"Why you so down Lennie?" Reds Carpenter asked his partner, as the other man finished changing into his uniform.
"Remember that chick I've been dating from Riverdale?" Lennie answered.
"Gloria, the redheaded Jewish American princess with the nice shape and the legs that don't quit? Yeah I remember her, alright," Reds answered with a wolfish grin.
"She called today to say she's late and she's been puking up her breakfast every day for the last week," Lennie said as he slammed his locker shut.
"Oh boy, and she's saying you're the daddy huh?" Reds asked, as he put his nightstick in its proper place on his belt and checked his handcuffs.
"Yeah," Lennie answered as he slid his .38 into his holster.
"So Lennie, you need some help getting together enough money for an abortion?" Reds asked.
"No Reds! I couldn't do that," Lennie said with obvious distress.
"Why not?" Reds asked a bit confused.
"Reds, I'm Catholic," Lennie answered as the two men walked towards the room where the sergeant would hand out the day's assignments.
Reds looked at his partner skeptically. "Oh yeah, that's so obvious from your piousness that I'd almost forgotten," he remarked sarcastically.
"OK, OK, so I'm not the most devout Catholic in the city. That doesn't mean I'm gonna pay to have my unborn child aborted," as Lennie said the last sentence he realized the rest of his shift was listening to his discussion with his partner. Reds tried to help him pass it off as a theoretical debate on abortion.
As he and Reds headed out on their beat Lennie was initially quiet, finally he broke the silence.
"Thanks for what you tried to do back there. I doubt they bought it, but thanks just the same," he said.
"No problem partner. So what are going to do about your Jewish American princess? I mean, if you're not going to pay for an abortion, are you going to marry her?" Reds asked.
"Yeah, I guess so," Lennie answered dejectedly.
"Yeah well, with enthusiasm like that, it ought last about a year," Reds predicted.
"You don't understand Reds. I was really falling for her except – well, her folks hate me, and even her brother hates me. I mean usually a guy can count on a gal's brother giving him a break. And now she pulls this crap. I don't know what to think," Lennie admitted.
"Well Lennie, how'd you let this happen?" Reds asked his partner.
"Gloria told me she was on the pill, so I figured I didn't have to worry about things," he answered.
"Oh geesh Lennie, and here I thought you were a street smart kid. What's her excuse for getting pregnant on the pill?" Reds asked.
"She forgot to take them a couple of times when we were real active," Lennie answered in a voice that said he didn't buy her excuse.
"Yeah right, and if you buy that someone's bound to sell you the Brooklyn bridge too," Reds said.
Lennie nodded and smiled ruefully.
"You say her folks don't like you?" Reds asked.
"Yeah, to them I'm a nobody and they don't expect me to ever amount to anything. That's not what they want for their baby girl. Like you said she's a princess and I'm just a frog," Lennie added sullenly.
"You know, maybe she's not so much trying to trap you with this pregnancy, as she is trying to trap her parents," Reds said in a thinking out loud sort of way.
Suddenly Lennie had a look on his face like a light bulb had just gone on over his head.
"Of course, if she's pregnant with my kid, her parents can't object so much to our getting married, but why didn't she clue me in?" Lennie added the latter phrase with a befuddled expression.
"Maybe she wanted to be able to take all the blame when it comes time to face her folks, or maybe she was afraid you wouldn't go along with the idea. Lots of guys our age aren't too eager to try out fatherhood," Reds suggested.
"Yeah there's that for sure." Suddenly Lennie stopped walking, took off his hat and squatted down for a moment.
"You OK Lennie?" Reds asked his partner with concern.
"It just hit me. I'm going to be a father," he said in amused amazement.
"Oh man, one kid raising another!" Reds said as he clapped Lennie on the back.
"Come on Daddy, I'll buy you lunch."