Chapter 27
“I thought you said my brother paid Bram’s medical bills. Why did you still have to work two jobs?” He pushed a glass across the countertop.
“He did pay them, and he left enough money in my bank account to pay all of his physiotherapy and speech therapy with money left over. I have only ever used the money for Bram. It’s in a separate account and is only used for his medical appointments. The amount which is left in the account will be used for his community college program.”
“You’re a very responsible person, aren’t you, Famke?”
“I try to be the person I know my folks would be proud of. They pushed social and familial responsibility. They would have done anything for anyone. Bram and I were talking recently about how their funerals were full of people who they had befriended or helped in one way or another. My dad never passed a person on the street who had their hand out without at the very least stopping to talk to them to hear their story. I never want to pass by someone who needs my help and I not honor my father’s memory and ignore them.” She took a breath, “we didn’t have much for money but what we did have, we shared. Because of this, dad and mom really taught us the value of a dollar and how to save and work hard.”
“Is this how you got roped into surrogacy? Did they take advantage of your kindness?”
She shrugged, “Mindy and I bonded over broken hearts and tons of pressure. She kept talking to me about how she could never measure up to the expectations and how the demands on her were causing issues in their marriage. She felt she was on the cusp of losing her husband after losing multiple pregnancies. She was scared of being alone. For me, even though Bram had surgery, he was still touch and go. He couldn’t speak. He couldn’t eat without a feeding tube. He couldn’t even control his bodily functions. It was like dealing with a newborn who was at risk of dying every other day. I was also terrified of being alone.”
“And what had you bonding, with Prince?”
She looked away with a tiny smile, “we didn’t really at first. We talked every day but at first, I didn’t really like him.”
Royal appeared stunned, “really? Everyone loved him!”
“I saw a side maybe the rest of you didn’t. I saw a woman who was so desperate to give her husband a child she had put herself through the hell of IVF, miscarriage after miscarriage and the shame she felt over being less of a woman because she couldn’t procreate to your mother’s satisfaction,” she saw him bristle but she continued, “and instead of supporting her and telling her they could stop or they could adjust their dreams, his words were constantly about how they would find a better doctor or a new clinic or hospital who would be able to give them his dream. He threw money at her as if it would fix her sadness and her broken heart.”
He gave a sad nod of acknowledgement, “what changed then. Why did you grow to like him?”
1/2
Chapter 27
She took a breath, “I caught him with Bram. I was with Mindy talking to the doctor about the procedure for removing my eggs and when I came back, I found he had gone to sit with Bram. The nurses told me he’d been there to visit multiple times. He was talking to him like he was a normal twelve-year-old who could hear every word he was saying. He showed me despite the coldness he displayed, he really was warm and caring when it mattered. He was going to be a great dad.”
“He was an incredible dad.” He took a breath. “Around the time he and Mindy were trying to get pregnant, they had moved to Pittsburgh and his excuse to me at the time was they were having a tough time in their marriage. She had complained she felt overwhelmed by the number of people in our family who were always in their life and how they didn’t have an opportunity to get to know each other as a couple. He moved her away to get their marriage back on track. It was the one and only time he ever told me there were issues and I didn’t put too much into it because I was wrapped up in my own stuff with my company. When they came back, I thought they’d resolved their problems. If he was cold and angry when you first met him, I would guess he was resentful for having to leave his safety net and his job. She made him hide all of their issues and problems and if he discussed it with anyone, she would lose her mind. You read his letters. I think he felt isolated and given how much we’re finding out about her drama and illness he might
have been overwhelmed.”
She took a breath before asking her next question and she took a sip of the wine as she considered her words carefully. “Royal, do you think Mindy abused Precious? I don’t mean physically but maybe verbally or emotionally. I only had one very brief three-week exposure to how she could behave when she was out of sorts. Do you think the reason Prince would take her to your mom’s home was because Mindy’s illness was putting Precious at risk?”
