The Surogate

Herbert Drinkwater may indeed be an idiot, but he was a good attorney...He knew his business..In the days after our immediate first meeting, both Beverly and Olivia told me that they were impressed with his legal expertise and know how...yet a little annoyed with his shameless flirting with both of them...

At any rate, after days of trying to broker a deal...no deal was satisfactory with either party...Sonny Cochran had the hot hand and he was playing it...

Because they couldn't broker a deal out of court....The case had gone to court...Where Olivia and Beverly had run into another road block...The Judge was a woman, Juanita Corley and she was not an Olivia Bennett fan...Olivia had tried several cases before her before...She felt that Olivia was very crafty and cut-throat and not above using her feminine wiles to try and persuade male jurors or a male judge or two....She was not impressed and not having it...Also...a certain married attorney who had once had a thing for Olivia was also a man who she had had the hots for herself...There was no love lost between them...

Judge Corley thought that Beverly was a smart alec and an Olivia clone....So she automatically didn't care much for her either....Still ,she followed the letter of the law and didn't let her personal distaste for Olivia and Bev get in the way of what was right and proper..

Still after two days of arguments in front of a jury of six people...Neither side appeared to be gaining much headway..

Tonight...I was sitting outside of Stoley's Bar, getting ready to go in....Herbert Drinkwater had invited the girls out for drinks...Olivia had texted me immediately to meet them there...I'm sure Drinkwater wasn't aware of that.

Another car drove up behind me...It was Attorney Nelson East, Beverly's boyfriend...

"Hey D.R...The girl's texted you too huh?" he said.

"Yeah...Let's go in.." I said.
II-

Once inside...We saw Olivia and Beverly sitting at the Bar, Drinkwater was between the both of them and drunk!

"Now-Now..Now look ladies...We are all adults....How would you girls like to come back to my place and engage in a threesome??" he said -"Huh?  Huh????...ahahahahahahahaha.." he laughed.

Beverly turned her head in disgust...

"Godddd, Auntay...His breath stinks and he's drunk." she said.

Olivia cracked up laughing...

"Here come our guys." she said.

"Look...I-I-I-I can't decide which one of you gals I want to do it to the most....So how bout all three of us do it til we satisfied...aahhhhhh,hahahahahahahahaha..." he laughed falling on top of Livy..

"Oh My God." she said just as Nelson and I arrived...

"You girls look like you're in need of a drink" joked Nelson...

"I need a drink!" said Drinkwater....

"You've had enough." said Olivia...

"You guys ready to go?" I asked.

"Yes...Out of here." said Beverly.

''Let's go somewhere and get something to eat." said Olivia...

"Is Jakes okay?" I said.

"Fine with me" said Olivia...

"Yeah me too...How bout you Boo?" asked Beverly...

"If yall like it I love it...Hey what about the tab?" asked Nelson..

"He's got it!" said Olivia..

We all busted out laughing and left.

III-

I had done a little research.....First off, what Olivia had told me about Harry "Hollywood "Bell was right..He was practically broke...He had gone through his money...Numerous cars, Three homes...the Paternity suit and now this divorce...He had had to sell all three of his homes...The one in south Beach, The one in New Orleans and the one in Houston to pay off his back taxes and huge debts...The same with his fleet of cars...

He had done a stint in rehab and he had now been unemployed for what amounted to two NFL seasons...New Orleans, Miami, Houston and finally Dallas...This stint with the Eagles was his last stop and they wanted him to play on the practice team....a long fall from his days as a star...He was hoping for this child support as an instant cash flow...Brenda was owed 3.5 million dollars according to the agreement...I was certain the plan was for Brenda and Bell to split the proceeds....

Then there was the Surrogate... a woman named Brenda Blake...She was rumored to be just a groupie....Apparently the deal had been for her to donate her eggs and for him to donate his sperm for the purpose of having this baby...Rachel had had three miscarriages during the marriage and was certain she couldn't have a baby...

Then there was the allegations of cheating...I called several private investigators who shared files and information with me...There were at least three girls who were paid to cease and desist..  The other problem was...

I couldn't seem to find the Surrogate...and there was no Clinics who had claimed to have performed the procedure....I looked up and called a number of them in Florida, Louisiana, Texas and here in Pennsylvania.

Livy and Bev had hammered Sonny Cochran about her during the hearing and finally the Judge demanded that he produce her...He said that he couldn't, because he didn't know where she was at the moment. I think he knew and didn't want to produce her.

IV-

A  day later in court...A very contrite and very sober Herbert Drinkwater addressed Olivia and Beverly before the morning arguments...

''Ladies...I would like to apologize to both of you for my words and my actions the night before...I was pretty hammered and that was that liquor talking...but it was no excuse for my unprofessional behavior"he said.

''Apology accepted...Now we have a job to do." said Olivia..

Beverly just smiled..

''Wow, what got into him?  I've never had a man apologize to me for being fresh." she said.

"Live long enough baby...you'll experience it all." said Olivia, hugging Beverly..

I smiled at the both of them...Despite the only nine year difference between them..I often looked at them as sisters or mother and daughter rather than Aunt and Niece.


I had a social security number and with that I got access to bank accounts and home addresses...This led me to several different places...None that she had lived in recently....

 This girl had to own a piece of property, a car, something with her name on it...She had to lay her head somewhere....I was right and I caught a break...


I found her address...It was in Wilmington, Deleware... I went there along with a Process server to serve her with a court summons...When I got to her address...What I saw shocked me...

Brenda Blake was about eight months pregnant!!! And living with a man!!


"Who are you?" she asked..

"I'm Donnie Ray Alexander....I'm a Private Investigator...You're the surrogate mother?" I said.

"Yeah...You might call me that. Look...You can't be here..." she said.

''There's a trial going on in Philly...Aren't you having Hollywood Bell's baby?" I said.

''SSSSShhh...My man is sleeping...He doesn't know about any of this..."she said.

"Just be in Philly in court on this date."I said and left.


V-

That afternoon , Olivia ,Beverly and I were relaxing in our room....

''Haven't seen you all day...I missed you lover." said Olivia ,who then gave me a big kiss...

"I located and served your surogate mother."I said with a sly grin..

''Something Funny D.R.?" asked Beverly....

"Yes...and it's funnier than you can imagine...This girl is nine months pregnant..." I said.

"Yeah ,so?" asked Beverly...

''She didn't go through any procedure...She got pregnant the old fashioned way....I think Ole Hollywood is trying to cover up an infidelity...I think this whole thing is a ruse..."I said...

"How can you tell?" asked Olivia...

"I'm goin on something called a hunch...but a Doctor could tell..Here's her address..Or her boyfriend's address" I said and handed it to Olivia..

"Boyfriend?" said both Olivia and Beverly....

''She lives in Wilmington with a guy and he doesn't know anything about this...Probably thinks this is his baby." I said.

''WOW!" said Beverly.

"Well this could sway the case in our favor." said Olivia..

What we couldn't know was that the roller coaster ride was just beginning.

TO BE CONTINUED-