Chapter Three: THE CHILD THEY NEVER EXPECTED
For several days after Omar revealed Miriam's pregnancy, Fatuma and Omar's mother behaved as though they had heard a lie.
They did not congratulate Miriam. They did not ask how far along she was. They did not even seem interested in knowing whether the baby was healthy. Instead, they exchanged doubtful looks whenever Miriam was around. To them, the pregnancy was too convenient. For years Miriam had failed to conceive, and suddenly she was pregnant just when Omar had married another woman. They suspected that she was pretending, or perhaps trying to win Omar back. Fatuma especially refused to believe that Miriam could be carrying Omar's child.
Whenever the subject came up, Fatuma would laugh and say that Miriam was only trying to protect her position in the family. Omar's mother did not openly accuse Miriam, but her silence said enough. She had already decided that Fatuma was the woman who would give her the grandchild she had waited for.
Omar, however, knew the truth.
He watched Miriam's stomach grow every month, and with every passing week his guilt became heavier. He wanted to be happy. He had dreamed of becoming a father for years. Yet his happiness was always mixed with regret because he knew that while Miriam carried his child, he had already brought another woman into their marriage.
Miriam tried to ignore the tension around her. She concentrated on her pregnancy and continued praying every morning and evening. She thanked God for answering the prayer she had almost stopped believing would ever come true. She did not know what the future held, but she had decided that nothing would steal the joy of carrying her first child.
As the months passed, her stomach grew larger. People who had once whispered that she could never have children began looking at her differently. Some apologized. Others pretended they had never said anything.
Miriam noticed everything, but she said nothing.
She had learned that life could change quickly.
One evening, while preparing supper, Miriam suddenly felt a sharp pain in her stomach. She leaned against the wall and waited for it to pass, but another pain followed, stronger than the first.
Her...