aching eyes.
“A girl then,” he frowned.
“A beautiful, healthy girl.”
“One great lady has left this house.” José lowered his head. “Perhaps another destined for greatness has entered in her stead.” He forced a sad smile. “And Reyna, she doesn’t know about La Señora?”
“No, I didn’t mention it. It would have been too much for her to handle right now. Though, I think she may have suspected something.”
José nodded, then came to his feet. “Thank you, Doctor. Perhaps with the next birth, we will have our boy.”
“Don José,”
“Doctor?”
“There is something else you should know.”
“What is it?”
The doctor cleared his throat. “The labor was very hard on your wife.”
“Yes, you mentioned that. But she’ll recover, like you said, and you’ll be here to oversee her recovery?”
“Yes, of course. I’ll be here, and she will make a full recovery , it’s just that—”
“Come out with it already.”
“Don José, I’m afraid this will be her only child.”
José stood unmoved. “But we will have a boy one day.”
“That won’t be possible.”
“You said she will make a full recovery?”
“She will live a long and healthy life. She is a mother, you are a father. José, you have a child now.”
“But, are you sure? I want a second opinion.”
“Naturally, and you should seek one out. Though, I’m afraid it will only confirm what I’m telling you here today. I’m sorry.”
Don José was about to reply when the shrill cry of an infant suddenly sounded.
“Listen to that.” The young doctor smiled as the wailing echoed throughout the villa. “Hear how strong her lungs are.”
José stood there, mesmerized by the piercing cries of his infant daughter. Then, he looked over at the doctor. “I’d like to see my wife now.”
“She’s finally fallen asleep. Let her rest, José.”
Pushing past the doctor, José headed out from his study and made his way up the stairwell to the second story landing. He stood there, his infant daughter screaming in the room to the right of him, his dead aunt silent in the room to left. He walked straight ahead and entered his wife’s room. He could hear the doctor’s quiet footsteps as he trailed behind.
Reyna looked angelic—her long, dark hair framing her pale face as she rested peacefully. “How can she sleep through this?” José whispered.
“She’s heavily medicated,” the doctor explained. “She’ll be out for several hours.”
José eyed a basket filled with blood-soaked sheets.
“She really does need to rest now,” the doctor continued.
“And what of the baby?” José cut in. “Shouldn’t she be fed?”
“The wet nurse is in with your daughter now.”
José nodded, then lowered himself into a rocking chair by the bed.
“Don José, you should also rest. Why not go back to bed? I can call for you if anything comes up.”
“No. I want to be here when she wakes.” His eyes were on his wife as he rocked back and forth in the chair. “I don’t want yours to be the face she sees when she rises.”
“ Effendi ?”
“You can go now.”
“But Don José, don’t you want to meet your daughter?”
The baby’s cries continued to echo throughout the stone house. He closed his eyes and rested his head against the back of the chair. “That will be all for now, Doctor.”
7
“I thought I might find you here,” The elder Doctor Hamon said as he approached José in the smoke-filled coffee-shop.
“What made you so sure I’d be here?” José rolled a pair of dice onto the backgammon board then moved his pieces accordingly. “Your turn.” He nodded to the fat man sitting across the table.
“Well you haven’t been home in three days. I kept stopping by each day hoping to find you.”
José took a long drag on his nargileh pipe. “Sit down. Have a drink with us.”
“How is your wife?”
“She’s feeling a bit better.”
“And your daughter? Have you chosen a
“A girl then,” he frowned.
“A beautiful, healthy girl.”
“One great lady has left this house.” José lowered his head. “Perhaps another destined for greatness has entered in her stead.” He forced a sad smile. “And Reyna, she doesn’t know about La Señora?”
“No, I didn’t mention it. It would have been too much for her to handle right now. Though, I think she may have suspected something.”
José nodded, then came to his feet. “Thank you, Doctor. Perhaps with the next birth, we will have our boy.”
“Don José,”
“Doctor?”
“There is something else you should know.”
“What is it?”
The doctor cleared his throat. “The labor was very hard on your wife.”
“Yes, you mentioned that. But she’ll recover, like you said, and you’ll be here to oversee her recovery?”
“Yes, of course. I’ll be here, and she will make a full recovery , it’s just that—”
“Come out with it already.”
“Don José, I’m afraid this will be her only child.”
José stood unmoved. “But we will have a boy one day.”
“That won’t be possible.”
“You said she will make a full recovery?”
“She will live a long and healthy life. She is a mother, you are a father. José, you have a child now.”
“But, are you sure? I want a second opinion.”
“Naturally, and you should seek one out. Though, I’m afraid it will only confirm what I’m telling you here today. I’m sorry.”
Don José was about to reply when the shrill cry of an infant suddenly sounded.
“Listen to that.” The young doctor smiled as the wailing echoed throughout the villa. “Hear how strong her lungs are.”
José stood there, mesmerized by the piercing cries of his infant daughter. Then, he looked over at the doctor. “I’d like to see my wife now.”
“She’s finally fallen asleep. Let her rest, José.”
Pushing past the doctor, José headed out from his study and made his way up the stairwell to the second story landing. He stood there, his infant daughter screaming in the room to the right of him, his dead aunt silent in the room to left. He walked straight ahead and entered his wife’s room. He could hear the doctor’s quiet footsteps as he trailed behind.
Reyna looked angelic—her long, dark hair framing her pale face as she rested peacefully. “How can she sleep through this?” José whispered.
“She’s heavily medicated,” the doctor explained. “She’ll be out for several hours.”
José eyed a basket filled with blood-soaked sheets.
“She really does need to rest now,” the doctor continued.
“And what of the baby?” José cut in. “Shouldn’t she be fed?”
“The wet nurse is in with your daughter now.”
José nodded, then lowered himself into a rocking chair by the bed.
“Don José, you should also rest. Why not go back to bed? I can call for you if anything comes up.”
“No. I want to be here when she wakes.” His eyes were on his wife as he rocked back and forth in the chair. “I don’t want yours to be the face she sees when she rises.”
“ Effendi ?”
“You can go now.”
“But Don José, don’t you want to meet your daughter?”
The baby’s cries continued to echo throughout the stone house. He closed his eyes and rested his head against the back of the chair. “That will be all for now, Doctor.”
7
“I thought I might find you here,” The elder Doctor Hamon said as he approached José in the smoke-filled coffee-shop.
“What made you so sure I’d be here?” José rolled a pair of dice onto the backgammon board then moved his pieces accordingly. “Your turn.” He nodded to the fat man sitting across the table.
“Well you haven’t been home in three days. I kept stopping by each day hoping to find you.”
José took a long drag on his nargileh pipe. “Sit down. Have a drink with us.”
“How is your wife?”
“She’s feeling a bit better.”
“And your daughter? Have you chosen a
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