sent to a fertility doctor, and we could begin soon after arriving in Florida.
They reluctantly agreed while still worried I was rushing into things. I assured them I had thought on it long and hard. The idea had come to me when rumors had begun swirling at work of a layoff.
Once we’d exhausted that topic, we talked and laughed well into the night before they left for Cooper’s condo. Ricky had bought it for his birthday to be sure they had a place to stay whenever they came for a visit, which would be a short one this time around.
Cooper’s need to get back to the university meant they could stay only one day. But instead of relaxing on Sunday before their late flight, they were back that morning with bagels, coffee, and moving boxes, insisting on helping to pack, making it easier for me later. Stuff that I really didn’t need, including my books, knickknacks, and some of my summer clothes, were now neatly boxed and ready for the move.
Before leaving, they promised to contact their lawyer to begin drawing up the surrogacy papers for our agreement. Sure enough, I received said papers about a week after they returned to Florida. When I asked the Angels on Earth legal team for a recommendation, they referred me to Gloria, an assisted reproduction attorney.
She said that the contract was extremely detailed, favored all my best interests, and contained nothing needing to be amended or revised. She then made it a point to tell me that I was a special person to give Ricky and Cooper such an invaluable gift. But just as important, I was a lucky girl to have friends like them. I couldn’t agree more… which was a huge reason I wanted to supply their gateway to having a child.
As predicted, Janie freaked out once I shared my news. Funny enough, my decision of being a surrogate took a back seat to the fact that I was leaving her… yes, her. In typical Janie fashion, she made my situation about Janie. Not in a selfish way, but more in a how-can-I-leave-her kind of way.
My last two weeks at Angels on Earth were emotional. Besides missing some of my coworkers, and Janie, most of my emotions leaned more toward excitement than melancholy. Sure, I had a little thing like having a baby to take care of first, but once that was over, my future spread before me with so many possibilities.
I’d experienced such a level of uncertainty in my life only when my mother had died. Having no idea what would be had been terrifying, and it had been hard to imagine my future other than laced with sadness. But this time was different. I felt Mom was right there with me, a subliminal nudge in the direction that I’d decided to take. She would’ve been very proud of me, and knowing that created a calmness deep in my core.
In addition to all the emotions that came with moving, the physical had been just as consuming. Packing up my life had the rest of the month flying by. So much so I blinked and it was the middle of March. With nothing left to do, I used my final days in Jersey lying around and being lazy.
That was… until last night.
I’d been bullied into dressing up for a farewell party that Janie had organized. One hundred people, of which I knew maybe fifteen, partied on a swanky rooftop bar to see me off. If it wasn’t typical Janie, it would’ve been bizarre. She’d pulled out all the stops to ensure I was sent off properly. It was sweet, but truly not necessary. Of course, Jake was there. Sure, he was a nice guy, handsome, kind… but our lack of a spark was visible even to Janie, thus giving her closure that we weren’t a good match.
I would miss that wild friend of mine. Despite being hungover, she insisted on driving me to the airport the next day. Even without a ring on her finger, through sobs, she hugged me tightly while uttering pleas to be her maid of honor someday. Only after I promised I would, and with Janie’s blessing, I left my old life behind, ready to slide into a new one.
Thanks to Ricky and Cooper, that slide occurred right into a first-class seat. A girl could get used to that kind of treatment.
And just as Janie had insisted on seeing me off, Ricky and Cooper had insisted on