Friday, April 2, 2010

Seed Of Hope

After years of unsuccessful IVF treatment, my partner and I were resigned to a life devoid of the pitter patter of tiny feet that we so craved. Our converted nineteenth century cottage felt so empty, and no amount of agas or bespoke furniture could fill it up. At an age where the ticking of time was beating louder and louder, my wife insisted we see a doctor to discuss our final options. The idea of traditional surrogacy had been bandied about and dismissed out of hand by Laura on previous occasions, but broken down by constant disappointment she confessed she may have to re-evaluate.
Our Doctor, a kindly Serb, suggested a gestational carrier, but warned us (as if we needed reminding) that time was not on our side and it was paramount to instigate an agreement with a surrogate. That autumn we racked our brains, making desperate pleas to friends and family metronomically. Cash was offered often, and refused politely. Laura cried herself to sleep every night while I stayed in the study chain smoking, reading Shakespearian tragedies. Fate though, cruel and unusual mistress that she is, provided a fillip when a young lady from Bilbao moved in next door. One night over dinner (Croquettes of suckling pig, fried quail egg and foie gras served with pancetta and a red pepper mostardo) she talked about her financial troubles and I, with our search for a surrogacy never far from my mind, made her an offer she could not refuse. The payoff, plus the exorbitant cost of this and previous procedures had stretched us beyond financial breaking point and this represented our one last throw of the dice. Late autumn saw the embryo implanted and then we waited in hope. Alas, at work one evening I received a call from a frantic Laura, informing me the embryo had not taken. Without the financial means to try again, the bleak, leafless trees seemed to mock me as I drove home. I pushed open the door and there she was, barely moving by the fire, tears streaming down her face. I approached, touched her hair and whispered "I guess we should never have put all our eggs in one Basque."