"Don't tell me, Melpomeni," he said, gently touching her growing stomach.
"Stavros, watch out! A truck is coming!" shouted Melpomeni as she collapsed back into her seat. Stavros confidently took control of the wheel and with unbelievable swiftness steered the car away from a head-on collision. He veered off the road, driving straight into an embankment. The heavy car was partially buried in the soft soil as it ceased its forward momentum. Stavros' face turned white, resembling the mask of a tragic character in a Greek play.
"Melpo, are you all right?"
Melpomeni did not answer. Maria, her maid, was slung over the front seat. Stavros shook her. She responded by faintly opening her eyes.
"Is my lady all right?" she asked in a low voice, reaching over to touch Melpomeni.
"Melpo, Melpo. My God, what will happen to my child? Melpo, talk to me, tell me the baby will be all right," Stavros pleaded.
Melpomeni opened her eyes and gazed at Maria and Stavros. Her cheeks looked jagged and roughed up, as if she was in a lot of pain. She first raised her head and then her slight body.
"That's my girl," said Stavros, his voice full of relief. "Is the baby okay? Will my son … " He touched her body.
"He is okay, Stavros," she said automatically. "I am all right, too. Don't worry about me," Melpomeni added in a cracking voice, trying to push herself up.
The truck driver had stopped his truck further down the road and was running to assist them. Stavros helped Melpomeni out of the car and joyfully put his arms around her.
"I am going to be a father!" he cried. "Thank you for making it possible, Melpo." He tenderly kissed her forehead. "You don't realize how happy you make me, Melpo, you don't even realize. I will do whatever you ask of me."
"Whatever I want, Stavros?" asked Melpomeni, still shaken by the accident. With quick, tense movements, she tried to smooth out her dress and hat.
"Yes, Melpo, whatever you wish."
"Then take me to California. Yes, I want to go to San Francisco. I've heard it's almost like living in Greece. I want to ride the train west all the way to the coast."
Stavros enthusiastically agreed to share the Wild West adventure with her. "But are you okay to travel across this huge country in your condition?"
Melpomeni stood up straight. "I am well enough to go to California."
The car pulled away from the embankment and soon they were on their way. In the meantime, in a place far distant, the drums of war were getting louder and louder.