Having taken care of my father for so long now, it was my life. Since his heart attacks and the eventual transplant he needed, we are financially stressed. His funds from his previous fisherman job paid for as much as possible but there were still past due medical bills.
Having been away in college in New York when his transplant was needed, I started working to help pay for my own personal expenses as well as help my father out. Soon, one job became two and my classes started to suffer. I'd actually bought my father’s home so the money he made from the house could be used to pay medical bills. My debt increased dramatically. On the verge of dropping college, I spent a lot of time searching for a better paying job or more hours, something to get us by. Moving back to Winter Harbor with my father was also becoming a real possibility.
Now, Donald was sick again and in and out of the doctor’s office and hospital. The bills once again piled up. The mortgage for the house was about to default. When Donald used to have moments of feeling better he would work under the table for friends but now he was too weak, too sick.
Aidan was a frequent visitor to the apartment and old friend of Dixon, so it wasn’t uncommon to see him around. He’d become a fun acquaintance. It also didn’t throw me off guard when he knew slightly too much about my life. Dixon always acted like a gossipy woman. However, when he suggested he could buy me for four years to be his incubator, I almost punched him in the face.
Did he think I was for sale? I was his last act of desperation? Really?
Walking into work, seeing him sitting smugly at the end of the bar brought the hairs on the back of my neck up. Anger flared in my chest. I stalked down to the end of the bar towards him, his eyes intently on mine.
"What the hell do you want, Aidan?" I snapped. "You here to throw money at me again, did you want to talk with my pimp?"
"Lilli, I never meant to insinuate anything like that," he ran his hand through his already mussed hair. "I don’t think that way about you. I just think that this is a good arrangement for both of us. It would help us both."
"You’re out of your mind if you think you can buy me for four years to be an incubator," I spit out and turned on my heels to walk away.
"Wait," he shouted.
Spinning around. "What?" I snapped.
"Just take this and think about it…" He was pleading with me, not only in his words but with his eyes.
Grabbing the large envelop he was holding out, I walked away. I threw it in the trash can and started my shift behind the bar. Later, I glanced back down the bar. He was gone. Breathing a sigh of relief, I went about my night dealing with overzealous frat boys and arrogant businessmen.
At the end of my shift, I grabbed for my bag. As I reached in for my sweatshirt, I found a large envelope. THE large envelope. How the hell? How dare him!
I must've had one hell of a look on my face because Celia put her hand on my arm.
"Are you okay?"
"No," I growled.
"What the hell is that?" She motioned to the envelope.
When I was finished telling her about Aidan's proposal, she looked thoughtful.
"Celia?" She didn't look pissed like me.
"Lilli," she sighed. "Lilli, do you want me to be honest?"
I stood for a moment not responding and then nodded.
"You work, what, three jobs?" I nodded, again. "And this would take care of all your debt and college?" Anger began to boil in my chest. "Lilli honestly, if it were me, I would consider it. Given everything you're struggling with right now, if I were in your place, I would probably consider it heavily."
"How could you sell yourself?" I seethed.
"Because it would help my family, if I still had one." A moment of sadness flashed in her eyes. "I would do it now if someone told me they could bring them back to me. I would do it." Her voice lowered during the last sentence.
"You could have a child with someone you don’t even know, knowing you will be divorced in four years? How could you do that to a kid?" I still couldn't believe what she was saying.
"Well, it’s not a preference but, at the same time, the child would be loved and well taken care of. I would just make sure that my child always felt that, no matter what was going on, I loved them." She looked me straight in the eye.
"I can’t do it. I’m not for sale and neither is my uterus." I argued.
She shrugged.
"I’m just saying you should at least think about it. Besides, who says you have to agree to all of these terms. If this is a business arrangement, as he calls it, then you can always counter offer." She smirked and put her arm around me walking us out of the club.
~
Over the next couple of days I couldn’t get it out of my mind. The nerve he had to ask this of me, how right he was about me needing the money and Celia being so blasé about the situation. It all infuriated me even more. I decided to call Phoebe.
"Hey doll, what’s up?"
"Oh, just wait till you hear this!" I groaned.
"Ooohh…hold on…let me grab some Twizzlers."
There came a rustling of clothing and drawers opening then closing.
"Okay, Go." She said, excitedly.
"You remember Aidan, right?"