Granny My Love

I waited two days after I returned to my apartment before calling her. Partly it was because the subtenant had stolen all my dishes and cookware and I had to find new ones, but mostly because I was afraid of what the answer would be when I called.

"Peter! It's so nice to hear your voice. Are you in New York?"

"Absolutely! The subtenant stole all my dishes, so I'm looking for replacements. By the time you get here I'll probably be back to normal."

"I'm stuck here right now. Can you come to Pittsburgh?"

"Only if Pittsburgh has good second-hand housewares stores," I said, hoping that it was true.

"Pittsburgh's a paradise. It has everything you could want."

"Including you?"

"Especially me," she laughed.

As I slammed the car door shut in the driveway of the Tudor-style house, I saw the curtains next to the front door part and then close. I started to knock but the door flew open, and there she was.

I'd never been face-to-face with a pregnant woman before, much less one I knew. But there she was, her belly large and her breasts gathered in a harness above.

"Hello, Peter."

"Hello, Francy."

"Come in, please."

She led me to the living room and motioned me to the sofa, while she sat in a chair on my left. I pressed my knees together. She took a deep breath and leaned toward me.

"When we made love that night, I wasn't thinking about pregnancy, it was all about you and what fate had provided me with. I told Kathy about us on the way out here and she pointed out that, since my period had just ended the Monday before, I might have gotten pregnant. I went to see the student health doctor but of course he couldn't tell for sure. He did say that my sleeping with you that next weekend wouldn't put me at any greater risk of getting pregnant since it was far enough past my fertile period, so I came to New York.

"My period never came. Kathy and I talked over and over about what I should do. It took me three weeks to work up the courage to tell my parents, and the gynecologist confirmed my pregnancy two weeks later.

"Mommy and daddy have been very supportive. I finished the semester in January but I'm not taking any classes now. The baby's due the end of May.

"I know this is a surprise to you. Since I've been less than honest with you twice, I want to be as forthcoming as I can be now.

"I am going to keep the baby, not put it up for adoption. I will finish my degree and I can live here indefinitely." She exhaled and laid back in the chair.

"You're sure I'm the father?" It came out harsher than I meant it, but she didn't blink.

"Yes. I never slept with anyone else."

Now it was my turn to inhale. "Francy, my time in Munich was pretty successful. The Yale professor said they gave me an excellent recommendation. He isn't sure he can swing the assistantship at Yale but will actively push me with several colleagues around the county, and I believe him. But right now I have no job and only enough savings to pay my rent and utilities for three months.

"I don't like making snap decisions about important things. I'm going to count to five. 1-2-3-4-5. Will you marry me?"

We timed the wedding for the week before the delivery. Kathy was the maid of honor while Steve stood up for me. The thirty guests filled the backyard of her parents' house.

Helen was born six days later. Francy's father turned out to be a banker and active in Republican politics in Pittsburgh. I was offered an adjunct appointment in the political science department at Pitt and a tenure-track position a year later. Our son Peter arrived in 1972 and we have been very happy.