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  He led her up the grand marble staircase to the gallery set aside for the African exhibit. They followed the crowd into a well-lit room. There were colorful, exotic ceremonial masks on the walls, Ashanti stools from Ghana, Tanzanian drums, shields from Cameroon, strange-looking fertility dolls. But it was the magnificent gold and gemstone jewelry that caught Elyse’s eye. Displayed on black velvet, the pieces were breathtaking. A uniformed guard stood near the glass enclosed case. Elyse was sure there were several alarms hidden to protect such a valuable collection.

  Ace took her elbow and led her to a display of miniature carved heads from Nigeria. Some had gold threads around their elongated necks.

  “These pieces are fascinating, Ace.”

  “They are, no doubt about it. I think they sell very well because they are small but bring a bit of authentic Africa into anyone’s home.”

  “Part of our roots, eh?”

  “You could say that. Seems to me it’s becoming quite crowded. Have you seen enough? Want to leave now?”

  “I’m ready whenever you are, Ace.”

  “Okay, we’re out of here.”

  He took her elbow. A noisy crowd was moving up the staircase, so Ace suggested they take the elevator down to the lobby.

  He stopped in front of the entrance to suggest to Elyse that she wait for him there.

  “I’ll bring the car around.”

  “I don’t mind walking, not at all.”

  “No, it’s a bit away. Just wait here.”

  A few minutes later he drove up, hopped out of the car and helped her into the front seat.

  “That was really a very interesting exhibit, Ace. Thanks for taking me,” she said as she fastened her seatbelt.

  He buckled up, saying to her as he did so, “It was my pleasure, Elyse. So glad you enjoyed it.”

  He drove out of the parking lot onto Huntington Avenue on his way to Massachusetts Avenue. He was so pleased to have Elyse with him at last. He truly hoped this would turn out to be a momentous evening, and the first of many more to come.

  “There’s this new restaurant in the South End. I think you might enjoy it. Do you like Greek food?”

  “Yes, Ace, as a matter of fact I do. Used to go to one in Central Square in Cambridge.”

  “I know the one you mean, Tomaso’s, a dining-car type. Good food, cheap, for students.” He laughed.

  “That’s the one. Kept me from starving many a day.”

  “This one is fairly new, but already seems to have a busy clientele. People will go to a place that serves good food. I did make a reservation because it’s Friday. Hope you’re hungry.”

  “As a matter of fact, I am.”

  “Good. You’ll be able to order anything from pizza to steak. I’m partial to the lamb, cooked Greek style.”

  “I love lamb, Ace. You couldn’t have chosen a better place.”

  “Great! I’m glad. Here we are.”

  Ten minutes later they were seated in the ornate Gold Room of the restaurant. Their waiter appeared as soon as they were seated. He took their orders.

  Ace asked for a light beer and Elyse ordered water with a slice of lemon. They each requested the lamb dinner, which included a Greek salad. Ace asked for extra feta cheese on the side.

  Ace smiled at Elyse. “I hope you enjoy your meal.”

  “This salad is delicious,” she said, thinking, When do I tell him I’m eating for two?

  She bent her head and decided for now to concentrate on her food. The lamb was succulent and savory with the meat falling away from the bone, tender and delicately seasoned.

  He looked across the table at her, pleased to have this lovely woman with him for the evening. “I’m glad you agreed to spend this evening with me,” he said to her as he watched her take a sip of water. “It was a pleasure to share the exhibit with you. Someday I’d like to show you the exciting Africa I learned to love.”

  He reached across the table to touch her hand. Quickly she pulled it away from him.

  He raised his eyebrows at the unexpected response. “I . . . I . . . I’m sorry, Ace, that would not be possible for me to do . . . go to Africa with you.”

  “Why not?”

  Tell him now, she thought.

  “I, well, I’m having a baby.”

  He fell back against his chair, his eyes widened in disbelief at what he’d just heard. His cheeks puffed as he exhaled. “But, but, I didn’t know you were seeing anyone.”

  “I’m not.”

  “But how . . .”

  She put down her fork and spoke slowly, as if forming her response so that this bewildered young man could understand.

  “I should have told you before,” she said as she wiped the frost from her glass of water, “but I couldn’t, not until I knew for sure. But a few months back I received a letter from my husband that he had written some time ago, before he went to Iraq. In the letter he said that he had left a sperm donation so that I could have our child.” Tears welled up in her eyes and she choked out the words, “In case he did not come back, as he promised to do.”

  Still confused, Ace asked, “But how . . .”

  “For the past three months I’ve been undergoing treatments by a fertility specialist. And now,” she hesitated, then spoke softly, “I expect to have our baby sometime in April.”

  Ace was quiet for a moment. This time when he reached for Elyse’s hand she let him hold it. He rubbed his thumb over her knuckles.

  “Elyse, I’m, I’m, well, I’m speechless. I know how much you loved your husband. And I know now that he must have been a very unusual, special guy, and very lucky to have a woman like you to love him.”

  “He was very special to me,” she said quietly.

  Then Ace asked, “Are you feeling all right? Anything you need? Anything I can do for you? Anything? You have only to ask, anytime. I really mean it, Elyse. Wow! A baby . . .”

  She could see the bewilderment on his face.

  “I appreciate your kindness, Ace. Really, I do. I need all the support I can get. Don’t know what I’ve got myself into, but I do want this baby, badly. It’s all I’ll ever have of Barry.”

  Elyse wanted to take a taxi home, but Ace would not hear of such a thing. He drove her to her condo. There was little conversation between them. It seemed to each that the bombshell news had knocked any conversation far away from ordinary thoughts.

  “Keep in touch, Elyse,” Ace said as he walked her to her front door. “Please let me know if there’s anything you need.”

  “I will, Ace, I will. Thanks for everything, and goodnight.”

  “Goodnight, Elyse. Take care.” He kissed her on the cheek and returned to his car, waiting until he saw her safely inside.

  Never in God’s green earth had he expected the evening to end this way.

  God, not only was he in love with a dead man’s wife, she was going to have her dead husband’s baby!

  Chapter 17

  “So you finally told Ace about the baby?”

  Elyse nodded, “Em, I had to.”

  “How come? What happened?”

  “He was so excited about the African exhibit, went on and on about it. It was nice, and then he said, out of the blue, that he’d like to take me to Africa, so that’s when I told him. I certainly didn’t want him to go ahead with plans for a trip like that . . . had to explain why I couldn’t.”

  “What did he say when you told him?”

  “At first he just stared at me, dumbfounded. Then he said that he didn’t know that I was seeing anyone.”

  “He was really shocked, wasn’t he?”

  “He was. I’ll never forget the look on his face, Em. I tried to explain about the in vitro fertilization process, but I don’t think he took in what I was saying. He just stared at me, open-mouthed. Then he sort of shook his head and said that he didn’t know what to say.”

  “I can believe that.”

  “Em, for a while he just stared at me. It was like he was so stunned he couldn’t speak.”


  “I can imagine. Then what?”

  “Then I began to tell him that I’d been undergoing treatments for the past few months and that I expected to have my baby, mine and Barry’s, next spring.”

  “And then?” Emerald prompted.

  “He said that he knew that Barry and I were a special couple with a very special strong bond of love, and he asked me if there was anything he could do to help me, in any way, he said. I had only to ask.”

  “And you said?”

  “Told him I would always need a friend, that this was an entirely new experience for me. We didn’t talk much after that. He drove me home, kissed my cheek, wished me well, and said if I needed him to give him a call.”

  * * *

  “Yes, Mother, I’m fine. How are you and Dad doing?”

  “We’re both fine, Elyse. How are you feeling, really?”

  “Good, Mother.”

  “No morning sickness?”

  “Not yet.”

  “If you don’t have it, you’re one of the lucky ones. I didn’t have it with you, but your brother, now that was a different story, let me tell you. Anyway,” her mother went on, “you’ve got a long road ahead of you. I know you think you know what you’re doing, but, my dear, you don’t know the half of it . . . of what’s ahead of you.”

  As she listened to her mother, Elyse wondered why her mother always disapproved of anything she tried to do.

  She stopped speaking abruptly before Elyse could even get a word of protest in. That didn’t surprise Elyse because her mother always seemed to be rushing about, pushing her own agenda, not caring if you kept pace with her or not.

  “Anyway,” her mother went on, “I’m glad you’re okay so far. I’m calling because your father’s birthday is coming Saturday. Your brother and Marcella are coming for the weekend, so I thought I’d have a few friends and family for dinner Saturday night. He’ll be seventy, you know. Can you make it?”

  “Of course. What time? Can I bring anything?”

  “Bring yourself, and come early so you can visit with the folks.”

  “Mother?”

  “What?”

  “Have you told anyone about . . . ?”

  “Only Jack and Marcella. It’s up to you when you want other people to know about . . . this crazy thing you’re doing.”

  When she hung up the phone, Elyse thought about the relatives she would see at her parents’ home in Milton, a Boston suburb.

  She would see her brother, Charles, and his wife, Carla. Because of the similarity of their first names, Aunt Carla was called Aunt Cecci. The other family relative that she expected to see was her mother’s older sister, Virginia. Aunt Ginny was a vibrant seventy-two-year-old widow who had always encouraged her niece to be strong, to follow her own mind. It was with her encouragement that Elyse had been able to fulfill her dream of owning her own book and gift shop.

  * * *

  She wanted to look nice for her father’s birthday. Because she was not ‘showing’ yet, she decided to wear a pair of black silk slacks and pink cotton sweater set. If she became uncomfortably warm, she could remove the cardigan. She set out for Milton in Barry’s Volvo.

  “Daddy!” She hugged her father when he greeted her at the front door.

  “How’s my girl doin’?” he asked as he twirled her around so that he could look her over.

  “Daddy, I’m fine, and happy birthday to you!” She handed him a bottle of wine.

  “Thank, hon. You didn’t have to bring me anything. Just having my baby girl here is good enough. Come on in, the folks are out on the back patio. Everybody’s here,” he went on as they passed through the kitchen and he put the wine in the refrigerator. “Your aunts and uncle, the Jennings, Dr. Litchfield and his wife, Muriel.”

  He kept his arm around her shoulders. “You look good, hon. Feel all right?”

  Impulsively, she squeezed his right hand draped over her shoulder. “Dad, I’ve never felt better. I’m so excited about . . .”

  “You know something?” He winked at her. “Me, too. My first grandbaby. Here she is!” he announced as they moved out to the back patio.

  Her brother Jack and his wife Marcella were the first to reach her side as the assembled group all greeted her. “How are you, sis?” Jack kissed her cheek.

  “Hello, you guys,” she said as she included her sister-in-law in a group hug. “Good to see all of you,” she said, waving her hand to include all in the group.

  Her mother came up to greet Elyse, saying, “Everyone has been waiting for you to get here. I must say you do look pretty good.”

  Despite her mother’s lukewarm greeting, Elyse did feel the warmth and caring she was receiving from her relatives, as well as her parents’ close friends. She had always been close to her brother Jack, and now she continued to hold on to him fiercely as if she would stumble if she should let him go.

  To Marcella she said, “I’m feeling fine, just fine.” Her sister-in-law answered, “You do look good.”

  “Thanks, so do you.”

  She felt a pull at her elbow and turned to see her favorite aunt smiling broadly at her.

  “Aunt Ginny! Am I glad to see you!”

  “Well, child,” her aunt hugged her, “it’s good to see you, too. How are you?”

  She stepped back to give Elyse a good look, a once-over to be exact, Elyse thought. She wanted to give her aunt the news of her baby, but hesitated. It would cause the focus to be on her, all sorts of questions, and she did not want that to happen, not on her dad’s birthday.

  “I think,” her aunt said, looking her niece up and down, “that you’ve put on a little weight.”

  “Think so, Aunt Ginny?”

  “Yes, you’re looking a lot better for the first time since Barry’s death. I’m so sorry that you had to go through that,” her aunt said softly.

  “It, it was hard . . . still is.”

  “I’m sure, but I’m proud of you, Leese, working hard at your store. Doing well, I understand.”

  “It is.”

  Suddenly she made up her mind. She decided to share her news with her aunt.

  “Aunt Ginny, could you step into the house with me?”

  “Of course, honey.”

  They linked arms and moved back into the house. They went through the kitchen and dining room and past the living room into Elyse’s father’s den, where she knew they were not likely to be disturbed, especially if they closed the door.

  “I didn’t want to say anything outside,” she confided to her aunt, whose wide-open eyes attested to her excitement over what Elyse was about to tell her.

  Elyse watched her aunt’s face as she told her about the baby.

  “Oh my God, Elyse! That is wonderful! Just wonderful! I’m so happy for you!”

  “Really, Aunt Ginny?” she questioned.

  “Girl, it’s the best news I’ve ever heard. I’m proud of you, accepting a challenge like this!” She hugged Elyse, tears flooding her eyes. “It’s mind boggling, that’s what it is!”

  “Mom, Dad, Jack and Marcella are the only ones I’ve told. Can you keep mum a while longer, Auntie?”

  “I’m so pleased you told me. My lips are sealed. But let me know if you need me . . . for anything!”

  “Thanks, Aunt Ginny, I will.” She thought, Why couldn’t my mother show some enthusiasm about the impending birth of her first grandchild? She’d be more excited if it were my brother. She’s always favored him.

  Chapter 18

  Ace’s feeling of disappointment when he thought about Elyse and her baby had made him physically ill. His head throbbed, he could not concentrate on his work, and his stomach roiled with nerves.

  For the next two weeks he found it difficult to work. He had no desire to create any artwork. His kiln remained cold. He rarely went to the store. Stanley Benjamin, whom he had hired as a part-time helper, kept him aware of the business by phone.

  Finally, Ace decided he had to get away. He could not face the fact that
the woman he loved was unattainable. Not only was she still very much in love with her dead husband, she was going to have his child. Under those circumstances, there was no room for him in her life. He called Stanley.

  “Hi, Stan, Ace here. How are things going?”

  “No problem, sir. Everything’s shipshape.”

  “Good. Look, Stan, I’m going to be away for a while, actually, out of the country. Could you manage to take care of the store while I’m away?”

  “Of course. Will I be able to reach you by fax or email?”

  “Yes. Tell you what, I’ll stop by this afternoon and we’ll go over the particulars. I’ll leave some signed checks so you can keep up with my bills, etc. I have something that I have to take care of.” His sanity, he thought. “See you later this afternoon.”

  * * *

  At the airport, Omar Eugendidi spotted his friend. He was stunned at Ace’s appearance. He was much thinner than Omar remembered from four years ago when they were both teachers at the high school.

  Something has happened to Ace, he thought as he moved with outstretched arms to greet his friend.

  “Ace, my man! Good to see you!”

  The two men greeted each other with bear hugs and back slapping.

  “Omar! It’s great to see you, and thanks for picking me up.”

  “No problem, happy to do it.” He picked up a satchel that Ace had. “Follow me. You remember my old Citroen, my French car?”

  “Sure do. She’s still running?”

  “Like a bunny. I take good car of her.”

  “Expect you do, being someone who taught auto mechanics at the high school.”

  “Tell me, how are things in the good old USA? I was surprised when I got your e-mail that you were coming.”

  “I have my own art store in Boston, and I’m looking for new art pieces to sell. Interest in African art is high in America. And besides, I always said that I would come back, so here I am.”

  “For how long?” Omar wanted to know.

  “‘Bout two weeks. Want to see some of my old students, if possible.”

  They reached the car in the airport’s parking lot and Ace grinned when he saw the aged, faded yellow four-door sedan.

  “Hello, old friend,” he said as he got into the passenger seat. He tapped the cracked leather dashboard, telling Omar, “Good to see the old girl again.”