ALL NOVEL chapter 89
89: Beyond Logic
Almost reflexively, Milim and I decided to stay at my parents’ house for a while.
It happened on a day when the cold was becoming severe.
Milim’s pregnant belly had become quite noticeable. Considering that the due date was around mid-May of next year, it was already a time when our child would be born within half a year.
Taking maternity leave and wanting to rest at home during this period, we decided to stay at my parents’ house. It was for the sake of my father and also for my mother.
The reason being, my maternal grandfather fell ill and had to be hospitalized.
My mother went back home to take care of him.
We didn’t know how long it would take, and my mother’s hometown was slightly farther from our daily life sphere, so she had to go help alone.
Speaking of my mother, she has been contacting me more frequently. She goes out with my grandmother (in other words, my grandmother from my perspective) almost every day after returning from the hospital, taking pictures of visually appealing food and posting those images on social media.
She seems so lively.
By the way, my grandfather’s condition seemed to be stable at the moment.
Well, it didn’t seem like it would last very long though.
It’s not uncommon for men of his age, but my grandfather has a nature of enduring even minor discomfort. That’s why it seems that he has been postponing various discoveries.
So, it seems that he wants to stay by his side until he passes away.
If we had a clearer timeframe, we would go to him, but currently, the situation is uncertain. We have no choice but to act according to the problems that arise, and it seemed like it would be frustrating and unsettled days ahead.
My father is capable of handling household chores.
That’s why I don’t think it’s necessary for me to bring Milim, who is pregnant, to my father’s house just because my mother is not there…
Yeah, logically, I can’t analyze the reason why I came.
My school where I work is close to home, and Milim is on maternity leave. The hurdle for “moving our living base to my parents’ house” was low. That’s probably the reason.
“I hope we make it in time,” Milim said.
Her words didn’t have a subject.
It’s Milim’s habit, but this time, she deliberately did so.
There are things that she finds difficult to say from her position.
She probably wanted to show her great-grandchild’s face to her grandfather before he passes away.
That’s what she wanted to say. But somehow, it was hard to express.
…This was also illogical. It was the unspoken rule, the tradition, that made Milim hesitate to mention “my grandfather’s death.”
As for me, I’m quite cold-hearted, and I can only hope that the birth and my grandfather’s final days don’t overlap.
How heartless of me.
My maternal grandfather was a taciturn man. Even when I visited, he would sit quietly in his room, reading the newspaper or something.
However, he was a kind and skillful person. When I leaned on him, he would awkwardly smile, and if we desired something that could be handmade, he would silently prepare the materials and skillfully create it.
After I reached the legal drinking age, we drank together only once.
As expected, my grandfather was quiet. We sat side by side in silence, just tilting our glasses together. But even so, I remember that he seemed happy.
The more I think back, the more I feel self-disgusted for worrying about “not overlapping childbirth and the end of life” while such a good person is about to pass away.
“That can’t be helped.”
After my father had fallen asleep, I couldn’t contain my self-disgust and inadvertently let it out. Millim muttered as she knitted a baby kimono.
In this area, there is a custom that when a mother gives a baby kimono to her child, the child will grow up healthy.
To be honest, I’m better at sewing, but because of that, Millim is knitting the baby kimono.
It’s inefficient.
In the first place, it would be better to buy a baby kimono at a store.
Even so, Millim knits the kimono, and I have never opposed it.
A power that cannot be rationalized or made explicit convinced us.
“I don’t think people can think about so many things. It’s probably a matter of priorities.”
Recently, Millim’s voice has contained a lot of gentleness that seems to be advising the other person.
Maybe it’s because she’s going to be a mother. Or maybe, unconsciously, I’m imposing that role on her, who is going to be a mother.
“If we didn’t have a child, I think Lex would take time off work and go to his grandfather’s place. But now, because we prioritize our child, he doesn’t do that.”
I see, so I had made an unconscious decision.
There was a “dying grandfather” and a “soon-to-be-born child.”
If I only thought about my grandfather, I should take time off work or quit and go to my grandfather’s place to do whatever I can to take care of him or extend his life.
However, I can’t abandon my job for the sake of the child who is about to be born.
…In the first place, the mother’s body is an unstable thing. It’s not known what might trigger an abnormality.
In a sense, Millim and the child in her belly are in the same “situation that can’t be taken lightly” as my grandfather.
But I am the only one, and Millim and my grandfather are in different places.
That’s why I prioritized Millim.
“Are you feeling better now?”
I was able to organize my thoughts in my head and feel much clearer.
Indeed, Millim’s voice had a calmness and kindness that made me feel like she was a saint.
Not only her voice, but her personality also seemed to have a slightly stronger kindness than usual.
It seems that she was confused because two things she had never experienced before happened at the same time.
This type of dilemma is unfamiliar to me. After all, I’ve never had a life with so many important people in it.
However, Milim is surprisingly calm, to the point where I can’t help but suspect that she is also a reincarnated person from another world.
In the first place, it should be Milim who is the most confused and anxious about the pregnancy. She should be the one who is more involved in it than me.
On top of this composure, she also has the ability to comfort me with her affection.
Who is this amazing wife…
“It helps me calm down when someone close to me is panicking.”
Who is it?
It’s me.
“Also, for some reason, I feel very courageous right now. It’s strange. I feel like I can laugh and forgive most things, and I’m not afraid of most things.”
I’ve always thought that Milim is a courageous person, but the fact that she specifically mentions being “courageous” makes me think that there must have been a dramatic change in her state of mind.
I don’t know if this is something that happens when you have a child, or if it’s a unique change that only happened to Milim.
…Ah, I see.
I somehow understand why my mother is so energetic, even though the man who is supposed to be her real father is on the verge of death.
They must have a mysterious courage within them.
I can’t explain it logically, but it feels like that’s the correct answer.