January
In the first days of the new year, Hasnah’s baby began stirring restlessly in her womb, and she feared it would be born prematurely. Sugeng was seldom home now, day or night. Sometimes he stayed away all night. Hasnah felt the distance between them growing all the time. All she could do was to cry and cry, always accusing herself: it was she who’d ruined Sugeng, she who had caused the calamity that had befallen them. All the luxurious objects in the house served only to remind her of her troubles and make her even sadder. Her eyes were constantly filled with tears.
The doctor had warned her to control her emotions or she might endanger herself and especially the child she was carrying. When Sugeng was home, she hardly dared to speak to him. She’d seen how it consoled him, even ch
