”“Thanks.”I left her office and went to mine. I dropped my bag, greeted Penny, and then went to the small ‘Hull’ conference room to call Al ...arton. Victoria put me right through, which told me he was waiting for me.“You could have called my cell phone, Al,” I said.“I didn’t, because I didn’t know where you were or what you were doing. I figured calling the office was the best approach. What happened?”“Did Gina, I mean, Doctor Swanson, talk to you?”“She was concerned something bad had happened.. But as luck would have it, just before we got there someone called and canceled their reservation at the last minute. How lucky is that?’ Son of a bitch. ‘Wow,’ I said. ‘I know,’ she said with a smile. ‘Anyways, I’m pooped, so I’m gonna crash early and tomorrow you and I can talk about when we’ll celebrate my birthday.’ ‘Um, alright,’ I said as she got up and headed for the stairs. ‘Night.’ ‘Night,’ she said, leaving me by myself. I sat there on the couch for a few minutes before shutting the. When theywere lunching, they were frequently interrupted to take pictures withchildren and their parents. After lunch, they went to the car dealer toget their second car. As soon as they parked outside, Carlos went tomeet them.- Hello! Wow! You said that you were three snakes, but I never thoughtthat they were as beautiful as you were!- Thank you, Carlos. These are my wives, Sandra and Mandy.- It is nice to meet you, Carlos! - Mandy said.- It's nice to meet you too! - Sandra said.They waited. ’ Once outside, Benjamin realized he forgot something. He stuck his head make into Patrick’s home. ‘By the way, thanks for breakfast.’ Patrick was clearing the table when he heard Benjamin’s gratitude. ‘Don’t mention it. It’s on the house.’ ********** Benjamin drove pass the border into Canada late Thanksgiving morning. November in Montreal was much colder than in New York City. There was a dusting of snow on the grown. He hoped his future kid would be up to the cold weather. He knew that.