Chapter Two
“Can we talk about a baby again tonight, Lennie?”
Joan Martin and Helen Stewart had been celebrating two decades together by candlelight, over pasta and a nice Cabernet Sauvignon. They were both on the edge of tipsy by the time they reached dessert.
“Like I keep saying, we’re not getting any younger. I see more and more gray hairs in the mirror every morning … and another cat won’t do it for me. Just think, we could have a little boy or girl with your gorgeous blue eyes. Let’s go for it, hon!”
It was the first time that evening Joan raised the topic.
Their earlier conversation had been full of memories. Mainly it was about the happy ones, but, inevitably, it also dipped way back to the late 70s when they first came out to their families.
They’d been roomies, secretly shacked up together for six months by that point. For some of their siblings, this came as no surprise. Others, including both sets of parents, found it difficult to accept. They made it known that Joan and Helen were not welcome at family gatherings.
It was tough on both of them.
Gradually, there was reconciliation. Over the past decade, they were invited to all the big events: birthday parties, Christmas dinners, school graduations. They started “borrowing” their nieces and nephews to go to the movies or the circus or the zoo. Fun hours with the kids, then back to the parents for drop-off at the end of the day.
Nevertheless, after all that time as a couple, there was still something missing. At least, as far as Joan was concerned. She didn’t want to borrow their siblings’ kids anymore. She wanted a child of their own. She’d first broached the idea with Helen months earlier. These days, she was pushing for it more fervently.
“Honestly, Joan! Do we have to do this now? You’ve brought it upso manytimes …”
Too much wine made Helen blunt. She had doubts about the whole baby thing, and didn’t hide her irritation that she was hearing about it yet again. On their special evening, no less.
“ … and I always have the same issues. Are we really up for all the hassle? Not to mention the expense.”
Joan ignored the tone and pressed on.
“Well … I am, at least. And you know we can afford it. We’ve almost paid off the mortgage on this place. But tell me, what else is bothering you? Don’t hold back this time. I can take it.”
“What can I say? It’s a lot to think about,” Helen grumbled as she rose and began to clear the table. She organized her thoughts as she removed the plates and blew out the candles. Now she was feeling defensive and had no intention of holding back.
Joan was right. Money wasn’t really an issue. Helen was a veterinarian and Joan a university administrator. Neither had reached the six figures mark in their salaries, but pooled together they were doing just fine.
No, there were other things troubling Helen. To start with, how would they go about having a child? Would they adopt? Or try to get pregnant, and with whose sperm? Absurd images of one of their male friends and a turkey baster came to mind. What if that friend wanted access t
