Page 14 of Sassy Surrogate
“Well then – and please don’t say no out of principle. Just think about this, okay?” Rebecca pauses, and now I’m curious. “I have some money put aside. Not enough to cover the whole amount, but a decent chunk of it. Maybe we can use it as collateral to leverage a loan against it? You’d only need a small portion to make up the balance.”
There’s a long silence, and just when I think she’s not going to answer, I hear the tear-clogged whisper, “Thank you, my sweet friend. I have no idea what I ever did to deserve someone as wonderful as you, or what I would do without you. That is such a generous offer, and I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart. More than you will ever know.”
“Yeah, but you won’t be taking me up on it either.” I can hear the frustration, clear as a bell, in her voice.
“I can’t, babe. As much as I would love to say yes, there’s no way I’d be able to pay it back anytime soon.” A thump comes from behind me – I’m not sure if it’s a hand or a head. “I haven’t the first idea how the hell I’m going to get out of this predicament.”
Their conversation is interrupted by the server arriving at their table. Once they’ve thanked her, I hear Rebecca say, “We’ll get it figured out, sugar bear. Two heads are better than one.”
Silence falls at their table as I assume they turn their attention to eating lunch but, at my own, my mind is racing a mile a minute. I can’t help but mull over the conversation I’ve just been privy to in my head. I can’t even begin to imagine how trapped and panicked this poor woman must feel in her current situation.
Yes, I’ve built my own company from the ground up, but I come from a family with money, so it’s not like I’ve ever had to worry about where my next meal would come from or whether I’d lose the roof over my head.
Something about this woman makes me want to help her. I just have to figure out how I’m going to do it so that she’d be willing to accept help from a stranger, since she won’t even accept it from someone she’s as close to as she so clearly is to Rebecca.
At some point the conversation must have resumed without me being aware. I hear them chat about inconsequential things, the weighty subject of earlier cagily avoided at every opportunity, until eventually Rebecca says, “I can’t believe the hour is over already. I have to get back to the office. But, Nica, this conversation is far from over, babe.”
I shrink back in my seat to avoid being seen and watch as the two women leave the coffee shop together. Thankfully, neither one looks back.
I have no idea how long I must have sat there, lost in my thoughts, after they left.
“Sir?”
Clearly, the server standing at my table had been speaking to me. I was so caught up in my thoughts I never heard a word. “Sorry, I missed that?” She’s standing at my table with a coffee pot in her hand.
“Would you like a refill, sir?” She lifts the pot.
“No, thank you. I’m done. Could you please organise the bill for me?”
“Certainly, sir. I’ll be right back.”
True to her word, she’s back in no time at all, and as I head back to my office, the germ of an idea starts to form in my mind. Perhaps there is a way the delectable Ms Brand and I can help each other out.
* * *
I havea million things I should be doing – need to be doing. But all I’ve been able to think about is Danica Brand and the conversation I overheard at lunch today. I can’t shake this wild idea that popped into my mind. It’s taken hold, and it’s all I can think about.
She needs money. I want a child. Maybe we can help each other out. It’s a crazy thought. And it’s highly unlikely she’d be game, but I can’t stop thinking about it. What if she’s not averse to the idea? What if we could both get what we want out of it? Then again, what if she simply laughs in my face and sends me on my merry way?
I’ve been so wrapped up in my thoughts all afternoon I’m surprised when Rebecca comes to say goodbye. The entire afternoon is gone, and I’ve achieved nothing other than daydreams about babies. My male friends would laugh at my obsession, but I don’t care. I couldn’t say why it’s so important to me, but it is, and frankly, that’s all that matters.
“I’m about to leave. Is there anything you need before I do?”
“No, I’m good thanks.”
“All right, well then, I’ll be on my way. Have a good evening.”
“Yeah, you too. See you in the morning.”
She turns to leave, and suddenly I have a burning desire to ask her the question uppermost in my mind. “Rebecca, can I ask you something not work related – more, er, personal?”
Turning back to me, she tilts her head as she takes me in. “Sure. What’s up?” she asks, a quizzical look on her face.
“Do you think it’s weird for men to think about having children?”
I can see it’s not what she was expecting.
“Well, no. I don’t. I mean, at some point a man thinks about carrying on his legacy, I guess. Why do you ask?”
