Gerden Ibrahim

Life in the other sector is just as lovely, only more relaxing.

Resources from the young part are shared, and life is therefore made even easier for its residents.

It sounds like punishment, but it's a reward.

You work hard to deserve that peace, and even if you have to miss your kin for a while, they'll come and join you when their time has come.

Some decide to have many children with large age gaps to ensure that they will spend as much time with them as they can.

Others have one when they're very young and hope the time will come soon that they can enjoy an early retirement.

I come from a traditional family, or at least I always thought so.

Ever since I was a teenager, my parents preached to me how wonderful it is to have children of your own, to see a young soul look up to you and grow up to be its own person.

Don't get me wrong, it does sound nice in many ways, but I never saw myself having children.

I feel in many ways I can hardly take care of myself.

You should have seen the look on my parents' faces when they found out that I had a girlfriend.

A real, serious relationship.

I tried to hide it for as long as I could because I knew exactly how they'd react, and I was nowhere near ready for that kind of pressure.

Keeping secrets in a town this small, however, is close to impossible.

And when they finally heard the news about Fiona and me, they were thrilled.

Though possibly not entirely ecstatic, as her parents didn't have the best of reputations.

They had six children, and were planning to have more as long as they biologically could.

You're not marrying the family, only the girl after all.

It's fine, my mother said with a fake smile.

I rolled my eyes.