Sometimes They Are Macabre

Chapter 7
Chapter 7

Chapter Description: I’m married to a virgin? Bill and Marcia’s life hits an unexpected bump in the road. Bill contemplates the future with Marcia. Marcia contemplates a subscription of Seventeen magazine.

The following chapter/part was originally written by Louder and was posted February 19, 2003. The Chapter is presented exactly as it was first posted with the possible exception of corrections to errors found during the reposting of this chapter.

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The ARSA Continuous Story Feb 2003 Part 7 Louder

Marcia pulled away quickly and grabbed the sheet to cover herself. She grasped it tightly.

“No!” she whined. “I’ve changed my mind!”

Bill took a deep breath. She looked and acted so young. Did she look even younger or was it her now immature actions making her seem that way?

Bill was filled with conflicting emotions. His wife didn’t just look younger but she was acting more and more like a teenager as well.

“I’m sorry...” she whined. “You were going too fast! I’m not ready!”

Marcia looked like she was about to cry. Her emotions were on a rollercoaster ride.

“I’m going to get dressed now...Okay?” she lightly sobbed.

Bill wanted to calm her. This wasn’t the way he had imagined things earlier. And he was very much wondering if Marcia might still be even younger. Her teenaged emotions were about ready to overload, making her seem so fragile. He felt more like a parent right now.

“Honey...don’t cry. I know this must be overwhelming. Maybe you can get the man to change you back?” Bill said, not believing he’d just suggested his wife return to middle-age. But it seemed that could be best for the marriage. A 42 year old man married to a 19 year old might not make for the best long-term relationship. He loved his wife and he knew she loved him. At least the middle-aged version of his wife loved him. But how could this 19 year old woman...girl...a kid...feel the same way about their relationship as she once did? Her whole world has changed. She could have a second chance to re-write her future. Was Bill being selfish to want his 39 year old wife back? He was torn. He knew he could handle the body but he wasn’t sure he could handle the mind.

On the other hand, Bill didn’t want to lose her. However, with her being 19 years old...maybe he had already lost her. Was any of his 39 year old wife still in there at all?

“Marcia, this will all work out. We’ll think of something. After all, you’re still my wife and I love you,” Bill said softly.

Marcia paused as if lost in thought. She spoke slowly “Uhhhhh...If I’m still a virgin...are we really...ummm...married...I mean, like, -officially-?”

Virgin?!!! No wonder she was so nervous and acting strangely. It all fit. Marcia really had reverted back to an innocent teen, both physically and mentally.

Just how much had she really changed, he wondered. He had to know.

“Marcia, are you saying you’re a virgin...again?” he asked, choosing his words carefully.

Marcia looked to the floor and nervously kicked at the sheet around. She bit her lower lip and twisted her toe into the carpet.

“Yeah...” she finally said and smiled a shy smile, still not looking Bill in the eyes.

“But...you still remember...uhhh...-how-...uhhh...to do -it-?” he said, still choosing his words carefully.

“Ummm kinda...I guess...ummm...I dunno...Sorta...Do we hafta talk about this stuff?” she answered.

“Kind of? Marcia, do you or do you not still remember how to make love to your husband?”

“Well, like, maybe not all the way...but I think maybe we’ve done it before...right?”

“We have two children together! Of course we have!” Bill told her.

“Children?...Oh...yeah...I guess I forgot,” she replied nervously.

“You forgot about the kids or how to make love?” Bill demanded.

“Uhhh I don’t wanna talk about this anymore,” she said as a tear streamed down her face and she turned to leave the room still wrapped in the sheet.

“Where are you going?” Bill asked.

“I told you. I wanna get dressed.”

“But your clothes are in here!?”

“Like, YOU’RE in here! I’m just not gonna, like, just dress in front of you! DUH!... Plus...Jenn’s stuff is WAY more cooler! Just leave me alone!” Marcia said and headed for Jenn’s room...and closet.

Bill sat down on the bed and put his head in his hands. His wife had regressed emotionally as well as physically and might still be regressing. Her emotions certainly were still regressing and maybe that just made her seem all the younger? How could he ever relate as an equal to a 19 year old? And what did she mean by asking if they were ?officially’ married if she was a virgin? What was she thinking? What is a teenager ever thinking, he wondered?

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Marcia found a pair of cut-off sweatpants and a cute little T-shirt. It was perfect for lounging around in. She locked the door. She needed her privacy. Jenn really did have a neat room she thought as she checked out the posters and the closet filled with clothes.

She grabbed the remote to Jenn’s TV, found a rerun of Beverly Hills 90210 and hopped on the bed to make herself comfortable. She used to hate that show but now she realized it was really cool...and everyone was so cute! She laid on her stomach with her head at the foot of the bed and kicked her bare feet in the air. She wanted to call someone to talk to but who could she call? All her friends were OLD! She thought about calling Jenn’s cell phone but was afraid to interrupt her date.

Bill sat in their bedroom worrying about what the future might hold for their relationship. How could he relate to a 19 year old version of his wife?

Marcia also contemplated the future: She wondered if maybe she should go by Marci instead of Marcia? She wondered if she should highlight her hair or maybe just go blonde? She wondered how hip-huggers would look on her? Maybe get her belly button pierced? So many decisions, she thought!

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Jenn got home from her date and saw her dad watching television. He looked depressed. “Where’s Mom?” she asked.

“I don’t know where ?Mom’ is...on the other hand...there is some kid that used to be her locked in your room. She says she won’t come out until she talks to you!” Bill was obviously frustrated. He shrugged and took a swig of his beer. “Maybe you can get through to her,” he said as he shook his head.

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Jenn headed to her room and knocked on the door. “Mom?...Marcia?”

She expected to see her in tears, worried about the future.

The door swung open. Marci was standing there in a pair of Jenn’s hip-hugger jeans, a short top and sandals. “Hi!” she said, “I’ve been waiting on you! I hope you don’t mind that I’ve been trying on some of your stuff. I got kinda, like, bored waiting.”

“Dad said you wanted to talk to me?” Jenn said, slightly confused since she expected to find her distraught.

“Yeah...I did...It’s kinda, like, important. Have you ever thought about getting your belly button pierced? I’ve been thinking about it. Do you think it would look cool?” Marcia asked, looking down at her exposed midriff.

“Uh...I thought you and Dad had a fight or something with the way he’s acting?”

“Oh...him? Your dad is such a horn dog! Sheesh! He’s a dirty old man or something! He really was weirding me out! How was your date? Tell me all the details!”

“Well...we kinda had an argument. We might break up for a while...see other people...you know...It’s kinda been building I think,” Jennifer explained.

“You’re broke up? Cool!” Marcia said excitedly and then changed her tone. “Errr...I mean...cool that you’re, like, taking it so well.”

“Uhh?? Yeah...It’s no big deal. So the belly button ring was what you wanted to talk to me about?”

“Yeah...and some other stuff. Do you think Marci is a cooler name than Marcia? Marcia sounds kinds old...”

“I guess it is up to you,” Jennifer said shrugging. “Why?”

“I’m just wondering...Do you think my hair would look cooler blonde? I found this picture of Britney and I could do my hair like that,” Marcia said, grabbing a magazine.

Jennifer took the magazine to see the picture. She couldn’t believe her mother was basing fashion ideas on Britney Spears. “You’re acting kinda different than when I left. Has something changed?”

“Just clothes!” Marcia said, laughing as she strapped on another pair of Jennifer’s shoes. “You’ve got LOTS of, like, really cute stuff! You wanna go to the beach tomorrow? I saw some really cool two-piecers in the catalogue over there. We could stop at the mall and see if they have some of those. We could put ?em on my credit card! Heh...or maybe your horn dog dad would pay for ?em? I bet he’d, like, love to see me in a bikini! He probably wouldn’t allow me to wear it out of the house though!”

Jennifer looked toward the swimsuit catalogue sitting on top of the TV. She noticed the timer on the VCR had been set. “I didn’t set that. Did you set the timer on my VCR?”

“Oh...yeah...like...90210 was a two-parter and I don’t want to miss it tomorrow night! I can’t believe I never watched those shows the first time ?round! I’ve got a lot of catching up to do!”

To be continued