I almost went back inside.
Mrs. Higgins grinned, but her grip on the mower didn't loosen.
"Seriously, let me help," I said, stepping closer. "You shouldn't be out here in this heat."
She frowned. "It's too much for you, dear. You should be resting, not moving lawns for old ladies."
I shrugged. "Resting is overrated. Besides, I need the distraction."
"Trouble at home?"
I hesitated, then shook my head, forcing a smile. "It's nothing I can't handle."
I reached for the mower. She let go, finally, sinking onto the porch steps with a grateful sigh.
"It's nothing I can't handle."
"Thank you, Ariel. You're a lifesaver."
I started the mower. My feet squelched in grass and I felt dizzy, nauseous, but I kept going.
Every so often, I'd catch Mrs. Higgins watching me, a strange, thoughtful look in her eyes.
Halfway through, my breath caught. I stopped, leaned against the handle, and wiped my face. Mrs. Higgins shuffled over with a glass of lemonade, cold and sweating in the heat.
"Sit," she ordered. "You'll make yourself sick."
"You're a lifesaver."
I sat on her porch, gulping lemonade, pulse racing. Mrs. Higgins sat beside me. She didn't speak, just patted my knee.
After a minute, she asked, "How much longer for you?"
I glanced down. "Six weeks, if she lets me go that long."
She smiled, a little wistful. "I remember those days. My Walter, he was so nervous, he packed the hospital bag a month early." Her hand shook a little as she sipped her own drink.
"He sounds like a good man."
