Chapter 23: Seven A.M.

I walked down the hall and knocked on the sewing room door.

Raymond opened it in an undershirt, with his reading glasses on and the bear book in his hand.

"The clinic called," I said. "They have a donor. Lily goes in at seven."

He took his glasses off.

"Seven," he said. "And the boy's hearing is at eight-thirty."

"I can't be in both."

"You're not going to be in both." He set the book down on the daybed. "You're going to be with her. I'll take the bridge."

"The assistant's never even met you."

"He's watched me through a diner window. That's a start."

"Raymond."

"I sat in a car for that young man. I can sit in a hallway." He folded his glasses. "And I won't go alone."

At five in the morning the young mechanic was on the sidewalk in a borrowed tie.

The old mechanic sat behind the wheel of the crew's van in his coveralls, engine running.

"Boss is gonna see us in there," the young one said. "He's gonna see somebody showed up."

"Sit in the front row," I said. "Where he can see you."

"I was gonna sit in the front row anyway."

Raymond came down the stairs in his best gray suit and the camel overcoat.

He climbed into the van's front seat.

He rolled the window down.

"Go get her eyes," he said.

The van pulled out onto San Pablo toward the bridge.

I carried Lily down in her whale pajamas, with the owl.

She woke up halfway to the car.

"Is it time?"

"It's time."

"Is Rafael coming?"

I'd thought about lying, all night.

"Rafael has to see a judge this morning. Grandpa went with him."

She thought about it.

"Tell him I'm going first," she said. "So he's not scared."

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