I playfully elbowed my way to the sink to wash my hands and brush my teeth while the ladies cleaned their faces. I returned to the bedroom to pull on a tee shirt and boxers then headed to the kitchen. When the ladies came down, both wore loosely tied robes. Mike’s hair was wrapped in a towel. Gwen’s hair was straight like always when wet. But I knew it would soon take on the loose ringlets that I still loved seeing. I also knew enough not to comment about good she looked when her hair was damp and straight. We ate the ham, cheese, tomato, and onion omelet I served with toast, coffee, and orange juice enthusiastically. Then while I went up to shower and dress, while the ladies cleared the table, piled the dishes in the sink, then dressed for a day at Jane’s beach house.
We left for Jane’s and spent a nice day. Gwen and I frolicked with the twins in the water while Mike hung with Jane in the kitchen. Paulette was invited to join our celebration but begged off and departed before the rest of the guests arrived. She had promised to spend the afternoon with another au pair she had met when she first came to the states.
I took a moment to talk to my father about my meeting with Dr. Tenney and General Mackle. I told him of the thinly veiled threat to my academic career, but my father dismissed it as bluster, no more than an attempt to pressure me into joining the project. But I wasn’t entirely convinced. My father was often hard to read so I might not have picked up on any concerns he might have. He left a few days later and I didn’t see him or hear from again for several months. I wondered what he was up to but knew better than to ask when I saw him next.
Later that evening, after we returned home, Gwen, Mike, and I relaxed in the back yard after putting the twins down for the night. I’d considered Mike’s request for several weeks, now. Without realizing it, I had come to a decision. I knew that Mike would be happy but wasn’t sure how she’d feel about two conditions I had already decided would be needed if I said yes to her request.
I approached the matter hesitantly. ‘Mike, I have an answer for you.’ I began. Mike tensed immediately. Gwen was surprised because we hadn’t discussed it since our talk in the car. I already knew what she thought. ‘I’m happy to help you have a child.’
Mike jumped on my lap and kissed me excitedly and hugged me tightly, tears of joy forming in her eyes. Gwen was smiling, her own eyes teary.
Once Mike settled down, I continued. ‘But Mike, I want to wait a bit for two reasons. I want to wait until Gwen is done with school. I know it’s your baby we’re talking about, but Gwen will love it like her own, just like you love Sara and Seth like they were your children. She has enough going on without another baby to shower with love and affection. Second, our baby should have its own bedroom. We need to move. I don’t think we can add on here again without major disruptions that will make the house unlivable for quite some time.’
Mike’s enthusiasm waned but didn’t dissipate entirely. ‘How long?’ was her only question, though she already knew Gwen would finish her doctorate in about a year. Finding a house with at least five bedrooms and living quarters for Paulette would be a challenge. Though Mike often spent nights with Gwen and I, she did sometimes sleep in her own bedroom. Building was also an option to consider. We talked for a while and agreed on Fall 1950 as a target birthdate. Now all we had to do was figure out how to deal with societal disapproval and where we would live.