and Tumelo in the small stockroom, so this should be an ideal time to break the news.
I pulled my sweater closer and walked into the stockroom, then shivered and nodded good morning.
âMandy.â Mama Isaâs brows lifted as she stepped forward and kissed me on the forehead, the traditional family greeting. âWhat brings you in so early?â
âI have news.â I looked around the circle, waiting for their undivided attention. Amelia lowered her pricing gun and Mario stopped cutting empty boxes long enough to shoot me a curious look.
âBuenos dÃas.â I smiled and tried to maintain a serene expression. âI have an announcement, and thought it would be easier if I talked to everyone at once.â
â¡Gloria a Dios!â Mama Isa clapped, and one glance at her hope-filled face told me what she expected to hear.
âLo siento.â I gave her a sad smile. âBut Gideon and I arenât having a baby. Not yet, anyway.â
Amelia caught my wrist. âYouâre not quitting work, are you?â
âNo.â
âThen what?â Mario ripped a strip of sealing tape from the box heâd been breaking down. âWe have customers waiting outside.â
I lifted my chin and spoke with quiet firmness. âI have decided to volunteer to be a surrogate for a woman who canât carry a baby on her own. Doing this will help us be able to buy a house one day, and Iâll be able to do something amazing for a childless couple.â
Mama Isa turned to Amelia. âWhat is she saying?â
Amelia shook her head. âElla quiere ser una madre sustituta.â
â¿Qué?â
âYou donât want to know, Mama.â
Tumelo elbowed Jorge. â¿Soy un abuelo? ¿Ella va a tener un bebé?â
Amelia lifted her chin and ripped open a box of plantain chips. âNot if she has any sense, she isnât.â
My cousin grabbed the carton of chips and headed to the front of the store, leaving me to face the others alone.
âWell.â I spread my hands. âIâm still investigating the application process, so this isnât definite. But I have an agency in mind and everything looks promising. I wanted you to know in case it all works out. I didnât want you to be surprised if I need to take some time off for tests and things.â
My heart sank as Tumelo walked away, shaking his head. Maybe I was expecting too much from my father-in-law and the others of his generation. They hadnât grown up with the technology people my age took for granted.
I walked to the checkout stand, ready to begin my day, but as I left I heard Mama Isa ask Mario, â¿Es ella loca?â
I didnât have to be fluent in Spanish to know she thought Iâd gone crazy.
Though my relativesâ lack of support cast a pall over my enthusiasm, ultimately it didnât matter. Let them think me loca ; let them mutter all they wanted. As young adults in the twenty-first century, Gideon and I were going to take full advantage of the opportunities available to us. I was going to be a gestational carrier, and the sooner I got started, the better off Iâd be.
At the stroke of seven, Tumelo unlocked the front door. I took care of a customer whoâd been waiting for one of the cellophane-wrapped pastries on the counter, then quietly pulled my cell phone from my purse.
Through an Internet search Iâd discovered a surrogacy agency in St. Petersburg, so I wouldnât have far to drive for an interview.
Grasping the last shreds of my courage, I unlocked my phone. Though I knew the agencyâs office wouldnât be open this early, I hoped to leave a message and request a callback. I punched in the agencyâs number, then lost my nerve and hung up.
Why was I so nervous about committing to a phone call? Gideon had given his permission, and his opinion mattered more than anyone elseâs. My mom might never see things from
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