The Wish

Anne shook Jodi's hand and said, "Deal, just be sure to keep you end of the deal. I will be the one to decide who I go out with next."

"Hey, didja see that guy watching us walk by?" Jodi asked.

"No, I didn't."

"He's gorgeous and I'll bet he's single too." Jodi said. Anne looked back. Jodi was right on both counts. He was gorgeous and he was probably single too but because he looked so young.

"I like them a little bit older Jodi. I've already had too old and I don't want to get into too young."

"Okay, okay, but I'm just shopping."

"Jodi, you're always shopping. It's a good thing they don't have men in catalogues because you'd go broke ordering them." The both laughed and continued down the beach. Anne did take the time to look at the single looking men as she walked down the beach. They seemed to be looking at her too. For Anne, this was a first and she was actually enjoying it. She was beautiful now, she knew it and they knew it and she decided she was going to enjoy it. The two women walked a mile down the beach before the turned around to walk back. About half way back Anne noticed a good looking guy watching her walk down the beach, or at least she thought he was watching her. She looked right at him as she approached him and winked at him just as she passed by him.

"Hi!" He said to her.

Anne stopped, turned her head, smiled and said, "Hi."

"My name's Mark."

"Hi Mark, my name's Anne. I'm not in the habit of talking to strangers so I think I better get going."

"No, wait a minute, I'm not a stranger." He said before Anne move and then considered what he'd just said, "Well, I guess I am but you winked at me."

"I did?" Anne said very coyly, "I think you're mistaken. I had something in my eye." She did indeed have something in her eye, him, but she was not about to announce that.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he said.

"What are you sorry about?"

""Well, I was watching you when you walked down the beach."

"You're sorry you were watching me? Why? I think I should be offended." Anne said this very convincingly as she played a little game with him. Anne also wanted to see just how interested he really was in her. She thought if he tried hard to keep her there then he was genuinely interested and if not, well, there was nothing lost in trying.

"Oh, no, I didn't mean it that way. I just meant I'm sorry for staring, it's rude. I couldn't help it though. You're so beautiful I couldn't help myself."

"Now there's a line if ever I heard one. Do you use it often?" Anne toyed with him.

"Yeah, I guess it does sound like a line doesn't it? But it's not, really, I mean it. I really think you are really pretty. I'd like to get to know you," he said quickly and then he noticed Jodi standing there obviously a little annoyed that she was being ignored. "I'm sorry, I'm being rude. Introduce me to your friend would you?"

"My, aren't you the forward one," Anne said.

"Stop it Anne, you're teasing him too much now." Jodi turned to him and said, "Hi, my name is Jodi and it's a pleasure to meet you."

"All right, I'm sorry Mark, I have been teasing you," Anne relented.

"That's all right, I kinda figured you were," Mark said in a very gentle voice. Mark's voice and his entire manner appealed to Anne very quickly.

"Okay Anne, I'm gonna leave you two alone, you seem to have a lot to talk about and I have some things I want to do. Behave yourself Anne." Jodi said kidding her.

"I always do, you know that Jodi." Anne protested.

"Yeah, I know," Jodi replied, "It was nice meeting you Mark and maybe I'll see you again."

"I hope so," he replied, "it was very nice meeting you as well."

Anne looked Mark over very closely. He had an athletic physique, blonde hair, blue eyes and looked to be taller than she was although it was difficult for her to tell when he was sitting down. She could see Mark was looking her over as well and this made her feel good. She couldn't remember anyone ever having done that to her before and she felt it was kind of a nice change.

"So Mark, what do you do?"

"Nothing," he replied and then thought better of it, "I mean I'm a grad student at MIT."

"Oh, you're going to be one of their high priced engineers huh?"

"No, actually, I'm going to the Sloan School. I'm studying world economics."

"Oh, I forgot the Sloan School. I hear it's very good."

"It is. We've got two resident Nobel Prize winners."

Anne and Mark talked for quite a while about college, politics, religion and finally sex. To Anne's surprise and delight she found Mark to be a bit conservative where sex was concerned. She found him to be very endearing all around so when he offered her some wine and good blues music back at his apartment she accepted. His apartment was just off Harvard Square. Mark said he preferred the area to that around MIT. Anne understood that quite well herself. There was always something interesting going on in Harvard square and plenty of places to eat or go to listen to music unlike around MIT where there was virtually nothing of any sort and became like a ghost town on weekends. His apartment, though small, was very clean and tidy. Anne found that to be refreshing. Mark was a very upbeat and lively sort of person. Finally he brought in a bottle of wine which, when he looked at the label he jokingly said, "vintage," he paused purposely as if he were checking the bottle's date, "yesterday." They both laughed at his joke, Mark poured some of the wine for each other them and threw a CD of blues music in his stereo system. They were laying back on a love seat, quietly listening to the music and relaxing. There was not much conversation going between them at this time and that was all right, they were still enjoying both the company and the music. The second glass of wine left Anne feeling a bit amorous and Mark much the same way. It was not long before they were in each other's arms, kissing and caressing. Shortly after that Anne found Mark was not quite as sexually conservative as she had thought. She put this to a misunderstanding on her part, though, and thorough enjoyed making love to him for the next three and three quarters hours.

Anne was snuggling into Mark's should, almost asleep when she heard a door slam. "Who's that?" She asked.

"I don't know," Mark said with obvious concern.

"Do you have a roommate?" Anne asked. Before Mark could answer she bedroom door swung open and there, standing in its center, was a beautiful athletic looking blonde woman of about 30 Anne guessed.

"Ooops," she heard Mark say and suddenly her body went limp and her blood ran hot.

"Ooops!" The woman screeched.

"Who is this Mark?" Anne asked very pointedly.

"Yes, who is your little bimbo Mark?" the woman asked even more pointedly.

Anne looked at the woman directly in her eyes. They were burning with rage and Anne didn't need anymore answers. "You're his girlfriend aren't you?" Anne asked.

"More like his goddam fiancee'!" She replied in a thunderous voice.

"You son-of-a-bitch!" Anne yelled at him as she leaped out of the bed. Though she was totally naked Anne did not take notice of her condition, she was far too angry to care. "And I thought you were different! How stupid could I have been." Mark looked like he wanted to say something at that very moment when Anne continued, "No, don't you dare say a work you bastard! You keep your f-f-f . . ." Anne bit her lip rather than say the word. The blonde woman didn't have any problem with saying it though.

"Hi, I'm Veronica," the woman said holding her hand out to Anne.

"I'm Anne," Anne replied and shook Veronica's hand. At that moment Veronica brandished a smallish knife from some place Anne had not seen.

"Say Anne, you remember that what's her name who cut off her husband's dick?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact I do," Anne replied vindictively. Mark looked quite troubled at that point and backed up against the bed.

"You've got a great body and I don't mind looking at it but don't you think you'd feel more comfortable with some clothes on?" Veronica said to Anne and then laughed.

"Yes, I do think I would," she replied as she scooped up her blouse and panties quickly putting each on. Anne looked at Mark with a scowl on her face as she picked up her jeans and put them on. In seconds she had her shoes on as well and then said to Veronica, "Veronica, I'm really very sorry. Marked forgot to tell me he is engaged."

"Mark's pretty good at doing things like that," she answered. "Did he give you that alter boy look and that incredibly old conservative speech to you?" Anne nodded to Veronica. "Well, don't worry Anne. First off, he's no longer engaged and when I get started on him his most burning desire is going to be survival." Veronica said in an incredibly believable voice.

"Veronica, I'm really very sorry about this. I promise you I would never have done this had I known."

"Don't blame yourself Anne, pretty boy here has a history of being unable to keep his dick in his pants. Oh, just one more question."

"Yes?" Anne said.

"Did he tell you he is a graduate student at the Sloan School?" Veronica asked.

"Figures," Veronica said sarcastically, "he's got this ego thing but the only problem is that his entire involvement with the Sloan School is that he works in its cafeteria serving food. That's as close as he has ever gotten to college."

"Boy do I feel dumb," Anne said.

"Don't, he's good, or should I say, he used to be good." Veronica's entire look was a combination of quiet rage and vengeance.

"Veronica, I never was very good with the sight of blood so if you'll excuse me I'll leave now." Anne asked.

"Yeah, it's probably better if there aren't any witnesses anyway," Veronica said coldly. "It's all right Anne, pretty boy here has a long history of this but this will be his last, let me assure you of that. Take care of yourself hon and lock the door behind you on the way out."

"All right," Anne said quietly as she walked around Veronica and through the apartment door. She adjusted the lock on the door knob so it would lock shut when she closed it. Anne turned and went out the door pulling it closed behind here. Only seconds later Anne heard Mark yell, "Veronica, you wouldn't! No!" Then she heard him scream in pain. Anne doubted Veronica was doing any real violence upon him although she almost wished she would. As Anne walked down the stairs she heard the occasional scream coming from Mark's apartment. Just as she open the door to the outside and stepped out two policemen raced in and up the stairs she had just come down. Anne felt some vindication.

XI

Later that evening Anne started to think of the happenings of the weekend. As she went to sleep Anne was quietly wishing she was the plain Anne she had known and disliked. Anne quickly fell asleep.

The next morning the alarm woke her early as it did every workday morning. Anne went into the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror ready to prepare herself for the day ahead. As she looked into the mirror she whispered to herself, "I'm plain again!" In her solitude that morning Anne found her happiness. Once again Anne knew exactly who she was. Once again the universe was moving in a direction she understood. Anne went to her bedside table to retrieve the book that had brought on her miserable weekend. It wasn't there. Anne scoured the bedroom and then her entire apartment looking for it however it was no where to be found. Anne was quite certain she had left it in her bedroom so she was baffled that she could not find it. She decided not to worry about it and headed out to work.

At work that day Anne bumped into Jodi as she always did. "Jodi, remember that guy Mark I met on the beach yesterday?" Anne asked her.

"What?" Jodi asked with a confused look on her face.

"You know, the "hunk" we met on the beach."

"Anne, I don't know what you're talking about. I was at my mother's sister's funeral yesterday. Anne, are you all right? Have you been ill or something?" Jodi looked at her with concern for Anne's mental health.

Anne thought for a second and with the disappearance of the book she decided that maybe she had been temporarily ill. Maybe she was a tourist in a universe where she did not belong. Jodi was far too serious a person about her family to ever make such a joke about it so Anne decided that Jodi was telling the truth.

Anne went back to her office and sat behind her desk. She reached down into the lower left hand draw and pulled out a mirror. She looked at herself and finally mumbled to herself, "You know Anne, you're not all that bad looking and a with a little work you could be more than just presentable. Anne, you're all right." Anne replaced the mirror, leaned back in her chair and daydreamed for a little while. Mostly she thought about her life and how she had always wished for so many things to be different. Now she thought that maybe the only thing which needed to be different was her own mind and how she thought about herself. Anne made a mental list of her good qualities and when she was finished she said in a loud voice, "Any man would be lucky to have a woman like me."

"Damn straight Anne!" Jodi said resoundingly. Anne looked up quickly and saw Jodi just inside her office door. She wondered how much Jodi had heard and then she decided she really didn't care. From Jodi's remark Anne knew that Jodi agreed with her so maybe everything was going to be all right. Anne smiled at Jodi and offered her a cup of coffee which Jodi accepted. Anne asked Jodi about going out on the town the coming weekend and Jodi readily accepted. Anne was happy.

Later that day a woman walked into a bookstore, a used book store. She bought a book she didn't want for three dollars and seventy five cents which she said was far too low in price. The proprietor, an elderly gentleman, responded, "take it or leave it but that's the price."