Completely out of breath, she began to speak before I could say hello. "Bill, Simon and I are working things out. Everything looks good. I am going to...be staying here a little while longer so there is no need for you to wait at the office for me. I will see you in the morning.” Then she hung up. I took that as my cue to leave. I fixed my pants and when the time was right, slipped out of my hiding spot and headed for the door. Simon’s assistant was already gone, so I let myself out. The guard. His regular hairdresser kept oninquiring about the baby and, when the baby started kicking and heallowed her to feel her growing tummy, she almost screamed withexcitement and then refused to charge him for that day's treatment. Inorder to look more feminine, he had tips added to his fingernails andenjoyed looking as his longer, thinner-looking hands with their brightred polish. His toes has the same color, even though it became harder andharder to see them, as his pregnancy became more. Achchha ye bata ye kya kaam aatein hein, jaldi bata meine kaha bachchon ko doodh pilane ke. Sala chootiya abe to kya doodh pita bachcha hei kya, abe ye aurat ko garam karne ke liye dabane ko hotein hein sala bachcha. Ab to mein tujhe apna doodh pila kar hi rahungi chal jaldi se paas aa aur pakad mere chooche.Meri to doston halat thoda kharab thi because aisi bindaas aurat meine nahi dekh thi, mein bahg bhi nahi sakta tha, mere der karne per vidhi bhabhi boli Raju Lala soch lo agar mera kehna. I held her and rocked her as she cried herself out."Do you mean that, Uncle Mike?" she asked between sniffles, the tears drying."Of course." I leaned down and kissed the top of her head. Anne grabbed me and held herself tight against me.That's how I became a daddy.Anne never did call me Daddy. It was Uncle Mike, gradually becoming just Mike, dropping the Uncle as a useless adjunct to my name. I couldn't argue. We settled into a domestic routine. She attended a girl's school and I went off to.