Finding Her Place

All of my writing is fiction, and the stories and characters are products of my imagination. They were created for my fun and, hopefully, your enjoyment. Some of the events in the stories are not particularly condoned nor encouraged by the author but are there to create and enhance the story of the imaginary characters and their lives. Comments are always encouraged and carefully reviewed. All characters within the story that need to be are 18 years of age or older. I hope you enjoy! And take a second to vote and comment.

I'm not sure where this one came from except that I have a friend in Canada who been a surrogate two times after having two boys of her own. I've talked with her a good bit about it, and this story doesn't actually mirror hers, but uses the general idea. I hope you enjoy it.

~~~

I don't know why I stopped at the Dairy Queen that day, probably because I'd missed lunch again, and I had a five-dollar bill in my wallet, very unusual since Mom and Dad were killed in the accident. They each had only a small insurance policy and very little savings, and by the time two funerals were paid for, there wasn't anything left except the small house that still had a significant mortgage.

Anyway, about the Dairy Queen. My brain was screaming Reese's Blizzard, and obediently, that's what I ordered.

The problem was the good-looking guy who took my order. He was about my age, had a nice smile, and winked at me when he left to fill my order. They weren't too busy, so he came back to the counter, obviously to talk with me, i.e., flirt with me.

I was certainly susceptible to flirting since I hadn't had a boyfriend or even a date in almost a year. I worked as a server at a small family restaurant, and I worked as many hours as possible each week in order to pay the mortgage and buy enough food to survive. Some weeks, the tips were a little better, and I'd have a few dollars of spending money.

And that was why I was at the Dairy Queen today, about to receive some attention from a cute guy.

"I don't think I've seen you in here before," he began.

Fairly standard stuff, but I was willing to give him a little leeway. "I haven't been here for quite a while."

"My loss," he said, sending a little smile in my direction. "What do you do when you're not ordering a blizzard?"

"I'm a server at the Olde Village Diner. It's just up -- "

"-- Yeah, I've been there," he broke in. "Neat little place." He shrugged. "Sounds like I'll have to be stopping in there a little more."

"You're sure welcome any time, and the food is always good."

"And how's the service?"

"As good as I can make it," I answered, and the look on his face made me wonder.

"I'll definitely stop by then," he said and gave me a little wave as he moved to take care of a couple of new customers.

A young girl brought my Blizzard, and I left, heading home to devour it.

True to his word, two days later, he came into the diner.

"As promised, there you are," I said, giving him my biggest smile. I have to admit that I'd thought about him several times in the past couple of days. Maybe I was feeling a little needy, but I'd decided that I wouldn't mind having a boyfriend, although we were a long way from that.

"The food's good, and the server is good, too."

I noticed that he hadn't said

the service

was good.

"What'll you have to drink?" I asked, ignoring what he'd said.

"Just water."

"Do you need a minute?"

"Yeah, let me check the menu for a second."

As I started to walk away, he called to me.

"I'm on my lunch break from the DQ, so just give me a burger with tomato and pickle."

"Got it. Will probably be around ten minutes."

"Before you leave, how about going to a movie with me on Friday or Saturday?"

I'm sure I blinked. He wasn't wasting any time, and I had to decide if I was serious about wanting a boyfriend. It was worth a try.

"Sure," I said.

"Great," he replied.

"Now, I'd better get your order to the kitchen."

I hurried to the kitchen with his rather simple order. On the way, I wondered if he was in the same boat as I was, working in food service and nearly broke. I had to smile. We'd make a great pair if that were true. Two penniless paupers struggling to find something to do at no cost. I laughed. I'd always been accused of being overly dramatic.

The little bell dinged, and I picked up the burger for... I didn't know his name. I had a date with a

mystery man

. I set the burger on the table.

"I'm Gabby Simpson, by the way."

"I was going to ask. I'm Cain Benson," he added and extended his hand. "Oh, soft hand," he said when we shook.

"Thank you," I said. I used lots of lotion and didn't do anything that might damage my hands other than wash dishes. I couldn't afford to buy gloves, and the lotion, which was beginning to run low, was left over from a case my mother had won at a company Christmas party.

"I need your address and cell number," he called after me as I had other customers waiting for me.

"New boyfriend, hon?" a lady who often came to the diner asked.

"I just met him, so not a boyfriend," I answered, then took her order, which was always the same.

Cain had finished his burger by the time I got back to his table. I gave him my address and my cell number, both of which went into his cell phone, which I noticed was nearly as old as mine.

"I'll text you later, so you'll have mine. Have a great day," he said, grabbing his bill, giving me a high-five, and heading for the cash register.

When I cleared his table, I found a two-dollar tip, which doesn't sound like much, but for a bill of only three-fifty, it was pretty good. I knew I'd never get rich at the diner, and two bucks is two bucks.

Friday eventually came, and Cain had let me know he'd pick me up at seven. We were going to a small theater at a mall that had a Friday special. If you were a

couple

, you only had to pay one admission. I popped popcorn and would sneak it in. Water would do for drinks.

I showered and looked at myself in the mirror. It had been a while since I'd had a date, not that I ever dated much. When my mom and dad were killed, I might as well have gone into hibernation since I nearly disappeared from life -- everything except work, which was required for survival.

I was what you might describe as a moderately slender five-six with mousy brown hair, brown eyes, and a reasonable face. Guys had told me I was cute, but I wasn't sure what that meant, or if they really meant it. I guess it was normal to doubt yourself. I never used makeup, and Cain seemed to think I was okay without it. So be it.

There was a knock, and I opened the door.

"Hi, Gabby. I was expecting an apartment, but here you are in a house."

"I inherited it when my parents were killed."

"What?" he said, eyes wide.

"Auto accident." I shrugged. I always had to fight tears when the subject of my patents emerged. I hoped it would get better over time, but I wasn't sure it would.

"I don't know what to say, Gabby."

I felt sorry for Cain. He looked so helpless.

"Don't worry, it's all been said." I hoped to both assure him and console him.

"How long ago?"

"A little over two years, but let's talk about something else, okay?"

"Oh my gosh, yes, I'm sorry." He took a deep breath. "I have been looking forward to spending this evening with you."

"Me too," Cain." I really was looking forward to a change in my humdrum life. It had been two years, and I needed to get my life in order. Or maybe I needed to get a life to put in order. Perhaps I could take a first step.

"It is nice to have the house even though it eats up most of my money."

"That's why I like my cheap apartment. Too much responsibility to have a house. I don't think I'll ever own a house."

I thought everyone wanted to have a house; the bigger, the better. Cain didn't seem to fit that belief. Maybe I'd find out more as I got to know him.

We went to the cheap theater, ate the smuggled popcorn, and made a couple of trips out to the water fountain. He didn't try to hold my hand or put his arm around me, but he did touch my arm, leg, or foot randomly during the movie. There was always a reason for it, but I suspected he manufactured many of the reasons. The movie was a bit boring, but there were too many people there to even be able to whisper, except occasionally.

As we walked to his car, he took hold of my hand. Gathering my courage, I suggested we go to my place and get a snack. I had enough food for my next week's meals, but I'd figure out something.

"If I ever got a house, it would be like this one," he said. "Is this two bedrooms?"

"Just two." I hesitated a moment. Why not, I decided. "Follow me, and I'll give you the full tour."

I showed him the kitchen, which was small, but I didn't need a big kitchen. My cooking was nothing to brag about, so a minimal kitchen served me well. The bathroom was equally small but adequate.

"This was my parent's bedroom. It's bigger, but I can't bring myself to use it."

Cain just nodded.

The second bedroom was small, but it had always been mine. It was a silly attachment, I suppose, but it was the way I felt, and I wasn't going to apologize for it.

"This is mine and has been for I don't know how many years." I gestured into the smaller back bedroom.

"This is kind of cozy, back here in the corner. My apartment is tiny -- just one room. Some people have said it's a studio, but it's just a room. A

studio

sounds quaint and romantic or something. There's nothing like either of those in my place. But it works for me."

We went back to the living room and talked for a few minutes until I finally decided to splurge, knowing I'd probably be eating ramen noodles for dinner the next few nights. I cooked up two burgers, toasted the buns, and it was almost like going to a hamburger place after the movie.

"If we want to see a movie again, we can just come here and watch it on TV. My cable is super basic, but there is stuff to watch."

"Sounds perfect to me, and those burgers you're fixing smell way better than anything at Wendy's or McDonald's."

"Thanks. I think they'll be good."

We each took a big bite, and I have to admit that I'd cooked them just right, at least for me. I think Cain liked his, too.

"So tell me, are you from around here, Cain?"

"If the other side of town is around here, yeah, I am."

"That counts. Are your parents here too?"

"Yeah, they are, but I had to get away from them."

"Sounds drastic. What happened?"

"Nothing specific. They're just always after me, you know. Why don't you go to college or learn a trade, or this or that? It's always something."

I was jealous, of course, that he had parents who cared enough to want to help him in his life. I wished I had at least one to help me along.

"Did you think about college?"

"Only when they'd gripe at me about it. My grades weren't the best, for sure. I didn't like to study. I think you should be able to get through school without having to spend all your time out of school studying. Plus, we didn't have lots of money, so I'd have had to get student loans, and I sure as hell didn't need that. One of my friends from high school has more than $70,000 in student loans that he has to pay off."

"Wow, that's unbelievable. What's your friend doing now?"

"Works downtown at a bank, but I'm not sure which one. Lots of money to pay back. Maybe he can loan himself some money from the bank and pay off those loans," he said with a laugh.

"He'd have to pay that off, too," I reminded him.

"Yeah, I guess. I don't need any of that, though."

We finished the burgers and sat on the couch. I wondered what Cain was thinking as he didn't look like he was anxious to leave.

"You like beer?" he asked suddenly.

"Haven had it much, but it was okay."

He thought for a second. "Listen, I have a six-pack of Bud in the trunk of the car. I'll share it with you if you'd like."

I giggled. I was twenty-three now. "Sure, we can watch something on TV.

Cain went out to get the beer, and I tried to remember when I'd had it before. Maybe when Aunt Nicole and Uncle Sean were at our house before Mom and Dad were killed. That was probably it.

Cain was back with the beer, and we each opened one. I took a big swallow, shivered, said, "Whew," and turned on the TV.

We talked about what we were doing these days and other miscellaneous things until beer number one was finished, and we started on number two. I had a different feeling in my head. I'd heard of getting a buzz on, but it didn't really seem to be a buzz. It just felt kind of cool.

"I think you've gotten me started on a bad habit," I said, giggling.

"You mean drinking beer?"

"Yeah," I answered with another giggle.

"It's a good habit sometimes. Helps you get away from all the shit going on."

"That would be good sometimes," I agreed, sucking in a good bit of the remainder of number two.

"Don't chug it too fast. It goes straight to your brain."

The way my brain was feeling right now, that sounded like a good idea. I finished the one I was working on, tossed the empty across the room, and held out my hand for a third.

Cain obliged, and I quickly heard the delightful hissing sound of the can opening, foam bubbling out on my fingers, which I licked as sensuously as I could, something I couldn't remember ever doing before, although my memory wasn't functioning very well at the moment.

I stood to go to the bathroom and fell backward onto the couch.

"Are you okay," Cain asked, grabbing my hand.

"Getting okay-er by the second," I said with one more giggle.

Cain helped me stand, and the wall helped me get to the bathroom. I think the beer had worked its way through me already. I peed and stumbled out the door, confident I didn't need the wall. I stumbled once, twice, and the third time landed in Cain's lap.

"Wow. A beautiful woman just landed in my lap." He put his arms around me and gently kissed my forehead.

"You mished," I said, surprised at how slurred those two simple words sounded. And surprised that I had said them.

"Well, if I missed, let me try again."

I felt his lips on mine as I struggled to keep my eyes open and return his kiss. I wasn't used to being kissed, but I thought it was nice that someone wanted to kiss me. He was really kissing me, too, and I felt his tongue pushing against my lips, and his hands were squeezing my butt.

I broke the kiss in order to breathe and watched Cain begin unbuttoning my blouse.

"You're a sexy lady, Gabby," he said and began kissing my chest. My blouse had somehow come off, and my bra was around my waist, Cain sucking one nipple and then the other. My body was on fire, but my brain seemed to be lagging behind what was happening because my slacks were off, and so were my panties. Electricity was flashing through my body, and... and...

Cain was helping me up and sat me on the couch.

"You are gorgeous, Gabby, and hotter than hell."

I was panting and not sure why, but I was hot. I was also having trouble concentrating on what was happening. I just felt good and about to explode.

I heard Cain talking.

"Let me get you into bed, and I'll take off," I heard Cain say. "I had a great time tonight, unbelievable, and can't wait to see you again."

I woke up in my bed, naked and with a headache. I went to the kitchen to make some coffee, finding my yesterday's clothing strewn around the living room, empty beer cans by the couch, and a very fuzzy memory of what had happened. The coffee was good, but didn't help my head.

My cell phone sounded, and I found it in the pocket of my slacks. They were short at the diner and wondered if I could fill in. After springing for hamburgers last night, which I remembered, I could use the extra money, even knowing it would be an unpleasant day with the way I was feeling.

~~~

Cain called close to noon, and I had to text back that I was busy at work. I felt my phone vibrate with a text, but I waited to check it until I was ready to go home.

want to get together this evening

exhausted I need to sleep

I'll come over and watch you sleep

Thanks but I just need to sleep

okay 😟

I really did need to sleep, and I certainly didn't need another night like last night, despite my not being able to remember exactly what last night had been. Too much beer, for sure. I really hadn't been aware of what getting drunk meant. People had talked about it, but actually doing it was much different than the talk. Some of it was fun -- the feelings and the giddiness. But not remembering didn't seem too smart.

I did sleep well, though, and if I had any dreams, I didn't remember them in the morning. Just after I'd awakened, my cell phone sounded. It was Kris from the diner, actually the owner of the diner.

"Hi, Kris. You need more help today?" I seemed to be a glutton for punishment, but money was very important to me.

"Mostly, I called to see how you are. You seemed to be really out of it yesterday."

"Yeah, I was, and I'm sorry."

"Are you sick? You don't have Covid, do you?"

Kris had always been good to me, so I might as well be honest with her.

"Well, it's embarrassing, at least for me, but I got very drunk on Friday night, and I guess I had a hangover yesterday. I've never had one before, so I'm not sure." I felt like a teenager talking about my hangover.

"You've never been drunk before, and how'd that happen?"

"I had a date with a guy, and we came back to my place, and he had a six-pack of beer. I think I had three, but I guess I could have had more."

"You don't remember much, huh?"

"Nope. I woke up in the bed yesterday, so, I don't know, maybe he put me there."

"As long as that's all he did," Kris said with a laugh.

I laughed, too. "I don't remember anything else, and I'm okay."

"That's good, and I could sure use you for about four hours this evening if you're available."

"I'll be there."

Kris was not only my boss but a good friend as well, and I appreciated her checking on me.

~~~

Cain and I kept going out, even if it was difficult sometimes. Everything seemed to cost money, and we certainly weren't the kind to be going to museums or art galleries, which were mostly free, I think. We ended up at my house a lot -- we'd been to his studio once after he said he'd cleaned it for me. I couldn't see many signs of cleaning, so we didn't go there again.

I wasn't looking toward to spending the rest of my life with Cain. We got along well and had fun together, so we just hung out when we had the time. I knew that working at the DQ wasn't exactly a career, but he seemed content with that, even though there were other things he could have done.

He did like to bring a six-pack of beer with him often, and we made it last the whole evening, so I hadn't gotten totally smashed again as I did on our first date.

I'll have to admit that the beer got me started, and Cain was able to keep me going until I wanted him, or maybe just wanted sex; I was never sure at the time. He'd bought a box of condoms and just left them at my house because we both knew that if anything was going to happen, it'd be happening there.

And those things had happened more than once, but always in conjunction with the beer. For some reason, I was never interested in sex until I'd had two beers. I guess that should have told me something. I always enjoyed the sex, and Cain seemed to enjoy it too. He kept suggesting that he'd like to spend the night, but I wasn't ready for that. Once again, I was only interested in a casual relationship, and spending the night seemed to indicate something a little more serious.

Cain often seemed interested in my financial situation, particularly the fact that I had a house.