Ruby (Landry 1)

have Daphne. Besides being a beautiful woman, she's

a woman capable of great love. She loved my father

and I believe, she accepted all this because of her love

for him, as much as her love for me. In fact, she

accepted some responsibility."

His head bowed down into the cradle of his

hands.

"Because she was unable to get pregnant

herself?" I asked. He lifted his eyes quickly. "Yes," he said. "I see you know a lot more than

I thought. You seem like a very mature girl, perhaps a

lot more mature than Gisselle.

"Anyway," he continued, "throughout it all,

Daphne has maintained her dignity and poise. That's

why I think she can teach you a great deal and why, in

time, I hope you will accept her as your mother. "Of course," he added, smiling, "first, I have to

get you to accept me as your father. Any healthy man

can make a baby with a woman; but not every man

can be a father," he said.

I saw there were tears in his eyes when he

spoke. As he talked, I sensed every molecule of his

being was striving to reach out and force me to

understand even what he himself must have found

inexplicable.

I bit down on my tongue to keep from asking

any questions. It was difficult to breathe, not to be

drowned by everything that was happening so fast. "What's in your bag?" he inquired.

"Oh, just some of my things and some

pictures."

"Pictures?" His eyebrows rose with interest. "Yes." I opened the bag and took out one of the

pictures of my mother. He took it slowly and gazed at