Chez Louis

In the early months of 1977, John and Madge Thomas graciously took us out to a wonderful restaurant that became one of our favorites. Chez Louis had a head chef who was a pastry chef by specialty, and so after a delightful dinner of French onion soup dripping with melted cheese, a heart-of-palm and heart-of-artichoke salad with Roquefort dressing, and rack of lamb with Bearnaise, we could top off the meal with a selection from Louis's spectacular pastry tray. We almost always had the Napoleon, although there was a pistachio peaked mound that was delightfully tempting. And surely we were very young to have the metabolism to digest such a meal without gaining 10 lbs per visit.

But on this first occasion, I merely picked at my food, for I was deep in the throes of morning sickness, and too much food would make me violently ill. Since I hadn't announced this first pregnancy yet, I was anxious not to arouse comment, so I looked interested in the conversation, and pushed food around my plate, and nibbled minimally. Somehow, we made it through the evening without incident.

Time passed, and I announced my pregnancy--and Madge announced hers! Madge was due a few months before me, and so we were both trying to bluff our way through the groaning board, each so preoccupied with her own appetite that we each failed to notice the shortcomings of the other. Just as well.

And the two pregnancies? Linnea and Gordon. In that order.