The Surrogate

KATE, YOU COME HERE RIGHT NOW!

OH, GOD. OH, MY GOD. KATE!

DADDY, PLEASE, JUST LISTEN TO ME.

JUST LISTEN TO ME, PLEASE. KATHERINE, YOU STOP.

YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND. NO, PLEASE, DADDY, NO!

GET AWAY FROM THERE.

NO, NO, PLEASE.

OOH! UGH!

BITCH!

COME BACK HERE.

KATHERINE, COME HERE.

YOU GET OUT OF THERE. COME BACK HERE.

SO WHY DO YOU NEED A SURROGATE?

WELL, FOUR YEARS AGO I MISCARRIED,

AND SHORTLY AFTER I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH OVARIAN CANCER.

I ALWAYS KNEW THAT I WANTED TO HAVE CHILDREN,

SO I HAD MY EGGS FROZEN AND...

THEN THEY TOOK OUT THE OVARIES AND THE TUBES AND...YOU NAME IT.

AND THEN JUST LAST MONTH I WAS TOLD

THAT I HAVE ONE VIABLE EMBRYO LEFT IN THE FRIDGE,

SO THIS IS MY LAST SHOT.

ARE YOU MARRIED?

YEAH, HE'S--HE'S EXCITED ABOUT DOING THIS.

WHAT'S HIS NAME? WHAT DOES HE DO?

JACOB. HE'S A WRITER AND A TEACHER.

JACOB, JACOB KELLY? JACOB KELLY, THE NOVELIST?

THAT'S MY GUY.

SO LIKE WE TALKED ABOUT IN LAST SEMESTER'S CLASS,

WHAT YOUR CHARACTER DOES,

PARTICULARLY AT THE END OF THE STORY,

SPELLS OUT THE MEANING OF THE STORY.

MS. McKENDRICK, YOUR ENDING,

WHO DOES WHAT TO WHOM WITH WHICH AND WHY?

WELL, SHE KILLS THE BAD GIRL,

BUT THAT'S SO CLICHE.

MY STORY SUCKS.

NOT SO FAST. WHAT DOES YOUR VILLAIN DO?

REMEMBER, EVERYONE, YOUR VILLAIN IS MORE IMPORTANT TO THE PLOT THAN YOUR HERO.

SO KEEP AN EYE ON THE BAD GIRL.

WHAT ELSE YOU GOT?

WELL, IT'S ABOUT THIS LITTLE BOY...

AND IT'S ABOUT THEIR RELATIONSHIP.

THERE'S A SCENE WHERE THE GIRL'S IN LOVE WITH THE GUY.

YEAH. RIGHT, OKAY?

SO HOW DO YOU SHOW IT?

WELL, I DON'T WANT TO BE OBVIOUS.

NO, IT'S OKAY. PLEASE, BE OBVIOUS.

YOU ALL KNOW KATE, RIGHT?

WORKS IN THE FRONT OFFICE.

SO LET'S SAY YOUR CHARACTER DOES SOMETHING LIKE...

AND YOU CAN JUST HELP ME DEMONSTRATE HERE, SOMETHING LIKE--

OH, PROFESSOR KELLY.

OH, MY GOSH.

I SERIOUSLY THINK THIS SEMESTER MORE THAN ANY OTHER

THE KIDS SEEM REALLY, REALLY ENGAGED.

YOU SHOULD HEAR SOME OF THE STORIES...

HI, JACOB. HI. HEY.

I WANTED TO TELL YOU THAT EVERYBODY IN THE OFFICE

THINKS THAT YOU ARE ONE OF THE BEST TEACHERS ON CAMPUS.

THANK YOU.

WOULD YOU SIGN THIS? SURE.

I'M EXCITED TO START READING IT.

IF ONLY YOU KNEW HOW MUCH I NEEDED TO HEAR THAT RIGHT NOW.

ARE YOU WORKING ON ANYTHING NOW?

YEAH, I'M WORKING ON A NEW OUTLINE RIGHT NOW.

SO, UM, UH...

TRUTHFULLY, I HAVE SORT OF BEEN BLOCKED FOR A WHILE LATELY.

BUT I'LL GET BACK TO IT SOMEDAY.

WELL, I'M SURE WHICHEVER NOVEL YOU DO NEXT WILL BE AMAZING. THANKS.

HEY, SWEETIE. SORRY, I'M LATE. HEY, HI.

I WAS SHOWING A HOUSE ON THE WEST SIDE AND THE BUYER WAS LATE.

OH, MAN. KATE, YOU REMEMBER MY WIFE, ALLISON.

YES, HI, FROM THE CHRISTMAS PARTY.

YES, HI, KATE. GOOD. HOW ARE YOU?

GOOD. HOW'S THE REAL ES--?

HEY, CAN I TALK TO YOU REAL QUICK? SURE, YEAH.

I DON'T KNOW IF I COULD DO IT.

WHAT?

FORGIVE A MAN AFTER HE CHEATED ON ME.

JACOB KELLY HAD AN AFFAIR?

OH, YOU DIDN'T KNOW?

YEAH, HE TALKED ABOUT IT ON TV.

HAPPENED ABOUT FIVE YEARS AGO.

WITH WHO?

SOME OLD GIRLFRIEND FROM COLLEGE.

YOU KNOW, MAYBE I COULD FORGIVE HIM.

GOOD-LOOKING MAN LIKE THAT?

SO THE COST IS A LITTLE MORE THAN WE THOUGHT.

WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT?

ALL IN, ABOUT 90.

$90,000?

I THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO BE LIKE 15.

WELL, 15 IS THE SURROGATE'S FEE,

AND THEN THERE'S THE FERTILITY DRUGS AND THE IVF,

AND THEY'VE GOT TO TRANSFER THE EMBRYO AND--THERE'S A LOT.

I MEAN, YOU KNOW, WE TALKED ABOUT THIS A YEAR AGO.

YEAH, I KNOW WE SUGGESTED THIS BEFORE,

BUT WHY DON'T WE JUST GET A FRIEND TO DO IT?

OKAY, WHO? I MEAN, DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE?

WELL, NO.

LOOK, I REALLY LIKE THIS GIRL.

HER NAME IS REMY.

WE HAVE A MEETING WITH HER 00 a.m.

AT THE CARRIER'S CLINIC.

OKAY.

PLEASE DON'T WORRY. I'VE GOT TIME.

I WAS A SURROGATE FOR MY OLDER SISTER THREE YEARS AGO,

AND, WELL, I REALLY LOVED BEING PREGNANT, YOU KNOW?

AND THE FEELING OF HAVING A LIFE GROWING INSIDE YOU IT'S--

IT'S JUST INDESCRIBABLE.

AND--AND I WOULD WANT EVERY WOMAN TO EXPERIENCE THAT.

AND MY HEART GOES OUT TO WOMEN WHO CAN'T,

AND, YOU KNOW, THAT'S THE MAIN REASON WHY I DO THIS.

AND WHAT GUARANTEE DO WE HAVE, THAT--

AND, NO OFFENSE, THAT REMY WON'T BE OUT DRINKING AND PARTYING ALL NIGHT?

WELL, ALL OF OUR SURROGATES ARE TESTED REGULARLY.

THAT WON'T BE AN ISSUE. OKAY.

BESIDES, REMY HAS NEVER BEEN A PARTY ANIMAL, CORRECT?

THAT'S RIGHT. I'M PRETTY BORING.

NOW, WHY DON'T THE TWO OF YOU GO AWAY,

THINK ABOUT IT,

AND WHEN YOU'VE REACHED A DECISION,

COME BACK AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT IT?

ACTUALLY, WE ARE READY TO DO THIS.

WELL, GOOD, GREAT.

HERE YOU GO.

WHERE DO WE SIGN?

YEAH, THAT WAS QUICK.

THAT WAS VERY FAST.

WELL, ALL RIGHT, SO WE'RE GONNA DO THIS.

I'M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO IT.

WELL, THAT WAS-- THAT WAS QUICK.

AND, UH, AND I GUESS THIS IS IT.

HEY, LISTEN, WE CAN GIVE YOU A RIDE.

OH, NO, THE METRO'S REALLY CLOSE.

THANK YOU, THOUGH. SURE.

AND I GUESS WE'LL SEE YOU AT THE HOSPITAL NEXT WEEK.

OKAY, GREAT.

WELL, I LOOK FORWARD TO...

HAVING OUR BABY.

THERE IT IS. PUT IT RIGHT OUT THERE.

YEAH. YEAH, OKAY, WELL IT WAS NICE MEETING YOU.

NICE MEETING YOU. BYE.

OKAY, BYE.

OH, COME ON, DON'T DO THIS.

I'M SORRY.

HOW--HOW AM I SUPPOSED BE EXCITED ABOUT THE THOUGHT OF YOU

CARRYING SOMEONE ELSE'S FETUS INSIDE OF YOU?

WE NEED THE MONEY, MATT.

I'M DOING THIS FOR US.

I KNOW.

SO WHAT DO THEY DO FOR A LIVING?

WELL, SHE IS A REAL ESTATE AGENT,

AND HE'S A FAMOUS NOVELIST.

REALLY? YEAH.

WHAT'S HIS NAME?

JACOB KELLY.

I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF HIM.

OKAY, OKAY. I'M GOING TO SHOWER.

OH. OH.

OOH! WHAT?

NANCY JUST TEXTED ME. SHE'S BACK IN TOWN.

SHE GOT A NEW CELL PHONE

AND SHE WANTS TO DO SOMETHING LATER TONIGHT.

"SEE YOU AT 9:00."

UGH. MAN.

CAN I HELP YOU?

HI.

I'M SUCH A KLUTZ SOMETIMES.

I'M SUSAN.

REMY. NICE TO MEET YOU.

NICE TO MEET YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH.

NO PROBLEM, NO PROBLEM.

DO YOU COME HERE A LOT?

HI. HEY.

ARE YOU WAITING FOR SOMEONE?

YEAH, A FRIEND OF MINE.

SHE'S LATE. WHAT ABOUT YOU?

I JUST GOT A CALL. HE CHANGED HIS MIND.

OH, NO.

YEAH, ONLINE DATING.

THAT'S WHAT I GET.

WHAT ARE YOU DRINKING?

UH, JUICE MIX.

REALLY? SLOW DOWN, GIRL.

WELL, CAN I GET YOU ANOTHER ONE?

WE CAN CELEBRATE MY GETTING STOOD UP.

THAT'S ALL RIGHT.

NO, COME ON. I INSIST.

OKAY.

ALL RIGHT, OKAY. I'LL BE BACK.

WHAT CAN I GET YOU?

UH, TWO JUICE MIXES.

TWO? ALL RIGHT.

ALL RIGHT, THERE YOU GO. TWO JUICE MIXES.

THAT'LL BE-- KEEP THE CHANGE.

THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANKS.

JUICE MIX. THANK YOU.

YOU'RE WELCOME.

TO GIRL'S NIGHT OUT.