After a midnight snack, my friends have cocooned in their bedroom and I'm lying awake on the sofa, wondering where I really am in the world. New Year's Day, 2002. I've wound down 2001 with a family visit, to be continued in New York City. I have a mission there before heading home to Paris, and I'm thinking of all the possibilities.

The lights stay on in the hallway. Sleep comes fitfully so the moaning reaches my ears with no interference. I suppose it's time but wait for the signal, not wanting to intrude more than I already have. More moaning. Conversation. Telephone calls. Moan.

It's still dark but I can see Natasha's face cringing from the wildfire in her belly. Sparks seem to fly through her arm and clutch my left hand, squeezing so hard I wonder if I'll soon lose all circulation. We pull up, Natasha lurches out of the back seat and sways into the hospital with what seems like remarkable grace, then is whisked off with help from the future father.

I'm left standing by the car, honored and flabbergasted that I've accompanied my friends on this momentous occasion. I've never driven their car and rarely driven in New York City. I don't know my way back to their apartment in Brooklyn. But I get in just the same, turn the key and set out just as dawn crops up. I seem to have triggered a curious autopilot mode and I'm making all the right turns. Little Bunny Follows His Nose.

As the sun rises, I find myself parking in front of the famed Junior's diner. My friend had pointed it out on the way over, a comment for the visitor's benefit though the ride had been anything but a guided tour.

Inside, the counter is a mix of early morning work crowd and folks who look like they've been up all night. I'm feeling incredibly satisfied, beaming with pride. A surge of excitement as I imagine Natasha giving birth to her first baby. Coffee and cornbread. The waiter's easy, practiced movements. I know where I am. And some hours later, when Anna Ginger is born, I wish her the same serenity I have at that very moment.

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