The Twins. Sheldon Cohen

about the girl? Does she know where her baby’s gone?” asked Brigid.

      “No. That’s part of the agreement they sign. They’ll never know. We believe it is best for everyone.”

      “Do the people who adopt know who the real mother is?”

      “They never know the real mother. We give some generalities about her, but that’s all.”

      “It’s hard for me to believe that anyone could just give up their own baby,” said Brigid.

      “I assure you they do, but there are a few who change their mind at the last minute. So we make it clear to the prospective parents that there’s no guarantee because, if the mother does change her mind, then it’s possible the future parents will be very disappointed.”

      “Does that happen a lot?” she asked with increasing interest.

      “No. It’s rare.”

      “How many people are trying to adopt?”

      “More than we have pregnant girls. We have a waiting list. That’s why we urge the parents to do their best to make a decision as fast as possible. But, they have to be sure about the decision they make.”

      “Thank you, Pastor,” said Brigid, glancing at Werner.

      “By the way, Werner, did you talk to your father about this?”

      “Yeah, I did.”

      “What did he say?”

      “He said it’s none of his business.”

      “I knew he would. He’s too intelligent to say anything else. I take it that your silence during my talk just now with your wife means that you’re considering adoption. Is that true, Werner?”

      “All I know is that the doctor told us that my wife can’t get pregnant. I got a lot to think about.”

      “God be with you as you wrestle with this decision.”

      Brigid and Werner, each with their own private thoughts, went home to ponder their dilemma. Werner’s silence left Brigid guessing. On the one hand, she thought, at least Werner wasn’t expressing opposition to what Pastor Braun was saying. She knew that Werner was never at a loss to express an opinion, and this was the most important matter in their marriage to this point. On the other hand, she wondered whether he was just being polite in front of the pastor. Either way she would soon find out his true feelings. She had decided on adoption. Would Werner come to the same decision?

      CHAPTER 8

      Werner did not make a move. His continued silence led Brigid to believe that he was not

      considering adoption. It took Ludwig to break the logjam. After almost two months had passed since the meeting with Pastor Braun, Ludwig came to dinner at Werner and Brigid’s house. He came right to the point. “What happened to the idea of adoption? How long does it take you two to make up your minds?”

      Brigid responded hoping that Ludwig’s initiative would resolve the issue. “My husband hasn’t said anything. I’m waiting to find out if he’s going to divorce me?”

      Ludwig turned to Werner and stared into his eyes. “Is that true?

      “No, that’s not true,” said Werner with great emphasis.

      “Well then, what the hell’s going on? What I see here is a lack of communication. You know I never interfere in your life. I haven’t told you what to do since you were eighteen. You know my philosophy. After that age, you’re on your own. But damn it, when it comes to important decisions you can never make up your mind. It’s enough to drive me crazy. Go see the pastor and get the job done. I want to put a grandchild on my knee some day.” He paused, looking directly at Werner. “Well?”

      “I been thinking about it.”

      “For how long, damn it? It’s decision time, tonight. What about you, Brigid? And look me in the eye when you say it. Don’t put your head down like a whipped dog and look away. Are you ready to adopt?”

      “Yes, I would. Yes.”

      “I take it that means you’re not interested in divorce.”

      Brigid shook her head, no.

      The imposing presence of his father silenced Werner.

      “Looks like a no to me. We’ve got one yes and one maybe on adoption, two no’s on divorce. Now you have to decide if you’re going to spend the rest of your married-life without kids. I wouldn’t recommend it. I had two boys and two girls. Granted you kids could be pains–in-the-ass sometimes, but you were worth it. I wouldn’t trade parenthood for anything. Werner, you need a kid to put some purpose in your life. Go back to the pastor and tell him to close the deal, instead of thinking about it for another month.”

      Werner looked at his wife and then at Ludwig. There was the usual firmness in his father’s words that he had learned to pay strict attention to. “I’ll go,” Werner said.

      Brigid nodded. “Yes,” she said.

      “Alright, let’s eat,” said Ludwig. “By the way, I’ll be talking to Mr. Weiss tomorrow. You know he’s been advising me about business matters for ten years, on and off. He’s never steered me wrong. Anything happens to me, he’s your man.”

      The next afternoon, Ludwig went to Weiss’s house, a small home on the edge of Augsberg, and told Weiss that he had told Werner to continue using Weiss as an advisor, should Werner take over the farm. “He knows nothing about finances. I’m trying to teach him, but it’s an uphill battle,” said Ludwig.

      Joshua Weiss laughed. He was five foot nine inches tall and weighed only 130 pounds. He stroked his salt and pepper beard. He had thick, black eyebrows, a prominent nose, and thinning black hair. With his thin spectacles perched on the center of his nose, he said, “First as far as anything happening to you, I don’t think that’ll be a problem because you’ll no doubt outlive us all. And number two, I wish I had your brain with figures. Werner didn’t inherit that, huh?”

      “Afraid not, he’s no Einstein.”

      “Who?”

      “Einstein. Albert Einstein. He’s one of your boys.”

      “Never heard of him. What did he do?”

      “I read about him in a physics journal. He published three papers in the Annalen der Physik last year. I’ve since read that these three papers are thought to be the most amazing intellectual output by one man in one single scientific journal in all of history.”

      “That’s impressive. Still into that stuff, Faraday?”

      “Always will be, Joshua”

      “Tell me about it, but let’s get some more coffee, so I can wake up my brain first.”

      Ludwig expounded with obvious glee, his arms never still, his face enraptured.

      “It all sounds pretty weird to me. Maybe this Einstein is nuts, huh? I don’t know why you didn’t become a scientist, Werner.”

      “Sometimes I wonder.”

      CHAPTER 9

      Once again, Werner and Brigid arrived at Pastor Braun’s residence. The pastor was smiling. “It’s good to see you both. You’ve made the right decision.”

      “We’ve got a lot of questions,” said Brigid.

      Nodding his head, the Pastor smiled and said,” I’m sure you do.”

      “We decided we’ll adopt a boy. You said that you would try to match us up with a pregnant girl, but what if she doesn’t have a boy,” said Werner.

      “Here’s how it works. The children are born first before we match people