Ruth piled eggs on Molly's plate. "Not that we're forcing you to ours, but when you're thinking of starting a family you really should consider your faith community."

Molly blushed and dove into her eggs. "I think we started our family last night."

"Oh I am so glad."

Jake nodded, holding his coffee cup as to making a toast. "Here's to many good, strong sons."

"It's a girl. I can feel it. It's like I saw her face. She's beautiful. And I wanted to start her here. It was like everything was right, right now."

Ruth smiled. "That's the way it should be." She looked at Sean's plate. "You're hardly eating."

"My stomach feels kind of sick. I'm not real hungry."

"You need something to improve on or you'll feel worse."

"I'll get down some protein bars."

"Try some of the goat cheese. It's wonderful on toast."

Jake nodded. "Since you are in the family way you should start thinking where you are with the Lord."

Sean tried the cheese. It didn't go down any better. "We went together to a Methodist Church a few times but the pastor was kind of …"

"Dreamy?" Molly started eating the eggs off Sean's plate.

"Yeah, dreamy. Then the mess all hit."

"Ours is a Faith Evangelical Lutheran Church. But we have about every church here in Mercy. Methodists, Catholics, Baptists, Grace, Seventh Day Adventist, Christian Scientist, Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses."

"We even got a bunch of Towel Heads that moved into big houses."

Sean raised an eyebrow as he pushed his now mostly empty plate to Molly. "Towel Heads?"

Ruth jokingly swatted at Jake. "Muslims. About a dozen Arab professors from the University and their families. I talk to their wives at the market and when I do cheese and milk deliveries."

"Not terrorists?"

Jake shook his head. "We might not like everything but we know Threshold is the terrorist. All improved are brothers. We must work in peace together or we'll all die."

"They're very important people. They're agricultural experts who are helping us with improving crops and farm animals. They're different but they're trying to be part of the community. They bought the old motel and are making it into a mosque and a school for their children. They want smart teachers. You should apply."

"My degree is in special education of mentally handicapped children."

"Improvement has done miracles with the retarded children in town. I think you're going to be out of business in a few years."

"That would be wonderful."

Ruth looked up at the clock. "Oh how the time has flown. You two should get dressed."

Molly looked at Sean. "We'll take a quick shower."

Jake nodded. "You and I look about the same size. I took out an extra church shirt and tie in case you need it." He reached around and gave it to Sean on a hanger. It was a white shirt and the same ugly, old paisley tie."

In the shower together. Naked and not thinking of sex. It felt to Sean like they were married. Her bras were padded. She was a size smaller, but her breasts were so firm and perfect. Her skin was like velvet, soft with the finest blonde down. He didn't think she even shaved.

Maybe he was thinking of sex, just a little. But it still felt like they were married. He was happy, something he hadn't felt in many years. He put his hand on her stomach. "Mine."

She flushed the toilet and turned on his electric shaver. Then she climbed back in and cranked back up the shower water. "The tie Jake loaned you. It's the one I saw you dead in."

"You're sure."

She nodded. "There isn't another tie that hideous on Earth."