The maternity ward at Georgetown smelled of antiseptic and cold tea bags.

The nurse was grey-headed and about sixty and her name was Perlita and I have never been able to find her since, which I have tried to do twice.

She put him in my arms and went to the window and snapped the blind shut.

“You’ve got about three hours before the discharge has to be filed,” she said.

Silas was thirty hours old.

Seven pounds even.