“I shouldn’t have cornered you like that at a dinner party. In the bathroom. With the snails as my witness.”
“It was certainly a unique setting for your proposal. The whole thing took me by surprise. I had no idea this was something you really wanted.”
“It’s been building for a while, since Cat had the twins. But I’ve only really applied myself to the problem this year. Another birthday passed and I started to wonder how I could make it happen. Then who might be a good candidate. You were at the top of my list.”
“That’s so flattering. I’m sorry I didn’t react the way you expected. Or wanted.”
“It’s okay, I have options. I liked the idea of a friend helping me out, though I’m starting to see that it’s a bigger ask than I originally assumed.”
He sighed. “It is … and it isn’t. I should tell you why I reacted that way.”
“You don’t have to explain. But I suppose it would help—as a data point—so I can recalibrate my approach.”
He chuckled. “Always with the method. So, yeah, I was shocked, but to be fair, when I thought about it, I realized it wasn’t such a terrible idea. Only I’ve met someone.”
“Ah, I see.” Sean didn’t really share much about his dating life, but I knew he’d seen a woman at his work for a while a couple of years ago and he was sad they hadn’t worked out. “Is it Melissa?”
“It is. We’ve reconnected and it’s really promising.”
I smiled. “I’m so happy for you. I hope she realizes what a catch she’s made.”
“Don’t know about that. But I do know that helping you out in this way would complicate things.”
I agreed. Of course, I didn’t expect any donor to never be in a relationship after providing his genetic material, but the timing was crucial. Giving me his sperm while dating someone was probably not going to further Sean’s ambitions with the woman of his dreams.
“Understood.”
“I would have said something when you asked, but to be honest, I was a bit shell-shocked. By the time I realized I should have explained, you were already gone.”
Fleeing the scene of the crime, except Jason Isner was there trying to make a citizen’s arrest. As if it was any of his business!
“All reasons for refusal are valid. But I think I understand this one more than any.”
“I’m sorry I hurt you. That was never my intention.”
“You didn’t. It was more a realization that I had handled it all wrong. And then Jason rubbed the salt in and made it clear how absurd he thinks it all is.”
“My brother said that?”
“Not in so many words. But I’m well aware of what he thinks of me.”
Sean laughed. “You know, you have it all wrong. Jason’s the nicest guy, but you tend to poke at him for reasons I can’t really fathom. I’m not sure why you’ve never gotten along.”
He once called me a cruel name, and weirdo that I am, I’ve never forgotten it.
“We’re just not on the same wavelength.”
“Ooh, jocks bad. Nerds good.” He sighed. “Not sure the science is there, Franky.”
Maybe not. I knew several smart jocks, but as a rule, I found most of them to be insufferable. Calling Jason an asshole the other night had been so satisfying in the moment. But now? I felt oddly regretful. I was a nice person—I thought—but this man brought out in me a nasty streak a mile wide.
“Well, I don’t want to waste a moment talking about your brother. Tell me more about Melissa.”
Ten minutes later, we ended the call with promises to check in later. I would be living in Boston for the Winter semester as a guest lecturer at Harvard, so I looked forward to getting to know Melissa better.
Would I be pregnant at that point? I hoped so. If I timed this right and conception occurred quickly, I would be finishing up the semester in Boston a few weeks before my child was born. Of course, I needed to find a donor first.
A text came in from my stepmom, Violet.
