Chapter 3

"You two are joking?"

"Of course we are."

Tara pulled her into a hug and laughed. "Think about it. Herman loves you. He's turned down plenty of girls chasing after him. And come on, we're best friends. I'd never hurt you. He just runs his mouth."

Fay thought back to the days when the two of them had been inseparable, and she believed her.

"You're right. My husband loves to joke around, and here I am taking it seriously. Pregnancy really does turn your brain to mush..."

Tara carried her bags and helped her up the stairs.

Once they got home, she reminded Fay again to take good care of herself.

Before leaving, Tara shot me a look and said in a low voice, "You'd better cherish Fay. Or you and I aren't finished."

"Honey, I'll make you sweet-and-sour ribs in a bit."

She wanted to go cook, but her calves were badly swollen, and she could only shuffle over one step at a time.

I felt a twinge of guilt. "Maybe don't bother."

"No, I can do it."

She finally made it to the kitchen.

Washing the vegetables, her huge belly pressed against the sink cabinet, and it clearly hurt.

I lay comfortably on the couch, smoking.

Fay was a good cook, and the food smelled wonderful.

So I called Alma over to eat with us.

"Honey, I didn't cook enough for her."

"Fay, Alma's a young girl, she can't cook, and takeout isn't good for her. I only called her over because your cooking's so good. She can just have half of my portion. Don't be upset."

Fay ignored me and lowered her head, eating in silence.

"Sweetheart, get plenty of nutrition in you."

I picked up a rib and set it in her bowl.

She looked up, and a flicker of surprise crossed her face as she bit into it.

"Alma, is it good?" I asked.

"Fay's cooking is better than any five-star restaurant."

"Then eat up." I loaded half a bowl of meat into hers.

Fay's nose stung, and when she bowed her head, a few tears struck the bottom of her bowl.

After dinner, I sat on the couch with Alma, the two of us cozy and affectionate.

"Honey, the officer at the police station said you shouldn't bring another woman home to stay."

Fay looked at me, pitiful.

I gave a helpless shrug. "Alma, take my car home. We'll go get a room when there's time."

"Fay, I'm heading home then."

Alma walked out with a taunting little smile.

Fay let out a small huff.

She gathered up the dishes to wash them.

Crash...

A bowl slipped and shattered into several pieces on the floor. I swept it up with the broom and said, "Fay, that bowl was expensive. A single one costs over a thousand dollars."

"The baby just kicked me. It hurt."

"Fine, just get them washed."

She showered and lay down in bed to sleep.

I wasn't the least bit tired, so I switched on the home karaoke system and started belting out songs, the whole place shaking with it.

It wasn't until one in the morning that I went to sleep in the guest room.

I woke up the next day.

My favorite breakfast was on the table, but she was gone.

She'd sent me a few messages saying she couldn't sleep well, so she'd gone to stay at Tara's and would come back tonight.

She did come back that evening, and even made four dishes and a soup, so I called Alma over to eat again.

Several days passed like this, with Alma finishing dinner at our place before going home.

That night, we were in the middle of dinner when the doorbell rang.

I opened the door, and my mother-in-law walked in.

She set down some health supplements, then saw Alma sitting there eating and frowned. "Who's this?"

I said it lightly. "My secretary. I invited her to dinner."

Her mother's face darkened. "I only found out from Fay's posts online that she's been cooking for the two of you all the time, this pregnant!"

I turned to look at Fay. She'd gone pale with fright. "Honey, my belly was hurting, so I said a few things online..."

I gave a huff.

Her mother glared at me. "And you think you're in the right?"

"When my daughter married you, she didn't ask for a bride price, didn't ask for gold, and even brought a car into the marriage!"

"She's pregnant, and because you're lonely you beat her?"

Her mother turned to Alma. "And you, some twenty-something girl with more ambition than shame, always scheming to wreck someone else's family?"

"If you want money, you'd be better off selling yourself on the street!"

Alma's pretty face flushed red at the words, and tears spilled down.

My face went dark. "Alma is a decent, innocent girl. Say another word out of line and I won't go easy on you."

Her mother slapped the table. "What's that supposed to mean? You want to hit me, is that it?"

"I don't want to hit you. But you can't just insult people."

"She followed you home, shameless as she is. So what if I insult her?"

Seeing us squared off, Fay was at a loss and tried to smooth it over. "Mom, don't get upset."

Then she said to me, "Take her home."

I brought Alma downstairs, spent a good while comforting her in the car, and even gave her a designer bag. She hugged me happily and kissed me. "Thank you, Herman."

When I got back home, I found her mother had washed an apple, cut it into pieces for Fay to eat, and was clearing away the dishes to wash them.

Fay ate the fruit, listening to her mother chatter, and started to laugh.

It was the first time in months I'd seen her smile so sweetly.

In the days that followed, her mother and Tara often came by to look after Fay.

A few days before she was due, her mother had to go back to the country to care for the old man, who had dementia.

Tara was working overtime to push a project through, so she couldn't come to help either.

Fay couldn't cook, so she had no choice but to order takeout.

"Honey, I go into the delivery room the day after tomorrow. Can you come with me?"

I shook my head. "The day after tomorrow I promised Alma I'd take her to see the ocean. I won't have time for you."