She kicked hard, like she was telling me not to give up. But I needed air, just one breath that didn’t taste like fear. I went outside, blinking in the brutal sunlight, as I picked up my mail.

That’s when I saw Mrs. Higgins from next door. She was 82 years old, hair always pinned, and she was usually sitting on her porch with a crossword. But today, she was out on the lawn, hunched behind an ancient mower, pushing with both hands.

“Foreclosure proceedings are starting as of today.”

The grass nearly swallowed her shins.

She looked up when she heard me, wiped sweat from her brow, and managed a smile that wobbled at the edges.

“Morning, Sienna. Beautiful day for a little yard work, isn’t it?”

Her tone was light, but I could see her struggle. The mower jerked over a hidden clump and stalled out with a groan.

I hesitated. The sun was baking my skin, my back ached, and the last thing I wanted was to play hero.

She looked up when she heard me.

A hundred things went through my mind. The way my ankles had vanished weeks ago. The unopened bills in my hands. All the ways I’d failed. For a heartbeat, I almost went back inside.

But Mrs. Higgins was blinking fast, struggling to catch her breath.

“Do you want me to grab you some water?” I called, already moving closer.

She waved me off, pride stitched into every wrinkle. “Oh, no, I’m fine. Just need to finish this up before the HOA starts their rounds. You know how they are.”

I tried to laugh. “Don’t remind me.”

I almost went back inside.

Mrs. Higgins grinned, but her grip on the mower didn’t loosen.

“Seriously, let me help,” I said, stepping closer. “You shouldn’t be out here in this heat.”

She frowned. “It’s too much for you, dear. You should be resting, not mowing lawns for old ladies.”

I shrugged. “Resting is overrated. Besides, I need the distraction.”

“Trouble at home?”

I hesitated, then shook my head, forcing a smile. “It’s nothing I can’t handle.”

I reached for the mower. She let go, finally, sinking onto the porch steps with a grateful sigh.

“It’s nothing I can’t handle.”

“Thank you, Sienna. You’re a lifesaver.”

I started the mower. My feet squelched in grass and I felt dizzy, nauseous, but I kept going.

Every so often, I’d catch Mrs. Higgins watching me, a strange, thoughtful look in her eyes.

Halfway through, my breath caught. I stopped, leaned against the handle, and wiped my face. Mrs. Higgins shuffled over with a glass of lemonade, cold and sweating in the heat.

“Sit,” she ordered. “You’ll make yourself sick.”

“You’re a lifesaver.”

I sat on her porch, gulping lemonade, pulse racing. Mrs. Higgins sat beside me. She didn’t speak, just patted my knee.

After a minute, she asked, “How much longer for you?”

I glanced down. “Six weeks, if she lets me go that long.”

She smiled, a little wistful. “I remember those days. My Walter, he was so nervous, he packed the hospital bag a month early.” Her hand shook a little as she sipped her own drink.

“He sounds like a good man.”

“Oh, he was, Sienna. It’s lonely, you know, when you lose the person who remembers your stories.” She went quiet for a moment, then turned to me. “Who’s in your corner, Sienna?”

“How much longer for you?”

I stared at the street, willing myself not to cry. “Nobody… not anymore. My ex, Lee, bailed when I told him I was pregnant. And I got the call this morning, foreclosure. I don’t know what happens next.”

She studied me, searching my face. “You’ve been doing this all by yourself.”

I gave a half-smile. “Looks that way. I’m stubborn, I guess.”

“Stubborn is just another word for strong,” Mrs. Higgins said. “But even strong women need a break sometimes.”

The rest of the lawn took forever. My body screamed at me, but finishing was the only thing that made sense. When I was done, I set the mower aside, wiped my hands on my shorts, and tried not to notice how my vision blurred.

“I’m stubborn, I guess.”

Mrs. Higgins squeezed my hand, her own surprisingly firm. “You’re a good girl, Sienna. Remember that.” She looked at me with a strange intensity, like she was memorizing my face. “Don’t let this world take that from you.”

I tried to joke. “If the world wants anything from me, it’s going to have to wait until I get a nap.”

She smiled. “Get some rest, honey.”

I waved as I trudged home, grateful for the shade. That night, I lay in bed, hand on my belly, staring at the cracks in the ceiling. I felt lighter, just for a moment.

“Get some rest, honey.”

A siren woke me at dawn. Blue and red lights streaked through the blinds, painting my bedroom walls in panic. For one wild second, I thought maybe Lee had come back to cause trouble, or maybe the bank was already here to take the house.

When I pulled on the first cardigan I could find and stepped outside, the street was a circus.

There were two patrol cars, a sheriff’s SUV, neighbors clustered on the lawns, faces pinched with curiosity. I tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear and stepped onto the porch, trying to look braver than I felt.

The street was a circus.

A tall man in uniform approached, broad-shouldered, serious, the sort of person who makes you want to stand straighter.

“Are you Sienna?” The sheriff’s voice was clipped, but not unfriendly. His eyes flicked to the cluster of neighbors. “I’m Sheriff Holt. Can we step inside for a moment?”

I opened the door, my heart hammering. The living room suddenly felt small. The radio on his shoulder crackled as his gaze moved over the family photos and the stack of unopened mail.

“Is everything okay?” I managed.