WHEN YOU LOVE

THE OX'S TALE

"Janet, please, calm down."

Camille hated how everyone misinterpreted her intentions, and there she couldn't understand why her wife made so much noise when there wasn't anything illegal involved.

"Calm down? This isn't an issue; we can dust under a rug. It's about lives, Camille. Do you understand, lives."

"So you're leaving?" Camille asked, finally understanding the moment's severity.

"I don't appreciate the immoral you."

Camille attempted to prevent Janet from adding more clothes to the rollbar at that instant.

"Immoral? Why are you so judgmental."

"Because I'm human, and I thought it was something we had in common."

Camille swiped a need on her neck. The stringent conversations took a toll on her, "don't minimize my feelings. You know why I did this."

Janet closed her eyes once again. Camille's words were hard to digest, for deep down; she knew it was her wife's way of showing her love, "why couldn't you be honest and ask him? ㅡall I wanted was for us to get Lees' approval. Can you imagine yourself explaining to our child how we cunningly used the man Handmaid's style?"

A minor quirk appeared on Camille's lips. It wasn't meant to be funny, but the woman couldn't help imagining Lee with a white bonnet and red dress.

The gesture had Janet zip her bag and head to the door.

"Please don't do this," Camille said as she grasped her wife's free hand.

"I'm not doing anything. You did this to us, Camille."

Janet left the room. The sound of the slamming door signed Janet's departure. Camille didn't chase her.

In the meantime, Lee lied awake. The argument with Camille replayed every time he closed his eyes. After came Dylan's tears, worry, and Sana's resilience. Lee felt heavy. They didn't need the drama. Trust ovaries and a handful of spermatozoids to cause havoc.

He couldn't go down without a fight.

Lee sat up in his hospital bed and scrolled for answers on his phone. He was too naive. From what he read, Camille was free to do what she wished with his sample if he didn't fix any limits. Laws varied from one country to another. For example, in France, single women and lesbian couples could only benefit from IVF from 2021. One could specify the recipient they wished. The only real restrictions concerned the number of children a sperm donor could give rise to. They fixed the limit to prevent the risk of consanguinity or inbreeding between the donor's offspring.

So no, Lee couldn't attack Camille. No matter how Lee looked at it, he was fucked. Never had Lee felt as lonely as then. He was a confident man who lived without any doubts because he made every decision solemnly, but there he was lost.

What was he to do?

What could he do?

Sana didn't say much. She tried her best not to reveal everything to Dylan. Unlike Lee, she thought it was essential for the teen to see his mother the way she was. The woman slept at the hospital. They didn't talk about anything while Dylan was there. Once he left, exhaustion sealed their mouths, and silence reigned till morning.

Sana called in sick and waited for the doctors' approval to take Lee home.

Lee spent his time in bed as the doctor ordered, and Sana advanced on the few files she could do from home. At noon she gave her mom a call.

"Mom."

"Sana, how are you? I wondered what you think Lee would like to eat this time?"

The couple was supposed to visit the upcoming weekend, but the turn of events changed their plans. Sana doubted Lee would feel up to playing happy-go-lucky with her parents.