Saadeya was pregnant. It was a blistering hot day; the sun hung over their heads, and even the horses looked like they were a minute away from collapsing from the heat. But Saadeya didn't care, she was pregnant. She told the hens first, but they didn't care. They laid eggs every day and only asked what took her so long in the first place; they reminded her of the old ladies from her village, always poking their beaks in her business. When she whispered the news into the rabbits’ ears, they only cared about how many children she was carrying; she secretly hoped for only one, because she doesn't think she can handle more, at least for now. Only the cows understood her and gathered around her lowing and mooing in celebration of the great gift she was bearing.
Her husband was ecstatic, and so was her mother-in-law. All they...
