That done, I chanced to visit them once more. It was early evening, the sun barely down when I knocked at their door. I was admitted easily enough, for such a gift as I had given on the street that day is not difficult to remember. I spoke with them for quite some time, playing with Joy until she fell asleep at my breast.
“I cannot begin to make you understand what your daughter has done to me,” I said, the lilt of my accent adding a foreign touch to my words. “I will be leaving here soon, to birth my child in the lands of my birth. I wonder if I might occasionally write to you, and to Joy? I want to know how she fares, where her life takes her. Perhaps even one day she can meet my wee one.” Her tiny heart beat tangled around mine even in her sleep, so soft and gentle, hypnotic. They had
