The Surrogate Proposal

Chapter Two

Regina couldn't believe the words coming out of her mother's mouth.
She's a college graduate and living with her mum, while looking for job, has been hell. She's had enough of her nagging. It's either about marriage or other little stuff that doesn't deserve nagging. She's totally tired of her and she too is tired of her mom. She grew up with a drunk as a dad, always battering their mum, then things went rough, he died, leaving them with debts. When they almost recovered from it, their mother got herself another man, who turned out to be a fraudster, which left them in a very vulnerable position. Her mother thought having a man in the house means the family is now a family, but that was what messed up their family and she realized that when it was already too late.
Her elder sister, Stephanie, got married when she was still in college, to a rich family of lawyers. They thought they are done dealing with family issues, but she got herself in trouble and ended up with a messed-up marriage, probably because of her greediness, Gina guessed, because she knew Stephanie had always wanted to live the high life. She doesn't discuss her marriage with them, she barely come home, nor call or send money, she was just the married girl who left home.
Then Nora, the youngest, whatever she does in college, nobody knows, because she is the favorite and the best amongst them, according to their mother. When it comes to Regina, she can’t really tell what her mother thinks about her and she’s done thinking her opinion matters in her life. She’s been through a lot, she wasn’t there when they all needed her and she took most of the problems on her shoulders.
After college, she wished she had listend to her friend and sick to the parttime jobs she had, maybe she could’ve gottn a better opportunity by now. She thought she has never been lucky all her life, either in getting a job, family background, relationship, neither.
When Regina met Toby, her first and last relationship, truly he was real, but he was no different from other men, he took advantage of her and left her, that's what she thought. She was a fool to have allowed that at all, she always tell herself. She's not interested in marriage whatsoever. She won't take it if her husband cheats on her or becomes a drunkard and beats her or owe debts here and there. Just like her father and step father.
She still doesn’t get it when her mum who's been through the first misery, got married again. No matter what her mum says...no, she's not even going to allow herself to pay attention to her at all, shes never going to get married, atleast not until she can stand on her own without any influence or excuses. She can’t let herself turn into a mother like hers.
Though everything that happened to them, happened in different, separate years, they were enough to keep her mind straight and strong in what she wants and needs and her mom’s nagging won't change that.
She drank the remaining milk in her cup and walked up the stairs to her room and slammed the door to stop hearing her mom's voice.
She sat on her chair and rested her head on it, staring at the ceiling. She turned her head and it made a 'crack' sound. She ignored it and thought of how she could leave the house, to avoid her mom for good. She has nowhere to go, no money and that's the worst.
She's been looking for a job but they kept rejecting her, either she's not qualified or that they've found someone already, or nothing. She sighed and the thought of giving up flashed in her mind but looking for job is the only hope she has to leave the house.
Giving up means staying here with your mom forever! 
In this tiny community, doing groceries and crocheting, going to church every day and visiting church people. And on Christmas day, you're going to visit the whole community jubilating with them, yay?
She reminded herself and it gave her goosebumps as if that's the most horrible thing that could happen to her.
She brought out her job file and took out the paper where she wrote places to apply for job. She cancelled some and stared at the one at the bottom list.
A bar.
Her mom just won't allow any of her children to work in a bar, she said she's against it and that's all. Unless you want to leave the house, she would say. That's what you get when you have a black Christian mother. But that aside, she’s had experience working in a bar and it wasn’t great.
Her phone beeped and she lazily picked it up to read the message. Her friend Nicki texted to meet up with her. She thanked God and dressed up, finally she has somewhere to go.
She walked down the stairs, her mom was on her usual chair, crocheting. She watched her through her eye glass as she walked down the stairs. She's been wearing that eye glass ever since they were little, when things were a little better or rather, when they knew nothing.
"where are you going Regina Rachel?",
"to see a friend", she said reaching for the door,
"am talking to you young lady", Regina stopped and turned to face her,
"I told you that friend of yours is no good, what will people think of you when they see you two together, have you ever asked yourself that? Birds of the same feather? And I didn't raise you to flock with that kinda bird", she said with her glasses on her nose.
"Mom I’ll be back soon",
"since you don't listen to me anymore cause you're a grown lady and keep companies, at least do it for yourself, no man wants a lady who keep bad friends or works in a bar", she said and pushed up her eyeglass and went back to her crocheting.
Says someone who is perfect
Gina thought and rolled her eyes.
“I’ll be back soon”, usually she would turn and walk back to her room but instead she opened the door and slammed it behind her and walked down the street.
Her mom had hated her friend Nicki since she was found in the neighborhood, early in the morning, on the road, high on drugs and alcohol, half naked, with some street guys. Ever since, she's been warned not to be near her.
To Regina, Nicki might be a kind of bad girl but she's better than some people. Nicki had helped her when they were in school, though she later dropped out. She had been her friend through thick and thin. When Nicki dropped out of school, she helped Gina with some of her own tuition fees from what she earns in the bar, even though she was looking after her sick mom. She had no one but her mom, who later died, now everybody is judging how she lives.
Why does it have to be the children who takes the punishment for the kind of life their parents lived?
She took down her hoodie and stopped a taxi. Nicki texted her again asking where she is, she texted her back telling her she's almost there.
When she got to the restaurant, Nicki waved her hand, they hugged and sat down.
"what's up? Your face.... ", Nicki said running her finger across Gina’s face.
"well, my mum as usual", she said waving for a waitress.
"marriage stuff?",
"yaps and more, she's getting more annoying day by day", the waitress came and took their orders.
"so, what's up with you?", Gina asked,
"as usual, you know, leading the pack, well we're not here to talk about me, I got something for you", she said with wide eyes,
"what?", Gina asked smiling, wondering what it could be,
"you are still looking for job, right?",
"yea, of course", Gina nodded with full attention,
"I got two jobs for you",
"really? well, let it out!",
"okay! Now, there's two, one will pay you enough to survive and stop asking your mom for money, for a while, now and then, till you think of something else to do, at least you will always have cash in your wallet”, she said explaining with her hands,
“and the other can get you enough money to live your whole life and maybe shut your moms mouth for good", she stopped, waiting to see her reaction before she continues.
Regina chuckled at the thought of her mom shutting her mouth,
"so, spit it out!", she said, really curious, Nicki laughed and continued,
"okay! the first is to work as a waitress in our bar, I’ll pay you so well and it is better than when you last worked there, you will get better connections, make friends”,
“nicki-”, gina interrupted,
“hold on”, she said holding up her hand, “I am not done”,
“alright, continue”,
“and the second is surrogacy, hmhm, you heard me right", she nodded, waiting for her response, although she knows what it will be.
Regina paused, then took a long sip from her cola, thinking it through, disappointed actually.
"so?", Nicki asked,
"Nicks you know I can't do any of those", she shrugged,
"why not?", she said, annoyed, "girl life isn’t easy, you got to give it back what it gives you if you want to survive",
"Nicks it's not about that, I need a job badly but I can't do a waitress job at.your.bar. What difference does it make? I have to stay home all day with mom and work my ass out at night, with some guy tearing me down with his eyes, mom won't even accept that",
"okay, fine, I expected that, what about the other job?", she asked trying to contain her anger. Sometimes she wonders why she's still friends with her, they live different kind of lives. Regina is the perfect girl and she's the girl with flaws. Maybe it's to remind herself about her old self or maybe she just likes her, but she totally doesn’t like the way she lives her life under her mom. She hates her mom the most.
"I can't do it",
"why?",
"nicks!",
"what! For goodness sake Gina, its not lke I am telling you to go and murder someone and get paid. It is an easy peasy job, all you have to do is get that shit inside of you, get pregnant, give him the baby and get paid in millions! Billions! Do you know who is involved in this?”, she whispered the last part,
“What's wrong with you?", she looked around and lowered her voice again, "you won't even have sex with him. All you have to do is get pregnant, Christ! What are you so afraid of? We've been through this, he is a dang billionaire Riri! Every lady would die for this opportunity, I just thought of you the moment I got the job details", she couldn't control herself, she wasn't asking her to be like her, she just wants her to grow up.
"I don't know, it’s risky and dangerous. What do I tell my mom?",
"what's risky in it, what's dangerous? And the hell with your mom!".
She held Gina’s hand,
"girl you need to grow up, the deal came to me, I could've done it or chosen one of my girls who really need it, but I chose you cause you're my friend, this is your chance to leave your mum, all those shit behind. You need the money, I need the money too, I always need money, but I have a friend who needs it more, you need to get a life, travel, do something fun, do something different, get.a.life! not under your mom. Just think it over, tell your mom you got a job, far away from home and do the shit, that's just it, simple", she said and laid back on the chair, her phone beeped,
"see girl, I have to go, think about it, think so hard about it and let me know, okay", she pecked her,
“yea, thanks”, Gina said and she left.
Regina sat there in conflict with her mind.
Surrogacy? Me?
Surrogacy? Ha! No way!
She strolled down the street, a lot twisting around in her mind. She felt that what Nicki said is right, but too hard to accept. She just can't work in that forsaken bar and she's not so insane to be a surrogate for some guy in a faraway city and...
She sighed.
I need to get a life
She sighed again.
Sometimes she hated the fact that she's not like the others but she can't help it.
I need to get a life.
Life has never been easy or was it the path I took? No, none of this is my fault. Right?
She thought,
What's in it?
Grab the chance, do the job and live a normal life, for once, like the other ladies.
Then she laughed, she doesn't see surrogacy as normal nor life after that.
By the way, when was life ever normal,
What's normal?
Was it Stephanie’s who got married cause of wealth and ended up into a circle of chaos. They barely hear from her and she barely thinks of them as family. For Stephanie, they all knew she would do anything to deny she came from their family and she’s the only one their mother listens to or rather the only one that calms their mother when she starts her nagging.
While she, Regina, is the one who handles the hard stuff cause she is the hardworking one who takes shit and doesn’t complain, Nora, was the favorite, the sharp girl whom people likes, the popular one who was sent to college and ended up in prostitution and drugs, though their mother doesn't know yet, but they know their secrets well enough.
Though not all of it.
To their mom, Nora is her perfect, best child. If only she knows what she's been up to.
She entered their street and removed her hands from her pocket to wake herself up from the many thoughts going around in circle in her head. She grabbed the cold iron handle and opened the door.
She stood still when she saw her mom eating, with Nora beside her. She stood there for awhile staring at them, she didn't know Nora was coming home.
She walked to the table and greeted her mum,
"well, where have you been?", she asked not looking up from her plate,
"i told you-", she tried to explain,
"yes, you told me you're going to meet that god forsaken child. What now? Did she introduce you to one of her guys? did you look at the time young lady? I was calling your cell but you weren't answering", her mum said dropping her spoon,
"I didn’t know, turned the volume down last night, forgot to turn it up", she said calmly, trying hard not to excite her into an argument. She fling her hand at her and continued eating.
She stood there biting her lips and squeezing her hands, holding back the anger bubbling up in her,
"Nora, why are you here?", she managed to say,
Nora got up and moved to the sink, ignoring her for a minute.
She watched her sit back down on the dining chair.
"you should've made dinner for momma if you're going to stay out late", she said not looking at Gina, Gina chuckled,
"what did you say? Stay out late?",
"She is well right, you want me to die, so you can have the house to yourself, invite your friend and turn this place to a bar", her mum said standing up from the table.
Its goddamn 6:25pm!
How is it late?
Am 26 for goodness sake!
Gina thought with her mouth half hanging and her hands almost trembling in anger.
"Nora, can you repeat yourself? I dare you",
Gina said turning towards Nora,
"what? You are the only one at home, you should take care of Mom or get married or something, its not like there's anything you're doing",
"you slut!", Gina said and before she could attack Nora, her mom giant walked to her and slapped her in the face.
"don't you dare say that word in my house!",
Gina held her cheeks as tears rolled down her eyes. She stood there for some seconds in shock. The slap was still ringing in her ears while her mom kept screaming, Nora was calming her down. She couldn't bear it, she ran upstairs to her room and teared up.
Nora had the gut to tell her that she doesn't take care of their Mom?
Where were they when their father died and she had to work part time and go to evening school so they all could eat? She personally raised her and she said that to her face?
And their mother supports her because she sends her some money, really?
She dried up her tears and lay on the bed just watching the ceiling. Their life was never normal and it will never be, to hell with her family.
Maybe its actually time to live her own life without putting anyone in it.
Surrogacy?
What harm could it do?

She slept with a change of heart. She nade her decision, maybe being a surrogate is the best decision she had ever made in her life. It is her life and the choices are hers to make. She curled uo and kept imagining what it will be like to be someones surrogate till she fell asleep.