Friends, Lovers & Other Strangers

by Joseph Grant

It was a call from Linda that would change my life inexorably, a woman I used to date back in college and had not heard from in a while. We had drifted apart but stayed friendly after the breakup and sent each other the customary holiday cards and exchanged birthday emails and sent stupid jokes back and forth but she started to date someone she described as extremely jealous and wrote me that if this new person found out we were still in contact that innocent remarks could get taken out of context and that it could cause trouble and she hoped I'd understand if she didn't write me anymore. So, when Linda called me out of the blue and asked me to be a sperm donor to her and her girlfriend, I was taken aback, but honored and since I was batting zero in the fatherhood game and held no heir to bear the family name should it be a boy, I gave pregnant pause to the idea as it very much appealed to me. The plan was that Linda and her partner, Sheri would raise the child and I would be allowed to participate in the child's upbringing, but soon the old petty emotions and ill-conceived notions grew as the idea was consummated into reality and Sheri's jealousy caused her to close ranks around Linda, tersely stating my job as 'baby batter backer' was complete. A beautiful blessing of a baby girl, Angela, was born out of this mess one November day, but the relationship between Linda and Sheri was already in a state of collapse under the strain and pressure of being new parents, not to mention Sheri's wandering eye and the matter was subsequently and litigiously settled through an endless series of custody battles that bore the bitterest of fruit between all parties involved. We were friends once and then lovers and now we are strangers to us all and all whom we shall ever meet.

6S

Joseph Grant is one of 6S's favorite sons, and the hits just keep on coming.