“YOU PASSED EVERY TEST with flying colors,” Dr. Matthews told me when she phoned the following morning. “And your LH is elevating. You’re right on schedule, Kate, which means I should be as well with the insemination process. We’re a go for 8 P.M. six days from today as we planned. Okay?”
“Yes,” I said, and then thinking about the tests I added, “That was quick.”
“Not really. Anyway, we have a little pull with the lab we use. Did you like Dr. Aaron?”
“Very much,” I said. “She has a great sense of humor.”
“Yes, that’s why we recommend her to our clients. Many of them then decide to have her function as their OB/GYN as well. You can check her out on our Web site where we have testimonies from previous patients. I don’t know anyone who wasn’t satisfied with her.”
“Really?”
“It’s not too early to think of all this, Kate. You want someone like Dr. Aaron to manage your pregnancy, your labor, and your puerperium.”
“My what?”
“The time period directly following childbirth. It’s important. All this is very important. Stories about people’s great-grandmothers giving birth in the field and returning immediately to their farmwork are more urban legend than you think.”
“I never heard that story from my grandmother about her mother. I think we go back to Adam and Eve and we were all born in a hospital, even then.”
She laughed.
“Well, check her out. I don’t imagine you’ve been hanging about with women who discuss pregnancies and their OB/GYNs and can steer you in the right direction.”
“No I haven’t. I’ll check her out,” I said. “Thanks.”
“No problem. Give my best to Willy.”
“Yes,” I said, and hung up. I don’t know why it bothered me to hear her say “Give my best to Willy,” but it did. I guess I was far more jealous and possessive than I had thought. Willy was obviously right about me. I knew pregnant women were more than likely to become a little paranoid. I was getting off to a good start even before I even started to lose my figure.
“Who was that?” Willy asked as soon as she stepped into the kitchen. I had been first up this morning even though I had a miserable night, waking practically every half hour because of one nightmare after another, one in particular having to do with a maternity ward in which all the home-inseminated babies had faces like toads. I thought I would wake her with my tossing and turning and groaning, but she was practically comatose. I envied her and finally just rose to make myself a cup of coffee and surrender to whatever demon shut sleep for me outside our bedroom door.
“Dr. Matthews. The examination went well. All tests are good and my LH is elevating.”
“That was quick.”
“I said the same thing. She told me they have pull with the lab they use.”
“Makes sense. They probably pipe in a lot of business. Palms grease palms,” she said pouring herself a cup of coffee. “You all right?”
“I didn’t sleep well.”
“I told you that you’re too anxious. We might see about something to help you relax. I know Dr. Malisoff isn’t happy about prescribing anything that could turn someone into a dependency, especially when we make an appointment to talk to him about your getting pregnant, but…”
“Dr. Matthews suggested we consider Dr. Aaron as my OB/GYN.”
“Really?” She sipped her coffee, thought and nodded. “Well, Malisoff delivers babies but he’s just a GP, right? That does make sense.”
“I don’t know. I’ll think about it,” I said. “I’ve always been comfortable with Dr. Malisoff.”
“You’re not worried about her because her offices weren’t up to Palm Springs standards, are you?”
I didn’t respond.
“Didn’t you like her?”
“Yes, I did. I just said I’d think about it, didn’t I?”
She pulled her head back as if I had taken a swipe at her.
“A little testy already? You haven’t even begun conception.”
“I’m not testy. I’m just giving everything some thought, Willy. We do have a lot longer trip to go see her. It was one thing for these tests; it’s another for regular checkups and delivery. Dr. Matthews told me to check her out on their Web site. That’s all I’m saying.”
“Whatever. I’m for anything that makes you comfortable.” She stared at me a moment.
“What?”
“Are you having real second thoughts about having this baby, Kate, because if you are…”
“No. God. Can’t I think about anything without it being considered doubt?”
“Okay, okay. Calm down. I need my head today. We’ve got a lot to do at the plant,” she said. “We picked up four more accounts yesterday. I think we have to consider hiring more help.”
“Four more accounts? Really? That’s good news.”
“It’s all good news, Kate, and good news stimulates my appetite, all my appetites. I’m very hungry this morning,” she said, and started to make some scrambled eggs. “How about you? Got to keep up your strength and health, you know.”
“I’ll have a little,” I said.
“So everything is on schedule then?” she asked as she broke some eggs into a mixing bowl. “She’ll be here in six days?”
“Yes.”
She nodded and then turned to smile at me.
“I’m not handing out cigars. That’s where I draw the line,” she said, and finally, we both laughed.
After breakfast, we rode together to the plant. The warehouse was about two miles from downtown Palm Springs, out toward the airport. The deliveryman could get onto the 10 Freeway rather quickly and service communities from Cathedral City to Indio.
After we arrived, I tried to lose myself in the work as much as Willy did. I was never as intense about it as she was, but today, I wanted to be. I wanted to share in her excitement and enthusiasm. After all, this business was our first creation, truly the first offspring of our union.
During the day, we picked up another account. We had a sizeable client list as it was, but suddenly it seemed we were being discovered by a whole new area of our desert community. I wouldn’t dare use the word straight, but I thought it. None of these new clients had any ties to the gay community.
“This is an amazing coincidence,” Willy said, coming into the office where I was working on our accounts. She hated any form of bookkeeping and I was much better with our business software on the computer than she was or even cared to be. We had state-of-the-art-computer equipment, broadband service, copy machines, fax, everything we could possible need or want. I kept it all very neat and organized, too. I could retrieve a document in seconds, if need be. The only thing Willy knew about in our office was it housed the coffee machine.
“What is?”
“This morning I was talking about the need to hire an additional employee and I just received a call on my cell phone from Dr. Matthews asking if we had any need for another chef. She has a cousin who just lost her job in Anaheim and wants to move to the desert. She was working as the morning head chef in a restaurant that went belly-up and she’s tired of moving from one restaurant to another. Lois mentioned us to her and she was very interested. She sounds like a perfect candidate. She attended a prestigious culinary arts school in San Francisco after attending a two-year business college. She’s an unattached twenty-eight-year-old. I told her to tell her to come in for an interview. If she’s acceptable, she might even be able to take over some of your bookkeeping duties toward the final stages of your pregnancy and after. Her name is Eve Stoner.”
“Why didn’t she call the office?”
“What?”
“Dr. Matthews. Why didn’t she call the office? Why did she call you on your cell phone? And how did she get that number?”
Willy shook her head, poured herself a cup of coffee and flopped into a chair.
“I don’t know, Kate,” she said. “I think we really should think twice about all this. You might not have the temperament for it.”
“Oh, bullshit, Willy. Don’t start again. Those are legitimate questions.”
“First, I left my cell phone number with her answering service the first time I called her. She knows we’re at work so she wouldn’t call the house and I didn’t give her the work number. The cellular was probably just the most convenient number for her to call. Second, she probably didn’t want to bother you with business calls, and now, because she was being considerate, you pull the cord on your paranoia engine and start it purring away.”
She sipped her coffee and looked at me. I did feel stupid coming at her like that. What she said made sense.
“Okay, okay,” I said. “You’re right.”
“Something’s eating at you, Kate. It’s not just nerves bickering around this home insemination event either, right?”
I shook my head and looked at the computer monitor.
“Since when don’t we tell each other what we’re really thinking, Kate?”
I turned back to her. She was right again. Why was I acting like this?
“I think Dr. Matthews really is coming on to you,” I said. “It’s not just a flirtation.”
She smiled.
“So do I.”
“You do?”
“Yeah, so what?”
She leaned forward, her face a map of anger, the lines around her mouth deepening, her eyes blazing.
“So what?”
“Yes, so what? You think she’s the first one out there to come on to me while we’ve been together? You already pointed out Janet the other day. I’m not being immodest here. It happens once in a while, but I’ve done nothing to encourage anyone, including Dr. Matthews. I would think you would have a little more faith and confidence in me and in our relationship,” she said.
She sat back, now looking sincerely wounded.
“I know. I’m sorry. I just don’t want to lose you now or after we start building a family together.”
“And I’m telling you that you have nothing to worry about on that score. Can we put an end to it or what? I’ll write it in blood.”
“Okay, okay. I’m sorry,” I said.
“I want you to remember something, Kate. Every time you have the slightest doubt here involving Dr. Matthews or anyone attached to her or this, what should I call it, adventure? Every time, remember you were the one who started it. I’m on board and with you all the way, but you’re the one who came up with the idea.”
“You make it sound like we’re headed for a disaster and you want to cover your rear in case of blame.”
“There’s no disaster unless we bring it on ourselves,” Willy said.
“Since when did you get so wise?”
“Well, I can’t remember the exact date, but two weeks ago, I woke up…”
“Shut up, you idiot.”
“That’s better. Now I feel more at home,” she said, standing. “I’ll handle the interview if you like.”
“No, it’s okay. I’d like to meet her, too. She does sound perfect, too perfect, especially because of the timing.”
“Sometimes, we just get lucky, Kate. People do win lotteries.”
I nodded and turned back to the monitor. She came over and put her arms around me, burying her face in my hair.
“You smell good,” she said. “I should pull the shades and lock the door and have a matinee.”
I turned and we kissed. Then she drew back.
“What happened to the matinee?”
“I’ve got to oversee the packaging of our horse’s ovaries for the Hamilton party tonight.”
“You better not let them hear you call their hors d’oeuvres ovaries, horse’s or otherwise,” I warned. “You know how finicky those two are.”
“Worry not,” she said, walking to the door. “Or worry only about your own ovaries,” she added laughing.
“Get out of here,” I said and tossed some crumpled paper at her.
I hated myself for the things I had said to her and vowed to swallow back any and all jealous thoughts. Of course, I knew that was easier said than done, but I was determined not to be obvious about it.
Later that afternoon, I went to the Genitor Web site and saw the links to Dr. Aaron. I read her professional history and then some of the testimonies. They made her sound like God’s gift to pregnant women. I made the decision to use her as my OB/GYN and I called her office to see about it.
“Oh yes, dear,” her receptionist said the moment I gave her my name. “I was hoping you would call the doctor and ask her to be your OB/GYN.”
“How do you know that’s what I’m calling to ask?”
“Oh, it’s usually the case. She delivered my child, you know.”
“No, I didn’t know.”
How would I know she had a child or was even married? I couldn’t imagine her with anyone or with a child.
“Well, she did and thank heaven, too. I had a few complications, but for Dr. Aaron, they were nothing. One moment. I see the doctor is free now,” she said, and connected me with Dr. Aaron.
“I’d be delighted to assist you, Kate,” she said when she heard the reason for my call.
“Assist?”
She laughed.
“Yes, that’s the way I see an OB/GYN’s role when it comes to pregnancy and delivery. Nature is really in command. We just listen to Her orders and follow them obediently. You do most of the work here. I would expect you to have a pretty routine pregnancy. Piece of cake,” she added.
“Thank you. I’ll call you after I go through the procedure. I understand it could take a number of attempts.”
“I have no doubt it will happen and the first time,” she said confidently, so confidently that it gave me pause. What was really her experience with this process? The way her receptionist had leaped to conclusions still irked me.
“How many of Dr. Matthews’s clients do you have as patients, if I may ask?”
“Sure you can. I’m not ashamed of it,” she said, laughing. “As I understand it, Kate, I have most of them.”
“Really?”
“Adding you to the list, I might actually have them all,” she said.
Why such a vote of confidence in her should disturb me, I did not know, but her answer took me by surprise.
“All?”
She laughed.
“See you soon in the capacity as your OB/GYN,” she said.
I still couldn’t understand how could she be so sure about that. From what I had read on the Internet and in magazine articles, and from what Dr. Matthews had told us about the percentages of success using frozen sperm, I knew such certainty was anything but usual. When I described the conversation to Willy later, she just shrugged.
“I’m sure she’s doing what she can to build your confidence, Kate. It’s what a good doctor should do, don’t you think?”
“I suppose.”
“Still looking for spiderwebs in every corner?”
“No.”
“Good.” She checked her watch. “Surprise of surprises. Our new candidate is due to arrive here in ten minutes.”
“So soon?”
“She drove up in anticipation she could see us this afternoon. She was able to change some things and wondered if she could pop in. That shows good enthusiasm. There’s a lull so I thought it would actually be better, but if you’d rather skip it and put her off until…”
“I said I’m aboard. Why put her off if she went to the trouble of driving here?”
“Okay. I’ll bring her in. I’m sure you and she will talk about our business software anyway. As you know, it’s Greek to me.”
A little more than a half hour later, I heard laughter and looked out the office window to see Willy with a young woman dressed in jeans and a white tank top. She had short, dark brown hair, but not as short as Willy’s hair. As she drew closer, I saw she was quite dumpy with a small bosom and wide hips. However, she had a sweet, almost childish face with big eyes and a smile that seemed to ripple around her jaws and engulf her features like a mask.
Willy opened the office door and had her step in first.
“Kate, this is Eve Stoner. Eve, my partner, Kate.”
“Hi,” she said extending her hand. It was small with stubby fingers.
“Hi,” I said shaking her hand.
There was something oddly familiar about her.
“I love your setup here,” she said. “Impressive office, too,” she added, nodding at everything as she panned the room.
I guess I was staring and thinking too hard. Willy gave me a look.
“Kate?”
“Oh, yes,” I said. “Please, have a seat.” I nodded at the chair across from me and she sat.
She saw how I was staring at her.
“Sorry,” I said, “but for a moment you reminded me of someone.”
I looked up at Willy, who squinted and pressed the lines of her forehead into a fold of confusion.
“Perhaps it’s someone you just met,” Eve suggested, and then laughed.
“Oh? And who would that be?” I asked.
“Probably Dr. Aaron’s receptionist,” she said. “She’s my older sister.”