Post by tovaana on Nov 25, 2019 0:10:44 GMT -5
Chapter One: Rumors
Both of her hands slid lightly on her stomach, brushing the taut fabric that usually hung freely at her waist. She closed her eyes and took a breath, slowly exhaling as her stomach tightened with a fake contraction. While she wasn’t a birthing woman, her healing training had come in handy to understand the changes her body was going through. She took a step to the left to lean on a wall, her head pressing against the rough cool material as she focused on breathing.
There had never been a question of it being worth the trouble of keeping the child that stirred within her – instead of aborting it as one of her sister-in-laws had suggested. It came to a shock to people who knew her, but for the most part she hadn’t felt the brisk judgmental stares were common enough to shake her. Let them stare and wonder, perhaps some of them were jealous, having never felt the caress of a man’s passionate touch. Vineya had to convince herself that she hadn’t kept the child just as a way to remember the night, but it was okay if it was part of the reason, right?
She opened her eyes, blinking in the dim light of glow baskets, as the fake contraction came to an end. However, she didn’t push from the wall, waiting to see if another would follow.
The sound of someone entering the house came to her, but she didn’t move to know who it was, as the raised voice assumed that Vineya was there and listening. “You know the trouble with people? They don’t know how to mind their own sharding business. That’s what. Just because you have a thought, doesn’t make it worth sharing with the whole town – especially if it has no merit.” The woman’s voice quieted as she entered the dining area where Vineya stood leaning against the wall with a soft smile on her lips. “You okay, child?”
She pushed off, nodding. “Yes, I’m fine. I’m no child anymore mother, I’m with child. There’s a difference, if you’d remember please.” The other woman humphed and went further into the kitchen with the bundle of food in her hands to sort into appropriate cabinets. “How’d you know I was here anyways, and not still at work?” The woman gave her half of a skeptical look, her dark brown eyes barely glancing at her stomach and then back at what she was doing.
“Uhh, that co-worker of yours. I can never remember his name, pretty sure he takes a fancy to you, he let me know you were at home.”
“Ahh.” She said, letting the room fall to silence, her mind now wheeling back to what her mother had been ranting about earlier, also curious to know which co-worker she thought took a fancy of her. Surely her mother been talking about some rumor that had started about herself and her pregnancy. It should bother her, perhaps she should feel indignant, but instead her hands gently caressed her bulge and let the soft kicks within her stomach distract her.
“That brother of yours picked quite the creature to marry – “
“Ma, just drop it. It doesn’t matter.” So, it had been her sister-in-law. She felt a drop of bitterness at the thought of family being against her. Others, let them ogle from the outside… but those already on the inside? Vineya felt herself close up a little, moving to the counter where she could finger some of the baskets of fresh fruit. Her eyes focused on the details of the woven basket, avoiding her mother’s loving gaze that she imagined was glancing in her direction.
“If you’re hungry, eat.” Soft steps came over and Vineya knew it was her mother’s way of apologizing. She picked up a red fruit and put it in her hands. Her mother, Vinella, gathered a few tubers and walked away from the table, moving on to make an evening meal for them.
