Chapter 4 – The Baby Plan
Monday night came, and Dana ordered pasta and chicken for us both. At the same time, we lounged on her colossal couch and my temporary bed, watching a rerun of Friends. We watched this episode where Rachel revealed she was pregnant with Ross's baby after Phoebe initially took the fall at the time of Monica and Chandler's wedding.
An idea I have had for a while now popped into my head.
"I want a baby," I said out loud.
Dana didn't even look at me, and she snorted while we continued watching the series.
"I'm serious," I said again. "I want to get pregnant with no man physically involved."
This time, Dana sat up straight and placed the TV on mute. "Are you being serious right now, Clara Beaufort?" she asked in a severe tone.
"I am," I replied. "You know I've been thinking about it."
"What do you mean you've been thinking about it?" she asked, her eyes wide. "You never told me this before!"
I laughed and said, "That's why I said I've been thinking about it."
"Why am I only hearing this now?" she asked.
"Well, that's because it's not something that I was ready to talk about before; that's why." I sighed, saying, "I'm ready now, though."
"Spill." That was all Dana said, and I got her full attention.
"After all this mess with Jake, I thought maybe I'm doing this all wrong." I sighed, looked at Dana, and continued, "Maybe I don't need a man after all. Maybe I don't need to be a wife. But I want to be a mom. That's something that I've been sure about for a long time now. I want to have a kid. And I know I'll be a great mom to my kid."
"You see, D…" I closed my eyes, willing my tears back inside where they came from. " I was ready to stay with Jake because I wanted to have kids. I wanted to become a mother so bad that I thought being married to Jake was the only way to do it and make it possible."
"Oh, C…" Dana instinctively reached out and surrounded me with a hug. "Why didn't you tell me sooner? Is this why you gave him more than five years of your life?" she asked incredulously.
I nodded. This is Dana. I'm talking to my best friend, after all. I didn't have to be ashamed to admit my greatest wish of all time. We both sighed and kept silent for a while. We continued to watch the show on mute.
"Are you serious about this?" She asked.
"This is the third time you're asking the same question, and to answer you the third time, yes, I am. Even more now." I replied without any hesitation.
"Being a single mom isn't easy, C. You know that." She continued, "Long and sleepless nights, milk puke and green shit on diapers, baby appointments, and all the crying and endless tantrums. Are you ready for that?"
"I bet it is going to be worth it." I smiled, beaming with the idea.
"I was hoping you wouldn't say that. Or at least sound like you have second thoughts." She sighed. "You always wanted to be a mom; even when we were growing up, you always liked playing mommy to our dolls, and you always had magic around kids. Children of all ages like to flock and be around you."
We were both silent for a little while to process our thoughts when I said, "I don't need a man to be a mother." I said it out loud. "We're living in the 21st century now, D. Women ought to have rights in their bodies just as equal as any other person, and that includes deciding for themselves when they want to be mothers and bear children, with or without a man's help. Physically, I mean to conceive. There's science and technology, and we're so advanced in reproductive health that I think it should be possible by now."
"Damnnnn." She chuckled. "You're right." She said and paused a little bit before adding, "And I guess you're in luck." She faced me, sitting Indian style, with a dangerous glint of excitement in her eyes.
"What?" I asked, taking the hint of excitement in her eyes as a positive sign.
"A week ago, just before you called at work, I got a call from one of my buddies from this fertility clinic uptown asking if I knew anyone interested in filling in a slot that just opened for artificial insemination evaluation. It looks like the woman who booked the session canceled because she's already pregnant or something like that." She said.
"Are you serious?" I asked in disbelief.
"Yeah, I'm serious." She laughed a little. "It looks like the Moon Goddess is in your favor." She added a wink. "I know this clinic has high-end clients; they offer services like egg freezing, oocyte cryopreservation, and IVF to New York's elite society, and so getting a slot means you'd have to wait months and even years for your turn, depending on which treatment or service you need. The clinic, I heard, also has high-profile clients, ranging from billionaires to royalty, so they are utterly discreet. They are not exclusive, but they also have tedious and extensive background checks, and most of their clients only get a slot through referrals and recommendations from their existing clients. They were one of the few clinics with a 100% success rate. I heard their sperm bank is an excellent gene pool too!"
"Oh wow," I said, amazed at how well this was going. I couldn't help but grin. "Talk about lucky, huh?"
"You must have done something good for the Moon Goddess to bless you with such luck." She replied, smiling. Ever since I can remember, Dana always uses this expression about her Moon Goddess. I once asked her if her belief and faith included praying to the moon, to which she just smiled and laughed and said, "Something like that."
"How'd you know this friend?" I asked, curiosity getting the better of me.
Dana was silent for a bit, maybe contemplating if she would tell me or not, her best friend, and deciding to tell me the truth, some form of it anyway. I can practically see the wheels running in her head.
"I've been working on this important project for some time now with a special team, and that's how we met," Dana said.
"Oh," I replied, knowing that Dana's job involves confidentiality in their research, and I respect that. "So when is this appointment exactly?"
"The appointment is supposed to be this Thursday, so you still have time to think this through. I can ask my buddy to hold the slot for me, and you can confirm that you'd like to go through this whole baby thing on Wednesday." She said this, talking with her hands, indicating the dates.
I felt so thrilled about the timing of the events that I didn't hesitate to answer her. "I don't need to think about it. Call your friend and tell him I'm in. I'll be there bright and early on Thursday."
Dana looked at me gravely, challenging me to change my decision. I won't. It is too good an opportunity to pass up. I looked at her with the same intensity until she gave up and took out her phone.
She looked up her contacts on her phone and dialed the number. It was getting late, and for a while, I was worried the person she was calling wouldn't pick up or that they had already given it to someone else. However, the person on the other line picked up just after a couple of rings. Dana told the guy what I had just told her. It was a quick conversation, and in just under two minutes, Dana ended the call.
She sent me a text message then; my phone dinged as usual when receiving one.
"Be at the clinic before 9 a.m. on Thursday. I texted you the address." She said.
I couldn't contain my delight, so I hugged Dana and squealed.
"I'm going to regret this, won't I?" she asked, laughing.
I laughed. I'm feeling giddy. My dream is unexpectedly about to come true.