I giggled. He was such a Daddy, always worrying. “I won’t, I promise. Night-night, Collin.”
“Good night, Oliver.”
After the call ended, I immediately got a notification from Collin with Tad's information. I opened the text and saved his number so I didn't lose it.
Talking to new people always made me anxious, but he needed me, so I took a deep breath and typed out a text message. Hi Tad. This is Oliver. Would you like to get coffee with me so we can get to know each other? Things always seem less scary when coffee and sweets are involved.
I realized that might sound rude so I sent another message. Not that you’re scary, I'm just shy. Then I thought about it some more. Wait, are you scary?
Great, my nerves had taken over. He was gonna think I was crazy and never message me back.
When I felt my phone vibrating, I jumped, breaking through my mental spiral.
Tad had texted back. Hello, Oliver. Thank you for messaging me. I know this is a new situation for both of us. I have to admit I’m quite nervous too and think coffee sounds like a great idea.
I was about to respond when he sent another message. I don't think I'm scary. If we meet and I am, you can throw muffins at me. I'm free tomorrow if you are.
I kicked my feet, giggling. He was silly. Tomorrow’s great. I'll send you the address. Is ten o'clock okay?
He responded immediately, making me smile even bigger. 10 is perfect. I'll see you then, Oliver. Have a good evening.
Thanks, you too :) I sent him the address for my favorite coffee shop and headed to my room to get dressed in my jammies so I could have some Little time.
Tomorrow was going to be a big day.
5
TAD
As I poured another gallon of milk down the drain, I shook my head in annoyance. Okay, maybe it wasn’t a full gallon. It was probably closer to a pint, but it felt like a gallon. Actually, it felt like ten gallons the way it had been dripping from me all day.
Maybe I should cancel my appointment with Oliver? Or postpone it until I had a better handle on my situation. Then again, if Collin was to be trusted, Oliver was a great person to help me with this.
The information Collin shared about how he resells his milk was like discovering a new language. It totally blew my mind. I had no idea there was an entire industry built around chest milk and that it was so lucrative.
Reselling wasn’t something I was interested in because I hated the damn pump almost as much as it hated me. But it was nice to know that something good could come out of this shit show that had quickly become my life.
If I couldn’t leave the house for more than two hours at a time without becoming a sticky mess, at least I knew I’d always be able to make a few bucks if I ever needed to.
Collin gave me a link to a company that makes clothing to absorb leaks. But since their shipping time was two weeks out, I had to shove maxi pads inside my shirt and double-layer it just to get through the day.
How did people survive this?
I glanced at my watch and had to make a decision. It was just after nine. If I was going to flake on Oliver, I needed to do it now before he got ready or left his place.
After staring at the horrific pump for a solid minute, I grabbed it and strapped on the cups. It hurt and didn’t seem to fully empty me, but at least I’d be able to get through the day without pouring down my shirt.
Hopefully.
And I was going to meet with Oliver. I couldn’t bail on him after he was so sweet in his text, and I really needed a friend who understood what I was going through. Or, at least someone who understood my situation and I could speak freely with.
According to Collin, Oliver was a perfect customer who truly appreciated the milk he provided. I wasn’t entirely sure what that meant for me, but I needed to find out. If I had any hope of surviving this situation, I needed to know exactly what my options were.
All my options.
I walked into the coffee shop a few minutes before ten and ordered one of each muffin and two cups of coffee with room for milk. An errant thought of me squirting directly into the cup made me grin as I picked a table by the door.
Oliver would be arriving any?—