Stuck.
For nearly an hour, they had pushed—Roger, Mang Tino, and two other men from the village. Their shoes sank deep into the mud, their clothes soaked, their hands slick with dirt.
But they laughed.
They joked.
They believed.
When the truck finally lurched forward and continued up the hill, Roger had stood there, breathing hard, his heart full in a way he had never felt before.
That moment had felt like proof.
Proof that this would work.
Proof that he was on the right path.
He had looked at the cages filled with squealing piglets and imagined them growing strong and healthy. He had pictured buyers coming from nearby towns, money flowing steadily, his life finally stabilizing.
He had believed that mountain would change everything.
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