BAD JOKES (TWO)

"What! You want to have a baby? What kind of joke is this. Haven't you always been proud of the title of the most wanted bachelor in New York, I thought you would never think about getting married and having cute kids to accompany your old age. Did you just have a head damage? Did your brain move an inch?” Wren asked in a howling laugh in the lonely treatment room.

It felt like both of Rafe's hands were itching to punch Wren's disgusting face. He had laughed at him for an issue which he took very seriously because it was related to his future life. He realized that life would not stay like this. Life is always dynamic and his life will change one day. And because of that he needed an heir to handle the whole business when he was no longer able to handle all of it. But unfortunately at this time he really needed Wren's help. Only Wren can fulfill his wish to have a child who can continue his company.

“Is it a mistake if I want a child? Now that I'm twenty-eight, this is the right time to think about having an heir. And speaking of having a kid, I have absolutely no intention of getting married, because I just want a kid. Not a wedding."

"That's not a problem. You can have a kid without getting married. Or you can adopt a kid from an orphanage. Everything you can do with your money, dude."

"I won't adopt a kid from an orphanage because I want my own kid."

“Then you can use a surrogate mother. Right now it's not something that can't be done. Many women are willing to rent out their wombs for money. You won't have a hard time finding women like that."

“Surogacy sounds good, but I can't pick a woman arbitrarily. I have the criteria for the mother of my kid.”

Wren began to sniff out the oddity in Rafe's every word. Even this topic had become weird from the start. The first time Rafe talked about children and he really wanted them. He was starting to worry if Rafe's wish this time would make it difficult for him.

"Then you can find a rich woman from your class to pregnant your baby."

“I thought you really were a very stupid doctor! You can't understand my words." Rafe said sullenly. "It's not me who will look for that woman, but you. Find me a woman who can hold my seed and give birth to my child, you can use the insemination technique on that woman, so that I don't have to impregnate her or marry her to have a baby."

"You are damn crazy! I'm a doctor, not a mobster who can find you a woman to give birth to your child. Besides, why should I? Don't you have many women out there. Your lovers?”

“It can't be one of them. They were too demanding and they would use my child as a tool to blackmail me. I want a woman who will only give birth to my child. After my child is born, she can go back to living her life without the need to bond with me or my child.”

“If you want a woman like that, you will only get an unqualified bitch. They won't be able to give birth to a Charlestonian who really fits your criteria."

“That is why I am asking for your help in finding me a truly good woman, inside and out. I don't want my child to be born from a bitch, I just want my child to be born from a good and virgin woman."

Hearing that Wren felt like raising his hand to surrender. After all, where should he find a good woman and still a virgin to bear Charleston's child. Such women would certainly not give their lives to pregnant with Charleston's child and walk away from Charleston's life after the child was born like nothing had ever happened. Good women always belong to good men. It is the unchangeable rule of the universe. Except Rafe was very lucky and he was able to find a woman of his liking.

“I'm not sure if I can find such a woman or not. Anyway why don't you try to get married? Having a family is not a bad idea. Especially for a rich man like you. I think you would be very suitable to be a family man.”

Rafe shook his head grimly. The idea of ​​being a family man sounded more terrifying than marrying a bitch. A child by his side only to be his heir. He just needed a child for that. A child can be a good investment for him. The child will guard all his property from bad people who will steal it from him.

“I think getting married will be good for you and it will overcome the loneliness you have been feeling for a long time. If you have a wife, you will be greeted with love when you come home from work. You will also be served at any time, in bed or out of bed. I'm sure your life will be much more beautiful if you have someone who will always be by your side. You'll be happy," Wren said earnestly.

But Wren's words made Rafe's face even more gloomy and cloudy. The man clearly didn't like Wren's idea.

“A life like that you will only find in children's fairy tales. Even my father, who was very great, was not able to make it happen with all the power he had. When I was eight, they died after a terrible accident. I don't want to be tied to a woman and get married like my parents did. It's better not to be tied to anyone, but to have a rightful heir of my lineage to inherit all my wealth.”

Rafe told the story of his painful childhood with anger burning from within him. Bad memories when he was abandoned by his parents have turned an innocent little boy into a little boy who is full of anger at the world.

“Your childhood story may not be fun, but why don't you try it to prove that what you believed all along was wrong. Having a family wouldn't be that bad. You are not your father and the woman who is your wife is not your mother. Your story won’t be the same as your parents' story."

Wren tried to give him advice, but it seemed that Rafe had completely closed his heart and chose not to have the misfortune of his father, even though it wouldn't necessarily happen to him.

“Whatever you say, but I really don't want to have any kind of bond with any woman. And what I want right now is a child who can inherit all my assets. So can you do it for me? Looking for a woman to give birth to my child?”

Wren took a deep breath and finally nodded. His friendship with Rafe Wilder was long-standing, and he couldn't possibly just ignore Rafe's wishes. After all, he had helped him a lot so far, and he felt compelled to repay Rafe's kindness during this time.

"I will try it. Get some rest, I'll come back at seven to check on your condition," Wren said quietly before leaving Rafe alone in his room with all the boredom choking the occupants of the room.

-00-

Lexie was huddled alone in front of a closed shop hugging her shivering body. It was still vivid in her mind how her mother scolded her and kicked her out of their house because she hadn't cooked any food for dinner. She didn't do that on purpose. There was always a reason why she would do that instead of doing her usual cooking duties. What's more she knows how his mother's temperament is very explosive like a bomb. He cannot possibly make a fatal mistake because she knows what consequences she will get from her mistake.

This afternoon she felt her body weak. The air around her suddenly became very cold and she shivered all day in her room. Her head was spinning as she tried to walk out of her room, like she was on a roller coaster ride that used to make her dizzy and nauseous. So she decided to lie down for a while in her bed, trying to relieve the dizziness she was feeling before she did the household chores she had to do.

But who would have thought if her mother today was having problems at work. It made her go home with a heavy weight on her shoulders which made her very angry and fierced. Her mother went to her room to spit out all her anger on her and ended up throwing her out of the house. She had been kicked out by her own mother.

Time and time again she tried to beg her mother to be forgiven and allowed her live in their house. But her mother refused. Her mother yelled at her all afternoon until the sky turned dark. Meanwhile, her father also cried silently behind her mother's body that towered in front of the door. Her father could do nothing to help her. Her father could only pull her mother's shoulder away from the door which then her mother pushed him harder which made her father almost fall out of the wheelchair.

She could not see her father also get cruel treatment from her mother. She couldn't see her father being hurt. So she decided to leave her house and now ended up in front of a closed store with the New York weather really really bad. Rain in October. The air was ten times colder with the wind constantly blowing all around her.

Lexie shivered with cold. Her body was shaking like she was a toy that had a battery on her back because she couldn't even stop the shaking in her cold body. In addition, she also felt very dizzy in her head. The throbbing pain seemed to be churning her nerves and she just wanted to lie down on the floor now to rest her head which felt so heavy.

While hugging her body which was only clad in a t-shirt without a jacket and khaki trousers, Lexie was curled up on the dirty shop floor with the dry leaves in the wind.

Slowly Lexie tried to close her eyes while imagining her life that used to be full of happiness. Before her father was fired because of a stroke, her life was really happy. She lives happily like other girls her age and also gets a proper education. But when her father began to develop various diseases that caused complications while she was in high school, her mother's attitude began to change. Her mother often scolded her for no apparent reason. Her mother also grumbled all the time talking about their luckier neighbors because they have a lot of money and good stuff. Her mother also blamed her father several times for her bad life, which had to take care of a paralyzed husband. Then when she was in her last year of school, her mother told her to quit school because they had no more money. Her father's savings have been used up for her father's medical expenses so far and for their lives. And previously she was also in arrears for her school fees for almost a year. Then his mother had to work as a bar singer to pay for her tuition until she finally stopped going to school.

Even though she wanted to continue her education so that she could get a decent job, but her mother forced her to quit and did not want to pay for her further education. Finally since five months ago she became a failing student and could only take care of her father at home. She couldn’t find a job out there, because she didn’t have the certificate of high school that is always required in every job vacancy.

Just last week she found a job vacancy that didn't require certificate of high school as a requirement for applying for a job. And without thinking twice she immediately entered the shop to apply for a job as a cashier because she really needed a job.

She thought her life would only start after this. She had planned a lot of things because she had gotten a job to be a cashier. But then everything fell apart. There is no hope for her anymore. She feels very sick now. Her body was shivering but her skin was as hot as embers. She was not at all sure that she would survive in this cold weather. She couldn't last much longer.

So now she closed her eyes, trying to rest her tired mind while praying to God to always protect her and the people she loves, her father and mother. No matter how bad her mother's nature is, she will not hate her. However her mother had been a very kind and gentle woman. Unfortunately, poverty took the good side of her mother, and replaced her into a terrible monster figure.

"God, I beg you to give the best for them. I love them,” Lexie whispered softly before darkness snatched her whole consciousness.