Chapter 4: Surrogate Mother

Elijah Theodore Martinez

“Alright, here it is, your precious contract. Damn it, I was the one who came up with the idea, I was the one who drafted the contract, and to make things worse, you wanted it rushed. You’re really something else, Theo,” Rashid said while shaking his head as he entered my office.

He used to call me Theo as his nickname for me because, according to him, he wanted to be different from everyone else. Honestly, sometimes I almost think he’s starting to act gay around me.

After our conversation last night, I barely got any sleep, so early this morning I immediately called him to draft the contract. I still hadn’t chosen a woman yet, but it was better to be prepared. And now, before noon even arrived, I was already holding the paper that would become the key to solving my problem.

“Thank you, bro,” I said with a wide grin.

He comfortably sat down in front of my desk and, without asking, and even grabbed the glass of liquor I had been drinking before he arrived.

“Why do you seem so rushed? Do you already have a woman in mind to become your surrogate?” he asked curiously.

I stood up for a moment and walked toward the small cupboard in my office to get another bottle of liquor and another glass. “Not yet. But it’s better to be ready. Who knows, maybe later or tomorrow I’ll finally find someone,” I answered as I returned to my desk.

He nodded thoughtfully. “So what exactly is your plan for choosing a woman? Coming up with ideas and contracts is easy, bro, but the hard part is finding a woman willing to carry your child,” he continued asking.

“I have some qualifications in mind, Shid. First, I need to make sure she’ll agree to all the terms stated in this contract,” I said while holding up the contract he gave me.

“Second, of course I’m looking for someone attractive. I’m not about to let an ugly woman become the mother of my child. I want to make sure the genes running in my child’s blood are beautiful,” I added, which immediately made him spit out the liquor he was drinking.

“You’re unbelievable. You kept acting like you didn’t want sex involved in your surrogate plan, but it turns out looks and body are part of your requirements too,” he said, shaking his head after recovering.

“What? If you were in my position, would you agree to let an ugly woman become the mother of your child?” I shot back.

He poured himself another drink before facing me again. “Of course not. What if her genes are too strong and my child inherits everything from her?” he immediately denied.

“See? It’s the same with me,” I replied before finishing the liquor in my glass.

“Alright then, I agree with you now. I’m sure those aren’t your only two qualifications though. What else?” he asked, sounding certain there was more.

“Well, there’s one more. My third and final qualification is that she has to be a virgin,” I said seriously.

Rashid stared at me blankly for a moment as if trying to process what I had just said before finally recovering.

“Wait,” he said, raising one hand as if to stop me. “What does being a virgin have to do with choosing a surrogate? Won’t that just make it harder for us to find someone?” he asked.

“I just want to make sure the girl I choose is clean, that’s all. If she’s not a virgin, it means some other guy has already been with her. How would I know if that guy had some disease that could affect my child?” I explained.

“I still don’t get it, bro. If you just want to make sure the girl is clean, then have her medically checked before we do the IVF. It’s that simple,” he argued against my plan.

I ignored what he said and just continued drinking. The sun hadn’t even gone down yet, but I already felt like I was getting drunk from our conversation.

“That’s what I want, okay? Period. And it’s also part of my Plan B,” I stated, catching his attention again.

“What Plan B?” he immediately asked.

“I thought about what you said last night. I also did some research, and you were right. There are many IVF cases that fail because the surrogate miscarries. But I still want to try that first so I won’t have to personally get involved with the woman I choose. But just in case it also fails for me, my Plan B is to impregnate her naturally. That’s why I want her to be a virgin. Because I want to be her first so I can make sure the child she carries is mine,” I explained at length.

A long discussion followed between me and Rashid, but in the end, I still got my way. Now our problem was where to find a woman who fit all my qualifications.

Right on cue, while we were talking, Miko entered the office and accidentally overheard our conversation.

“Uh, sir, forgive me, but I happened to hear your conversation with Sir Rashid. I know someone who might be able to help,” he said hesitantly while collecting the folders I had finished signing earlier.

I wasn’t worried about our plan leaking out. After all, everything we said was true. Besides, I trusted Miko a lot. In the seven years he had worked for me, he had never once told anyone about the things he saw or heard inside my office.

“Tell me then,” I said seriously.

“Uhm, sir, my girlfriend’s friend is looking for work. She and her siblings are orphans, and she’s the one supporting her five younger siblings. Coincidentally, her youngest sibling is currently in the hospital because of an accident yesterday. She needs a huge amount of money for the operation, and according to her, she’s willing to accept any kind of job in exchange for saving her sibling,” he explained.

“Well, if you heard our conversation and considering how long you’ve worked for Theo, then you know his conditions aren’t simple,” Rashid interrupted, unable to stop himself from joining the discussion.

I nodded in agreement with my friend, and Miko immediately took out his cellphone as if searching for something. When he found what he was looking for, he quickly showed me a photograph.

A photograph that instantly made me lose my senses for a moment.