Rahmia patted my arm. “Just that I am lucky. I have a husband who loves me, and our marriage is happy. Not everyone can say that. Some women, they come here and maybe their husband locks away their passport, keeps their money. Maybe he isn’t kind. But if they don’t already speak English well, or if they have no money of their own, or once they have kids, they have no way to get help if they need it. So that is what I was doing.”

“That’s great work. You should speak at a meeting, tell people about it!”

She shook her head. “I don’t want to cause trouble for Ali or to put our family at risk. Interfering in a marriage is dangerous, but I feel strongly these women need help and the law here does not protect them. When I need a legal question answered, Alondra helps me out. Unofficially. Because sometimes the only help we can provide is unofficial help.”

A shadow fell across us, and I looked up to see Lena, a wrapped gift in her hands.

Hastily, Rahmia rose to her feet. “But I have been talking too much. This is your party. Have fun.” With a wave, she headed across the room.

I started to stand, but Lena dropped into the empty chair. “Freaking Bluebonnet baby shower. I swear, if they’d let me throw this thing solo, we’d be having some real fun.” She passed me the box. “I didn’t want everyone gawking at this. Were you just about to die before it was all over?”

Laughing, I said, “Yeah, I hate being on display.” I loosened the tape and smoothed back the paper even as Lena started to twitch with impatience. Amused, I actually took a little longer than necessary to unwrap the package, a fancy video baby monitor.

She leaned close and pointed to the description on the box. “It’s got enough of a range that you can even hang out at the pool with me and still keep an eye on the nursery. You can make sure the baby is safe. And you can install an app on your phone so you won’t be tied down. No worries.”

“It’s great. I love it.”

Sitting back in her chair and stretching out her legs, she grinned. “Good. Because even a baby isn’t going to keep us from having fun.”

As the days passed, my body kept changing, and although I felt bigger and heavier, my confidence, the sense of being rooted in a community, stayed with me. And despite my larger size, Lena and I walked every day. She was still the friend who could make me laugh easily, who made me feel unselfconsciously free. Our walks past the mailbox and around the neighborhood were slower, but we spent just as much time together.