The new agreement was honest.
It named Daniel.
It named me.
It named Penelope and Marcus.
It established that Penelope and Marcus would be the legal parents, as originally intended, with full parental rights.
It also established, with Daniel’s agreement, that he would be acknowledged as a known donor with the right to a relationship with the child as the child grew — the nature and frequency of that relationship to be worked out over time, in good faith, by everyone involved.
It also included one clause that I had asked for myself.
I signed the final page on a Thursday afternoon, four days before my due date.
Joel drove me home.
We didn’t talk much.
The radio was on low.
At a red light, he reached over and put his hand on mine, and I turned my palm up and held it.
“How do you feel?” he said.
“Tired,” I said.
