Chapter Six

“I might be getting an abortion.” Amaliah spoke up after twenty minutes of companionable silence. Her face was turned and she was looking out of the window, looking out to things unknown. Sheila was driving them to her own house because she didn’t want Amaliah to be alone in her house, surrounded with memories and scents of Rafael that could trigger her.

She maintained a calm demeanor and a bland face, even if her heart was breaking. She had known, since Amaliah found out she was pregnant, that there was an eighty percent chance that Amaliah would opt for an abortion instead of facing the reality of raising a child alone in the absence of her husband and with the looming presence of huge debts.

“You might? Have you thought carefully about it?” she asked casually.

There was a long moment of silence. Sheila had become used to the sudden bouts of painful silence. She felt sorry and helpless because she couldn’t seem to do anything to alleviate her friend’s suffering.

“Well, it’s ine