15

"What?"

"Toast, pate, tea."

"What about Rene?"

"I think he's in his office."

"And you?"

"In the kitchen, with Dr. Ackerman."

"Better get Rene."

"He can talk to you from there."

He was about to come to Florida and I thought he probably wanted to organize a golf game with Rene or something like that. But he hesitated a few seconds and then he said: "I want to talk to both of you together. I want you to be in the same room."

I called Rene on the intercom. I had a really hard time trying not to sound nervous and excited. I had finally understood what was hap­pening. I knew that the doctor had really, really big news for us. And Dr. Ackerman could see that I knew. I could see him trying to avoid my eyes. It was obvious that he wanted to laugh.

When Rene arrived in the kitchen, I was also trying to look very calm. He did not have a clue either. He didn't even know who was on the phone.

Linda had set the phone so everybody could hear Dr. Rosenwaks saying: "Are you there, Rene?" "Yes!" "You there, Ronald?" "Okay, go."

And when we were all together, Zev and Ronald told us: "Con­gratulations, lovers!"

I immediately saw my love's eyes fill with tears. He came close to me and took me in his arms.

"You're pregnant, Celine," Zev and Ronald kept saying. "Congratulations to the both of you," added Rene.

Even this dream, which I'd practically forbidden myself from having because it seemed so fragile, was now going to be realized. I was going to have a baby with the man I love.

I was in Rene's arms, and he was laughing through his tears. For quite a while we stood holding each other in the middle of the kitchen.

Both of us knew that we couldn't hide our great joy for very long. The secret was too big and too beautiful to keep just to ourselves.

We spent the rest of the day on the telephone. We called my par­ents, all my brothers and sisters, Rene's children, and our friends in Montreal, New York, Paris, Los Angeles, to tell them the good news.

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