Josie's Chronicle

Capitulo 16

   The night air was crisp but not cold. The clouds floated across the sky in mini puffs like cotton balls.
   Valerie wore a light sweater, not because she thought it would be cool, but because she liked the sweater. It was old and worn at the elbows. It used to be a bright green, but age had taken some of the color. In twenty-two years, she'd never machine washed it or sent it to the cleaners. She had spot cleaned it when she spilled something, but other than that, she's always hung it out to "air clean."
  It had been her mother's sweater. And even though it no longer smelled of her, it was comforting to wear.
It was her second favorite piece of clothing. The first was an old ratty nightgown she'd found in a bin of clothes in a dumpster behind a thrift store. It was a complete representation of a granny gown to her, complete with lace collar and large roses on the fabric, which felt like rayon or polyester. It didn't fit well, but she could pretend that it was passed down through the first born girls in her family. The thought caused her to smile.

  The smell of coffee drew here into the diner about a block from her apartment.
  She was surprised to find It very busy so late at night.
   The barista greeted her warmly, "Is this for here or to-go? The show doesn't start for another half-hour."

     Valerie frowned, "Show?"

The barista chuckled. "Apologies. I just assumed you were here to see the comedy show." Pointing with his head, "That's what they're here for." He handed her a flyer and moved away to prepare her drink. The flyer was in three languages: English, Spanish, and Korean. Valerie looked around the room. She hadn't noticed the diversity of the crowd when she came inside.
   She was intrigued but also a little cautious. She didn't think that she'd meet anyone who knew her, but who knew, really, what people get up to after nine pm on a week night.
   She paid for her drink and sat down to wait for the show to start.
She chose to sit close to the door but also among the crowd. Other people's conversations entertained her. People spoke about everything when they forget that someone, anyone could over hear them.
  It was interesting, also. She took out her phone and pressed record: "I want a baby, but I don't want to endure all the stuff that comes with it." The tall slender blonde said, leaning into her friend's ear.
  The friend laughed. Valerie couldn't see her full face, but her features were more visible when she turned to speak into her friend's ear. "I said, get a surrogate. Those women don't mind the pregnancy stuff. You should talk to your gyno about it."

   The blonde didn't answer right away. She sipped her drink and opened her purse. Valerie saw her hand her friend a folded piece of paper. Valerie tried to shift herself so she could also see the paper. It didn't work.

    The woman read it and handed the paper back to her friend. "So," the woman now turned herself to look at her friend. " He'll be gone 18 months. This means that if we find the right doctor and or surrogate, the baby will be about eight or nine months old when he gets back stateside."

Valerie felt as if a bell had gone off in her head. All she had to do was make a decision about which business card to use, hers or Daniel's. She couldn't vouch for the money situation, so she pulled her card from her purse, finished her drink, and walked around the tables.
   "Hello, I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. I may be of some service to you. I work for a private agency that can help you accomplish your baby goals."
She placed her card face down on the table and covered it with her fingers. All I ask is that you give this to someone who might need my services should you choose not to employ me." She smiled. She enjoyed her work.

   The blonde pulled the card from under Valerie's fingers and read it out loud:

   Valerie Smith. Family Planning Counselor
555-592-6400
By appointment only

    The blondes smiled cautiously. "So, you can help me?"
  Valerie nodded.
"But what about paternity? How would that be handled?" Her friend spoke almost too loudly and the man at the table next to them turned to look in their direction.
Valerie smiled brightly, and speaking with total confidence. "Flawlessly."
  The blonde handed to card to her friend, who put it in her purse. "We'll be in touch. Sooner than later."
Valerie nodded and walked out of the diner. She could here the applause coming from behind her. She laughed. That was truly a worthwhile twenty five minutes!