Ever since she got pregnant, Sarah's been obsessed with doing good deeds. She even put up a Virgin Mary statue at home, praying every single day, saying she wants to earn good karma for the baby. While volunteering at a nursing home, she suddenly wanted to adopt a kid the old lady there found. But this kid's got dark skin and curly hair, obviously a mixed-race kid. Seeing me hesitate, Sarah threatened me with divorce. After a little digging, no surprise, the kid's hers. What can I do? Of course, I'll take her and the kid to meet the dad. A family should be complete, right? ... After I refused Sarah's request to adopt "Little Blackie," she glared at me in front of everyone, like I'd committed some unspeakable sin. "If you don't agree to adopt him, we're getting divorced!" Divorce? Hearing that word, I frowned. But seeing her pregnant belly, I grabbed her hand and whispered, "Hold on, don't get upset and hurt the baby. This isn't something to joke about. We should talk about it." "What's there to talk about? You're just heartless!" Sarah yanked her hand away. "Old Mrs. Johnson is so old and lonely, living off scraps. What if she kicks the bucket one day? Little Blackie will be a complete orphan! Can't we just do a good deed?" I glanced around. Mrs. Johnson was hugging Little Blackie, sighing heavily but not saying a word. Little Blackie just stood there, his big, clear eyes staring at us. I had to keep trying to reason with her. "Adopting a kid isn't as easy as you think. We need to go through proper channels." "Don't make excuses, Tom! I don't care about channels, I just know we can make it happen if we want to. What's the point of just talking? You don't care about me or the baby! "You always say you'll do anything for me and the baby, and now there's a great opportunity to earn good karma for the baby, but you won't agree. "I see you now! It must be exhausting pretending to be so nice all the time, huh? I'm telling you right now, if you don't agree to adopt Little Blackie, we're through!" Sarah's words were like knives stabbing me. Thinking about everything lately, my heart sank. I said coldly, "If you come home with me today, we can talk about it. Otherwise, I'll do as you wish, even if people point fingers at me." Sitting in the car, I shakily pulled out a pack of cigarettes, but put it back. After a few deep breaths, the turmoil in my chest slowly calmed down. Sarah loves kids. Every time she saw a kid on the street, she'd slow down, her eyes full of envy. Later, she secretly went to the hospital for a checkup. The report said she had a thin uterine lining and it would be hard for her to conceive naturally. Even with IVF, the chances of miscarriage were high. I didn't want Sarah to suffer needlessly, so I told her to take it easy and we could adopt if we couldn't have our own. But I didn't mean adopting some mixed-race kid with a shady background. Besides, we have our own kid now, which is a blessing. And she's threatening me with divorce! Ten minutes later, the car door opened. Sarah seemed to have calmed down. She said softly, "I'm sorry, honey, I got too worked up just now." I just hummed, feeling a little warmer inside. On the way home, I saw Sarah looking conflicted in the rearview mirror, wanting to say something but hesitating. I used to ask her what was wrong, but this time I held back. Sure enough, as soon as we got home, she said, "Honey, you know I'm a softie. I can't help but tear up when I think about Mrs. Johnson and Little Blackie. Buddhists say saving a life is more rewarding than building a seven-story pagoda. What goes around comes around. Adopting Little Blackie can save a life and earn good karma for our baby." Karma, karma, all she talks about is karma. Ever since she got pregnant, Sarah's been saying that word all the time, it's driving me crazy. Looking at her red eyes, I sighed. "How about we send Little Blackie to an orphanage? We can visit him often." "No way!" Sarah refused sharply. "Look at those kids in orphanages, they don't have any spark. Sending Little Blackie there would ruin him." I had no response to Sarah's reasoning. When we volunteered at the orphanage, most of the kids were quiet and withdrawn. Compared to kids who grow up in normal families, they lack security and become very insecure. I looked at Sarah. "There are so many orphans in the world, why do you have to adopt Little Blackie?" "I just feel like this kid and I have a connection." Sarah countered, "Then why don't you want to adopt him?" 2 "Don't give me that money crap. The rich raise kids in one way, the poor in another. I don't have high expectations for the kids, I just want them to grow up safe and sound. Besides, you're a man, it's your job to make money. Complaining about it just makes you look bad!" "Pressure creates motivation. It's good for you. If you really think I don't make money at home, I can go out and get a job to support them!" I paused for a moment and decided to be honest. "But that kid is mixed-race!" Sarah folded her arms and stared at me, her voice scornful. "Wow, Tom, I didn't know you were a racist." "It's not about racism. Haven't you seen all the news reports?" "The media loves to take things out of context. How do you know they're not making things up? Even if some of it's true, are you going to condemn an entire group of people? "Besides, Little Blackie is just a kid. Children are born innocent. If we teach him well, he won't go down the wrong path!" Sarah rattled off a bunch of stuff like a machine gun, leaving me speechless. She wasn't completely wrong, but I couldn't gamble with my own child's future. I don't know if children are born innocent or not. I don't want to demonize any particular group. Everyone has flaws in their genes, but some people are more likely to expose them and do bad things. Thinking about the stories about black people in the news, I shuddered. I wouldn't put a ticking time bomb next to my family. Seeing me stay silent, Sarah thought I agreed, and a gleam of triumph flashed in her eyes. "Honey, I knew you were the best. Take a day off next week and let's get this done. The sooner we do it, the sooner we can earn good fortune for the baby." I shook my head. "No, I don't agree." Sarah flared up. "You said we'd talk about it when we got back, and now you say no? Are you messing with me? I see, you just don't want to earn good fortune for the baby. You don't want good things to happen to our child! If anything bad happens to the baby, it's your fault as a dad! "Since you're starting this, don't blame me for finishing it. I'm telling you again, if you don't agree, we're getting divorced!" Sarah slammed the bedroom door shut. "You're sick!" I slumped down, feeling lost. The old Sarah was gentle and considerate, able to handle any situation. But in the last three months of her pregnancy, she's completely changed. She throws a tantrum over the smallest things. If the food's too bland or too salty, she throws down her chopsticks. If she doesn't get the fruit she wants late at night, she can sit up all night. Even when I'm working overtime, she'll cry if I don't get home by the time she sets. She also wants to earn good karma and show love everywhere, even to an excessive degree. She used to feed stray cats and dogs in the neighborhood, which caused them to gather more and more, and people were often scared or scratched. Everyone complained. The property management company talked to her several times, but she ignored them and even argued in the homeowners' group. I had to secretly contact the city management to gradually calm things down. I used to understand her efforts to escape her family, knowing it wasn't easy for her to come out of a patriarchal family in a mountain village, so I felt sorry for her. Plus, pregnancy hormones are unstable, and emotions are easily affected. No matter what she did, I silently accepted it. But this time, it really made me feel cold. Feeling lost, I called my buddy, Kevin. "Let's grab a couple of beers." Sarah rarely lets me go out with friends. But today, I couldn't care less. The anger and gloom in my chest were about to drive me crazy. At the barbecue stand, two glasses clinked together. Kevin grinned. "How come your little wife let you out today? I heard she's been in a bad mood lately." I shook my head and smiled bitterly, then told him what happened today. Kevin's smile faded, and he pondered for a while before saying, "Dude, that's not right." That's why I called him. He's always been sharp, and now he's a therapist. He knows more about human nature than most people. "Not to be a downer, but if your wife's really like that, you should take her to see someone." "Seriously? But... she definitely won't go." My eyebrows twitched. If I say anything to Sarah now, she'll definitely make a scene. If it affects the baby, I'll regret it. Kevin clicked his tongue. "That's not serious? Who gets divorced over something like that?" "Maybe she's just trying to scare me." "Just spend some money to put your mind at ease. As a brother for over ten years, let me say something I shouldn't. Maybe you're too close to the situation, but is there something else going on between that kid and your wife?" Kevin's words were subtle, but I wasn't stupid. "No way!" Some bad thoughts flashed through my mind, and my face changed drastically. I stood up abruptly, almost knocking over the table. "I'm telling you again, spend some money to put your mind at ease."
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