Maylily - Chapter 100

At last, it was time to reveal the truth.

Maylily decided to confess her pregnancy to Carlo and Giovanna. She had reached the point where it was no longer easy to hide the belly that had begun to swell gradually from the fifth month of pregnancy.

[You look even better now that you’ve put on a little weight.]

[You’re still thin. Don’t worry about gaining weight and eat as much as you like. If there’s anything you want to eat, just tell us anytime.]

Fortunately or unfortunately, the two of them still believed Maylily had gained weight because of her appetite. But the belly that was growing bigger by the day now showed a clear presence even beneath her apron.

The reason she had hidden the truth until now was simple. She didn’t want to make Carlo and Giovanna fuss over her or worry because she was pregnant. More than anything, she was afraid they would be disappointed if they learned of her impropriety. That fear was the greatest.

As she kept postponing the confession, Maylily was accepted completely as a member of their family.

Maylily, May, sweetheart.

Uncle. Auntie.

The forms of address they used for each other became comfortable. Formality disappeared from their exchanges, replaced with closeness. The more that happened, the harder it became to open up about the truth.

So just as she had decided to leave the inn and was weighing the timing, Michele appeared. He said he had wrapped up matters in Riverton and returned to Bredova to help with the inn.

The time to exit had come. While indebted to Carlo and Giovanna, she had never once entertained the impudent thought that she was staying here merely to fill their loneliness. She only hoped they wouldn’t feel the emptiness left behind when she departed. And Michele seemed like the right person to fill that place.

Moreover, now that she was living under the same roof as Michele, she worried that the rumors and speculation brought on by herself and the child would cause harm to Michele’s family. She didn’t want innocent people to be swept up in a disgraceful scandal because of her.

“Do you think people here care about things like reputation? The most important value in this village is compassion. If word got out that they chased away a pregnant woman who needed food, they’d be pointed at as heartless people without blood or tears.”

After hearing Maylily’s plan, Michele strongly opposed it. And he pleaded earnestly.

“If you leave now, how am I supposed to sleep peacefully? What about my uncle and aunt? Please, stay here, Maylily.”

Hearing those words, Maylily thought.

Perhaps deciding to leave this place had been a cowardly choice, made out of fear of getting hurt, out of a desire to avoid criticism.

And so, instead of announcing her departure, she resolved to confess the truth. And no matter what decision they made, she decided she would accept it.

[I… have something to tell you.]

After dinner, Maylily seated the family on the living room sofa and stood before them with a solemn face.

[Actually, I….]

As Maylily fiddled with the hem of her skirt and stalled, Carlo and Giovanna fixed their gazes on her and swallowed. Their faces were filled with expectation, wondering what she was about to say.

[So, I….]

How would she face their disappointed expressions? Her heart shrank in an instant. But at the sight of Michele nodding calmly at her, Maylily was able to gather her courage again. After a long, deep breath, she continued.

[I’m pregnant. It’s been about six months.]

[Oh my, my goodness. That’s truly amazing.]

[Oh dear, is this a dream or am I awake!]

Giovanna’s eyes and mouth grew unnaturally wide. Carlo’s arms wobbled up over his shoulders like a marionette. It was clear the two of them were so shocked they could barely keep themselves steady.

[I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you sooner. I didn’t want to deceive you two, but…. I didn’t have the courage. I’m really sorry.]

Overwhelmed by guilt that surged in like a tidal wave, Maylily’s eyes brimmed with tears and her voice came out choked. Carlo and Giovanna jumped up in surprise, patted her back, and soothed her.

[Don’t say that, sweetheart. We’ve been waiting for this day for so long.]

[Yes, what do you mean? Sorry? We should be the ones grateful.]

Waiting? Grateful for what?

Maylily slowly blinked and looked back and forth between the two of them. Unbothered by her puzzled gaze, they rambled on, each saying their piece in slightly excited voices.

[So, when will you hold the wedding?]

[No matter what, it’d be better to do it before your belly gets too big, right?]

[What? A wedding…?]

Maylily was still bewildered by the flow of the conversation when it happened.

[Ahem.]

With a resounding throat-clearing that quelled the commotion at once, Michele turned to Maylily.

[Maylily, if you’re done talking, may I speak with the two of them for a moment?]

[…Yes. I’ll go to my room.]

Still wearing a dazed expression, Maylily obediently stepped aside. After confirming her bedroom door shut firmly, Michele returned and sat down.

[What are you trying to confess? What, is today confession day?]

[For us, it’s nice and relieving that everything’s out in the open.]

A bright joy bloomed on Carlo and Giovanna’s faces as they sat on the sofa across from him. Letting out a shallow sigh, Michele said as if splashing cold water over those faces.

[The child Maylily is carrying isn’t mine.]

For a moment, Carlo wore the expression of someone who’d been slapped and blinked dumbly.

[Are you sure?]

[About what?]

[Are you sure it’s not your child?]

[Yes.]

Carlo, crushed, lowered his head, then shook it hard as if denying reality. Giovanna’s reaction beside him was hardly different.

[Check again properly. Couldn’t it be yours?]

[I told you. If nothing else, I’m certain about contraception.]

[There’s no such thing as 100% contraception.]

[This time, it’s certain. I haven’t even kissed Maylily.]

At Michele’s words, Giovanna sprang up.

[What? Is that really true?]

[Good grief, you idiot.]

Tsk, Carlo clicked his tongue and took out a cigarette, biting down on it. Like that’s even a man. He muttered a curse under his breath.

It was ridiculous to be treated like a fool just because the child a woman who wasn’t his wife was pregnant with wasn’t his. But since he couldn’t say he didn’t understand the sense of loss his uncle and aunt would feel, Michele accepted the insults without resistance.

[Then what are you two?]

[I owe Maylily a big debt. I’m paying it back.]

[…I wondered why, for once, you were bringing us a treasure.]

[I’m sorry. I didn’t know you two would like Maylily this much.]

[Why did you lie like that?]

[I wanted you two to take good care of Maylily…. I didn’t think it through. I’m sorry.]

Deeply heartbroken, Giovanna took out a handkerchief and dabbed at the corners of her eyes. Carlo moved to the window and, for a long while, only smoked cigarette after cigarette in silence.

[Then….]

Rubbing the cigarette butt, shortened to about the length of a knuckle, into the ashtray, Carlo spoke with a lonely face,

[That child will leave someday too.]

[Have you ever gotten something like this from May?]

It was during a break today at noon, while he was fixing the backyard fence. Carlo, wiping his sweat-beaded face briskly with a handkerchief, suddenly waved it in front of Michele’s eyes and bragged. Michele wondered why he had a handkerchief that didn’t suit him. Carlo said he’d received it as a gift from Maylily.

Carlo’s face looked like that of a parent boasting about their child. Recalling that face, Michele was suddenly seized by the realization that he’d made a big mistake. Because he’d always pursued only light encounters, he hadn’t realized just how deep the sorrow that could come from the farewell at the end of an encounter could be for people.

[I’m sorry, Uncle.]

In the time it took them to move over to the sofa, Carlo composed his expression and turned a faint smile toward Michele.

[You don’t need to act like such a sinner, Michele. Thanks to you sending that child to us, I don’t even know how many happy things there have been over the past few months. Right, Giovanna?]

[Yes, your uncle’s right. Isn’t it a blessing too, that we got to welcome such a lovely child as family, even for a little while? We don’t know how long May will stay by our side, but while she is, let’s do our best for each other.]

After wrapping up the conversation, they called Maylily back into the living room. And they told her that as long as she stayed here, she and the baby would always be their family. Held in their arms, Maylily burst into tears. They were happy tears she shed for the first time in a very long while.