The Jewel in My Heart
Chapter 3

"I have to move you to bed so you can rest. Can you help me one more time?" muttered Annarosa while kneeling beside the man.

The man's eyes, which had been closed, were now slightly opened when Annarosa tried to finish him. The man groaned softly as they managed to stand up with great difficulty.

Annarosa felt an increasingly heavy burden on her shoulders because the man leaned all his weight on Annarosa. Step by step, their end came. The man had been lying completely on Annarosa's bed. Anna immediately left the room after enveloping the man and tidying up the scattered fixtures in the living room. Annarosa would occasionally steal a glance out the window to make sure that no one had seen her helping the stranger.

The hour hand was already pointing to the number three as Annarosa prepared to sleep in her daughter's room. His mind was still spinning thinking about what he had just done. He's not sane!

\* \* \*

The small, unpretentious birds outside accompanied Annarosa's voice, who was persuading her daughter to finish her last feed of food. The morning sunlight barged freely into the living room despite being blocked by the thin white curtains.

"Smart" praised Annarosa when her daughter started chewing food in her mouth. "Mama to the kitchen first yes" he said as he walked quickly leaving his daughter who was engrossed in playing with a stuffed rabbit.

If the tinsel dies then it's not his fault! He refused to be taken to the hospital. But in her little heart, Annarosa remained anxious. Annarosa sighed as she walked away from her bedroom door, whatever happens. He's done what he can.

"Mama" Nina called out to her while pointing at the television. "Funny yes." Annarosa's smile expands when she sees her daughter looking happy to see a cartoon movie being played. Then he walked up to Nina and held her back, there was a sense of happiness that could not be described with any color whenever Anna held Nina and felt the warmth of her daughter's body.

"Mama mimi" Nina said and began to put her finger into her mouth. Annarosa held Nina while taking water in her plastic cup. "This" Anna muttered while helping Nina hold her cup when Nina drank.

Nina smiled happily and got down from her mom's sling, the little girl ran to the living room and went back to watching a cartoon movie while lying on the carpet.

From the front of the room, Anna could see the foreign man was trying to move his hand, apparently he was conscious. Relieved Anna walked into the kitchen and took a bowl of filter pulp which she planned to give to the stranger.