I
Sunday, the day that you can never really enjoy because of that irrepressible dread lurking in the back of your mind that won’t stop reminding you that soon, in less than twenty-four hours, you will once again have to shuffle off to the pit of madness and monotonous toil known by that innocuous little non-threatening name of ‘work’, was upon the Richards family once again. The sun was beaming down from the blue, blue sky in much the same way that every happy couple on Valentine’s day beams at the one guy without a date as he politely addresses the hostess ‘Table for one, please’. It was mid-afternoon and everyone was doing their best to appear cheerful, but just under the surface was a glum so glum that no self respecting poet would dare to rhyme it with the word ‘plum’ (unless it were a really depressed plum). However, the Richards were in general a very happy family, and they enjoyed each others company so much that even on this woeful day there remained some semblance of gaiety in the household. In fact, on most Sundays the glumming was hardly noticeable at all, but on this particular Sunday things were a little sadder than usual.
Today was the last day of Spring Break, and the two daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Richards were returning to college the following morning via Delta Airlines Flight 2056 nonstop service to Austin, Texas. The state of the art Boeing 767 would bring them to their destination in a total of two hours and thirty-three minutes, with a complimentary beverage service showcasing all of the finest Pepsi products and, if they were lucky, a little bag of peanuts. The prospect of peanuts, however enticing, did little to lessen the girls’ regret that the end of their holiday had come so soon, and while Megan had experienced this hardship once before, her sister Courtney was only a Freshman, and was not entirely prepared to return to the stress of her still unfamiliar college life.
Both girls had been close to their parents and had had some difficulty in making the transition to a life away from home. Courtney in particular had felt an acute sense of social isolation and loneliness since her separation from her family. Megan did better, she was always the more mature of the two, but she too seemed to have trouble fitting in with her new surroundings, and after more than a year of dormitory life, still felt like something of an outcast among her peers, and was now glad that her sister was around to keep her company. All this was not due to the girls’ appearance. In fact they were both quite gorgeous. Megan was 5’6’ and Courtney 5’7’ both with long sandy blonde hair and just the right amount of body fat to give them curves without making them look bloated. Nor was it for lack of personality. Both girls were fun, witty, playful and smart. Unfortunately it was the smart part that got them into trouble. They were not geniuses, or anything like that, but they were definitely well above the average level of their peers in both intelligence and sophistication. This not only intimidated away many of their potential suitors, but also made it difficult for the girls to meet people whom they didn’t find immature or dull. The few who didn’t feel mentally inferior to the, always ended up being pretentious jerks who just wanted to show off their inflated egos, a major turn off. This is why these brief, but sorely needed visits home were so enjoyable, and why it was always so difficult when they came to an end.
‘Here.’ Richard Richards said, stepping out onto the patio and offering his daughters a couple of frozen daiquiris (Virgin. They weren’t twenty-one yet and he did have some moral standards) ‘And cheer up, will you’ It’ll be summer before you know it.’
Yes, that’s right, Richard Richards. He had never decided whether his parents were insane or if they were just playing a sadistic joke on him, but in any case it was better than going by Dick.
‘I’ll go see if your mother’s ready for dinner yet.’
‘Thanks dad.’ the two girls answered in unison. They were not twins, but sometimes it was hard to tell.
‘Jill!’ Richard called to his wife. ‘Burgers are ready!’
‘Just a minute!’ came a hurried voice from inside the house. It was a feminine voice, small and soft but with an air of confidence and playfulness present as well. Voices are like wines. The amount of different tones, colors and flavors present in a voice can tell a knowledgeable connoisseur a lot about the quality of a person. Richard Richards was no connoisseur, but he knew what he liked. ‘Okay, but don’t take to long.’ he called back. ‘Or we’ll start without you.’ His voice was deep and rich, with woody overtones and a hint of cranberry. A voice that would go well with venison, or perhaps elk.
The screen door flew open with a bang and a small woman who called herself Jill Richards emerged, obviously flustered. ‘I’m here.’ she said, out of breath, yet trying to appear casual. ‘Let’s eat.’
Richard laughed at his wife and scooped her up in his arms for a kiss. She acted annoyed but he could tell she loved it. ‘Why do you always take so long to get ready’’ he asked, studying her 4’10’ frame. She was dressed only in jeans and a yellow t-shirt, with no makeup that he could see, and yet she looked stunning. They had been married for nearly twenty years and yet he still couldn’t figure out what her secret was.
‘You’ve asked me that a million times. Do you really think you’re going to get a better answer out of me this time’’
He laughed again and she gave him a playful wink, again proclaiming ‘Let’s eat.’
They had a lovely dinner, somehow managing to avoid the topic of school or work almost entirely for the rest of the evening. But at last morning came and the Richards family found themselves at the airport, parting ways until summer. Courtney looked on the verge of tears as she hugged her mother goodbye, while Jill was somewhat overwhelmed by her larger daughter’s powerful embrace. This seemed to her to have been something of theme throughout the girls’ adolescence. They were good kids and were always respectful of her, but both of them had surpassed her in height and weight by age ten, and dealing with two teenage girls who stand eight inches taller than you in their bare feet can pose something of a challenge to any parent. She envied Richard, who at 6’ had never had any trouble exercising his authority over his daughters when the situation called for it.
Jill managed to collect herself in time to give her daughter a pat on the back and a few words of motherly encouragement. ‘Don’t worry, you’ll be fine, it’s only a couple of months, you’ll be done before you know it...’ and so on. And just like that, they were gone. Jill wiped a tear from her eye and glanced at her watch.
‘****, I’m gonna be late for work. I’ll see you tonight, hon.’ She pecked her husband on the cheek and dashed off, leaving Richard standing there blinking. The three women in his life had all just disappeared in the space of thirty seconds barely giving him the chance to wave goodbye. He shrugged his broad shoulders as he trudged off to the parking lot. It was time for him to get busy as well.
Richard was employed as an architectural engineer, in short, he made sure buildings didn’t fall down. He enjoyed his work and it paid pretty well, plus it made him feel important, like made a difference, however slight. Jill was equally accomplished, working as a lawyer in a small firm uptown. Not trial stuff, but corporate law, taxes, that kind of thing. Richard couldn’t understand why anyone would spend all that time and money in law school if they wouldn’t even get to argue cases, but it seemed to make Jill happy and, again, it paid well so he had no complaints. He was just glad that she had always made their kids a priority over her career. When Megan had been born she had taken an extended maternity leave, and had always made a point of not working longer hours than would allow her ample time with her growing family. Richard appreciated that and had tried to do the same, with not inconsiderable success, although perhaps not quite so much as that of his wife. All in all, he felt that they had done a great job with the girls and a sense of immense pride filled him as he revved up the engine of his pickup truck and fought his way through the morning traffic towards his destination.
* * * * * *
Jill arrived at her office precisely on time. She was punctuality personified, as her family had often told her, and yet she was always worried about being late. She strode through the revolving door of her building, took the elevator to the eleventh floor, waved to the office secretary and plopped down at her desk, out of breath, only to be almost instantly informed by her supervisor that she had to catch a plane to New York to meet with a client in an hour and forty-five minutes. She was distraught at the lack of advance notice and claimed she’d never make it on time, looking franticly at her watch, but her boss just laughed.
‘Jill, you’ve never missed a flight in your life. The airport is only ten minutes away, and this is important. I need you there, all of our other people are busy and frankly no one on my staff is half as good as you are at sweet talking clients. You can take the company car if you need to.’
His flattery made her smile and she momentarily forgot her shortness of breath. ‘No, it’s ok, I have my car. But I’ll have to go now, excuse me.’
‘Thanks Jill, you’re a lifesaver.’ He handed her an envelope containing all the information she would need as she bustled past him toward the door, her keys already out and jangling.
She called Richard on her cell on the way back to the airport to inform him of the change of plans. He wished her luck and promised not to make to much of a mess of the house while she was away. The airport was crowded and it took her nearly twenty minutes to get through security, much to her exasperation, but in the end she made her flight with plenty of time to spare. She reclined in her first class seat (one of the benefits of flying on company money) and tuned out the safety instructions of the helpful flight attendants. She felt her eyes slowly drifting closed and was very nearly asleep when she was jarred by a question from the helpful smiling stewardess.
‘Something to drink, ma’am’’
‘What’ Oh, um... tonic water’’
‘Certainly, and for you, sir’’
Until now she hadn’t been aware of the presence of her seat neighbor, an attractive young businessman in a striped jacket and sporting a beard and moustache combo with that scruffy unshaven look so popular with the kids these days.
‘Orange juice and milk.’ he said matter of factly, causing the stewardess to bat an eyelash at this unusual request before responding in her carefully rehearsed airline tone.
‘Right away, sir.’
The drinks arrived quickly and Jill watched as the man adeptly split open the milk carton with strong fingers and combined it in a glass with the orange juice.
‘It’s like a Dreamsicle.’ he explained to her puzzled stare. ‘Did you ever have those when you were a kid’’
‘Um... yeah! Yeah, I’ve had those.’ she said, still a little groggy.
‘I love Dreamsicles.’ he continued, as though he hadn’t heard her. ‘Got a whole freezer full back home. I’m Jack Griswold, by the way. Griswold pharmaceutical.’ Here he extended a hand, which Jill hesitantly shook. She was used to ignoring people on planes and being ignored by them. It took her off guard to meet someone so forward.
‘Jill Richards. Pardon me for asking, but aren’t you a little young to have your own pharmaceutical company’’
He shrugged. ‘Who’s to say what the right age is’ I knew when I was a kid that I could never be happy working for someone else, so I started my own business. We’ve got some fresh new ideas that will revolutionize the industry.’
‘Really’ Do you mind if I ask like what’’
‘You don’t work for a rival company do you’’
She laughed. ‘No, I’m a lawyer. Here see’’ She produced a business card which he examined closely.
‘Alright then. I can tell you we’re very close to a major breakthrough in cell reconstruction. We’re developing a compound that will stimulate cell growth and drastically reduce the time required for injuries to heal.’
‘Are you serious’’ Jill inquired, impressed.
‘Look here.’ he said, producing a briefcase from underneath his seat. He fumbled with the locks for a second and then popped it open to reveal several rows of vials full of clear liquid. ‘This is the compound. It’s still in the experimental stage, but we’re very close.’
‘They let you take that stuff on an airplane’’ she scoffed.
‘Oh yeah. It’s non-toxic, non-flammable, non-acidic. There’s nothing for them to object to.’ After a pause. ‘Also I told them it was my heart medicine and I need it in case of an attack.’
Jill laughed again. ‘Well remind me to buy stock in your company as soon as I get home Mr.-’
Just then the plane lurched violently in the air. Of course people started panicking at once and their screams frightened others into screaming and so on, until the whole plane was one big flying hunk of screaming. The cabin lights dimmed and that annoying little bell that goes ‘ding’ went ‘ding’. Over the screaming she heard the man next to her mutter ‘****...’ She looked over at him and saw that his hand was bleeding. Apparently the shock of the turbulence had caused him to involuntarily clench down on the vial he had been holding, breaking it and spilling its contents all over the place.
‘Oh my God, are you okay’’ she asked worriedly.
‘Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. It’s nothing’ he said.
Just then the plane leveled off, the lights came back on and the dinging stopped. Jill saw that the cuts on the man’s hand were small and he had already wiped most of the blood away with a napkin. Stewardesses were bustling through the aisles reassuring people and the captains voice blared over the intercom, apologizing for the ‘bumpy ride’ as he put it. Jill leaned back in her chair and took a deep sip of her tonic water, which for some reason(!) didn’t taste quite right.
‘Jesus.’ she muttered.
II
After the excitement of the turbulent flight, the rest of Jill’s trip was without incident. Her meeting went swimmingly and she smiled to herself as she thought of the kudos she would receive upon her return for another successful mission. She caught the red eye flight back from New York and it was nearly dawn by the time she arrived home. She breathed a sigh of contentment as she maneuvered her small frame under the covers next to her slumbering husband, his body giving off a pleasant warmth that she found comforting. She would go in to work late tomorrow. After all she had earned it.
* * * * * *
The weeks passed quicker than any of them had expected and summer began to seem just around the corner. April showers gradually gave way to May flowers and the sun became a permanent fixture in the sky as opposed to the fleeting and disinterested visitor of his winter persona.
Jill had been thoroughly congratulated on her success in securing the New York firm, and it had been made clear to her that her worth would be abundantly demonstrated in monetary form come bonus time. Richard had also been quite prosperous and, despite what their numerous panicked phone calls would indicate, the girls were shaping up to be straight A students, the both of them.
Yes, everything seemed to be going well for the Richards family, and Jill’s swell of pride for her offspring was equaled only by the swell of her calf as she inadvertently shredded yet another set of panty hose.
‘Dammit!’ she swore, less over the loss of the cheap fashion accessory than at her growing fear that she was finally starting to lose her girlish figure. She had started monitoring her weight carefully and had seen a slight increase over the last week or so, but not enough to account for her now ill-fitting clothing. The odd thing was that, upon inspection, her legs did not seem too thick to accommodate the hose, but rather too long. She had begun to notice this in other articles of clothing as well, and she was not the only one.
Just the day before, Richard had made some wry comment about her ‘flashing him some ankle’ as she had been on her way to work. She had laughed it off, but noticed that her slacks were indeed exposing more of her leg than they should have. Of course these things do not seem at all odd by themselves. After all, washing machines shrink clothing all the time. But they were beginning to add up, and she found it disconcerting.
However, being human, she was prone to the fallacy of ignoring that which is not readily explicable. And so she ignored this and life went on as usual, with her discretely letting out seams here and there and perhaps buying a few more new items of apparel than was her custom. Once, she had overcome her fear of sounding stereotyped and had asked Richard if he thought she had gained weight. He had seemed genuinely surprised at this, and had at once responded that she had never looked better. She could rely on this statement as genuine, as Richard had never been much of an actor.
At any rate, today she was not at leisure to worry about such trivialities as marginal weight gain. Tonight they had tickets to opening night at the opera. The show was Tchaikovsky’s Pikovaia Dama, an unsung classic which neither of them had had the privilege of viewing before.
The Richards were not wealthy in the snobby, aristocratic sense of the word, but they each made a good living and, being relatively cultured and having a certain appreciation for the arts, they took great pleasure in seeing an opera once or twice a year as time allowed.
Oh well, she would have to do without her hose tonight, they were running late as it was. Actually they were well ahead of schedule, but to Jill the term ‘fashionably late’ translated to ‘unforgivably rude’ and so she insisted that they leave at least ten minutes earlier than any normal person would have thought necessary.
She slipped on a pair of low black pumps and checked her evening gown in the mirror. The fit seemed off to her, like it had been cut for someone with a different build. Tighter in some places, looser in others. But she didn’t take the time to fuss over it now. The weekend was just around the corner and she could deal with all of her ever increasing wardrobe difficulties then.
‘Honey, are you ready’’ came Richard’s voice from downstairs.
‘Yes, I’m coming down now.’ she replied, smoothing her dress one last time before turning and racing down the stairs, her haste nearly causing her to trip over her own feet. ‘Let’s go.’
* * * * * *
The evening was pleasant and they both enjoyed the show immensely. Jill, having delegated the responsibility of the drive home to her husband, rather more immensely than Richard. It was after eleven by the time the car pulled into the driveway and the still obviously tipsy Jill was starting to get sappy.
‘I had such a wonderful time, Richard.’ she purred with only a slightly noticeable slur to her speech.
‘Me too, sweetie.’ he said, kissing her gently on top of her head.
‘I’m so lucky. No one could ask for a better husband than *hic* you.’
Richard laughed. ‘Ok, I think we’d better get you to bed.’
‘No, not yet. I want you to hold me.’
With that she collapsed, cooing softly, into his arms, rubbing her face against his chest affectionately. He embraced her and slowly guided her through the house into the bedroom, where he gently lay her down to sleep. He then slipped under the covers himself and, just before drifting off, was somehow struck by the feeling that he had not been able to encompass her in his embrace quite as much as usual.
III
Richard was abruptly woken at the painfully early hour of seven AM. The fancy Sharper Image alarm clock that he had purchased several months ago and which now sat perched atop his dresser was loaded with all sorts of high-tech functions, one of which was the capability to go off at the same time every morning without having to be told. This was a useful feature during work days, but unforgivably annoying when he forgot to reset it in preparation for the weekend. He had also cleverly placed the clock on the other side of the room so that he would have to get out of bed to turn it off, and thus not be tempted to go back to sleep. This too had saved him from many a tardy day at work, but at the moment all he could think of was destroying in any way possible the hateful little box, whose screaming disc jockey voice was carefully punctuated every three seconds by a vast arsenal of the world’s most annoying sound effects.
Richard stumbled out of bed, mumbling vague incoherent threats as his mind still struggled to waking life, and lurched toward the offending contraption, banging his knee on the dresser in the process. He shut the alarm off with minimal fumbling and collapsed into a nearby chair, rubbing his injured knee. He glanced towards the bed and was pleased to see that Jill was still slumbering peacefully, a faint snore escaping from her slightly parted lips. He considered rejoining her, but between the being shocked awake and the pain in his leg, he knew he there was no hope further sleep Having reached this conclusion, he resolved to do the only logical thing to do in a situation like this. Make breakfast.
Breakfast in the Richards home was rarely a simple affair. Richard liked to cook and secretly considered himself something of a gourmet, while Jill and the girls liked nothing more than to eat. And although on weekdays things were somewhat stripped down due to time constraints, he was frankly amazed that the three of them had not become grossly obese after nearly twenty years of his extravagant weekend brunches.
He stared into the pantry, silently studying they array of ingredients available to him, pondering. What would it be today’ Sweet or salty’ Pancakes or eggs’ Bacon or sausage’ These were matters that should not be decided lightly, and Richard always took his time when planning the perfect meal. At length he decided on crepes with raspberry sauce and some thinly sliced bacon on the side for contrast. Cooking is like painting. The composition has to be balanced, not too much of any one element and everything in its proper place. A man with a mission, Richard grimly donned his ‘Hail to the chef’ apron and set to work.
After about an hour, Richard had managed to assemble a pile of crepes that would daunt even the heartiest Frenchman and an equally impressive amount of bacon. He was just finishing up when Jill shuffled into the kitchen, her eyes still bleary with sleep.
‘Oh my head is killing me.’ she said, rubbing the offending appendage with her hand.
‘Had a bit too much to drink last night, did we’’ teased Richard, unable to suppress a grin.
‘You hush. I wasn’t drunk.’
‘Of course you weren’t, darling.’
‘That smells good. I’m famished.’
‘Well we’re in no danger of running out. Why don’t you have a seat and I’ll bring some out to you.’
Jill seemed to perk up at the thought of food and, her headache apparently forgotten, skipped over to her husband attempted to peck him on the lips. She raised herself up on her tiptoes, but still fell slightly short of the mark, her lips only reaching his chin. Richard raised an eyebrow at her, to which she responded by giving him what he referred to as her ‘pouty eyes’. He laughed and kissed her warmly. Satisfied, she skipped away into the dining room, where he could hear her making herself comfortable as she prepared to dine.
They had a pleasant meal together, with brief conversation between mouthfuls. Jill was usually quite chatty, but today she seemed more interested in what went into her mouth than in what came out. This was the continuation of a trend Richard had begun to notice. Jill had always been a big eater, but lately her appetite seemed to have grown substantially. This concerned him a little, but she didn’t seem to be putting on weight and she hadn’t mentioned anything health related to him, so thought it best not to bring it up.
After breakfast they went for their customary walk around the neighborhood. Jill thought it important to keep up at least some degree of regular exercise and Richard had no objections. He always found the outdoors pleasant and enjoyed the time alone with his wife. The area was quite hilly and they both generally found it to be a good workout, often becoming substantially winded by the time they returned home.
Today Jill seemed full of energy. She bounded along at more than their usual pace while still managing to carry on a conversation. Richard didn’t mind, he actually enjoyed the change of pace. Ordinarily he had to consciously slow himself down in order to match his wife’s much shorter stride, but today he was able to walk more comfortably without fear of leaving her behind. At one point she even got a little ahead of him, in her enthusiasm over a neighbor’s newly blooming flower garden. Richard cheerfully admired the view from behind her as she bubbled on about summer’s early arrival this year. As his eyes meandered over her supple frame, he again noticed that her pants seemed to be riding up, exposing a good bit of her ankles as she walked.
‘Honey, what’s with you and the short pants lately’ Trying to impress me’’ he inquired when he could get a word in.
‘Ha, I don’t need to try and you know it, but no. I’ve had these for years. I don’t know what it is, I think something in the wash is shrinking them.’
‘Well I’ll tell you what, later today if you want we’ll go get you some new duds, and maybe some new, better detergent while we’re at it. That’s what you get for always buying the cheap kind.’
‘But I like the cheap kind! It’s got a cute little bear on the label.’
‘Maybe so, but what do bears know about laundry’ We should get one with a Chinese guy on it.’
‘Racist!’ she slapped at him playfully. ‘Alright fine, we’ll try it your way. This once. Just as long as I can get some new clothes out of it.’
‘Glad to see you’re so open minded.’
They continued their banter throughout the remainder of their walk, which went quickly because, though she tried not to show it, Jill obviously couldn’t wait for the opportunity to go shopping for her new apparel.
IV
Richard sighed in exasperation. They had been in the department store maybe five minutes, and already Jill was so weighted down with clothes that she could barely walk straight.
‘Oof’ she grunted, trying not to drop the pair of formal black pumps she held in her left hand. ‘Richard honey, do you think you could help me get some of these things to the dressing room, please’’ She was really pouring on the charm now. She must have noticed his look of disapproval.
‘Alright, but I hope you’re not planning on buying all of that.’ He felt silly walking through the store with an armful of dresses and lingerie, but if it would speed things up who cared what people thought.
Alas, things were not sped up, and he was forced to wait a frustrating half hour outside the women’s dressing rooms before finally giving in to impatience. He knocked on the stall and called out. ‘Are you still alive in there, Jill’’
The door burst open and she came rushing out, her hair sticking out wildly as though there had been some sort of tornado within the small booth. There was fire in her eyes and for a moment Richard thought he was in trouble for interrupting her sacred shopping ritual.
‘None of these clothes fit!’ she exclaimed.
‘What, none of them’’
‘None of them. This store obviously tampers with the sizing to make women feel thinner than they are. It shameful.’
‘Did you ever think that maybe you’ve just gained some weight’’ he attempted cautiously. ‘Remember that some of your clothes at home weren’t fitting either..’
She didn’t even bother to respond to this and simply ignored him. ‘Let’s go somewhere else.’
She started to push past him, but he put his hand on her shoulder, stopping her. ‘We’re not going anywhere else. I’ve been waiting out here for over half an hour. Just get measured.’
‘But-’ she began to protest.
‘Honey,’ he said slowly and deliberately. ‘Just get measured.’
She slumped her shoulders in defeat. Richard usually let Jill get away with anything, but there were certain rare occasions when he put his foot down, and in the end she would always cave.
‘There’s a guy right over there.’ he offered helpfully, pointing to a nearby employee.
Dejectedly, she trudged over to the man with Richard in tow, her expression that of a scolded child. He was helpful in that way that only those who were working for a commission could be, smiling too much and a little too quick to agree with her, but he seemed capable enough and before long he was manipulating measuring tape and jotting down figures like a pro. Richard was bored by this and found it hard to keep his attention focused. His eyes kept wandering over to the electronics section of the store, which taunted him from just across the aisle. He had been thinking about getting one of those flat screen televisions for a while now, and since Jill was treating herself, maybe today was the right time to bring it up.
He turned to her, intending to make some preliminary inquiry to see how she would feel about the matter, but before he could begin, something caught his eye and stopped him from expressing his thought. The salesman was taking her height measurement, and he had happened to catch a glimpse of the figure on the tape just before it was pulled away for some other purpose.
‘Excuse me, sir’’
‘Yes’’ responded the man, talking around the pen he held in his mouth.
‘What did you get for her height just now’’
‘Sixty-two inches, sir.’ Now he was measuring her arm length.
‘You might want to check that again.’
‘I assure you, sir, I’ve been doing this a long time. I do not make incorrect measurements.’
‘I don’t mean to question you, but my wife has been 4’10’ since high school.’
‘Then maybe this isn’t your wife.’ the salesman cracked, unfunnily.
‘No, he’s right.’ Jill chimed in. ‘I am 4’10’’
The man sighed unnecessarily deeply and began again to measure Jill’s height.
‘Well’’ Richard inquired.
‘Ok you’re right. I made a mistake.’ he grudgingly admitted. ‘You’re wife isn’t sixty-two inches tall.’
Richard smiled.
‘She’s sixty-two and a half inches.’
Jill looked at her husband, her mouth formed into a little O of surprise.
‘Please don’t move your head, miss. I’m trying to take your hat size.’
* * * * * * *
They left the store sometime later with several pounds worth of clothing which, despite Richard’s doubts about the competence of the salesman, had fitted perfectly. They were all at least a size larger than what Jill was used to wearing, and they were both a bit baffled. Richard tried to be reassuring on the drive home.
‘I wouldn’t worry too much about it, babe. Even if you have put on a few pounds, you wouldn’t know it to look at you. You look great!’
‘Thanks,’ she grimaced ‘but I think there was something screwy about that store, and especially that salesman.’
‘I’m sure you’re right. He obviously didn’t know how to use a tape measure. And you were probably right about the undersizing thing too.’
‘No, it’s not just that. I think their clothes must be made from cheap material or something.’
‘Oh’ Why’s that’’
‘Well this new dress that I’m wearing. It fit great in the store, but now it’s starting to feel kinda tight. It must be the fabric, reacting to change in humidity or temperature or something, right’’
‘Right, I’m sure that’s it.’ Richard said, but deep in the back of his mind something told him that things were not right.
V
Upon their arrival home, Jill quickly rushed into their bedroom. Richard assumed she had to use the bathroom, but was puzzled when she emerged seconds later holding an old cloth tape measure.
‘What are you doing’’
‘I know it’s silly, but I just want to see something.’
‘Oh c’mon Jill, the guy was just bad at his job. I think you know your own height.’
‘Just humor me, ok’’
‘Oh very well.’ he sighed in an affected, overly dramatic tone, walking towards the wall where Jill waited. She looked comical standing there, her back stretched into an unnaturally rigid position that was probably quite uncomfortable. She looked rather embarrassed by the whole thing, and Richard noticed that she had begun to blush.
Richard took full advantage of her evident discomfort and made a big show of selecting a book from a nearby shelf to use as a level.
‘Let’s see here, what would be appropriate’’ he mused to himself. ‘Machiavelli’ No, too dark wouldn’t you say’ War and Peace’ Hmm, no, that’s far to heavy. That would easily knock three inches off your height if I set it on your head. Ah here we go, Freud. Perfect for your neuroses, my dear.’
Jill was pointedly frowning at him, but he could tell she was amused.
‘Now if you’ll just let me see that measure, and here we are. You may step away from the wall now.’
She took a step back and turned, staring fixedly at the straight black pencil mark just above her eye level. Richard unrolled the tape and carefully stretched it from the floor up to his marking. He glanced at the numbers on the tape, looked at the mark and then at the numbers again.
‘Hm.’ he said, and promptly began to repeat his measurements.
‘What’’ she asked, but Richard made no reply. He was staring at the tape again.
‘Well, I can’t explain it,’ he said after a moment. ‘But according to this, you’re just over five feet, two and a half inches tall.’ He showed her the measurement.
‘But how can that be’ You know I’m not that tall.’
‘I know you weren’t that tall. But that seems to have changed. Either that or I’m completely inept with a tape measure, which would make me just about the worst engineer ever.’
Jill opened her mouth, but couldn’t come up with anything to say, so she shut it again. Seeing that she was distressed, Richard tried to console her.
‘Look, I’m sure it’s no big deal. When was the last time you were measured’ Ten years ago’ This sort of thing isn’t uncommon at all.’
‘It isn’t’’
‘No, of course not.’ said Richard, not quite convincing himself. ‘Now stop worrying. I’m hungry. What do you say we order in tonight’’
Jill’s eyes lit up.
‘Yeah, I could really go for some Chinese!’
Richard smiled to himself at how easily his wife was distracted.
‘I think I’ve got some menus left over from last time. I’ll go get them.’
Within a matter of hours the couple was feasting hungrily on an astounding assortment of Eastern delicacies, including three kinds of fried rice and several quarts of wonton soup. They ate ravenously, appetites fueled by what had turned out to be an exciting day. At last, defeated by her half eaten pile of sweet and sour pork, Jill collapsed onto the sofa. Richard watched as his overstuffed wife tried to muster the will to finish off her fortune cookie. Personally, he thought they tasted like cardboard and always threw his away after reading the slip of paper inside , but Jill insisted that you had to eat the cookie or else your fortune wouldn’t come true.
She swallowed the last remaining crumbs, patted her bulging stomach and triumphantly read the prophesy undoubtedly set forth by ancient Chinese cookie makers.
‘Expect big changes ahead.’ she read. ‘Your lucky numbers are: 5, 11, 13, 17, 23 and 31.’
‘31’ No kidding. Who’d have thunk it.’’ Richard commented wryly.
‘You laugh mister, but we’ll see who’s laughing when these big changes come.’ she said, brandishing the paper threateningly. ‘Who knows’ Maybe I’ll meet some tall, dark, less sarcastic man and run away with him.’
‘Less sarcastic than me’ Never!’
This silliness went for quite some time. Far longer, in fact, than most readers would have the patience to sit through. Suffice it to say that Richard had forgotten all about the strange phenomenon of his wife’s extra inches, and Jill was feeling muss less anxious as well, although the whole incident reminded her of something, or perhaps someone... she just couldn’t put her finger on what it was.
However, the next day anxiety struck again. Jill had gotten up early and had polished off the rest of the Chinese food while Richard was in the shower, but she was uncomfortable. It took her most of the morning to figure out why, and when she realized what it was it sent alarm bells off in her head.
‘Richard!’ she called out, sounding somewhat panicked.
‘What is it’’ He dashed into the room, looking worried.
‘My clothes are too tight.’
‘Your clothes are too tight’ You go screaming at the top of your lungs, making me think you’ve cut your finger off or something, just to tell me that’’
‘Measure me again.’ she demanded, ignoring his irritation.
‘Okay, look. I think you need to give this thing a rest now. You’re a couple of inches taller than we thought. Stop making such a big deal about it.’
‘No, I’m serious. Just one more time. I just remembered something from a couple of weeks ago and I need to check it out.’
Now Richard was really confused.
‘Humor me. Please’’ She gave him her most charming smile, which she usually reserved for special occasions. Richard blinked at her.
‘Fine.’ he said, striding off to get the tape measure.
‘Works every time.’ she whispered to herself.
They went through the whole routine, Richard being careful to exercise the utmost precision in his measurements, but within moments they were both gaping at the improbably numbers in front of them.
‘Sixty-four inches.’
They looked at each other.
Jill straightened up and looked Richard up and down, sizing him up.
‘Wow, this is weird.’ she said. ‘I didn’t notice it at first, but now that I look I can really see a difference.’ she said with a small smirk.
Richard’s mouth was hanging open.
‘Would you mind telling me what the hell is going on’’
‘In a minute. First, I have a phone call to make.’
VI
Jill twirled the stiff, white business card anxiously in her fingers while she waited for someone to pick up the phone on the other end of the line. It rang five times before she finally got an answer.
‘Hello, this is Jack Griswold.’ said a sleepy sounding voice.
‘Hi! This is Jill Richards, the lawyer from the plane’ I-’
‘I’m not in right now, leave a message and I’ll see what I can do.’
Jill sighed in frustration, and waited for the tone.
Richard was waiting when Jill reentered the room.
‘Well’’ he asked.
She had told him about the incident on the airplane and explained about Jack and his experimental new product. It didn’t take a genius to work out her theory, and Richard had caught on right away. His current emotional state consisted of some combination of panic and relief. Something without medical precedent was happening to his wife, and the effects were more than a little unnerving. Any sane man would feel some sense of horror at this fact. Even though the changes in Jill were relatively small, it was scary not to know what to expect. Was this the extent of her growth’ If so, that wouldn’t be a bad thing at all. Who wouldn’t appreciate a wife who was a bit taller, with somewhat longer legs’ But there was that unknown aspect of the whole situation that put him on edge. The only things we really fear are those we do not understand, and the fact that recent circumstances had shattered the illusion of control that Richard had built for himself and his family did not sit easy with him.
However, now they had a lead. This Jack Griswold, whoever he was. He was surely intelligent, having started his own business at such a young age, and since his work dealt with pharmaceuticals he was no doubt acquainted with the ways of science. Richard was good with math and physics, and excelled at his engineering work, but the fields of biology and chemistry were a mystery to him. It was at least marginally comforting to know that someone educated in these areas would soon be on the case.
‘He wasn’t their.’ she replied. ‘I left a message.’
‘What did you tell him’’
‘Nothing detailed. Just that I had some questions about that new drug and for him to call me back as soon as possible. He probably thinks it’s some legal thing.’ Richard nodded.
‘Maybe you should see a doctor. I bet we could get you an appointment right away if we said it was an emergency.’ She shook her head.
‘No, let me check out this Griswold guy first. He invented the stuff, he should know more about it than anyone else. Assuming that’s the cause of all this, of course.’ She gestured toward her body.
It was strange, how much a difference of six inches could make. She knew that she was still quite short, but from her perspective it was quite a change. Everything looked a little smaller, less intimidating. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t noticed it before. She looked at Richard while she talked, trying not to make it obvious that she was comparing him to the way he looked a few days ago. He had always loomed so large above her, but now he seemed much smaller. It was a strange sensation.
Suddenly she realized that they had finished talking and that she had been staring at him for nearly a full minute. He was looking at her with a confused expression and she immediately blushed a deep crimson. She was rescued from her embarrassment by the sudden sound of a ringing phone. She rushed to answer it, assuming Jack was displaying unheard of promptness in responding to his answering machine.
‘Hi mom!’
‘Oh.. uh.. hi Courtney! Hi Megan!’ Jill sputtered, trying to regain her composure.
‘Is it him’’ Richard asked poking his head in.
‘No, it’s the girls’ Then back into the receiver: ‘How have you been’’
‘Great!’ the two girls shouted in unison, and then began to simultaneously expound every detail of their academic lives that had happened since their last call home.
Out of the myriad of trivialities discussed over the course of the forty-five minute conversation that ensued, Jill’s mind latched onto two pieces of information that seemed to override all else in terms of importance. One, the girls had met two *gasp* boys, with whom they seemed quite taken. This fact alone would have numbed Jill’s senses to any other topic were it not for number two, which was this: these boys were planning on accompanying her daughters home for the first part of the summer, which was in *double gasp* just over a week.
Just over a week’ How could time have flown by so quickly’ How had she forgotten this momentous occasion’ Of course we all know that she had other things on her mind, but within her own impression of her motherly duties this seemed an unpardonable offense. She thought of the prospect of dealing with two college boys, who were in all probability trying to seduce her daughter, while simultaneously dealing with her *ahem* medical problem, and felt a queasy feeling rise in her stomach.
Or was that feeling caused by something else’
VII
Courtney Richards slumped exhaustedly over her computer, sporadically tapping at the keyboard with twitching fingers. She was working feverishly on her final research paper of the semester, an ambitious treatment of psychological disorders in children. Megan had entered school with unbridled enthusiasm, plunging headlong into all of her classes, but especially those pertaining to psychology, in which she intended to major. Her sister, her parents and her classmates had warned her not to overextend herself. After all, she was only a freshman. She had laughed at these claims, assuming them to be the products of lazy minds and inferior initiative, but now as her bloodshot eyes struggled in vain to focus on the glowing screen in front of her, she began to wonder if maybe they had not been entirely wrong.
Her sister, Megan, was draped on the bed at the other end of the cramped dorm room, studying halfheartedly for a chemistry exam she had the following morning.
‘What is a Valence Electron again, Courtney’’ she mused, not really expecting an answer. Her sister knew nothing about science (Megan didn’t count psych as a real science.)
‘Shush. I’m trying to write about bipolar kids.’
‘You haven’t hit ten keys in the last five minutes.’
‘Maybe that’s because I have an annoying sister distracting me.’
‘Want me to leave’’ Megan smirked, knowing that the insult was insincere.
‘No, stay.’
Megan grinned triumphantly at this response and stuck her nose back in her book. ‘Isn’t your roommate due back soon’’
‘No, she went out with her boyfriend, she won’t be back tonight.
‘Speak of the Devil.’
At that moment the door to the room opened and two handsome young men entered looking very pleased with themselves. Courtney sprung up from her chair, suddenly full of life again, and ran to meet them. She clasped her arms around the taller of the two and planted a kiss on his eager lips.
‘Hi Brian’ she cooed.
‘Well hello, ladies. Are you ready for some fun’’
‘Are we ever.’ said Megan rising leisurely from the bed. ‘If I have to read about Lewis Dot Structures any more I’m going to scream.’
‘Well let’s go then.’ said the other boy, whose name was Todd. ‘The car,’ he intoned in the manner of a chauffer, ‘is just outside.’
These four upstanding young people were students at the University of Texas, and as anyone who knows the area will tell you, there is a dazzling area of bars, clubs and other nightlife hotspots just a hop skip and a jump away from campus, to say nothing of the live music scene. It would therefore have been a shameful waste of opportunity had these four not taken every advantage of their surroundings during these precious few college years. They were not irresponsible, as an outside observer might first assume, but were in fact very good students and smarter than they let on. So even though they were abandoning their homework in favor of clubs and fake IDs, no one present had any doubt of their continued academic success.
They piled into Todd’s Toyota Corolla and sped off down 6th street.
‘How are your finals, guys’’ Amber asked as they drove.
‘Cake.’ replied Brian, looking over his shoulder at them and grinning. ‘DiCenzo let us out of our test at the last second.’
‘Like he ALWAYS does.’ said Todd. ‘No wonder he’s so popular with the students.’
‘Hey, he’s a good teacher too.’
Courtney spoke up suddenly, interrupting the impending argument. ‘So are you guys excited about meeting our parents’’
‘Er.. yeah. It should be great.’ Todd said, hesitantly.
Megan whacked him on the side of the head sharply. ‘Ow! Watch it, I’m driving.’
‘Todd told me in private that he is very excited.’ Megan reassured her sister.
‘Yeah, it should be lots of fun.’ said Brian.
‘I just hope they don’t do anything to embarrass us.’ Courtney laughed.
* * * * * *
‘Five foot seven.’ Richard read off mechanically.
‘Wow.’ Said Jill, a touch of wonder in her voice. It had been four days since she had called Griswold and she was still waiting for an answer. She had tried his office several times since but had only gotten the answering machine.
‘Honey, I really think you should think about seeing a doctor.’
‘Maybe you’re right, but what are they going to say’ Assuming they don’t think I’m crazy, they’ll probably make me a guinea pig for life. I’ve never heard of a case like this and I’m willing to bet neither have they.’
Jill was an advocate of self diagnosis and had an inherent distrust of doctors. She had looked up her condition on the internet, but had found no medical precedent. She did, however, find a gargantuan number of fetish sites that seemed to be concerned with the problem, but after reading a story in which the entire planet was destroyed by a very large, very angry young lady, she decided that these were counterproductive.
‘I just don’t know how long we can wait for this Jack guy to call. He seems pretty flaky.’
Jill sighed. ‘I know. You’re right. I’ll go call a doctor.’
‘I think it’s the right choice.’ he said reassuringly.
She hugged her husband, who was starting to seem very short to her (from her point of view he appeared to be 5’2’) and went into the living room to get the yellow pages. After she left Richard rubbed his arm thoughtfully. He realized that that brief embrace had left him very aroused. He had only had one girlfriend before he met Jill, and she had been equally petite. He had never had real physical contact with a tall woman, and now that his wife was metamorphosing into an amazon, he didn’t quite know what to think, except that deep down he couldn’t deny that he liked it. A lot.
Jill found the number of a satisfactory doctor and was reaching for the receiver when the phone began to ring. The noise startled her and she jumped before answering.
‘Hello’’
‘Hello, Jill’ It’s Jack. Jack Griswold.’
VIII
A hurried conversation and a quick car ride later, Jill and Richard sat expectantly in the posh interior of Jack Griswold’s office. The Griswold Pharmaceutical building was a towering monstrosity of glass and steel that had taken both of them by surprise. Jill had never suspected that the young entrepreneur could have been this successful. They continued to gaze in wonder at their surroundings as the ascended the fifty story structure via glass elevator, and were greeted on the top floor by an attractive secretary seated at a glass desk. Griswold seemed to have a thing for transparency.
They were admitted to the office immediately, a first for Jill, who was accustomed to long waits outside office doors. Inside, Jack greeted them warmly, with a touch of concern and bade them sit down. They were relieved to find that the chairs were not also glass, but rather soft comfortable leather. When Jack started to speak, Jill noted that his tone was much more serious and business like than when they had chatted on the plane.
‘Jill, Mister Richards, It’s so good to see you. I’m very sorry I didn’t respond to your messages sooner. I was on an important business trip to Japan, and I’m afraid my secretary as unable to reach me. Ah, but where are my manners’ Mr. Richards, I don’t believe we’ve met. Jack Griswold, Griswold Pharmaceutical. I’m sure your aware of the circumstances under which I met your wife.’
‘Yes, well aware. Nice to meet you.’
Jill glanced at her husband curiously. He was usually a very pleasant and personable man, but just now his tone had been curt, almost jealous.
‘I understand that you have been experiencing some unexplained growth spurts.’ Jack plowed on, oblivious. He seemed totally focused on the conversation. The muscles in his face remained relaxed, but Jill got the impression that, were it not for his well practiced composure, he would be visibly sweating.
‘That’s putting it mildly.’ she smirked.
‘Yes of course. I only saw you sitting down on the plane, but even so, the change is unmistakable. How much would you say you’ve grown’’
‘Nine inches.’ Jill and Richard answered together.
Jack nodded. He did not show any reaction to the figure. He merely took it in silently. A long moment of silence passed, then at last Jack spoke again.
‘Alright.’ he said decisively. ‘It’s obvious that this is some sort of reaction to our compound. To pass it off as a coincidence would be pure delusion. You were drenched in the stuff on the airplane, if you recall.’ Jill nodded tersely.
‘Wait a minute,’ said Richard. ‘I thought you said your compound was meant to heal injuries, not as some sort of crazy growth hormone.’
‘It is.’ said Jack, trying not to sound annoyed. ‘And it works very well. What has happened with your wife is an anomaly. We’ve never seen anything like it in any of our test subjects. But due to the specific nature of the compound, it’s reasonable to assume a connection. Jill, I’m telling all of my researchers to drop everything their doing and concentrate their every effort into finding out how such a thing could happen. They will not stop until the problem is solved, and I have every confidence it will not be wrong. These are some of the brightest men in the field.
‘We’ll need you to come back in at some point to do some tests, but we’ll wait until we have some preliminary findings first.’ here he stood.
‘Until then I’d ask you not to seek outside medical help. My work here is highly confidential, and without access to my files no doctor would have any chance of helping you anyway. Is that alright with you’’
She nodded, but Richard looked uneasy.
‘Fine. Now I recommend you go home and get plenty of rest. I’ll be in touch with you very soon, I promise. Oh, and try not to worry. I assure you everything will be fine. For now you might as well enjoy a life of tall elegance.’ His smile was mirrored in Jill’s face. She turned to go, but he held her back.
‘Just a minute. How tall did you say you were again’’
‘5’7’. Why’’
‘Because I’m 5’8’ and you’re looking me right in the eye.’
Next: The Girls Return Home!
IX
Several nerve racking days went by without any comforting words from Jack. He had called once, just to check up on her and to say that he had all his best people working day and night on the problem, but this was of little reassurance to Jill. On the day of her daughters’ return she stood a full six feet tall, the same height as her husband, and she was having a little trouble getting used to it. It was so weird to be able to look him straight in the eye. At times she felt awkward around him, and found herself resisting the urge to slouch. Common wisdom held that women were not supposed to be tall, at least not as tall as their husbands, and she had a hard time overcoming such instincts.
Richard’s behavior, on the other hand, had begun to change in ways that puzzled Jill to no end. When she had first noticed her growth, he had expressed concern for her health and safety and had seemed genuinely worried about her. However, ever since their visit to Jack Griswold’s office, he had become more cheerful and upbeat. He had also become more physically affectionate with her than he had been for years. It seemed he was forever hugging her, kissing her, slipping his arms around her waist while she cooked dinner. She also noticed that he was making a habit of standing very close to her and staring when he thought she wasn’t looking. Perhaps this was merely his way of showing concerned support for her in her time of need, but somehow she didn’t think so.
Jill’s confusion over her husband ‘s actions was soon supplanted by a growing anxiety about what she was going to tell their daughters. She would tell them the truth of course, and she tried to convince herself that that would be enough. They were mature, understanding girls and this slight medical issue would, no doubt, have no effect on what was to be a relaxing and enjoyable visit. She told herself this, but somehow never quite believed it. She couldn’t help feeling that their upcoming reunion would be extremely uncomfortable for all involved.
These were the thoughts that passed through Jill Richards’ mind as she stood at the Delta terminal awaiting the arrival of her two children. It was painfully obvious that school was out for summer. Swarms of young men and women streamed out of the concourse and Jill jumped with anticipation several times, only to be disappointed by Courtney and Megan look-alikes. She felt Richard’s hand caressing her hip and look over at him to see him quickly avert his eyes, pretending to stare at a twenty something girl with pink hair. Jill could barely stop herself from laughing. Her husband was actually trying to make her think he was looking at other women, rather than get caught staring at her. Did he find her freakish, perhaps’ If so he didn’t act it, and Richard had never been a good actor. If she didn’t know better, she would think he was actually attracted to her at this size, but everyone knows men don’t like women as tall as themselves. They’re far too insecure for that.
Just then, two identical squeals of delight made her turn her head.
‘Mom! Dad!’
Megan and Courtney had arrived. And with them were two.... oh ****.
Due to all of the erm... excitement regarding her erm... condition, Jill had completely forgotten that her daughters were bringing boys home. Jill felt a knot the size of a small watermelon form in her stomach. This was going to present some complications, but no time to worry about that now. She had some daughters to greet.
‘Girls!’ She extended her arms and stepped forward for a hug. Courtney had already reached Richard, and was clinging to him enthusiastically, but Megan stopped short of her mother with a screwed up look of confusion on her face.
‘Wow mom, those are some amazing.... heels’’ she finished hesitantly as she glanced at her mother’s feet (Jill was wearing a new pair of sandals that she had bought to accommodate her expanding body. They were quite flat.)
‘What happened to you’’
Jill froze. The tone of incredulous horror in Courtney’s voice was exactly as she had imagined it in her fears. They were going to hate her for this. She was a freak. It was all she could do to keep from bursting into tears right there.
‘Your mother has been having a bit of a growth spurt lately.’ Richard said diplomatically. Jill squeezed her eyes shut in humiliation.
‘That’s... amazing!’ Jill opened her eyes to see that Megan was now smiling, as she stepped forward to look up into her mother’s eyes.
‘Wow mom, you’re soooo tall. That’s really cool.’ said Courtney, breaking away from Richard’s embrace to get a better view.
‘Doesn’t your mother look great, girls’’ Richard said, smiling.
‘Totally...’ they chorused in awe.
Jill gaped at Richard, then at the girls, then at Richard again. She was speechless.
‘You can shut your mouth now, honey.’ he said to her out of the side of his mouth. She did so with an audible click.
Suddenly, Courtney and Megan jumped as if shocked.
‘Oh yeah, I almost forgot.’ Courtney said, turning towards the two thoroughly confused looking boyfriends . ‘This is Brian and Todd. Brian and Todd, these are our parents.’
‘P- pleased to meet you Mr. Richards, Mrs. Richards, they stammered, obviously knocked off guard by the scene they had just witnessed. Megan smiled and surreptitiously kicked Todd in the shin, who was staring at little too openly at her mother. ‘Shall we go then’’
On the ride home the girls were treated to the full explanation of their mother’s sudden, unexpected growth, at which they were enthralled. Jill got the impressed that they would have discussed it for the entire ride had she not intervened and demanded to get to know their boyfriends. Todd and Brian soon became much more relaxed, although still a little shaken, and did their best to make a favorable impression. When they arrived at last, Richard carried the bags inside, aided by the two boys, and Courtney bounced along beside Brian giggling. Megan lagged behind for a moment with her mother.
‘This is so weird.’ she said, standing unnaturally close to Jill and staring up into her eyes. ‘It’s like I’m a little kid again.’
‘Yeah,’ said Jill, a thoughtful expression appearing on her face. ‘it is. Now go on inside and help that boyfriend of yours carry all that luggage you brought. Go on, scoot!’ With a grin she swatted her daughter playfully from behind as she ran inside indoors. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.
X
The Richards family spent the rest of the day catching up. Megan and Courtney talked eagerly about the school year and wasted no opportunity to gush over their respective beaus. Todd and Brian were on their best ‘parent’ behavior and tried heroically to act mature and responsible. However, they both displayed a peculiar tendency to lower their eyes and blush slightly whenever they were addressed by Jill, which made them appear somewhat childish. Courtney seemed oblivious to this, but Megan kept shooting confused glances at Todd.
If Jill was a source of awkwardness for the kids, Richard was the exact opposite. He played the part of gracious host with careless ease, while at the same time managing to seem like one of the guys. He had no real male friends and it was a nice treat for him to have other men around to discuss such important matters as football and the relative virtues of ales versus lagers. Jill looked disapproving at the latter topic, but said nothing in an effort to keep the atmosphere friendly and casual.
Jill’s behavior, however, was becoming decidedly odd. Richard was the first to notice, when he caught her staring at her daughters from across the room with a faraway look in her eyes.
‘Everything alright, honey’’
‘What’ Oh, yes. I was just thinking of when they were little.’
He naturally dismissed this as a reaction to the girls’ first real boyfriends. It was to be expected, he reasoned, that Jill would get a little nostalgic at this painful reminder of their daughters’ impending adulthood. But watching her throughout the day, he noticed that she often lapsed into silence, her eyes fixed on Megan or Courtney, and that during these moments she always straightened her shoulders and drew herself up to her full height. She also seemed to be standing unnecessarily close to the girls whenever they were in the same room. Maybe she was just feeling protective. That was probably what it was.
After a lovely dinner of take out Chinese food (Jill said she did not want to spend her daughters’ first night home cooking) and several more hours of conversation it was generally conceded that some sleep should be had. The girls were happy to be able to sleep in their own beds again, and the boys were shown to the guest room. As parents went, Richard and Jill were pretty easygoing, but not that easygoing.
‘It’s good to have you home, girls.’ said Richard, hugging his daughters. ‘And it was great meeting you gentlemen.’ He shook Brian and Todd’s hands firmly.
The two boys thanked him for his hospitality and extended their hands towards Jill, but were taken aback when she met them with the same forceful hugs she had just given Megan and Courtney. Brian and Todd squirmed uncomfortably, with identical looks of panic on heir faces. Courtney laughed but Megan looked concerned.
Once their parents had gone, she crept into Todd’s room to say goodnight. After a lengthy embrace and several goodnight kisses, she looked at him seriously and asked:
‘Why do you act so nervous around my mom’’
‘What’ Oh, I don’t know. It’s always scary to meet the parents for the first time, right’’
‘But you were great with my dad. What’s the big deal about mom’’
‘Well...’ he stammered, obviously unprepared for this. ‘It’s just... well she’s so tall.’
‘I know. It’s really weird. I’ve been taller than her since I was just a kid. It’s a very surreal experience.’
‘I’ll bet.’ he said, looking relieved to be off the hook as Megan began to muse.
‘I’m not sure how I feel about it. It’s kinda cool, but it also makes me feel a little insecure, like I’m younger, you know’’
He nodded his understanding, happy to let her do the talking.
‘I also guess I’m a little jealous. She looks so beautiful at that height. I never really noticed when she was short. I bet she feels really elegant.’ she shrugged. ‘Maybe I’ll buy some high heels next time I’m at the store.’
This surprised Todd. Megan had always preferred flats to heels due to the comfort factor. It was interesting to see a different side of her.
‘Well.. erm’ he said, clearing his throat and unsure of what to say. ‘That sounds nice.’
Megan looked at him coyly. ‘Would you like that’’
‘Er... yeah, actually. I think you would look really hot in heels.’
‘Really’ Well alright then, it’s a date.’ And with that she strode out of the room with an air of victory that Todd found utterly confusing. He shrugged, climbed into bed and clicked off the light. Tomorrow should be interesting.
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