Chapter 13 Your surrogate sent a message
Loney’s face lightened up in anticipation when a notification of an email popped in the corner of the screen of his laptop. He clicked it open instantly, when he saw that it was from Dina. His expression became unreadable as he glanced at the pregnancy test attached. He dialed her phone number instantly, "which of the samples did you take?"
"Blood sir, just as you instructed.”
He paused for a moment and said, "Send it to her."
Danica received an envelope, instantly understanding that it was the test result. She opened it eagerly to be met with disappointment. She wasn't pregnant. "It means you will meet with the master again. Don't worry, these things are unpredictable, especially when it's not done at the right time."
Mabel tried to console her when she noticed her disappointment. Meanwhile, Danica hadn't understood Mabel’s words. "What do you mean by that?"
"Well, negative doesn't mean that you are not fertile. It only means that it happened at the time your eggs weren't released."
Mabel spoke casually but Danica was slightly embarrassed. She never kept track of her calender which made her agree that Mabel was right but also felt embarrassed to be keeping a calendar of her cycle in preparation for a stranger to have sex with her, which made her ashamed. She began to despise her decision to accept this whole thing in the first place. She also hoped that it would be worth it in the long run when Daniella turned over a new leaf. "I know that but how can I see him at the time that my egg is released? Three weeks have been wasted already which means that I need to spend another nine months here, making ten."
"Come on, this place isn't bad, why do you want to go? and who would cook us all the delicious meals?" Mabel squeezed her cheeks playfully.
Danica let out a smile, "thank you for the compliment, Mabel but I have a life too. I had a job and there was this guy who cared about me so much. I left without telling anyone except my best friend and I miss church. I miss the kids at the children's department. I miss my work at the restaurant and also volunteering at the shelter. I can't do all that here." Danica’s countenance was so saddened that Mabel felt sympathy for her.
"I'm sorry. I never knew that you had such a busy life. So why did you choose to be his surrogate?"
"I'd rather not talk about it, Mabel. It will only get me depressed."
"It's okay, my child. Master pays so well. I don't think that you would need to return to your old job. You could start your own restaurant and would have lots of money to help people at the shelter. Of course you can't make up for the time you would be away from the children but you can still contribute positively to their life when you return."
Danica realized that Mabel did not only try to comfort her but gave good suggestions therefore, she registered them on her mind."That's a good idea. At least, all is not lost but when is the master coming again?"
"I don't know. I think Paul conveyed your message the last time which was why he came."
"How did you know that I sent him a message?"
"Come on, my child, I am the housekeeper and therefore, I have ears everywhere in this house. You can send another message through Paul. It would get delivered. Just as you said, the earlier the better."
"Thank you, Mabel."
"You are welcome, my child." Mabel was moved to help Danica because she saw her as a daughter and besides, Danica was a good girl.
Acting on Mabel's advice, Danica went to see Paul. This time, not only did she want to convey a message but she also wanted the day and time. Paul called Loney after Danica left.
"Loney, you surrogate wants me to pass a message to you, ” Paul said as soon as Loney answered the call. Since that night, Loney had never stopped thinking about Danica. Therefore, he instantly answered any call coming through from the mansion. Even if he doesn’t receive a call, he would call to find out how Danica was faring.
"What is it? Loney was impatient since it involved Danica. Paul was surprised but did not show it.
“She said the test result was negative, which means two weeks wasted. She requests your presence at once."
Loney was excited about the test result. He was marveled that he would get to have another blissful night with Danica. That was his reason for stating once a month in the agreement. He didn't want Danica to get pregnant quickly. However, he also feared that he was falling in love with Daniella again and would get rejected if he proposed to her. He hoped that seeing her once a month would make her want him as much as he wanted her. "I'm sorry but I'm very busy with work. We are at the peak of construction and I can't leave now. Tell her to re-read her contract. It states once a month so I will make time to see her in two weeks."
Loney didn't want Paul to deduce from his tone just how excited he felt that Danica was calling the shots.
"Okay,” Paul said and hung up the phone.
When Paul conveyed Loney's message to Danica, not only did her face fall in embarrassment but she was also gravely disappointed. She wondered what Loney must have been thinking of her and felt ashamed. She should have kept in mind that it was once a month.
Meanwhile, things were just working in Loney's favour. His plan to embalm his name on Daniella's mind was working on Danica. He wanted her to want and need him as much as he wanted and needed her in their college days. He didn't know what he wanted as the outcome but having the fulfilment of being needed by Daniella was enough. Sadly, Danica was only paying the price for her sister's sins.
It was sunday and Daniella was dressed for church. This time, she agreed to meet Herty there. She dressed in Daniella's clothes with no makeup. Her shoe was just an inch high and she began to feel comfortable in them.
She also got to church earlier than the last time. The opening prayer had just began. She saw Herty and sat close to her but her eyes lingered around, looking for Jones. She saw him walk to the pulpit to lead worship and that was when she realized that she didn't even know much about him. The last time they went out, Jones focussed on her and therefore, she never guessed that he was a lead singer.
She saw him lead the worship first and then move to praises. She was amazed and followed along. She found herself enjoying the service so much that she was disgruntled when it ended.
"Danica, are you ready for the kids?" Jones’ baritone voice sounded behind her just as Herty was about to go and welcome the newcomers.
Daniella nodded. This time, she came with some sweets too. She had also started taking her Bible seriously to impress Jones. She knew that he wasn't the kind of guy she would want to get married to but she also couldn't stay away from him. He was like a magnet, drawing her closer to him.
"Sure. I got them some sweets and I learned some new moves for their choreography.”
"That's amazing," Jones exclaimed. He could feel Daniella becoming more of Danica.
Daniella was excited when she saw the kids. She sang and danced with them and gave them candies after. She also stayed back and served at the shelter. She was beginning to enjoy and appreciate her new life, making Herty feel out of place. Herty was happy that Daniella was being a good girl but she couldn't help thinking about Danica and wondered whether Daniella ever missed her sister. Also, from the way Daniella and Jones we're getting close, Herty was uncomfortable. She couldn't bear seeing Danica broken-hearted after all that she sacrificed.
Jones offered to drive Daniella home which surprised her. "You have a car?"
"Yes. Ohhh I forgot that you lost your memory. I took it for servicing and just went to pick it up. That reminds me. We need to polish those driving skills of yours. You haven't practised in a while and you might end up failing all together when the time comes for the test."
"Me? Driving?" Daniella never recalled Danica or Herty speaking about Danica learning how to drive. Still she was determined to learn, not just for herself but also to please Jones.
"Yes. So what about next week tuesday? I will pick you up after work."
"Sure."
"One more thing. Why did you stop going to work? I see you've been spending a lot of time at home. What do you do? And how do you feed? Don't worry, you always told me about your finances and how hard things were even though you never accepted my help."
Daniella wasn't expecting Jones to ask all those questions and was therefore unprepared. "I stopped going to work because…”