Words had been left unspoken, touches unexpressed. After Daniel left, Nola checked the pillows around Lulu, then curled up in the other cot under a cotton quilt that smelled a bit musty. She listened to her baby’s lip smackings and fell asleep with a new sense of peace.

Sometime during the night, heavy rain pelted the glass windows, clothesline wheels squeaked, and a shutter banged against the wall. The sounds became mixed in Nola's dream into an erotic scene in which Daniel's body pounded into hers. She climaxed, and then, still wrapped in sleep, puzzled at her crossing of this sexual Rubicon.

When Lulu woke before dawn, Nola changed her, gave her the last prepared bottle of milk, and then said, “Let’s get more sleep. Please?”

“Eezzz.” Lulu was fully awake, ready for play, and engaged Nola for an hour before laying her head on the pillow. For long minutes, the two of them looked into each other’s eyes. Then Lulu cuddled like a puppy, and Nola fell asleep again, enjoying the tender kick of the small feet. Was this what it felt like to be pregnant? Soon, Lulu wriggled out from under the quilt, climbed onto Nola's stomach, and brought herself up to a sitting position. Through cobwebs of sleep, Nola held the little waist before she became fully conscious of the new development.

She woke up. “You’re sitting all by yourself!”

“Ba-ba-uuu-efff.” Lulu began to whimper, and her cry turned into the inconsolable wail of the previous nights.

It was still dark outside. Nola paced the apartment with her. “You’ll wake up Mr. Wu,” she whispered and lifted the towel off the birdcage. “You see?” But neither the bird nor the baby seemed impressed. The bird slept on, its head buried in its chest, and Lulu went on screaming.

Nola sang one song after another, her heart breaking at Lulu's pain. “I know what you feel,” she whispered, “You’ve lost your first mommy. I’m your next mommy. We’ll stay in this place and no bad people will ever take you again. No one. Okay?”

A few hours later, Nola was awakened by the lovely melodious notes of a songbird. Her head swimming, it took her a few seconds to get her bearings. The strange room, the cot, Lulu sleeping at her side. Daniel's canary singing in the living room. What had happened to her life?

There was a tap on the open bedroom door. Daniel stood there, dressed in a dark suit and a striped red tie. “I’m sorry to wake you. You didn’t hear my knock. I let myself in before drawing the neighbors’ attention.”

“It’s okay. What time is it? Never mind. Give me a few minutes.” She passed her tongue over felted teeth, and her hand went to brush her hair into submission. She must look like hell.