And I taught him about the village\u2014the best place to watch the sunset, which mangoes were the sweetest, how to tell when the rain was coming by the way the birds flew.<\/p>\n
When I told him I was pregnant, his face transformed with joy. Pure, undiluted happiness that made me believe everything would be okay.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll go home tomorrow,\u201d he said, holding both my hands in his. \u201cI\u2019ll talk to my parents, get their blessing, and come back for you. We\u2019ll get married. We\u2019ll raise our baby together.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou promise?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI promise. I\u2019ll be back in three days. Four at most.\u201d<\/p>\n
He kissed me goodbye at the bus stop, his hand lingering on my still-flat stomach. \u201cTake care of our baby,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
I watched the bus disappear down the road, dust swirling in its wake.<\/p>\n
That was the last time I saw him.<\/p>\n
The Cruelty of Whispers<\/p>\n
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