Chapter 1: In Trouble

It took me extra long to clean the tables after the dinner rush was over at the diner. Some teens thought it'd be funny to stick their gum underneath their table; I had been scraping it for at least fifteen minutes. How much gum had they been chewing?

The diner was one of those retro restaurants that tried to imitate the fifties and had a jukebox playing 24/7. All of us waitresses had to wear fifties style dresses and roller-skates while serving. By the end of a shift, I was pretty exhausted.

Callie was the only one remaining on the shift with me, though she wasn't much help. She had one reason for staying late and it wasn't to help me out. The secret smiles and winks shared between her and our manager made me want to vomit, but I just put my head down and finished cleaning my section.

It had been a couple years since I had been hired for this job. I knew it wasn't something that would help my nonexistent savings account, but at least I could make ends meet.

I knew that I shouldn't be complaining; at twenty-three, I was lucky to be able to pay the rent for my shabby apartment. The few true friends I had did not complain about my life, but I knew they probably pitied me in secret. Maybe someday my luck would change.

I used to dream about having a huge house and a really nice sports car. I was young and naïve back then, though I occasionally found myself thinking about that old desire when things were really bad.

I continued walking towards my car which was five years old and starting to have engine problems. It was a pitiful sight as it had a long scratch on it from the prior owner before me. I was reminded of my living situation

each time I looked at it.

Before I backed up and drove off, my phone started ringing.

I checked the caller ID and answered immediately when I saw it was my younger sister, Lola. Normally, she didn't call unless it was something urgent.

I got a bad feeling in my stomach, but I tried to calmly answer, "Hi Lola. What's going on?"

"Danica, I…I've got something to tell you. I didn't know who else to call."

Major sirens began ringing in my head.

My voice filled with concern as I asked, "Are you okay?"

Her voice got shaky as she said, "No. I'm not. I'm in a huge mess." She hesitated before continuing, "I owe $200,000 to a mobster."

"Oh my God. Lola, how did this happen?"

There was a slight pause on her end of the line. I heard her breathing get shallow which worried me greatly.

This was bad. There was no way that Lola had this kind of money. And from what I knew about local gangsters, they weren't too forgiving when a debt isn't paid. I couldn't believe this was happening.

I knew immediately that I would help her. She was the only family member I had left and I couldn't let her down. Our parents always wanted me to look after my sister, and I would honor their wish.

Lola finally answered, "I swear I wasn't being irresponsible. I made some huge mistakes and got caught up in this mess."

"I'm going to get you out of this."

Lola swallowed and said, "I don't want to burden you, but I didn't know what else to do. I'm so sorry."

"No, it's okay. You aren't burdening me. We're family. Any problem you have is also mine. We're in this together."

She hung up before I could say anything else. I drove off with worry overtaking me. My sister was in deep trouble. She should've known better than to get involved with a mobster.

I had to do something to get her out of the danger she was in. Where would I find the amount of money she needed? I couldn't earn it with the salary from my crappy job as a waitress. I've never gotten very high tips either because of cheapskate customers.

Why did this have to happen to Lola? It wasn't something I ever thought she would get involved in. Now that this was a reality, it made me nervous. How long would the mobster wait for payment?

After getting back to my apartment, I took my hair out of its ponytail and prepared my meager dinner. I looked around at my worn furniture and peeling walls and wondered if I'd ever get a nicer place.

The apartment was supposed to be temporary; I was only going to live there until I got the money for something more permanent. My dream was to have an actual house and a yard.

Maybe someday I'd have that house. Though that dream would now be pushed farther into the future, since I had to focus all my energy and resources to helping Lola.

Seconds later, I started to eat. The beef was sub-par while the potatoes were average tasting. I should've expected that from a microwave meal that was on sale.

After eating for a little bit, I pulled out the newspaper to look at the job ads. I thought that it wouldn't hurt to try to look for a good paying job. My sister couldn't wait long to get the money, so it was better to search sooner than later.

I wanted to find anything that would help me earn cash fast. There were some sketchy looking ads for jobs that I'd never do. I was desperate for money but not that desperate.

One ad stood out to me but sounded too good to be true. The money would be enough to save my sister's life and help me start over, but who would pay that much for a surrogate?

I would never have considered surrogacy in the past but times were different. It was fate that this position was available. I had to at least try to get chosen.

I checked the listing for the position to see when the interviews were being held. Bold letters jumped out to me and stated "Interview days: Monday thru Friday 6 pm until 9pm."

What time was it? I glanced down at my laptop, and saw that it was only 6:30. I still had plenty of time to head over there.

I thought about what to wear to such an important interview. Unfortunately, I didn't have many professional outfits to use.

I quickly changed my clothes into a very nice blouse and black pencil skirt with the only pair of heels I owned. Then I put my blonde hair into a bun before rushing out of the apartment and down the steps.

Luckily, the place for the interview was fifteen minutes away. It was perfect. Maybe the job was meant for me.

I had passed this building on my way to the diner several times. It was the headquarters for Ryan Inc. Before that day, I had never had a reason to go in there.

The company specialized in technology and sold some of the best products out there. They were an expensive brand, so I never had the opportunity to buy any of their items.

I knew my sister had liked what they sold, but I'd never been able to buy her anything. One day I wanted to get her everything she wanted, but that would be a long time from now.

I made my way to my car and drove off, while going a few miles over the speed limit. I really hoped I could get the position. It was a matter of life and death for Lola, so I couldn't waste any precious time.