22
Sunday Lunch
Why is it that whenever you make an important phone call, the person you’re calling takes forever to pick up?
I sit staring at my phone, the dial tone ringing out of the speaker, loud and clear. Ray is sitting next to me, holding my hand, pretending not to notice how sweaty my palm is getting.
“Come on, Ollie! Pick up, pick up!” I mutter.
I’m hoping I can get my sister to back me up when I ask my dad if he’ll pay for a surrogate. This all feels very real now. Up until this point, everything has just been discussion and wild dream, but now we’re finally taking action. This is scary and exciting stuff. I might, one day, look back on this moment as the start of the rest of my life. The day I turned into a responsible adult, making plans to settle down and start a family. It still feels like a crazy fantasy, but I know with the support of my family and Ray by my side, we can make this happen.
“Hey there, sis!” I chirp into my phone at the sound of her voice.
“Blake? Is that you?”
I laugh nervously. “How many other brothers do you have?”
“You sound…different.”
“I’ve got you on speaker.”
“I mean different from the last couple of times I phoned you.”
“Oh? What did I sound like then?”
She huffs loudly. “How many adjectives am I allowed? Let’s see…spiky, snappy, depressed.”
I glance furtively at Ray, feeling colour rising in my cheeks. I’m sure he must know it was his departure that caused my mood to spiral to such depths.
“Yeah, well, I’m fine now,” I mumble.
“Dare I deduce from the dramatic improvement in your temperament that the cute boy is back on the scene?”
Ray snickers and I tug my hand free of his so I can wipe my sweaty palm on my jeans.
“The cute boy is listening in, actually,” I inform Ollie.
“Well hi there, sweetie! What’s your name? Can’t keep calling you ‘cute boy.’ At least not when you’re listening.”
“Hi, Ollie! It’s Ray. Sorry I had to duck out early at your party. I’m really looking forward to meeting you at last.”
“We’re going to meet? Oh, that’s wonderful!” Ollie enthuses. “When?”
“Are you free this Sunday?” I ask.
“I can be. Depends what time? Just me, or Patrick too?”
“Oh both of you, of course. And Aimee.”
“Aimee has a friend’s birthday party on Sunday. We drop her off at eleven and collect her at four, so Patrick and I can make lunch if that suits you?”
“That sounds perfect. Can you phone mum and arrange for the four of us to go down for Sunday lunch? There’s something I need to ask them and I’d like you to be there for moral support.”
“Sounds intriguing! Are you going to give me a clue what this is about?”
I glance at Ray, wondering if I should spill the beans now or wait until we get there. He gives me the nod. I don’t want to go into a long explanation over the phone, so I just get straight to the point.
“Ray and I want to have a baby.”
I bite my bottom lip as I wait for my sister’s response, but all I get is static.
“Sis, are you still there?”
I hear a fumbling noise and then the phone goes dead.
I gawk at the message on my screen. Call Ended.
Ray and I glance at each other.
I redial the number.
“A baby!” Ollie squawks as soon as she picks up the call.
“What happened? The phone went dead.”
“I dropped it. Lucky it fell on the rug and not the wooden floor!”
“So, what do you think?”
“It’s, er, a bit sudden, isn’t it? How long have you been back together?”
“Well, that’s the thing, sis. It was the whole baby issue that was keeping us apart. We had to find a solution to it and now we think we have.”
“Which is?”
“A surrogate.”
Ollie huffs. “Seriously? Do you have any idea how much that costs?”
“Yeah I do.”
“Oh!” she drawls. “Now I get it. That’s why we’re going to see mum and dad.”
“The way I figure it, they’ve got all their money just sitting in investments, not doing much, and I’m sure they’d much rather put it to good use. Surely another grandkid is a better investment for their future than a fixed rate bond?”
“You certainly have a way of putting things, I’ll give you that.”
“So, do you think they’ll go for it?”
“I’m sure mum and dad would love to see us all, regardless.”
“So you’ll arrange it?”
“I will, but…”
“But what?”
“Don’t you want to take some time to think about this? It’s a massive decision. Are you sure you’re ready to make that kind of a commitment? Babies aren’t just for Christmas, you know, they’re for life.”
“I promise you, it’s all we’ve talked about since the day we met. Ray is obsessed with becoming a dad, aren’t you, Ray?”
“Yes I am. It’s my mission in life.” He gives me a smirk and a wink. I give him a friendly punch in the ribs.
“And what about you?” Ollie asks.
“I’ve never wanted anything more,” I tell her sincerely.
She sighs. “Okay, but I want to discuss this with you in person before you bring it up with mum and dad. Let’s have a quiet chat after lunch and decide how we’re going to handle it, okay?”
“Sounds like a plan, sis.”
◆◆◆
Ray and my parents are getting on famously and I’m impressed that the many hours he’s invested in watching Bell End have improved his social skills no end from when I first met him. He engages with everyone, laughs at their jokes, and shows a keen interest in whatever topic they’re discussing. My mum gives Ray a quick tour of their rambling house and then disappears off to prepare lunch, leaving dad to entertain the guests. My dad is a big supporter of local artist Peter Bromley-Jones and has many examples of his work hanging on the walls. They’re either of local people or familiar seascapes. Of course, Ray soon turns the conversation to his own favourite artist and then there’s no stopping him.
I drop in to visit mum and Ollie in the kitchen, but it’s clear I’m only getting under their feet and when I offer to help, I’m chased away. I go and find Patrick instead. He’s in the den, his dark curly hair flopped over his furrowed brow as he stares at mum’s computer screen. She likes to keep in touch with friends and family on Facebook and she’s been lost since her Facebook icon apparently disappeared off her desktop, all on its own. He tosses me a quick glance, barely acknowledging my presence, as his hands dance over the keyboard, quickly re-installing the icon. I sit with him and watch as he goes through all the settings, so they’re the same as the last time he set it up for mum. Patrick is a man of few words, but I don’t mind that. I find him easy company. And it’s always useful to have a tech guy in the family.
I’ve missed my mum’s Sunday lunches and I end up stuffing myself so full of roast beef and Yorkshire pudding that I barely have room for dessert. I have to force myself, though, because it’s salted-caramel ice-cream. My favourite!
After lunch, I catch Ollie’s eye and nod towards the back door. I slink off into the garden and she quickly follows.
“That went well,” I say, as we stroll by the dahlia border. “They seem to like Ray. So, do you think now is a good time to ask?”
“Are you and Ray official?”
“What do you mean?”
“Are you engaged? Thinking about it?”
“Oh sure,” I say, thinking about the other day, when Ray and I danced around that topic. “We’ve definitely spoken about it.”
“So you do intend to get engaged, and possibly even married at some point in the future?”
“Ollie, don’t worry. We’re not going to split up again. This time it’s permanent. We wouldn’t bring a baby into it if we weren’t a hundred percent.”
She stops walking and grabs my arm, twisting me around to face her.
“I’ve been thinking about this for over a year now, so maybe we can help each other out.”
“Thinking about what?”
“As you know, I recently turned thirty, and Aimee is six now and I really wanted to have another baby while I’m still young.”
I shrug. “So what’s stopping you?”
She sighs. “Patrick wants to stick at one. He likes the fact that Aimee’s growing up and we’re just starting to get some of our freedom back. He’s adamant he doesn’t want any more children.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“I’ve been thinking about going down the surrogacy route too. Patrick and I talked about it as some length and he finally agreed, but I came across a stumbling block.”
“I don’t understand. Why do you need a surrogate?”
“No, I mean I wanted to be a surrogate. I thought that if I couldn’t have another of my own, I’d give a childless couple a chance to have a baby. I spent a lot of time looking into it but then I realised I couldn’t do it.”
“Why not?”
“I knew I wouldn’t be able to face handing the baby over, knowing I wouldn’t be involved in its life. But ever since I got your phone call, my brain has been working overtime, because doesn’t this sound like the perfect solution for everyone? Assuming, of course, you’re happy for it to be Ray’s baby.”
“What solution?”
“I’d like to offer myself as the surrogate, so you and Ray can have your baby.”
I stare at Ollie, totally lost for words.
“Of course,” she continues, “I’m also assuming that you’re not going to run off and live abroad or anything, because I would like to have regular contact. I wouldn’t interfere, I just want to watch the baby grow up.”
“Oh, of course, yes. I mean, no, we’re not going anywhere.”
“And don’t you see what this means?” she says. “Even though Ray will be the donor, the baby will also have your family’s DNA in the mix, so it truly will be yours and Ray’s baby.”
“Oh God! I hope it doesn’t inherit dad’s feet!” I joke.
I give my sister a big fat hug. “Thank you so much. I can’t wait to tell Ray. You can’t imagine how much this means, to both of us.”
She holds me at arm’s length and gazes into my eyes. “Remember when you came to my party and I said Ray was so cute I’d have your babies for you?”
I gasp. “Oh my God, yes! I remember.”
“Neither of us knew at the time that I wasn’t even joking.”
I grin at her. “Well, sis, I guess it must have been written in the stars.”