Leaning his back against the doorway to the library, Fritz removed his glasses, revealing a red indentation on either side of his nose, and cleaned the lenses meticulously with the bottom of his undershirt. I gathered he and Amelia had not discussed the subject prior to Lucia’s arrival. I gathered he was angry.

I sensed Natalie feeling her importance in the family slipping out from underneath her. Amelia’s offer to Lucia would have a financial impact on their lives. I thought about that unpaid tuition bill.

Amelia moved to the opposite sofa, next to Lucia, and she took the girl’s hand in her own. “Thank you for coming to our house tonight. It means the world to me. And I know that Fritz and Natalie feel the same way.” Fritz checked his watch. Natalie glued her eyes to the floor and chewed her nails.

The meeting was coming to a close. I needed for Amelia and Fritz to view Lucia’s state of mind accurately, and I only had a few minutes left in which to shine a light on the cracks in their understanding of her.

“What is the baby’s name?” I asked.

“Nina,” Lucia said.

Perhaps my question was ill timed, but I knew I wouldn’t have another chance.

“Who gets to name the baby?” Natalie was suddenly reengaged.

“The baby’s parents name the baby.” Amelia spoke with an edge in her voice.

“Who counts as the baby’s parents?” Natalie asked.

A silence fell over the room. I could feel Amelia’s anger emanating like a hot stove.

“That’s an odd question, Natalie.” Amelia made an effort to sound lighthearted. “Because Lucia is the child’s birth mother. But someone will adopt the baby and that person or those people will be the baby’s adoptive parents.”

“So who names the baby?” Natalie asked again, her voice and face now animated.

There was a brief silence before Fritz interjected. “Honey, the adoptive parents usually name the baby. The baby takes their last name, and they choose a first name for the baby.”

Natalie had released her limbs from their constricted position and seemed to be regaining control of her voice and her body. She addressed Lucia directly. “So why did you choose a name already?”

Lucia paused. “The baby’s inside me.” She placed her hand on her middle. “Right now I’m the child’s mother. And I need to talk to my baby. So I call her Nina.”

“Well, won’t that be confusing for her?” Natalie asked everyone. “Now she hears Lucia calling her Nina, but then later she has a different name. I don’t think that’s fair to the baby. If her name is Nina now, it should stay Nina. It’s a nice name anyway.”

“Wow,” Amelia said. “I didn’t realize what time it was. It’s almost ten. Lucia, you need to get some rest.”

“Yeah.” Fritz checked his watch again.