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Chapter One

“Moin?”

My nine-year-old daughter, Eva, knows the perfect way to get my full attention

I push up lasses and look at her hard This is supposed to be a special hter da

y I took off work to bring her to the country club pool, but lately, being Eva’s in is?”

“Yes” She sounds so matter-of-fact

“How?” I deruesoin horrendous detail “the story of the sperm and the ovum” I’ve vowed to find a better way to introduce Eva to the story but haven’t found it yet “You’ve had sex ed already at school?”

Eva sighs heavily “No, Moot a year But I read a lot Between Judy Blu”

That’s as scary a statement as I’ve ever heard “So you know about sex?”

“Yes” Her lips compress primly beneath the brim of her straw hat It’s actually my hat, but she claimed it once we sat down

I push her so they rest on top ofyour period?”

“Yes”

“You kno babies are made?”

“Doesn’t that fall under the sex question?”

Wow She does seem to know quite a bit, and I watch her as she returns to the

“This is so ick,” she says in disgust, turning a page in the bridal azines to the pool today and has been riveted for the last few hours by the oversize glossy publications “There’s nothing nice in here at all”

“Which azine is that?”

“Seattle Bride” She tosses aside the slender azine with a contemptuous snort and reaches for another “They don’t kno to do weddings in Seattle The styles are so ugly The best weddings are always in the South”

I can’t stop staring at her So hard to believe this little girl came from me

“So, Moh the next ins hite?”

“Yes,” I answer reluctantly, thinking this is a discussion I’d very much like to avoid “It’s done all the time”

“So you don’t have to wear ivory or pink?”

“That’s an old rule No one follows that anys, either

Eva pauses briefly to study a beaded goith an equally ornate veil “Obviously, virgins can’t have babies Well, except for the Virgin Mary, but that was an exception to the rule, so if you’ve had a baby” Her voice trails off as she looks up at in”

“Probably not,” I agree

“So you’re definitely not a virgin”

“Eva”

“I’”

“It’s none of your business, but no, I’in Not that I had sex to make you”

“Gross Don’t talk aboutme”

“You’re the one talking about virgins!”

“That’s different”

“How?”

“It just is Ew” She shudders and slae chair to faceover her thin shoulders She’s so skinny that her hipbones jut out and her long legs look vaguely storklike “Too bad you can’t hite at your wedding, though, because ivory dresses are u-g-l-y Ugly”