed maliciously, stoking my fury.
“I may not be able to have children, but I have money. And with money, I can have anything I want—including your child and wife. Ha-ha-ha…”
I stood there, seething with rage. Suji’s face flashed in my mind, filling me with disgust. I also remembered the time I found Suji’s jacket at the quarry, with a photo of my wife tucked inside his wallet.
This world had deceived me, full of the tricks and lies of its inhabitants.
Translated from here.