The event at the village hall began. The residents had gathered enthusiastically to welcome the important guest who was expected to bring major changes to their village. Lina, who had finished delivering the food, chose to stay. As a good citizen of her village, she wanted to hear what plans the guest from the city had for their village.
Lina sat in the back row, trying to avoid attention. However, the women’s gossip continued to flow nonstop, even though the official event was underway. Lina tried not to care, keeping her focus solely on the village chief’s speech.
In the middle of the event, Midwife Dewi, who knew Lina well, approached her. The woman smiled warmly and sat down beside Lina.
“Hey, Lina! You’re doing okay, right? I saw you carrying heavy things earlier. After surgery, you need to be careful,” the midwife said worriedly.
Lina gave a small smile. “Thank God, I’m fine, Ma’am. It was a little heavy earlier, but I took it slowly. If I don’t do it myself, I feel bad constantly troubling other people.”
Midwife Dewi sighed. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. Your child needs a healthy mother. Don’t make yourself sick from working too much. If anything happens, don’t hesitate to come to my practice, okay? I’ll help however I can.”
“Thank you, Midwife. I don’t know what I would’ve done without support like this,” Lina replied sincerely.
Midwife Dewi looked at Lina sympathetically, then continued. “I just heard about your situation from the other women. You’re incredibly strong, Lin. Don’t pay attention to people who can do nothing but speak badly of you. From what I see, you’re an amazing mother.”
Midwife Dewi’s words felt like a new source of strength for Lina. She smiled more brightly. “Thank you, Ma’am. I just want my child to have a good future. So I have to work hard. It’s okay.”
As they talked, a man approached them. He looked neat and confident. Lina recognized him immediately from the opening of the event. He was Dr. Surya, the guest from the city—the important guest in their village.
“Dewi,” Dr. Surya greeted her with a friendly smile. “Is this one of your patients?”
“Oh, yes, Sur. Let me introduce you. This is Lina. She’s my patient,” Midwife Dewi replied, turning toward Lina.
Dr. Surya looked at Lina attentively. “Oh, so you’re the one who was carrying all those boxed meals earlier? You need to be more careful, Mrs. Lina. After surgery like that, your body needs a longer recovery period. Don’t push yourself too hard.”
Lina blushed, feeling a little embarrassed. “Yes, Doctor. I’ll be more careful. Thank you for your concern.”
“Lina, this is my cousin, Dr. Surya,” Midwife Dewi introduced him.
“Nice to meet you, Doctor.”
“Oh, Lin, don’t forget my order, okay? My cousin here usually can’t stand being late with his meals,” Midwife Dewi joked.
“Of course, Ma’am. I’ll deliver it on time,” Lina said with a smile.
“Oh, and remember, if anything happens, get yourself checked right away. Your baby needs regular checkups too, and you should consult about nutrition while you’re there. And don’t eat spicy food just because you sell chili sauce and keep sampling the spicy stuff,” Midwife Dewi joked deliberately to ease the tension. Lina smiled at that.
“By the way, Ma’am, I’ll excuse myself. I want to help clean up.”
“All right, Lin.”
“Excuse me, Doctor.”
Lina left Midwife Dewi and Dr. Surya. She felt bad about not helping with the cleanup. She also didn’t want to hear any more snide remarks from the women who disliked her. Lina went back to helping put away the food.
Dr. Surya watched her busy herself and asked the village chief, “Who is she? She’s so young, but she seems like a hard worker,” Dr. Surya asked, even though his cousin had already said that Lina was one of her patients.
The village chief smiled faintly. “That’s Lina, Doctor. She is a hard worker. But her life hasn’t been easy. Her husband married someone else and simply abandoned her with their newborn child. Here, she’s become the target of gossip, but she’s held on and stayed strong.”
Dr. Surya fell silent for a moment, appearing thoughtful. Then he said, “Sometimes we forget that people like her are unsung heroes in small communities like this. I hope that once the hospital is built, she and people like her will receive better support.”
“By the way, what about the land, Sir?” Dr. Surya asked.
“Some people are willing to sell, while others only want to lease it, Doctor.”
“That’s fine. I won’t force anyone who doesn’t want to sell. When can I meet them? My people can handle all the agreements and transactions later. I want to build the hospital as soon as possible so I can help people like my late wife wished.”
After the event ended, Lina left the village office first instead of staying for the entertainment. She had to continue working. Tomorrow’s orders were fairly numerous, so she didn’t have time to stay any longer.
After receiving her payment from the village treasurer, Lina said goodbye. As usual, she would put the money back into her business. She went straight to the market to buy ingredients for tomorrow’s order from Midwife Dewi.
“Just got home?” Auntie Surti asked while carrying Lina’s baby, who was contentedly drinking formula as a supplement to the small amount of breast milk Lina was producing.
“Yes, Auntie. Was my baby fussy?”
“Your baby’s been this calm, knowing her mother is working. She only cried because she was hungry. She just asked for milk after sleeping for a while, so Auntie was able to wash her diapers.”
“Oh my gosh, Auntie, you should’ve let Lina wash them later.”
“Auntie wasn’t busy, so I could do it. Besides, now Auntie doesn’t need to cook because you take care of everything,” Auntie Surti said.
Ever since Lina came into her life, Auntie Surti had been able to relax more because someone took care of the food and the house. Lina even paid the electricity bill now. Auntie Surti only had to go to the rice fields and watch her child. Lina also often processed the water spinach and chilies from Auntie Surti’s rice fields for her food business.
“Lin, go rest for a little while with your baby, then continue later. You haven’t had any rest at all,” Auntie Surti said, feeling sorry for Lina, who rarely had time to rest.
“In a little while, Auntie, then I’ll—”
“Go to sleep. Now.” Auntie Surti insisted. If she didn’t force Lina, Lina wouldn’t agree.
“All right, Auntie. In that case, I’ll take a shower first.”
“Okay.”
Lina set her groceries on the table first, while she put the chicken, squid, and meat in the refrigerator.
Lina took a shower, then took over caring for her baby, while Auntie Surti, who was still full of energy, peeled potatoes that Lina would later turn into potato fritters.
“May your blessings always flow, sweetheart. You’re a good child. God loves you so much that He quickly showed you Bayu’s true colors.”
Before she knew it, time had flown by, and it was already seven in the evening. Lina woke up and was startled when she saw the clock on the wall. “Oh my gosh.” She panicked because she usually bathed her baby at five in the afternoon.
“Why are you panicking like that?”
“Rafa, Auntie.”
“Auntie already bathed Rafa. Auntie saw how exhausted you were, so I didn’t wake you,” Auntie Surti said. “Can’t you see that your baby’s clothes have already been changed?” Lina had been so panicked that she hadn’t noticed her child’s clothes.
“Sit down first and drink some water.”
Auntie Surti was sitting in their small guest room, holding Rafa while watching a soap opera as usual.
“Mr. Kardi brought three chickens earlier. He said he’d stopped by the chicken butcher,” Auntie Surti told Lina.
“Okay, Auntie. I’ll give Mr. Kardi the money tomorrow.”
Lina made sweet tea while gathering her wits, especially since there were boiled sweet potatoes on the table.
“Lina, your phone’s ringing.” Auntie Surti called to her from the kitchen, in case someone had ordered fried bananas. There was usually a woman or two making a last-minute purchase.
“Yes, Auntie.” Lina came out of the kitchen and walked to her room to get her phone.
Seeing the number that had called and the message waiting for her made Lina sigh. Her head was still heavy, and reading the message only made the pain worse.
~Have the money for the ring ready tomorrow.~