The Mom Who Expected Her Baby’s Father to Leave His Wife

On the outside, Olivia had an idyllic, carefree life. Her boyfriend of eight years, Tom, whom she met on OKCupid, made good money as the CFO of a drug-rehab facility, while Olivia, then 40, had paused a career in nursing to be a massage therapist in one of Houston’s many private poker rooms. The poker scene is big in Houston, and Olivia found that giving chair massages to players was easy money. But whenever Olivia brought up getting engaged, Tom would say that he wanted to reach a higher tax bracket first. He also wouldn’t discuss having kids, which frustrated Olivia. She had always wanted to be a mom. The state of their sex life didn’t help matters.

So in 2020, when one of the regulars at the poker room — a tall, middle-age bald guy named Nicky — became extra chatty with Olivia, she welcomed his attention. Olivia recounts what happened next.

From the MIT Technology Review, a somewhat eerie look at what the future holds for those born today. Somebody get this woman a job with the Liberty, stat. The New York Public Library’s budget is proof that memes work. Nara Smith doesn’t know what all the fuss is about. For Democrats, the hope is back for the first time in a long time. And Guillermo del Toro says he’s being haunted in Scotland.

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