Z

evi insisted on taking her out for a coffee even though the last thing in the world she wanted to do was eat. The ride from the doctor’s office had been completely silent with Aviva struggling the entire time not to cry. She’d done too much of that in the past few days.

Once she was ensconced in a cushioned bench in a corner table at Coffee ‘n Cream the new caf? that had opened downtown Aviva had to admit that Zevi had used smart strategy. Here in public there was no way she would dissolve into tears. They could have a calm logical conversation weighing their options discussing the what-ifs the repercussions all with cool controlled emotion.

She sucked in her breath as Zevi studied the menu. Her baby might have Down Syndrome! No she was going to cry burst into tears right here in the middle of everyone and one of her clients just sat down three tables away and she couldn’t do this could not needed to get out of here now—

Zevi looked up. “Split an appetizer?” he asked.

Her mouth dropped open. How could he be thinking about something so ridiculously inane when their world was about to fall apart? She quickly lifted a menu up to her face to hide the tears spilling out pretending to be intensely interested in which stupid appetizer her husband wanted to split — as if that was the biggest issue they had to think about right now.

Suddenly tears dissolved into fury. She slammed down the menu.

“How can you think about food at a time like this? Don’t you don’t you even care about what the doctor said? Doesn’t it mean anything to you that our baby might have — might be—” She bit her lip unable to continue.

Zevi sighed. “Of course I care. It’s… it’s…” he waved his hand around for once at a loss for words “well terrifying to think of what might be.” He paused for a moment. “But I don’t see what we can do about it right now other than daven that things should turn out all right.” He picked up his menu once again. “And I happen to be hungry. Is that allowed ma’am? Or do I have to go on a starvation diet until you give birth?”

Zevi’s smile was so disarming that despite herself Aviva found her lips twitching through her tears. How did he always manage to hit just the right spot?

“No you don’t have to starve” she murmured with a half-smile. “Go ahead and order something for me too and then you can eat both.”

“Oh I get it. Instead of you eating for two I’m eating for three.” He grinned. “I can get used to that.”