Page 9 of The Virgin's Baby
Once I was far enough away from her, I slowed down to a walk. If she knew more, then she’d really give me hell. Not only had I never had sex, but I’d also never kissed a boy or even masturbated.
Not that I never had sexual thoughts about guys. I certainly did. Especially about hot ones. But I didn’t ever want to bring any guy home. Dad could be a real bear about me.
Of course, I’d had a couple of years without Dad around. It was getting kind of hard to keep using that as an excuse. But I’d been so busy with school and work that I never gave any guy who tried much of a chance. Or really, any chance at all.
Walking onto the campus, I saw a couple making out underneath a tree. Right there in front of God and everybody, they were going at it. The guy was even going so far as to dry hump her.
“Yuk,” I said out loud.
Not that they cared one bit. They didn’t even pause for even a second to look at me.
“Animals,” I mumbled. “Nothing but animals.”
I didn’t understand how some people could do things like that out in public. But then again, I didn’t know how they did things like that at all.
My father had never brought a woman home. And he’d never spent the night out either. I didn’t ask Dad about women, and he didn’t ask me about boys. He told me things about boys, but he never asked me if I had a boyfriend.
He didn’t have to. He made it clear that my head needed to be in school. Leave boys out of it. And any friends that didn’t have the same ideas I had, needed to be left out of it too.
So, I had one friend while I was growing up. The neighbor girl. Courtney. She was homeschooled though. Her parents were strict as ‘H’ ‘E’ double hockey sticks. She and I got along well. We mostly colored when we were together. There wasn’t a lot either of us had to say.
Maybe because I grew up with just Dad and me at home, I never was that great at communicating. So much so that when I was a freshman in college, one of my professors told me I needed to add on some communication classes. That was the only subject matter my education lacked.
At first, I was kind of mad that he would say such a thing. But after taking speech and even one drama class, I realized I needed to beef up those essential skills.
Growing up with only a father hadn’t been bad, but it had been different—judging from what I’d heard from others anyway. But not bad at all.
Dad and I had gotten along well. No real arguments to speak of. Nothing dramatic. Just life, day in and day out. Him working, me going to school. We had our jobs, and we did them. And no one needed to gripe or complain. It wasn’t necessary. It was just life.
At times, I envied my friends who had two parents. But at other times, I cherished the fact that I didn’t have to listen to my parents arguing. I didn’t have to witness any awkward displays of affection.
Then it hit me.Maybe that’s why I don’t feel comfortable with the opposite sex.
Maybe because I grew from babyhood never seeing a couple interact put something in my head. Like it wasn’t normal, at least for me, to be doing things like that? Like kissing, hugging, having sex.
I came up to the first cork board and found a spare thumbtack. But the poster just underneath it caught my eye.
Someone wanted a mother for his baby. Or rather, he wanted a woman to have his baby. And he would pay them to do it.
I pulled the pin out of the poster to hold the page closer as I’d forgotten my reading glasses. “Wanted: One woman in good health, physically attractive, mentally competent, intelligence is a plus. Needed as a surrogate mother to my child. Willing to pay top dollar to the right female. No strings attached. No sex attached.In vitrofertilization method.” I looked at the bottom, seeing a phone number there.
Looking around to see if anyone would spot me grabbing the paper, I began folding it into a smaller size so it would fit in my pocket.
What am I thinking?
I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t have some guy’s baby then have nothing more to do with the child.
Who knew if this guy was trustworthy enough to have a baby all on his own?
Shaking my head, I tried to bring myself back to reality.
You are not going to entertain this thought, Aspen Dell!
But then I thought about him paying me top dollar. Basically, I’d sell him an egg that would be fertilized and then implanted back in my womb. Technically, my womb would be rented out for nine months, then the baby would be born and would belong to him. I assumed that was the way he wanted it.
And I could go on my merry way, finishing my master’s degree and then onward to the career that I would flourish in. And what if he planned on raising the baby. Alone.
Dad did it. Why can’t this guy?
