Manhattan Transfer

"So, what do you think?"

Martin Bowman was stunned silent. He had no idea how to respond. His eyes darted all over the room. Finally, he sighed.

"Uh...wow."

Juliet McIntosh rubbed Martin's shoulder and smiled.

"Don't tell me you think it's a bad idea."

"Uh...it's certainly an unusual one."

"Well, it happens more often than you might think."

"If you say so."

Juliet tied back her long light-brown hair and stood up. "Just promise me you'll think about it, OK? You don't have to give me an answer right now."

"That's a relief."

"Oh, will you stop?" Juliet laughed as she walked towards the kitchen. "I know you'll make the right decision."

"Define 'right.'"

"Oh, you'll know!" she called back.

Martin stood up to leave. He didn't know, right then and there, if he'd ever come back.

--

As he walked down Wythe Avenue, Martin thought long and hard about the conversation. He was flattered and scared to death at the same time.

He had started working with Juliet two years ago, when Kennedy Dacley purchased Dunne McKellar as part of its expansion into the Asia-Pacific region. A handful of employees at Dunne McKellar's Sydney headquarters were relocated to Manhattan, and as a result, Martin and Juliet found themselves seated next to each other in the same office.

Kennedy Dacley only required their employees to be in the office twice a week, but Martin still maintained a pre-pandemic five-days-in schedule, and he was pleased to find that Juliet did the same. There was something about her that made the long hours shorter and the work day happier; she never seemed to get stessed out, was a constant source of witty remarks, and had the best fashion sense he had ever seen.

It wasn't long before they were spending nights together having dinners at Wolfgang's Steakhouse, watching the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, or just talking on each other's couches. She was as curious about his younger years in Brooklyn as he was about her childhood in Maitland; he was surprised by how much she shared his taste in music, films, books, art.

She rarely talked about her personal life; every now and then she mentioned a guy or two who had broken her heart back home, but she never elaborated. He had no personal life to hide; his personal life was work, with very little room or time for any kind of relationship.

He regarded her as a work wife, a friend, someone who brought light and life to everyone with whom she came in contact. It's why her request shocked him.

--

"Look..."

He had rehearsed what he was going to say, but for a brief moment, he completely forgot. Then, it came to him again.

"First, I have to ask: have you really thought about this? I mean, there are, you know, implications. I mean--"

"I've thought about this my entire life, Marty," Juliet smiled. "I've known since I was fifteen what I really like."

"Seriously?"

"Yes. Yes. Seriously. I always knew it would be someone...well, someone like you. Someone as kind, as funny, as smart as you."

"Wow," Martin whispered.

"Trust me, no one in my family is going to be surprised. They might not all be cool with it, but none of them will be surprised. It's kind of an open secret, you know?"

"I see."

"So, are you on board?"

"Look...I'm not against helping you out, but...I don't know. I don't know about...uh..."

"About what?"

"Well...would you feel comfortable going back home to...you know..."

"You mean to have it?"

"Not just have it, but raise it. I mean...if you can get into a better school there...and, you know, you guys have a lot less violence than around here..."

"You do have a good point...I never even thought of that, to be honest...I mean, all my family is still there, even if they may not all be, well, you know..."

"Yeah."

Juliet smlled. "I'm sure it will all work itself out."

"I certainly hope so. So, if you agree that you'll go back home, well...I'm more than happy to help you out."

Juliet ran over and embraced him. "Thank you so much, Marty. You have no idea how much I appreciate it. You're making my dream come true."

"I know, I know. So, do you have a clinic in mind?"

She was puzzled. "Clinic?"

"Yeah. I mean, I'll just donate, and--"

"Marty, don't be silly."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Suddenly, Juliet kissed him full on the lips. The softness of her lips stunned and excited him.

"We don't need to go to a clinic," she winked, gesturing to her bedroom. "We've got one right here."

--

Martin was extremely nervous. A part of him would have preferred the clinic. But it was too late to back out now.

Juliet turned her radio to smooth jazz and gave Martin a sexy smile. Her entire bedroom was lit by scented candles. The aroma stimulated Martin, and as Juliet removed her clothes, exposing her smooth, pale, lightly freckled skin, his arousal went into overdrive.

As a nude Juliet now walked towards him, he instinctively embraced her and kissed her passionately. He quickly removed his own clothes, and in a matter of moments, his muscular, tall, beautiful brown body stood nude in front of her, his penis quivering with desire, his mind filled with raw lust.

They were standing in front of a mirror, and Juliet swooned at the contrast of Martin's hands on her breasts as he kissed her. Soon, they made their way towards the bed, and for the next two hours, they copulated in every position they could think of, lips and tongues and fingers frantically moving about each other's bodies. Before he came inside her for the final time, they looked directly into each other's eyes, his brown connected to her blue, as though they both wanted to bear witness to the very moment.

After the last of his seed penetrated her, they were so emotionally overwhelmed that they both began to cry. She whispered thanks before they fell asleep.

--

Martin stayed awake for the entirety of his flights from New York to Los Angeles and from Los Angeles to Sydney. He was not a religious man, but he found himself praying he'd make it to Mater Hospital in time.

It had been a tumultuous nine months since that night in Juliet's candle-lit bedroom. Nine months of helping her arrange her return to Dunne McKellar's Sydney headquarters...nine months of getting to know Juliet's family, some of whom, as she predicted, found the whole thing a little weird...nine months of anxiety over whether everything would be OK.

Juliet assured him that she could make it work, that whatever help he could provide was appreciated but not necessary, that she came from a long line of independent women who, by choice or chance, always figured out a way to raise little ones on their own. Yet the nervousness would not go away.

He didn't make it to Mater Hospital in time to see Juliet give birth, but as he walked into her room and saw her cradling their child in her arms, he found himself becoming a bit more at ease. After all, he thought, our child will have the greatest mother in the world.

"Look," Juliet cooed. "There's Daddy!"

The baby looked at Martin, who almost fell over with love and shock. The baby had his eyes, his nose, his lips. Martin reached to touch the child, and found himself fighting back tears.

A blonde nurse about sixty years old suddenly walked into the room. She glanced at Martin, then at Juliet.

"He's the father, I presume?"

"Yes. I met him when I worked in New York City. He was kind enough to give me the greatest gift I've ever received."

"Well," said the nurse, winking at Martin, "I can certainly see why you chose him to give it to you. I'll leave you alone for a moment."

As the nurse walked away, Martin kissed Juliet and their child.

"So," he whispered, "have you thought of a name?"

"Yes," she replied. "Henry. That was my dad's name. He would have loved to meet you. Henry McIntosh-Bowman."

"Oh, wow. I didn't think you'd want to give him my last name."

"Well, why not? He could grow up to be Prime Minister, and make your last name famous."

"You mean, I could be a part of Australian history?"

Juliet gave him another kiss. "In some ways, sweetie, you already are."