***
A month after arriving in California, the doctor had good news for Melpomeni.
"The baby appears to be coming along fine, my dear," he said, peering over his wirerimmed spectacles.
Melpomeni was not surprised. She stood up and pulled her dress tightly around her now chubby body to get a good look at herself. She happily threw her arms around the doctor's neck and placed an elated kiss on his cheek. Dr. Demas was happy too, and in his joy he had forgotten to turn away to blush. He was quite pleased to see the daughter of his childhood friend, Aristotle, so glad to be pregnant. And he considered it an honor to be the doctor delivering the baby.
"How time flies," he remarked to himself, remembering the little girl he had once known. Then he quickly shifted his train of thought toward the professional steps that would need to be taken.
***
Stavros and Melpomeni Bouras became the proud parents of a healthy four-kilo baby girl. Telegrams, expensive gifts, and best wishes came from around the world. After forty days, Melpomeni took her little girl to the Greek Orthodox Cathedral for her Presentation to God. The baby was raised up high by the priest as he walked around the holy altar. This was a tradition passed down from the Hebrews, and Melpomeni had no problem with that.
The couple chose another rich ship owner's son to be the godfather. Stavros had been a good friend to the boy's father, the highly connected Athanasios Lemos. The baby's birth was the event of the year in most Grecian-American circles.
After the baptism was an elegant reception, a strictly black-tie affair. The reception was held in the banquet room on the top floor of the Fairmont Hotel in downtown San Francisco.
Melpomeni's eyes were full of tears when the priest called out the name of her little girl: "Baptized is the servant of God, Anna, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost." Melpomeni had chosen the name Anna because it had been a favorite in her family for centuries. They traced their ancestry back to a noble Jewish family from Spain. Her greatgreat grandmother's cousin named Anna had married a Greek. Her cousin's sister was rumored to have fallen in love with Domenikos Theotokopoulos, whom the Spaniards called El. Another reason for the name was because the holy Anna, the Virgin Mary's mother, had successfully raised her Jewish daughter to be pure in spirit and virtue.
***
Traveling the distances between New York, the West, and Europe took a great deal of Stavros' time. Often away from home, his absence placed a strain on the marriage. In due time, Melpomeni grew more self-assured and independent. On March 8, 1925, Anna's cake had seven pink candles and "Happy Birthday" elegantly written in four different languages: English, Greek, French, and German. She was one of the best students at the preparatory school she attended, receiving honors in every field of study, including athletics.