by Aisha Brooks
“Hey girl! How are you feeling?” Katie had been the first to know about Tami’s appointment and she had even offered to go along if Tami needed the company. Tami had refused however, feeling that it was more of a solo type of appointment.
“Good…well nervous as all get out, to be honest.”
“Thank you, have a nice day!” Katie’s voice was muffled before she came back on the line. “I don’t blame you. When will you know?”
“She said two weeks, but I want to take a test already just to see. Do you think it’s too early?” Katie laughed.
“I think maybe just a bit.” Tami knew that it was, but needed to hear it from someone else.
“Yeah, I thought so. Oh, hey, thanks for the flowers but jeez you guys went way overboard!” Tami leaned over and smelled one of the carnations.
“Huh?” Katie was utterly confused.
“The flowers, I had like six bouquets show up. I figured they were from you guys since no one else really knows…” Katie went silent.
“Ah…”
“Katie! Oh my God who did you tell?” Tami could feel a sense of panic rising. She didn’t mind Katie and the girls at work knowing what she was doing but the idea that anyone else could know made her worry that she’d jinx her possibility of pregnancy.
“I didn’t really tell anyone. I just…well, Albie came in this morning for his coffee and he asked where you were. So I told him you had a doctor’s appointment and…” Tami interrupted.
“Wait, you seriously told one of our customers that I had a doctor’s appointment?” Tami should have been angry, but instead she found the fact that Albie had asked after her sweet.
“Yeah, I figured you wouldn’t mind since it was him…but now I’m guessing you do?” Tami couldn’t help but laugh.
“Don’t worry about it. I guess if there’s one guy you don’t mind knowing you’re under the weather, it’s the guy who can afford to send you six bouquets of flowers.” Tami couldn’t wipe the smile from her face as she stared at the bright white daisies.
“Are you sure? I’m really sorry. I didn’t think, I just…” Katie didn’t know why she had told Albie anything, but she put it down to her wanting Albie to finally get involved with Tami’s life. Still, she hadn’t expected him to do anything like this.
“Yeah. I’m sure.” Tami was sure, in fact there was something intriguing about a guy who would send his barista six bouquets of flowers. “One thing though, did you give him my address?” Katie gave a dramatic gasp.
“Oh hell no! I might be an idiot but I wouldn’t do something like that!” Tami bit down gently on her bottom lip.
“Hmmm…” There was a sound of muffled talking on the end of the line.
“Hey Tami? I have to go, Carla is telling me we’re out of Columbia blend beans and I know we’re not because I unpacked a box of them this morning. Urgh! Keep me in the loop though, k?” Tami nodded without realizing it.
“Sure…talk to you later.” She hung up the phone, still deep in thought as to how Albie could have found her address.
Albie was still sitting at his desk daydreaming about the possibility of a life with Tami when the phone rang. As per usual, his secretary picked it up.
“Mr. Johnson? I have a call from a Mrs. Amanda Adams on line one, she says that it’s quite urgent that she speak with you.” Albie picked up the phone.
“That’s fine Allison, patch her through.” There was a click on the line and a woman’s voice spoke.
“Hello? Is that Mr. Johnson?” Albie waited for Allison’s phone to hang up before he spoke.
“Yes, this is he. May I ask what you are calling in regard to?” There was a brief silence on the end of the line and just when Albie was about to hang up, the woman spoke again.
“Mr. Johnson. Do you recall a few years ago that you visited our institution located on Firth Street and made a…deposit?” Albie frowned, he didn’t even know where Firth Street was.
“I’m sorry, you’re going to have to be a little more specific, I have bank accounts at a number of various institutions.” There was another silence.
“I’m afraid you misunderstand, Mr. Johnson. I am from the Dunkirk Cryobank.” She waited for a moment to see if the name rang any bells.
“Ohhhh, yes. I remember that.” He laughed awkwardly. “I’m sorry, you were talking a whole different kind of deposit!” The woman on the other end of the phone didn’t laugh, in fact she was eerily quiet.
“Well, how can I help you Mrs. Adams?” She coughed quietly.
“You see, Mr. Johnson. Well, the thing is…there has been a terrible mix up.” This time it was Albie who went silent. “Mr. Johnson? Are you still there?” Albie was still there but for the moment his brain was fixated on the sheer number of possible mishaps that could have taken place.
“Yes…I’m still here.”
“Mr. Johnson, I’m afraid that your sample got mixed in with another…batch and it would seem that due to this mix up your donation has been…umm…utilized.” Albie could feel the paralysis setting in as it traveled from his toes, creeping slowly all the way to the top of his head. He stared at the swirling detail of the woodgrain on his desktop. “Mr. Johnson?”
“I…” He didn’t know what to say. Just moments ago he had imagined the possibility of having his very own heir, a small family of his own, and now it was happening. It was happening so very out of his control, but it was happening nonetheless.
“We will of course do everything we can to make this right.” Mrs. Adams was breathless and quite obviously flustered by the whole situation.
“Which would be what, exactly?” Albie tried to pull himself together.
“We…umm…we would like for you to come down to the bank as soon as is convenient so that we can discuss any and all options with you. We will also be inviting the individual who purchased your donation in hopes that we can all find some kind of resolution to this awful mix up.” Albie wanted to laugh. A mix up was when they accidentally put tomato on a sandwich that was ordered without tomato, it was not selling your genetic product so that someone could make a baby with it.
“Mr. Johnson? When would be a convenient time for you?” Albie wasn’t sure that anything about this was convenient.
“I suppose the sooner the better. I will also be bringing my attorney.”
“I understand, Mr. Johnson. Would 5:30pm today work for you?” Albie didn’t even bother to look at his organizer.
“Fine. We will see you then.”
Chapter 5: The Truth
The Dunkirk Cryobank was much more sterile than Albie recalled it being on his first visit. Truth be told however, Albie didn’t recall all that much about his first visit, money had always been a powerful motivator for him.
“Mr. Johnson?” A young petite blonde woman smiled over the front desk. Albie nodded, his ability to speak obviously having sunk to the bottom of his stomach along with everything else. “We’ve been expecting you. Dr. Goldstein is in his office waiting to speak to you. If you wouldn’t mind following me?” She stood up and slipped through a small gap behind the desk. “It’s just this way.”
Normally, her swaying hips would have captured Albie’s attention but since his fascination with Tami, he had been less preoccupied with his philandering ways.
Dr. Goldstein sat at his desk, he looked noticeably nervous as he stood to greet Albie with a handshake.
“Mr. Johnson, please have a seat.” Albie sat.
“I think it only fair to tell you that in lieu of my attorney’s inability to make this meeting at such short notice, I will be recording everything that is said.” Albie pulled a small Dictaphone out of his pocket and set it on the desk in front of him, pressing the record button.
“That is perfectly find, Mr. Johnson. Please understand that we are absolutely devastated about what has happened.” Albie watched as Dr. Goldstein nervously wrung his hands.
“In the entire history of Dunkirk Cryobank we have never had anything like this happe
n before.” Albie sat in silence.
“Due to the fact that this has never happened before, we don’t exactly have a protocol in place to manage this type of incident. Please do be reassured however, that we want to ensure the best outcome for everyone involved.” Albie’s brow furrowed.
“And what exactly does that mean?” Dr. Goldstein looked down at a piece of paper in front of him and then back up at Albie.
“Well, we have the young lady who purchased your specimen here at the clinic right now and if it’s okay with you we’d like to bring her in to discuss what can be done to rectify this situation.” Albie shook his head.
“Wait…wait a minute. Has my sample been used?” Albie suddenly felt even more nauseous than he had before. Dr. Goldstein paused for a moment.
“Mr. Johnson, I’m afraid I can’t divulge what has or has not been done with your sample once it has left our premises. That is why I had hoped you would allow for the young lady to join us so that perhaps she could shed a little light on those answers.” Albie sighed loudly.
“You’re telling me you can’t tell me what has been done with my sperm when you sold it without my consent?” Dr. Goldstein nodded apologetically.
“I’m afraid so.” Albie pinched the bridge of his nose.
“This is so fucked up.” Dr. Goldstein nodded again.
“We are so very sorry, Mr. Johnson. We do understand what an awful position this has put you in and please be assured that we will do everything we can to rectify this.” Albie didn’t see how it could be rectified. He could see a huge bill from his attorney and a court case that dragged on for far too long, but aside from that he saw little else.
“Mr. Johnson, why don’t we bring the young lady in and see if perhaps she can help to answer some of your questions?” Albie didn’t want to ‘bring the young lady in,’ in fact it was the very last thing he wanted to do. He shrugged.
“What choice do I have?” Dr. Goldstein shook his head solemnly.
“It is our hope that after speaking with the young lady we can find out whether she has utilized your specimen. In the best case scenario she has not and the clinic will offer her the original sample she had selected to be her baby’s father.” Dr. Goldstein purposefully left out the other scenario.
“And what if she has already ‘utilized my specimen’?” Albie asked angrily. Dr. Goldstein paused for a moment, his tongue nervously darting over his lips.
“Well, in that case things are going to be much more complicated.”
“You can bet your ass they will be. If I wanted to be a father I have a hundred girls I could knock up, but I haven’t, you know why? Because I don’t want to be a father. I’m not ready to be a father. You’d better hope to God that she’s not used my sample because you’re going to be the one convincing her to get rid of the baby if she has.” Albie was shaking with anger.
Tami followed the nurse down the sterile hallway. Her hands were shaking nervously as though she had committed some kind of crime.
“Don’t worry honey, it wasn’t your fault at all. Not one can be angry with you for this.” The nurse shook her head in disgust. Tami did her best to choke back her tears. She was a strong woman and she wasn’t about to let anyone tell her what she could or could not do with her own body.
“They’re right in here.” The nurse knocked on the wooden office door.
“Come in!” Dr. Goldstein called out and the nurse opened the door.
Chapter 6: A Meeting
Albie didn’t want to turn around as the door opened; he remained facing forward as Dr. Goldstein stood up with his hand out.
“Miss. Jones, please have a seat. Mr. Johnson this is Miss Jones. Miss Jones, this is Mr. Johnson.” Tami was already standing staring open mouthed at Albie when he turned around to face her. As he saw her face the corner of his mouth turned up in a half smile.
“Hey!” He chirped, momentarily forgetting the reason for their meeting.
“Hey!” Tami smiled at him and sat down.
“Do you two know each other?” Dr. Goldstein asked as he sat back down in his seat. Tami nodded.
“Yes, just a little.” Dr. Goldstein smiled, sure that their acquaintance would ease the situation for him.
“Well, Mr. Johnson, Miss Jones is the young lady who purchased your sample. She believed at the time that she was purchasing a sample from another of our donors however. Then, due to the mix up on our end, she wound up getting your sample instead.” Tami blinked slowly. She knew the facts but now that she was face to face with Mr. X who ultimately turned out to be Albie, things seemed so much more real.
“Miss. Jones, would you mind sharing with us whether or not you have utilized Mr. Johnson’s sample?” Tami had already explained everything to the doctor once already, but having to do it for a second time with Albie in the room was more than even a strong woman could take. Tears began to slide down her cheeks as she nodded.
“So you affirm that you have utilized the sample?” Dr. Goldstein pressed. Albie stood up and wrapped his arms around Tami.
“For Christ’s sake give the girl a moment would you? Can’t you see that she’s upset?” Dr. Goldstein’s eyes widened.
“Of course, I’m sorry.” Albie rubbed his hand up and down Tami’s back before crouching down beside her.
“Hey…” he tried to see under her long curly hair to get a glimpse of her face. “Hey beautiful, don’t cry, okay? We can figure this out.” Tami shook her head.
“I thought I could do this on my own, I was sure I could but then THIS happened and now I just…I can’t. It’s only going to get harder from here and I…” she hiccupped between sobs, “I just can’t.” Albie pulled her to him.
“Listen, you can do anything, that’s why I like you.” Albie smiled at her, a large forced smile that made her laugh.
“But….what are we going to do?” She sniffled loudly as she lifted her head and brushed her hair from her face. “If I’m pregnant I mean…what are we going to do?” Her breath still came in jumpy starts as she stared at Albie hoping for a miracle answer. He shrugged.
“What can we do?” Tami wiped her eyes on the sleeves of her shirt leaving traces of mascara.
“I can’t…get rid of it.” She started to cry again and Albie leaned in and kissed her forehead. He felt guilty for even suggesting to Dr. Goldstein that he convince Tami to get rid of the baby.
“I would never ask you to.” Albie said as he sat down in his chair and turned it to face her. “What would you like to do? I know that this is about both of us, but right now, if this was just about you, what would you do?” Tami was silent for a moment as Albie reached down and took her hands between his.
“I would have the baby. I would do what I planned to do to begin with and be a single mom and I would have the baby.” She lifted her eyes to Albie who nodded.
“Then that’s what we do.” He felt his heart sink as he forced a smile for her. Sure, he hadn’t wanted just any woman to have his baby, but when that woman turned out to be Tami, things changed. Tami was so unlike anyone he had ever met and suddenly his daydreams of the possibility of a normal life were something within reach. At least they had been until she mentioned the words ‘single mom.’
“Miss Jones, I can assure you that we do have excellent doctors who can assist you should you rethink a termination.” Albie snapped his head around and glared at the doctor.
“She will NOT be terminating this pregnancy.” Dr. Goldstein shrank back in to his chair, a look of bewilderment on his face.
“I was simply stating that…” Albie glared at him again and he went silent.
“How about we get you home?” Albie rubbed Tami’s hands in his own and she nodded slowly. Getting to his feel he pulled Tami up and wrapped his arm around her waist. “And you?” He glared back to Dr. Goldstein, “you will be hearing from my attorney in the morning.”
Chapter 7: Positivity
Albie had been preoccupied with Tami for the past week. He had called her every day
to check whether she had needed anything in hopes that she would fill him in on her pregnancy status. She had shared nothing so far and Albie was left wondering if she didn’t know anything yet or whether she simply wasn’t telling him. She had made it perfectly clear when he drove her home from the cryobank that she expected nothing from him. She had told him that she had been prepared to be a single mother and that is what she would do.
When Albie brought up her mini-meltdown in the doctor’s office she put it down to nothing more than frustration with the situation. Albie could see that it was more than that. As strong and hardheaded as Tami could be, he could see the fear in her eyes. He hadn’t pushed her though, rather tried to reassure her with a daily phone call that if she needed anything, he was there.
