Late afternoon.
Sitting on a hill with a clear view of the grandmother's house with my assistant, Lea, I looked down at her dangling her legs off the hill and said,
“It’s dangerous there, come inside. This isn’t a wall, it’s a hill. You could get hurt if you fall.”
Lea came into my arms as I clapped my hands and reached out to her.
I sat her on my lap and looked at the house.
“Did you have to brag to people? You know, because of you, I ended up volunteering for free, right?”
Lea looked up at me with a puzzled face, then burst into a smile.
It’s impossible to stay angry when a baby angel smiles like that. Not that I planned to be angry in the first place.
I smiled back at Lea, took a few photos, and then stood up.
“Let’s go to the lady’s house now. Let’s see how different it looks at the same time of day.”
On the way down the hill.
I saw Monica in the distance.
As usual, she was coming from the factory after finishing her work. We recognized each other from afar and waved. Well, I’ll see her at dinner at her restaurant after observing the lady’s house.
I held Lea in my arms and laughed.
“Let’s go, Lea. To the second house.”
**
Ten days later.
Monica, with dark circles under her eyes, emerges from the bedroom provided on the fourth floor of the factory. Her hair disheveled, as she had not yet washed it, she takes out a mirror to comb her hair, then goes to the bathroom to wash her face, looking at her dripping wet face in the mirror.
"Phew, this is hard."
It's tough even in moments like these, when she's fulfilling her true desires and dreams. How do people manage to live doing things they don't want to do?
After wiping the remaining water with her hands, Monica finishes with a towel, brushes her teeth, and begins to apply makeup. Ten days ago, the textile machines finally started arriving at the factory. It became incredibly busy, with hardly a moment to rest.
The artisans needed to pay attention to every detail, including lighting, for their work. Especially in areas requiring long hours of manual labor, the type of lighting could significantly affect work efficiency. Monica had spent the last ten days living and working in the factory.
Having finished her makeup and changed into new clothes, Monica, who had woken up a bit early, took a walk around the still empty factory. Although it was a daily sight, it always pleased her.
"With a facility of this size, we could employ at least a thousand people."
A minimum of a thousand employees.
That would be enough to sustain the entire village.
And with her plan to contribute a regular portion of the profits to the village development fund, the village would revive.
Even though the fatigue showed on her face, Monica, with a beaming smile, had just finished her round of the factory and was looking at the outskirts when she saw cars approaching the factory. It seemed the workers were starting to arrive.
Though technically her subordinates, the factory workers, who had grown up with her in the same village, felt like family to Monica as she went out to greet them.
Two SUVs arrive side by side.
Both are familiar; one belongs to Dylan, the other to Thomas.
Both were the same age, but six years older than Monica, who often played with her when she was young.
As Monica walks towards the cars to greet them with a "Good morning," she pauses, seeing a group of people getting out. They were different from the usual workers, unfamiliar yet somehow familiar faces.
Monica's eyes tremble as she watches them.
The people getting out of the cars are amazed at the sight of the huge factory, expressing their surprise with hugs and joy. Besides Dylan and Thomas, six others had gotten out of the cars.
Monica swallows hard.
"Alberto, Giuseppe, Mauro, Mita'i, Christian, Federico."
She whispers the names.
All of them had left the village years ago to find work in the city. Now, they were finally returning. Monica clenched her fist.
"This is just the beginning."
They were just the start. Although only six, it was still okay. This was the beginning. Soon, more people would return, and her beloved village would come back to life.
As Monica quickly approaches, the people who recognize her swarm around her.
"Monica! You really built a factory?"
"It's amazing, I had no idea it would be this big!"
"You've done something great."
The warm greetings of the people.
Tears seem to well up in her eyes.
Monica, her nose tingling, hugs each person, asking,
"Did you come from the village? When did you arrive?"
Federico speaks up.
"Thomas said you've been so busy that you couldn't even go home and have been living in the factory for ten days. So we came here first to help out. We're planning to visit the village in the evening. Ah, I miss it. My hometown!"
The people laugh heartily.
Seeing this, Monica bursts into tears, wiping them away as she smiles.
"Yes, let's all go back together. To our hometown."
Monica, smiling through her tears.
In the distance, several more cars approach.
And that day, thirty people who had left the village returned.
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