Chapter 10
A Father's Sacrifice
Seeing Jonas's relentless effort and the farm's precarious state, Antanas makes a difficult confession about his past financial mistakes, offering Jonas his full, albeit hesitant, support.
The air hung thick and heavy, the kind of oppressive stillness that preceded a storm, or perhaps, Jonas thought with a pang of dread, a final, crushing defeat. The wheat, once a shimmering sea of potential, now sagged, brittle stalks whispering of thirst. Each wilting head was a testament to his father’s stubborn adherence to the old ways, and his own desperate, technology-fueled gamble that had, thus far, only amplified their shared vulnerability. He kicked at a clod of earth, dry and unyielding as his father’s gaze.
Antanas stood at the edge of the field, his silhouette etched against the bruised, cloudless sky. He’d been watching Jonas for an hour, his silence more unnerving than any shouted accusation. Jonas felt the familiar tightness in his chest, the knot of resentment and a desperate yearning for his father’s approval. He’d poured everything into this farm, his savings, his sleep, his very soul, and still, the land seemed to mock him, mirroring the barrenness in his father’s eyes.
“It’s no good,” Jonas finally said, his voice rough. He gestured vaguely at the parched expanse. “The forecast… it’s not changing. Not in time.”
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