It was full dark outside, and Mia realized she must have been deliberating Rami's offer for at least a couple of hours. She told herself to keep thinking it over, even though she was already halfway convinced that it was the best option open to her. To appease her growling stomach, she went into the kitchen and began to make up a plain but healthy meal of garbanzo beans, curry, and rice. She considered the benefits, risks and negatives of Rami's offer. "If I was getting a hundred thousand a month, I could certainly afford to eat half decently," Mia said, thinking out loud as she stirred the little pot of curry. "I wouldn't have to wake up at the crack of dawn every day, and I could spend more time with mom." Rami had said he wouldn't want her telling anyone about their arrangement, but she would have to tell her mother something. She couldn't just start paying off hospital bills without giving any hint of where she had gotten the money.
As she ate, Mia began to lean more and more towards accepting Rami's offer. It answered every last thing that she needed in her life at the moment, and while the idea of being pregnant was more than a little frightening, Mia couldn't deny that she would be in the best possible situation to deal with anything that came up in a pregnancy. She knew Rami wouldn't skimp on medical care for his unborn child-and by extension, the mother of said child-when he was paying so dearly for the baby he wanted. She was realistic enough to know there were some complications even modern medicine couldn't prevent, but she liked her odds much more than if she had somehow managed to get pregnant in her current situation, with no outside support.
After she had eaten and washed her dishes, Mia picked up her phone and took a deep breath before dialing Rami's number. The call connected on the second ring. "Mia! I wasn't expecting to hear from you for a day or two. Is everything okay?" Mia smiled as she heard the genuine worry in his voice.
"I'm fine," she said. "I've just been giving a lot of thought about what you asked me."
"If you've come to a decision this fast? Mia, if you need time to really consider it, please, by all means, don't rush."
"I want to do it." The words were out of Mia's mouth before she could stop or change them in any way. "I mean-I have some?concerns, and there are some things that I want to make sure of, but?it's the best offer I've ever had and probably the best I'll ever get."
"You could always find a rich man to marry you," Rami suggested playfully.
"When am I likely to do that?" Mia laughed. "I only ever leave my house to work or run errands. You're the first rich guy I've ever run into at the supermarket." Rami laughed with her.
"Do you really think you want to do this? I don't want you to feel like you have to."
Mia hesitated before replying. "It'll give me a chance to pay off my mom's debts and take care of her; to really give her the care she needs. It's enough money to do that and take time away from work. It's the best option I have." Mia took a deep breath. "There are a few things I want to make sure we're clear on, but it's really generous of you."
"Like I said-if you need more than I originally stated, I'm willing to pay." Mia shook her head; she wasn't sure Rami would ever understand the value of the money he was throwing around.
"It's just?there are a few conditions," Mia said slowly, sitting back on the couch. "I would want to make sure that if-if something happens to me?"
"Nothing will happen to you," Rami said confidently. "You'll have the best medical care in the world."
"Even with the best medical care, women do sometimes?die?having children," Mia said, pushing aside her own worry on that subject. "And if that did happen to me, I'd hope you would agree to pay my mom for the cost of-of burying me."
"Of course, I will make sure she receives the full amount of whatever is left," Rami said. "I don't think we'll have to worry about that, but you're right to put your own mind at ease." Mia smiled, relieved that agreed with her condition.
"Also, my mom will have to know what I'm doing. She won't tell anyone else, and I won't, but if I suddenly get pregnant and come into a ton of money?" Mia shrugged, looking at herself in the mirror over her entertainment center.
"Right-right, I understand. We wouldn't want your mother thinking you've turned to a life of crime."
Mia chuckled. "I was going to say prostitution, but that's technically a crime." Rami laughed. "Also, you-you're clear that we'll be doing this through IVF. You're not?you don't expect me to?"
"Oh? No, no, I don't expect you to suddenly start having sex with me. I have a doctor in mind, one of the best in the field. She will take care of everything for both of us." Mia let out a breath she hadn't been aware she was holding.
"Well, in that case? I think that covers everything," she said, smiling brightly. "When did you want to start? I'll need some time to take care of things at work?but then, that doesn't really affect you does it. Oh God, I'm babbling, sorry." Rami chuckled at the other end of the line.
"You just made a huge decision, Mia, I'd be surprised if you weren't babbling," he said, his voice full of warmth.
"Oh-there was one other thing," Mia said. Her cheeks warmed with a blush as the thought occurred to her. "Why did you ask me to do this?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, why me in particular? I'm sure there are lots of other women who would be completely willing, and who wouldn't have any of the conditions I have-who are probably prettier than I am?" Mia frowned at her reflection.
"I know we don't know each other very well, but there's something special about you, Mia. You have this?warmth about you," Rami said, speaking slowly, thoughtfully. "I noticed it the first time we met. You're so-open, and kind, and sweet. And you're much prettier than you seem to think." Mia's blush deepened and she felt relieved that Rami couldn't see her. "I wanted someone who would be?nurturing, I guess. I didn't want someone who would just take my money and "turn up", as it were. I thought with you, you would make the baby the top priority; that you'd care about it, and take care of yourself for his or her sake. That's the kind of start I want for my child." Mia felt her eyes stinging with tears and bit her bottom lip, taking a slow breath to push the reaction down.
"That's-thank you. That's one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me."
"I'm honored that you're willing to do this for me, Mia. You're a generous, big-hearted person, and I will owe you a debt for the rest of my life." Mia smiled, taking another breath and exhaling slowly.
"So?" she said, "how exactly are we going to do this?"
"First, I will need you to meet with my accountant t
o arrange the first transfer to your account," Rami said. "Then, when you're ready, we can book a consultation." Rami paused for a moment. "How much notice will you need to give the school that you're planning to go on leave?" Mia considered the question.
"I think I need to give them a month," she said. "But I can go to appointments and things during that time-especially if you can find someone who's willing to see me on a weekend."
"That can definitely be arranged," Rami said. "Oh I'm so excited! Mia, you have no idea. You're an angel, really. Thank you so much. I'll contact my accountant to let him know he needs to meet with you. I'll tell him to call you, and he should be able to see you after work one day soon." Mia nodded. She couldn't quite believe she had made such a momentous decision in such a short time-but now that she had made the choice, she was glad that Rami wasn't going to put her on hold to wait for a long negotiation or anything else. She wanted to get down to the business of carrying his child as quickly as possible.