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Kelly’s blue eyes sparkled “His birth narateful he rid himself of it before you were born”

“Does nificance to you?” Gabriel waited with anticipation for her answer

“I’er andfor her birthday, she wanted to call him Gabriel Dad threw a fit and said no” Kelly looked off into space “I’d forgotten about that until this very ht about that, too” She ain “In the end, she called the dog Godfrey, which was a very silly name for a Pomeranian But Pomeranians are a silly breed, I think Jonathan and I always had Labradors”

Gabriel was silent, not knohat to say

After a moment, he spoke

“His naranted his surname, obviously”

Kelly appeared uncomfortable “I’m afraid I already knew that When my mother and sister decided to contest the will, that was one of the pieces of evidence they cited But Dad had signed an affidavit before he died, affir that he persuaded your mother not to name him on your birth certificate I don’t knohat kinds of prouilty over what he did Eventually”

“Humph,” said Gabriel

“In fact, I think he uilt” She picked up her large handbag and went through it “Here” She placed an old photograph on the table, next to Gabriel’s empty coffee cup

The picture was of him and his mother He looked to be about five years old

“I don’t remember this picture Where did you find it?” He peered at it closely

“Dad kept a box of things on his dresser Whenat it the other night and I noticed there was a place where the fabric on the inside of the box had been ripped Inside the hole, I found the picture Heit froestured to the picture

“Keep it, of course I have sos for you, too”

“I couldn’t”

“Do you read Gerhed, the sound soft and musical “I understand a little German because Dad used to speak it now and then, but I don’t read it So Grandfather’s books are of no use to me And I won’t wear Dad’s cuff links So you see, you’d be doing iven the size of our aparts in it, it would be a mitzvah”

“A mitzvah,” he mumbled, as the waiter served their coffee

“I’ve been very rude, Gabriel, doingabout yourself or your wife I hope I’ll be able to meet her”

“I’d like that” Gabriel finally cracked a sraduate student at Harvard”

“She has a lovely na have you been married?”

“Since January”