““After we'd walked in silence for a moment, I said to Mom, "It seems weird that the right thing for an expectant mother to say when she's asked if she wants a boy or a girl is 'as long as it's healthy'." I cringed at how ridiculous my words seems spoken aloud. But Mom nodded. She knew exactly what I meant. She had had two "unhealthy" babies; I had been the second of the two. For both of us, the conditional phrase "as long as" sounded like a threat.””
