This is not a stroke story.
It’s an emotionally painful romance.
The only sex that approaches explicit is phone sex.


Chapter 2

Saturday
About Hope:


I was still upset Saturday morning. I thought she probably was too. I was pretty sure that she’d call but I didn’t know when. I sure didn’t expect it to be in the middle of the day.

“Hello.”

“Don?”

“This is a nice surprise, I didn’t expect you to call until tonight.”

“I was just hoping to talk a little during the day. When I’m not such a mess. I wanted to show you that I really am better during the day. Can you talk for a little while?”

“I can talk for as long as you want, but I’ve got to warn you, I’m just as screwed up during the day as I am at night.”

“It’s okay, I just called to talk a little, that’s all I’ll ever really need.”

“Hope, can I ask you a question? It’s kind of important to me.”

It was a few seconds before she answered, “I can’t talk about some things. Not even during the day.”

“You weren’t really looking for a housemate when you put your ad on the bulletin board were you?”

I started to panic when she hesitated again.

“I told myself I was. But you’re right, inside I knew better. I’m not even ready for a real boyfriend. I just needed to find someone that could care about me. And the kids.”

After a few moments she went on, “I only got two other calls before yours. They were both looking for bedmates. I took the ad down Wednesday morning.”

“I’m glad. Do you feel okay talking about what’s going on in your lives right now?”

“There’re still some things happening that hurt. But they’re getting settled and slowly moving into our past.”

“If it’s okay to ask, how are you doing financially?”

“I’m pretty self-sufficient.”

If my mouth had been full, I would have sprayed it all over. I think I giggled. “That’s about a perfect answer. Exactly what I hoped to hear and a payback too.”

“Aren’t you going to ask me how I make a living and take care of the kids too?”

“I was wondering.”

“Brace yourself, this may be a little shocking.”

“Okay.”

“I get a little child support, I sell stuff on the internet, and I work as a surrogate mother.”

She was right, I was shocked.

“Are you working now?”

“I’m almost seven months along….and I’m getting a substantial bonus for twins…..are you okay with that?”

“I’m okay with it but I’ve got to tell you that it turns me on. Are you okay with that?”

Now she took a turn giggling.

“Aren’t you going to ask me what I sell on the internet?”

“The surrogate mother business kind of distracted me. What do you sell?”

“Breast milk.”

I was nearly speechless. The term “pregnant pause” exploded in my head. I wasn’t far from another explosion about three feet below that one. “You’ve got my attention now, Mr. Happy’s waking up too.”

She giggled again, “I was pretty sure that if pregnant got to you then breast milk would too…Don, I’m not frigid, I just can’t trust men, at least not anytime soon. If you want to touch yourself, it would turn me on too.”

“Hope, this is going to be over way too quick for you.”

“All I need is for you to talk, sort of like when you hold me at night.”

So I told her exactly what I was doing until I made my mess. Then I started telling her what I’d be doing for her, if I was with her. It didn’t take her very long to get just a little noisy. When she quieted down, I gave her a long, slow phone hug, this time with kisses. Then she ruined it again.

Very quietly she said, “I love you.”

It felt exactly like the day before. And she figured it out in about three seconds.

In exactly the same quiet voice, “I really wish I hadn’t said that.”

“I love you too.” It was all I could do to force the words out.