Vada Faith (6 page)

People said my sister and I had her smile. Today I wasn’t in the mood to think about her or her smile.

“No more questions,” she said, and patted my arm. “Mmm.” She sniffed one of the yellow roses. “Where on earth did you get these beauties?”

I didn’t answer. I had placed the Kilgore’s card in my purse.

“That John Wasper.” She smiled over at me. “I know what he’s up to. He’s feeling his oats, I’ll bet. Wants to see if he can beat the odds again with twins. Boys this time. That devil.”

I decided to let her think what she wanted.

It was easier than I’d expected. She started talking about the great day she’d had with the girls and quickly forgot about my surgery.

So far so good. Of course, I would have to break the news of my surrogacy to her soon. I didn’t want to hear her thoughts on it at the moment. She’d have plenty to say soon enough. Funny. She’d missed out on so much. And then sailed back in and wanted to be at the center of my universe. Well I was feeling overwhelmed and wanted to rest. One step at a time, as I’d told John Wasper.

I was drifting off to sleep when my sister and the girls came marching in from the gift shop. I could hear chatter about new books and mama shushing everyone.

It was easier this way, I kept thinking from far off. Then, I couldn’t remember what was easier. I heard the door close. That night I slept better than I had in ages.

“Vada Faith,” I could hear someone calling my name from across the water. “Vada Faith.”

I came awake with a start. John Wasper was standing over me.

It was the next morning and I wasn’t in the ocean swimming to shore as I’d dreamed but on the living room sofa where Joy Ruth had deposited me on her way to work after bringing me from the hospital.

“You okay, honey?” he asked. His voice sounded strained and his face was haggard from lack of sleep.

“I’m fine.” I stretched and sat up carefully to avoid pulling my stomach.

“I have an idea,” he said sitting down beside me and taking my hand in his. “I thought about it all the way to Tennessee and back.” He smiled. “We’ll have another baby. Now that your tubes are untied and all. Maybe we’ll get a boy this time. I’ve always wanted a son, honey. You know that. Wouldn’t you like a son? A little boy?”

“I don’t want another baby,” I said, moving over to put some space between us. “Two children are all we can afford. Besides our family is complete and you know I want to get ahead in life. I want a new house in Crystal Springs and the opportunity to be somebody.”

“You’re my wife. That’s enough somebody for me. I love you. He emphasized his next words, “I love our life the way it is now.”

“I know.”

He leaned over and put his lips on mine and we kissed.

“I love you too,” I said. “I want more in my life. I want to do something so that other people will think I’m somebody too.”

“They do. All your customers love you, honey. What more do you want? Look at Barry Carruthers. Old big shot news reporter Barry from high school. He talks about you all the time on the air.”

“That’s my big claim to fame, John Wasper. Former classmate turned television reporter.” I put a throw pillow behind my back to get comfortable.

“Well, look at the governor’s wife,” he said, running his fingers through his mussed hair. “What’s her name? Didn’t you give her a hair cut once?”

“Sure, once, when she was passing through town. Did you see Miss Big Wheel come back to Shady Creek. No, you did not. Besides, we have another first lady now and we’ll never see her in this town in our lifetime. That’s beside the point, John Wasper. I don’t want to be known for hair. I want to be known for something more and having a baby for a childless couple is a much higher calling. You should be glad I wasn’t called to go minister to those poor sick dying children in one of those third world countries. At least what I want to do is close to home. I want to do this with all my heart and soul. More than I’ve ever wanted to do anything.” I put my arms around him and hugged him tight. “I swear to you, I want to do this so very much.”

“Well.” He considered this for a moment, and I knew I’d given him something to think about. Then, he looked around. “Where’re the girls?”

“At the shop. Their aunt who only knows how to spoil them bought them a plastic mini mall with a couple of shopping carts. They don’t want to come home. They’re going home with her after work where they’ll probably find more new toys.”

When the phone on the table by the sofa started ringing, John Wasper leaned over and picked it up. “Hello.” He got this serious look on his face. “Yes it is. Wait. Here’s Vada Faith.” He handed me the phone.

“Is everything all right there?” Roy Kilgore asked.

“Oh, everything’s fine,” I chattered nervously, “my husband just got home.”

“We want to see you. Maybe meet John Wasper. Can we take you to lunch today?”

I covered the phone with my hand. “He wants to take us to lunch.”

“So?” John Wasper stood and picked up his suitcase.

“Can we go?” I asked. He had turned and started walking toward the stairs.

“Maybe,” he said, finally, without turning. “What the heck,” he said, his back still to me, “we’ll go.”

“Can you behave?” I called after him.

“I can try.” His voice was muffled as he climbed the stairs. There was no mistaking what he’d said.

“We’ll be there,” I said, the words tumbling over themselves to get out of my mouth. Excitement always made me talk too fast.

My husband had agreed to meet Roy and Dottie Kilgore. I was on my way. I was going to be someone. Someone special. Someone important. Someone people would remember. I was going to be a surrogate mother. I hugged myself and listened to the sweet sound of Roy Kilgore’s southern voice.

“That’s just great, sugar,” he said, jubilantly, “see you soon now. At The Inn on River Road.”

“Yes,” I said, feeling the warmth of the southern voice long after the man had hung up.

Suddenly I couldn’t wait to see them. They were so happy and just being around them made me bubble with happiness too. If everything worked out I was going to help them have a little baby of their very own to love.

I stood in front of my closet, turning down one outfit after another until I came to the linen shorts and matching silk cream blouse I’d recently purchased. It was a little dressy for the places I usually lunched. It was perfect for this. As I applied blush and lipstick, I felt like I was going on my first date. Only I was taking my husband. I just hoped he didn’t say something stupid like I should bloom where I was planted. Not when we were going to meet the man whose baby I might soon carry.

I didn’t have to worry about John Wasper. He managed to do much worse.

“John Wasper,” Roy Kilgore said, taking my husband’s hand, “it’s good to meet you, boy.”

I knew the moment the man referred to John Wasper as boy there’d be trouble. I moved to stand between the two men.

“Thank you for the roses, Dottie,” I said, grabbing both her hands. “John Wasper thanks you, too, don’t you honey.” I was hoping to draw his attention away from the boy comment, but his eyes were locked on the big man beside us.

“Sure,” my husband said, gruffly, tightening his grip on my arm, “thanks.”

We were directed across the crowded dining room to a corner table where two lit candles flickered on the white tablecloth. A waiter was placing water goblets on the table.

“He had to be out of town on business when I had my surgery,” I said, patting my husband’s arm, hoping to break the ice. John Wasper scowled and held the chair for me.

“Well, that’s too bad.” Dottie’s husband seated her at the table and then sat down across from us. “A shame he couldn’t be there.”

“It wasn’t because I didn’t want to be there,” my husband said, glaring at me. He picked up his menu.

“I know that. It just worked out that way, honey. The flowers from Roy and Dottie made me feel better. Much better.” I took a gulp of ice water and shuddered.

“I guess I should have sent flowers,” he said, putting down the menu and puffing up. “I didn’t think of it.”

That’s okay,” I said, patting his arm. I was talking too fast and making things worse. I couldn’t seem to stop. “It’s just that flowers always make me feel better.”

“Well, pardon me,” he said, crossing his arms. “I didn’t know they meant that much to you.”

“The strip steak here is out of this world,” the older man interjected, “and the baked potatoes, too. They bake them a special way. Aren’t they great, dear?”

“Oh, yes,” his wife said, smiling over at us as if the air was tension free, “do try them.”

I busied myself studying the menu but I watched John Wasper out of the corner of my eye. He picked up his menu again, but he was still puffed up like a toad. I was happy when he agreed to let Roy order for everyone.

When the waiter had left, the man across the table turned to my husband and said, “There’s no sense putting this off. How do you feel about your wife acting as a surrogate for our baby?” He leaned back in his chair. “We might as well be honest.”

“You want the truth?” My husband stared a hole through the man across from us.

“Yes, of course,” Roy said, picking up his water goblet. “We want everything out on the table right from the start.” He tipped his glass at us and took several sips. “That way there will be no surprises later.”

“I don’t like it.” John Wasper leaned forward. “You might as well know it from the get-go.

I don’t mind her having a baby. Don’t get me wrong.” He frowned. “When she does I want it to be my baby.” His face turned red. “A baby we make the normal way. Having my wife carry a baby for you people just don’t make good sense to me. I don’t like it and I know most people won’t understand. My family sure won’t. Especially my brothers, Bruiser and Bobby Joe. It’s something they don’t know anything about, having a baby this way. You need to know beforehand. My wife is a leap-before-you-look kind of person. She don’t always think things through. Then her actions get her into trouble. Besides we’re simple people around here. We don’t do things in Shady Creek like people do in the big cities. The townspeople won’t understand her having a baby for another man.”

“John Wasper Waddell! I am not a leap-before-you-look-kind of person. I know you still hold it against me for ordering all those Girl Scout cookies. I did think at the time I could sell them. I wanted to sell the most in the state.” I lowered my eyes to the table. “Well, I didn’t. I was helping out my cousin’s girl. This is different. It’s serious. That was kid stuff. Besides you loved those cookies.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “So don’t say another word. Being a surrogate mother is a dream come true and I have thought the whole thing through. Now, I have,” I said, trying to stare him down and get him to take back what he’d said. Of course he didn’t. “I’ve thought it through from top to bottom,” I reiterated. “I know it’s what I want to do.”

“Well, sir, we appreciate your opinion here.” Dottie took a sip of her iced raspberry tea. “This is something you are a part of too. You count in all this.” She patted her red lips gently with the white linen napkin. “We’ve talked to dozens of couples who’ve done it. People who have been through this several times. They say to look at this as our baby from the start. It won’t be your wife’s baby at all. Not one bit. We’ll pay her to carry it for us. You know, watch over it.

Just as she would if she were baby sitting a baby we’d had and brought to her to keep. No more than that. You can understand that, can’t you, dear?”

“I know the difference between a baby you bring to my wife and one she has inside her. This baby will be under Vada Faith’s breast as our own babies were.” His face was red now. “There’s a big difference here whether you want to admit it or not.”

I looked at my husband in earnest. “I do know what I’m doing. I want to be their surrogate mother. I want to help them have a baby.”

He clasped his hands in front of him on the table. In his new suit, he reminded me of the handsome auto salesman on television. He looked all grown-up and serious for a change. He cleared his throat and swallowed slowly a couple of times making his adams apple jump up and down nervously. “I don’t like it. However, I will stand by you.” He looked at me and let out a resigned sigh. “If this is what you want. I’d rather have you do this than go traipsing off to Africa or somewhere far off to help those poor starving children. If you want to do something for someone this bad then it might as well be this. At least I can watch out for you here. I couldn’t in a third world country.”

“Africa?” Dottie’s eyebrows shot up in puzzlement. “A third world country?”

The older man reached over and shook John Wasper’s unwilling hand. “You will not be sorry, sir.” Then he reached over and patted my hand. He pulled it away quickly when my husband shot him a mean look. John Wasper was already sorry. I could tell that. It didn’t matter. This thing was practically a done deal. I smiled at Dottie. I smiled at each of them.

All that was left was me getting pregnant and telling my mother and John Wasper’s family. Oh, and a zillion other people.

“You’re going where?” Mama called. “To do what?” Today she was baby-sitting for the girls and I was trying to tell her in tiny stages about the surrogacy.

“I’m looking into something,” I said, hurrying down the sidewalk toward my car in the driveway. “A job. Sort of.”

I’d hoped to downplay the whole thing. With my family that was impossible. “Surrogacy,” I said in a low voice, impossible for her to hear.

“What?” She called. “What did you say? Surely you didn’t say what I think you said? Come back here.”

My mother acted as if everything she’d ever done in her life had been proper and above reproach.

“I’ll explain later,” I called, waving. “I’m in a hurry.”

“Hey, come back here!” By this time, she was hanging out the front door in her robe and I was getting into my car.

Both girls were waving at me from the bay window.

I could see they were standing on mama’s white sofa with their tennis shoes. She must have seen it too because she disappeared inside, letting the screen door close with a bang. The girls quickly vanished from the window as I pulled out of her driveway.