(Fiction) 'Unconventional Family Planning' Chapter 2: Fulfilling the Terms of a Contract

Chapter 2: Fulfilling the Terms of a Contract

     Ginny took a very diligent attitude towards getting a child; she monitored her cycle regularly, so she had an idea of when she was ovulating. She took her supplements (folic acid, and other prenatal vitamins) to 'help things along'. She even had test kits stocked up to accurately determine when she was most fertile, and hopefully let her know when she conceived. When one of her home test kits indicated that her luteinizing hormone levels were elevated she called to set some appointments with Gerry for 'personal training sessions' over the next few days.

     "Hey Gerry, I'm ready, come over."
     "What? I can't just drop everything when you call and ..."
     "This isn't a 'booty call', I peed on the stick and it indicates that it's likely that I'm ovulating, I just need you to come and do your part and then we can both get on with our day."
     "I have commitments today, I mean it doesn't have to be this minute does it?"
     "Then, can you come over this afternoon sometime? I'm free until four o'clock or so." She said into the air, while checking her day-planner. Her cellphone was on 'speaker'. "How much time do you think we need? I mean how long is your typical refractory period? Can we get two attempts done in an hour?"
     "Twice in an hour may be over ambitious, why don't we start with once per visit? Then play it by ear. I can swing by at two, will that work?" Gerry answered.
     "That's fine, what about tomorrow? when do you have time?"
     "I'm booked solid Tuesdays"
     "Seriously, the 'hormone surge' is happening now, we should try more than once...we only have a thirty-six to forty-eight hour window! I'll come to your place. When do you go to sleep?"
     "Ginny, I'm sorry but, not here, not in the bed that Annie and I..."
     "No one calls me 'Ginny', I'm Ginger..."
     "Sorry. Ginger..."
     "The floor, the couch, whatever. Heck, I'll park in your garage and we can use my back seat."
     "I'll tell Annie that I'll be late for dinner and swing by your place after my five o'clock, will that work?"
     "Yea, you want to eat here? That would give us some help time-wise. I can whip you up some eggs Florentine. You've got to keep your 'count' up, you know...What about Wednesday?"
     "I'll check with Annie...umm...Wednesday, I teach a class at one, so before lunch okay?"
     "I'll pencil you in for ten...oh, crud, I gotta go...see you later, 'k? bye."
     The 'call ended' logo appeared on the screen.

*****

     "Come in Gerry, I just need a 'sec', I stink." She greeted him at the door, while dabbing sweat from her neck with a towel. She had apparently been exercising; she was wearing leggings and a t-shirt, a thin mat was spread on the floor in front of the television.

     "No worries, let me know when you're ready." Gerry replied, then proceeded to sit on the couch and check emails on his smartphone. 

      A moment later he could hear water running, she was taking a shower. About five minutes later his phone buzzed, he was getting a call. Gerry was surprised to see the caller ID indicate that Ginny was calling him.

     "Yo." He answered.
     "Come on upstairs, I'm out of the shower."
     "On my way..." He replied while ending the call.
      She was wearing a full length bathrobe and sitting of the edge of the bed when he arrived. Her hair hung limp and damp. The humid air smelled like strawberry shampoo.
     "So how should we...umm? I mean is there a preferred way to...?" Gerry asked awkwardly.
     "Missionary, I suppose. I couldn't find any definitive research that shows chances are better in any particular way. Will that work for you?" She replied and positioned herself. She kept the robe tied, but pulled the overlapping terrycloth out of the way. She turned her face to the side, and waited. "Whenever you're ready" She prompted.
      He placed his folded Levi's on the chair in the corner then joined her on the bed.
     "Everything okay?" She asked after a moment, he hadn't 'started'.
     "Yea, I just need a minute...I'm sorry this is kind of awkward"
     "Believe me, I understand..."
     They somewhat clumsily, silently, performed the task that they were there to do. They did not embrace, she held on to the sheets, he was levered on his forearms, to keep his weight off her. She kept her head to the side, in order to avoid looking at him. Since he had his eyes closed for the same reason, he did not see her biting her lower lip to keep quiet.

*****

     

     That week Ginger and Gerry continued to meet for their various appointments and made attempts at initiating a pregnancy. Ginger's 'surge' ended and they decided that further attempts would be fruitless until the next month. Gerry and his wife discussed the 'work week' over dinner that Friday.

     "So how was it?" Annie asked?
     "How was what?"
     "Sex with my sister."
     Gerry involuntarily winced. "Awkward, clinical, impersonal."
     "Really?"
     "Yea, I never thought that I would have this hard of a time, I mean getting ready to...
     "So, what do you do? Close your eyes and think of England?"
     "No, I close my eyes and imagine that I'm with you."
     "Oh, no! Don't do that, that isn't fair to her or to me. I can't believe that a 'willing young woman' isn't enough for you to..."
      "You don't understand, we're scheduling time based on hormone levels, this is work, not recreation.We don't kiss, there's no foreplay, no real intimacy, other than the act itself. It's mechanical. Hell, we don't even get fully undressed."
     "Still, I imagine there are worse gigs?"
     "Beats digging ditches, that is for certain. It's a shame though."
     "What is?"
     "The whole situation. Making a baby should be...I don't know, something special, something beautiful, different than this. This feels more like going to the dentist."
     "..." She awkwardly twisted her fingers, seemingly unsure of what to say.
     "I was afraid that this was going to be weird for you..." He said.
     "That's not it...I had a fleeting worry... that she was trying to get even with me."
     "For what?!" Gerry asked, incredulous.
     "Look, like I said, it was a fleeting worry, just for a 'hot minute'. I mean we reconciled years ago and we're on good terms now. We talk all the time, everything's great, but do you remember in high school when we drifted apart from her? When Ginny distanced herself from us?"
     "I don't recall a particular moment...I mean high school drama, and cheer-leading, and what-not, we just had less in common."
     "Well, I remember, because it started when we had a big fight."
     "About what?"
     "About you."  Annie replied, her eyes downcast.
     "About me?! I don't get it, what did I do?"
      "It isn't what you did, more like what I did, with you."
      "I still don't understand."
      "She caught us 'making out' one day, before everyone knew we were dating. It broke her heart. She was waiting for you, she was convinced that you just hadn't yet worked up the nerve to ask her out. It never occurred to her that you and I...It never occurred to her that her that you would want me instead of her."
      "Instead? She felt that way... about me?"
      "Seriously, you really didn't know? When I was an insecure teenager, there were times that I thought that you 'settled' for me, but really wanted her. I mean at one time, before we started dating, I knew you were crushing on her." She held up her hand, stopping his objection. "I know better, I know it, but it's not like you felt nothing towards her, so we fought."
     "Jeez Annie, I was twelve, yea, she was my first crush, if you could call it that. It was one sided, I never told anyone...I never thought.."
     "I know Honey, but it wasn't one sided. She'd always had a thing...always liked you...not that I let her know that I knew that you had a thing for her at one time..."
      "Always liked me?! I mean sure, all those games we played in grammar school, where she wanted a kiss at the end, and what-not...but I never thought that...Why didn't you ever tell me? I feel bad about knowing this now... Back then, did I hurt her?"
     "She was hurt, but you didn't do it, I did."
     "You did?"
     "I still feel guilty about it. Yea, like I said, we fought. She would wear revealing clothing and tell me that she caught you looking, she would rub my nose in how popular she was, and I would rub her nose in how popular I was, with you. How good a kisser you were, how often we told each other 'I love you', I knew I was 'fighting dirty', and I knew she resented me for it. Then she started dating Brad. I didn't care that she had the 'big man on campus', but she hoped that you would...that you would notice her. Then when you and Brad had that altercation in the hallway, you practically made her swoon. She didn't come out and say it, but I thought at the time that if I gave her an opening, she'd swoop in and take you from me."
     "I'm pretty sure that whatever was going on then, it's water under the bridge now. That's she's over me, so to speak."
     "What make you so certain?"
     "I'm not, I just have a feeling. I mean, if I was carrying a torch, I'd go out of my way to be really good in the sack. She's obviously interested in my sperm count, not in me."
     "And you're not going out of your way to..."
     "Of course not. This whole situation is difficult for me. I can manage to 'deliver', but like I said before..."
     "It's okay, Honey, we're all grown-ups now, I know this isn't just 'having fun' for you...."
 

*****

     The next month was a little different. Gerry had a better idea of how long a 'session' would take and he arranged his schedule so that he'd have time mid day. He couldn't change the evening classes that he taught, but the personal training appointments he was able to move around, so he was ready when Ginger called one morning.
   
     "Looks like I'm ready, hopefully eggs are poppin', when can you come over?" Ginger asked.
     "I cleared extra time around lunch, just about every day, so when do you want me?"
     "I meant today, now, if possible."
     "I have an appointment at ten, I can be at your place at eleven thirty and then I'm yours until two."
     "Two and a half hours? Did you want to try more than once?"
     "I figured I gotta eat lunch too, but that's the window."
     "Have lunch here."
     "Okay, you know what I like. Or did you want me to pick up something on the way?"
     "No, my fridge is full, see you at eleven thirty or so."
     "'Till then."

     A couple of hours later, Gerry arrived and the Hendersons' house. When he rang the doorbell, Ginger greeted him. She wore a pink silky kimono-like robe, and apparently nothing else.

     "Nice to see you Ginny." He said as he entered and gave her a friendly peck on the cheek.
     "Come on 'Ger', it's 'Ginger'...how are you?"
     "It's a hard habit to break Gin...Ginger...see? I almost did it again. I never did get used to 'Ginger', in my mind you've always been my 'Ginny' or on occasion 'Princess', but if you prefer..."
     "I guess it's fine, if it's you." Is what she said, but what the thought was 'I'm still his Princess!!'
     "Thanks, Ginny."
      "So, lunch before or after?" Ginny asked. Her voice involuntarily got a little huskier, she was hoping he'd say 'after'. She crossed her arms across her chest self-consciously, hoping that Gerry wouldn't comment on the 'high-beams' being on.
     "I think we'd be more comfortable having lunch after, don't you? I mean we can take our time and chat over the meal and..."
     "Shall we, then?" Ginny interrupted as she took his hand and lead him upstairs.