“And I knew I didn’t want to do that.”
“I should hope not,” he said.
“But I was afraid you might want me to.”
“No.”
“It might be a girl,” she said. “Can girls collect stamps?”
“I don’t see why not,” he said. “They’ve probably got more time for it, because they spend so much less of it at Internet porn sites. You know, this is a lot to take in.”
“I know.”
“I’m going to be a father.”
“A daddy.”
“God. We’re going to be a family. I never thought, well, I had no idea it was an option. Even if it was, I never dreamed it was something I would want.”
“But it is?”
“Yes. We’ll have to get married. Sooner rather than later, don’t you think?”
“That’s not something we absolutely have to do, you know.”
“Yes it is. I was thinking we ought to do it anyway, I was thinking that during the drive back from Albany.”
“And bringing your stamps into the motel room each night.”
“It does sound silly, looking back on it, but I wasn’t taking any chances. Stand up, will you?”
She got to her feet and he took her in his arms and kissed her. “I never thought any of this would happen,” he said. “I thought my life was over. And it was, and I got a whole new one in its place.”
“And you have medium brown hair.”
“Mouse brown.”
“And you wear glasses.”
“Bifocals, and I have to tell you, I can see the improvement when I work on my stamps.”
“Well,” she said, “that’s important.”
Acknowledgments
The author is grateful to Rita Olmo and Beatriz Aprigliano-Ziegler of Fairchild House, whose gracious New Orleans hospitality aided and abetted the writing of this book.
About the Author
LAWRENCE BLOCK is one of the most widely recognized names in the mystery genre. He has been named a Grand Master of the Mystery Writers of America and is a four-time winner of the prestigious Edgar and Shamus awards, as well as a recipient of prizes in France, Germany, and Japan. He received the Diamond Dagger from the British Crime Writers’ Association, only the third American to be given this award. He is a prolific author, having written more than fifty books and numerous short stories, and is a devoted New Yorker and an enthusiastic global traveler.
www.lawrenceblock.com