The early evening air carried a crisp breeze as Emma stepped off the bus near her neighborhood. The sun dipped low, casting long golden shadows across the dusty streets. Her body felt like it had been hollowed out by the day—mentally drained, emotionally worn, and physically aching—but something about Lia's giggle as she reached out to hug her mother every evening always made the fatigue worthwhile.
"Mommy!" Lia's little voice rang out the moment Emma's feet stepped into the compound.
Emma bent down, catching her daughter in her arms with a tight, warm embrace. "Did you miss me?"
"Much much," Lia said, her tiny fingers patting Emma's face.
The warmth was short-lived. Mrs. Kamene, the landlady, stood by the corner with her usual scowl.
"We need to talk," she snapped.
Emma barely had time to change out of her work clothes before the confrontation began. They sat on the stone ledge outside the one-room house, Lia tucked inside with Ruth, who had come by to check on her friend.
"You're late again," Mrs. Kamene began, arms folded. "You think my house runs on dreams? You think I'm raising your daughter with my water?"
"I understand," Emma said carefully. "I've been trying. Things are tight... but I haven't forgotten. I just need a little more time."
"You've been needing time since January," Kamene hissed. "There are others who can pay without stories. One more week, Emma. That's all."
Emma nodded. Not because she agreed, but because it was the only option that didn't end in shouting or sleeping on the street.
When the landlady finally walked off, Ruth emerged, shaking her head. "I swear, that woman has a rock for a heart."
Emma chuckled bitterly. "She's not the first."
They sat together in silence for a while, Ruth peeling a banana for Lia, Emma watching as streetlights flickered to life.
Then Ruth nudged her. "I saw the way you stood up to that rude customer today. You didn't even flinch."
Emma exhaled. "I don't even recognize myself sometimes."
"That's not always bad," Ruth said. "You've become fire, Emma. But don't let that fire burn everything good too."
Emma looked at her. "What good?"
Ruth smiled sadly. "The you I first met—the Emma who once cried when a kitten was crushed by a motorbike. You still care. Don't hide it too deep."
Emma looked away, her eyes welling. "Caring has only brought me pain."
"But that same caring gave Lia life," Ruth whispered. "And that same heart… might be the one thing that saves you."
Emma didn't respond. Instead, she looked up at the stars. They seemed to blink down at her gently, like they knew something she didn't.
Maybe, just maybe, there was still light ahead.
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To be continued....