Chapter 2 - The Deal at the Kitchen Table
Eight months ago, after Theo was down for the night, Nora sat across from me at the table with both hands wrapped around a mug of tea she never drank.
"I signed up to be a surrogate," she said.
For a second the kitchen went completely silent.
"The agency pays close to seventy thousand dollars," she went on, steady, like she'd rehearsed it. "That's a down payment, Grant. That's a house."
I pushed my chair back from the table. "No."
"Grant—"
"No. There's another way. There's always another way."
"I've been looking for months. There isn't one."
"Then I'll pick up more work."
"You already leave before the sun's up," she said quietly.
"I'll take Saturdays. Sundays."
"You already miss too many of those."
I came around the table and knelt down next to her chair. "Nora. You are not doing this because I can't bring home enough. I won't let that be the reason."
She put her hand against my cheek. "We're married. Let me carry part of this too. Just once."
Then she told me the embryo transfer was already on the calendar.
May you like
We fought about it for the better part of three hours. I offered loans, doubles, moving two counties out where rent was cheaper, selling the van, waiting another five years. She heard me out every single time and then, gently, shook her head.
By the time the sky started going gray, I knew I wasn't going to change her mind.
