Martin and Mary

Chapter 1
Chapter 1

Prelude:

Martin and Mary Smith- A 50 something couple whose life is about to change. Not only has Martin been reassigned to a new job in a new city but he and Mary are about to find themselves smack dab in the middle of the AR Zone!

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Martin had always had a wandering eye. He liked younger women. For the most part it was only his eye that wandered. He remained true to Mary. That didn’t keep him from being an endless flirt and charmer. Although he was true to Mary, that didn’t mean that on many occassions she wasn’t ignored or taken for granted. In fact, that was a problem that was growing faster than the wrinkles on Mary’s face!

Mary was about to turn 51 years of age. While Martin seemed to simply look more ?distinquished’ over the years, Mary was starting to look more ?elderly’. She saw it in the mirror every time she looked. Martin noticed it most in her eyes. They no longer had the sparkle of a youthful soul. Part of that could be blamed on time but a not so insignificant reason was Martin’s lack of attention. She no longer felt loved. He never brought her gifts like he did the secretaries in his office. She never got flowers any more. He rarely took her out to dinner yet he would take his 29 year old secretary nearly every day.

Nothing had ever happened between Martin and his secretary but he certainly enjoyed her company. Her penchant for short skirts and high heels always gave Martin and eyeful! And he enjoyed people seeing him in the company of such a beautiful and intelligent young woman. Lately, he had been getting close to crossing the line though. During this last lunch he had even helped to see his secretary get a little tipsy as he ordered wine to ?celebrate’ a large deal he had just closed. Seeing this intelligent young woman let down her guard and even become giggly gave Martin a rise. Martin encouraged her drinking even more by giving her the rest of the day off and offering her a ride home. Martin couldn’t help but be attracted to her! Still, nothing sexual happened between them although Martin had no doubt it could’ve if he had wanted. She had invited him but he apologized and excused himself taking a “raincheck”.

“I’ll see you, Lori” he said.

“Bye....” she replied softly and sighed.

He smiled too because he knew he had won her over. His charm always does he believed.

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While this had been happening, Mary had been home unaware of Martin’s closing of his big deal. She was simply watching TV. More precisely, watching TV and snacking. Her formerly trim youthful figure was now disappearing and she no longer tried to maintain it. Maybe it was depression? She didn’t try to analyze things anymore. It was what it was. Nothing more. She used to watch her weight and wear clothing to show off her figure. She grew to realize she was competing with the other women in Martin’s life. And when she turned 50 she began to believe there was nothing she could do to compete against a 22 year old! She was getting older and there was nothing she could do. Why fight it she thought?

Martin returned home to see Mary still wearing an old faded robe and watching TV.

“What do you think about attending a small get together tomorrow night at Ritzi’s?” Martin asked.

Mary yawned “Ritzi’s?”

“It’s a little bar and grill downtown. A lot of the company’s people are going to be there to celebrate the signing of the McMillian account” he explained.

“Oh... No... I think there’s something on TV tomorrow I’m planning on watching” she replied.

“On TV? You -think-? You can record it. C’mon it’ll be fun!” he said.

“No.... all those -kids- that you work with.... I’d rather not” she told him.

“Oh now! Don’t be this way!” he pleaded.

“I don’t want to go and I don’t want to argue about it!” she snapped.

And of course an argument soon followed. Martin finally left, slamming the door behind him.

Mary looked into the mirror and watched a tear roll down her cheek.

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Martin walked aimlessly before finding a shop along the street that he wandered into. He didn’t know why. It just seemed like something to do to kill time. He didn’t want to go back home just yet. A Jamaican lady came from the backroom.

“Ya here for a readin’?” she asked.

“A reading?” Martin replied.

“Ya, Your future?” she said.

“Oh? Is that what you do here?” he asked.

“I do readin’s and sell mystical t’ings doncha know!”

Martin looked around at the odd assortment of items. He had thought the place some kind of antique shop but obviously it wasn’t.

“I’m really all ?bout wish fulfillment” she said.

“Ahhhh I see...” Martin said sarcastically “Well... I know what I wish!”

“Ya wish ya had a younger wife, no?”

“Uhhh yeah?!” how’d she know that he wondered? Then he realized, what 52 year old man wouldn’t wish for a younger wife? He was too smart to be taken by a con artist. This was how they operate- Tell you something blatantly obvious figuring you won’t see how obvious it is. Next she’ll fish some more information and then use that for more ?revelations’. Might as well play along he figured.

“I got whatcha need right here. Potent stuff doncha know!” she said grabbing a small bottle.

Martin wondered where this was leading. He had expected more talk. “And just what is that?”

“Just a tiny drop of this in your wife’s bath and she’ll be 5 years younger.” she told him.

“OK... 5 years a drop huh?” he asked skeptically.

“’Dat’s right.” she said “Plenty here!”

“Ummmm won’t she be a little angry that I umm make her 5 years younger and not tell her?”

“Why ya not tell her?” the Jamaican asked.

“Well... I doubt she’d like the implication! What am I going to do, tell her she’s too old and I bought some youth potion for her?”

“I see. Well, ya don’t have to tell her. Dat’s da beauty of ?dis! It’s been spelled so she won’t think anything strange ?bout being younger. Everyt’ing’ll seem as it should be!”

“How much?” Martin asked.

“10.00 dollars” she replied “I wanna make my customers happy!”

Martin had to admit the episode had been entertaining. It was certainly worth 10.00 to be so entertained. On a whim, he bought the vial of potion and left. On the way home he laughed to himself about the exchange. By the time he got home a little voice in the back of his head started wondering if the stuff could be real? How crazy to even think that he said to himself. Still, what could it hurt to try? How could a drop hurt anything?

He walked in and heard bath water running. This was too perfect! He walked to the bathroom and opened the vial. “If a little is good a lot should be better” he quietly said to himself as he started to empty the contents in the tub. Before any left the container he stopped. What if it was dangerous? What if it was real? He decided he’d better just use a drop. What could that hurt? And so he did.

Mary entered the room just as he was leaving. “You’re back I see!”

“Yes, I’m back. Let’s not argue anymore. OK?”

“Fine by me” she replied and quickly shut the door.

He listened at the door as he heard her step into the water. Could this really work? He waited for any signs. He heard nothing out of the ordinary. How crazy to even consider this stuff could work he thought. He went about his business and finally fell asleep on the couch. He was sleeping deeply when he heard a child’s voice urging him to wake up.

“Wake up!.... wake up.... wake up....” the girl’s voice urged.

OH NO! The stuff had worked! It had worked too well! His wife was a little girl!

“Wake up!.... wake up... wake up....” the voice said.

He shook his head and then opened his eyes.

“Wake up... wake up.... wake up....” his wife said “You’ll hurt your back on this couch!”

And then Martin realized that he had been dreaming. His wife wasn’t a little girl at all. It had been a dream. She was still her........... and then he noticed something! She wasn’t quite the same. The recent excess weight was gone. Her face wasn’t sagging. Her hair was shinier! She looked like she did.... 5 years ago! Maybe he was still dreaming?

“Mary...” he said pretending to be still groggy “How old are you?”

“I’m 45... about to be 46! Don’t remind me!” she said. “What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost!”

It had worked! “Uhhh no ghost... just uhhhhh dreaming... that’s all...” It worked! He wanted to scream for joy! Now his wife could be young again! No one in this town knew her yet so no one would suspect a thing.

“I was thinking...” she told him “I wouldn’t mind going to that place tomorrow. Dancing sounds fun”

Martin was fine with this turn of events. But that brought up a problem- 45 wasn’t young enough. He needed to make her younger before his co-workers saw her. How young?

That night, for the first time in a long time, they had sex. He knew she’d take a quick bath in the morning. He could add a drop or two of the potion to that water and see how that went. Would 40 be young enough? Maybe 35? ..or 30? He knew he wanted her younger but he wasn’t sure by how much.

He awoke to the sound of water running. He decided 2 drops wouldn’t hurt. He had to act quickly because the get-together was this evening. He hurried and quickly added a couple of drops and then returned to bed un-noticed. Mary entered the room. She was humming a happy tune. Martin smiled. He knew when she exited the room she would be 35 again.

He heard the humming grow louder. It even sounder a little clearer like her voice had changed somewhat. A few moments later he saw a 35 year old Mary exit the bathroom, her hair in a towel, and wearing only a robe. Her skin was now smoother and there was much less sag. She was no longer looking like her mother. Her trim and fit body was back.

“Get up!” she said “If I’m going dancing I’ve got to have some new clothes and YOU are buying!”

Martin laughed. He had been ?up’ ever since he saw the vision of his 35 year old wife. “If I’m buying then I get to help pick out stuff for that sexy body!” he said.

Mary smiled at the compliment. She picked out some jeans and a blouse. Oddly, they fit loosely. She was a bit surprised because she didn’t think she’d lost any weight. The jeans were a bit bulky anyway, especially for such a warm day. By the time they left to go shopping, the jeans had been made into cut-offs.

Martin made sure and get his money’s worth as his wife modelled different outfits. The more seductive the better. She wasn’t sure about some of his choices. One dress in particular seemed more suited for younger woman.... but if he liked it and was buying... why argue?

“Are you sure about this one? It’s kind of tight and really.... do you think I’m a little old for it?”

“Too old for it? That’s nothing YOU need to worry about!” he said with a grin.

She shrugged and continued trying on clothes. With a wardrobe for a queen, back home they went. Martin couldn’t wait for another round of sex. The problem was... she was quickly ready for even ANOTHER round. His mind said ?yes’ but his body said ?no’.

“That’s OK. We’ve got tonight” she said sounding disappointed.

Martin wondered if maybe HE needed a few drops of this stuff in HIS bathwater? But he realized people would talk. They knew him. He couldn’t just show up 20 years younger like his wife could and not raise suspicion. Besides, he could get by on his charm! He needed to save the potion for his wife. He’d always have a young wife!

She spent the day getting some sun. She felt especially energetic and was really looking forward to a night of dancing.

Evening came and she started drawing a bath. Martin had to hurry. He had considered one drop or two all day. 30 or 25? The decision would’ve been easy except for the little performance episode that afternoon.

He stood over the bath with the dropper ready. How much he wondered? He heard his wife coming.... coming quickly... How much? He lightly squeezed the dropper.

“Whatcha doin?” he head a voice say.

He stiffened! He didn’t expect her that quickly! Had he dropped one drop or two..or three? He had the dropper and vial in his hand and stammered a bit.

“None of that kinky stuff” Mary told him as she misjudged the situation “We don’t have time. You get yourself ready!”

Martin exited and was glad Mary didn’t see what he had done. How could he explain that? He looked at the dropper. How much was gone? How much had been in it? He wasn’t sure! He hoped he got two drops in. Making his wife 30 would be nice but making her 25 was an opportunity to good to pass up. He doubted he could take her from 30 to 25 later without people noticing his secret. Once his new friends and co-workers saw her as a 30 year old, taking her back further would be too much!

Nothing to do now but wait.... and wait... and wait.... she took seemingly forever....

And then the door opened and Mary appeared. She was wearing only a towel. Martin immediately knew she wasn’t 30! ...But.... she didn’t look 25 either! “Mary... how old are you?” he asked nervously.

She giggled. “Silly you! I’m 20!”

Martin turned white. His wife was a 20 year old kid!

“This is gonna be soooo groovy tonight!” she said.

Her youth had fully returned. She was barely an adult! Hardly old enough to vote! Martin couldn’t decide if this was good or bad. His wife was a young babe! A really young babe! He quickly noticed her immaturity showing. He was glad that Ritzi’s had been rented for the night because Mary wouldn’t even be allowed in the bar normally!

“Uhhhhh when you put on your makeup.... uhhhh can you try and make it look real uhhhh sophisticated? Make you look older?” he asked trying to find the proper words. Maybe she could make herself look older he hoped.

“Gee, I kinda like a fresh look” she said not understanding his problem as she plopped on the bed and started doing her nails acting more like a teenager about to go on a date than a married woman.

“Go on!” she told Martin.

“Go where?” he asked.

“I dunno... Anywhere! I’m gonna get dressed, ya know?”

“Huh? Oh.....” he answered realizing his 20 year old wife wasn’t comfortable dressing in front of him.

He paced back and forth. What would people say? Would the men envy him or ridicule him? He knew the women would look down on him.... or maybe they’d wonder deep down what he had to offer a young woman? Part of him was saying this was great and another part was saying that it was bad. Maybe she wouldn’t look so young once she was dressed and made up? He continued pacing as he waited on her.

When he finally saw her she was wearing the dress he had hoped to see a 25 year old Mary wearing. Instead he saw a 20 year old Mary wearing it. And she was HOT!

It was a short, sexy, revealing dress. Her bare shoulders, bare legs, and ample cleavage accentuated the package. She slipped on some strappy sandals to complete the look.

She did look ready for a night on the town.... at the local college bar!

She still looked really young. Martin knew she would have trouble even passing for 20! She looked so young! With no real choice, he called a taxi and they were off to Ritzi’s. She sat next to him in the backseat of the cab and acted like a newlywed bride.... or a lovestruck teen.... Martin wasn’t sure which. He could see the cab driver stealing looks at his May-December passengers.

The cab let them out. Martin took a breath and inside Ritzi’s they went. Mary held his hand tightly and walked along slightly behind him. She let him take the lead and didn’t object. She looked around the room in wide-eyed amazement. It was like a new world to her.

She could tell she had the attention of the males in the room. She knew the dress and sexy shoes really showed off her legs. And she was sure most had noticed that she was wearing only a G-string under the dress! She felt a bit naughty but she did like the attention.

Lori, Martin’s secretary also took notice. Mary immediately felt her icy glare but naively didn’t understand it.

“Hello, Martin ...I didn’t know you had a daughter?”

“Oh... this is Mary. Mary’s my wife. She -looks- young, that’s for sure!” Martin said trying to deflect some of the issue.

“Yes, I’ll be 21 soon” Mary said innocently still not understanding the whole picture.

Martin’s head dropped at that comment. Now Lori knew that Mary was as young as she looked. No trying to at least say that she’s 25 or so. Martin felt like a cradle robber even tho Mary was really 50 years old!

Although Martin didn’t pick up on it because of his uneasiness over the situation, Lori was obviously feeling jealous. She thought her and Martin had something building. Especially after their little ?celebration’ this week! ?What a little tramp’ Lori sneered ubder her breath as Martin and Mary walked away.

The band cranked up and Mary was ready to dance... and dance she did. Fast songs, slow songs... But Martin wasn’t quite as up to it, tiring quickly. He had to excuse himself to take a seat and catch his breath. Mary quickly had other men offering to take Martin’s place.

Lori joined Martin with a drink. He was ready for a stiff drink!

“She’s kind of young, huh?” Lori asked watching Martin struggle to get his breath.

“Uhh yeah... she is... But she’s not as... well... yeah... she’s young” he huffed.

“Too young?” Lori asked sensing Martin’s problem “A woman has to know how to respect her man. A lot of these young college girls have no idea....”

And so Martin suddenly found himself in a deep conversation with Lori who confessed her feelings for him. He was flattered but he was married... married to a 20 year old kid.... but that was his fault. Having a 20 year old girl in bed with you wasn’t the worst problem a 52 year old man could have! Still, the public scorn was obvious. He figured he could learn to live with the public scorn. He realized that he had taken Mary for granted all these years. He couldn’t do that any longer. She would be high maintenance from now on!

Mary saw Lori and Martin’s conversation. She tried to dance more seductively with the young men there in order to make Martin jealous. He didn’t seem to notice. He kept talking to Lori. He was trying to let Lori down easy. Mary didn’t understand that. All she saw was Martin... boring Martin... talking to an ?older’ woman. Mary figured Lori to be at least 30! Why was he giving Lori all the attention?

Mary left the building and began crying. Why couldn’t Martin treat her better? Why had he not wanted to dance with her? Her emotions wavered between hurt and anger. She wandered aimlessly until she saw a small shop and entered.

“Ahhhh hello ?dere!” a Jamaican lady said.

“Oh hi, mam” Mary said.

“So are ya here for a readin’?”

“No... I don’t know why I’m here really.... Just saw you were still open and I stopped in”

“I see... well... I sense ya be needin’ some help. Ya came to ?da right place!”

Mary sniffed and wiped her eyes. “How?”

“Ya be havin’ troubles with your man, no?”

“Yes! How’d you know that? Gee ... You’re good!”

“Well, I know ?dese tings’. I got some’tin’ right here for ya” the Jamaican lady said as she reached under the counter and handed young Mary a small card.

“What’s this?”

“That’s da number of a good divorce lawyer. Ya be a callin’ him and he can fix ya right up! A young pretty girl like you don’t need no old man a holdin’ ya back and a crushin’ your young dreams! That lawyer, he still be in his office a workin’ late. Ya oughta call him right now doncha know!”

The lady handed Mary a phone and she began dialing the number. The lady was right... Martin was no good for her. He was old and boring and had a wandering eye! She didn’t want to waste her youth being taken for granted by an old man!

“Thanks for the help, mam” 20 year old Mary told the lady.

“No problem, child! I wanna make my customers happy!”

The End................

 

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