Mira's Marvels: Bubblegum Bath

I stifled a yawn and tried to focus on the screen of my laptop in front of me, but I kept getting distracted as my gaze flicked down to the floor, where my wife Beth was currently doing yoga - never mind the fact that it was 11:30 at night. She bent her body into the Downward Facing Dog position, mirroring the instructor's movements on the television perfectly as she planted her hands on the yoga mat and arched her back, forming her body into an impressive V-shape. I watched as Beth held the position for a few moments, and I grinned as she gave her ass a cute little wiggle - not that she had much of an ass to wiggle, mind you, but it's the thought that counts. Beth's wiry frame was lithe and limber, with no curves to speak of, but I still enjoyed the view of her dressed in her black yoga pants and white tank top.

"I don't think that's proper yoga technique, sweetie," I teased her, with a grin.

"I'm just improvising a bit," she mused, as she continued her spirited gyrations and her black curls bounced around her cheeks in time with the movements of her body.

"Well don't improvise too much," I said cautiously, as she moved to the next step of her exercise and transitioned to the Mountain pose. She stood up as straight as she could and let her arms hang limply at her sides. "I don't want you to hurt yourself." Her factory job was hard enough on her body already, and her employee health coverage was damn near useless. With Beth being the only one bringing in money currently, I wasn't sure what we would do if anything happened to her. Beth let out a sigh and turned to face me.

"I'm just having a bit of fun," she said, coolly.

"I know, I know. I'm just worried about you, is all," I said.

"That's nothing new, John," she said, wryly. "I'll be fine." I couldn't see her face, but I could tell from her tone that pressing the issue further wouldn't end well for me; I decided to just drop it and returned my focus to the paper I was working on for class.

I was currently working my way through college to hopefully get some better job opportunities. I had worked in retail for a while, but my hours were inconsistent, so I decided to quit and focus on my education. I had to put as much effort into my studies as I could - after all, Beth worked her ass off to provide for the both of us, so I needed to make sure her efforts weren't in vain. Money was tight, but we thankfully managed to make it work.

Speaking of making things work, that's exactly what I wasn't doing with this damn paper. I grimaced at my computer screen and let out a dejected sigh. The words weren't flowing like I had hoped they would, and I was getting frustrated. I groaned and gently set my still-open laptop down on the couch next to me. Beth paused her yoga video and turned toward me; her lips were pressed in a thin line, and her brows were knitted with concern.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I'm just stressing. This paper's not coming along very well," I replied.

"Well, take a break then. You've got all weekend to work on it, right?" I nodded.

"I do. I was really hoping I could knock it out tonight, though," I said, the corners of my mouth drooping into a slight frown.

"Well, stressing about it isn't going to help any. Why don't you put a pin in it for tonight and come back to it tomorrow?" As much as I wanted to get it out of the way early, Beth was right; there was no sense in beating my head against the damn thing all night.

"You're right," I said, with a sigh. I saved my progress and shut down my laptop before closing it up and setting it on the dining room table for the night. I plopped back down on the couch and stared expectantly at my wife as she stood there. "So... were you going to continue with your yoga, then? Don't stop on my account; I'm perfectly fine with watching."

"Suuuuure you are," she said, rolling her hazel-colored eyes at me. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

"Well, I wouldn't want to miss out on any more of your famous improvisation skills," I said, with a smirk. Beth nonchalantly raised her arm up and flipped me off without missing a beat; it was a slight I just couldn't let slide. I raised my eyebrows at her and grinned as I shot up from the couch and scrambled over to her. Before she even knew what was happening, I had my arms wrapped around her and began to tickle her relentlessly. She broke out in an adorably ravenous fit of laughter and started wriggling around, desperately trying to escape from my grasp. Beth was extremely ticklish, and it was a weakness I made sure to exploit whenever the opportunity presented itself.

"Alright, alright! You win!" she said, the words breathless from her giggling. I finally relented, pulling back from her before planting a kiss on her cheek. She gave me a devious grin and turned her gaze to meet mine before she kissed me on the lips instead. The kiss was slow at first... and then suddenly it wasn't. I felt my dick start to stir in my boxers as she ravished me, and then, just as quick as she had begun, she pulled away from me. She winked at me as she stuck her tongue out, then gave me a little boop on the nose. "That's what you get for tickling me." My disappointment was immeasurable, and my excitement sagged right alongside my cock.

"Oh, that is just cruel," I said with a huff, as I crossed my arms.

"You started it," she replied, raising her eyebrows at me.

"By insisting you finish your exercise routine?" I asked, innocently.

"By making fun of my 'famous improvisation skills'," Beth answered through narrowed eyes, but she still grinned at me. I smiled back at her all the same — we both knew I was full of shit. Her eyes drifted down to my jeans for just a moment before she raised them up and met mine once more. "You know, there is one way you could make it up to me..." She let the sentence trail off, and she didn't have to tell me twice; I eagerly went in for another kiss as my hands drifted under her shirt. Beth shook her head and gently pushed me away, taking a step back from me.

"Nope. If you want in my pants—," she began, flashing me a smug smile as she took another step back and held her arm out toward me expectantly, "—you owe me a dance." The gesture (and her terrible-ass rhyme) sent a shiver down my spine.

"Not a chance," I snapped back without missing a beat, cursing myself for unintentionally continuing her awful rhyme scheme. I frowned as I took a large step backward and shook my head. When I spoke again, my answer was a decidedly resolute, "No." Beth's smile withered at the firmness of my tone.

"Oh, come on, John," she said, grinning innocently as she brought her hands together and raised them to her chin pleadingly. "Please?" She batted her eyelashes at me as she asked the question; her tone was cloyingly sweet and heart-meltingly cute, but I steeled my resolve and shook my head harder. I hated to disappoint her, but I just couldn't do it.

I hadn't danced with Beth since our wedding day. What was supposed to be the happiest day of our lives quickly turned into a nightmare when she slipped and fell during our first dance together. It all happened so fast, and I just... let her fall. I didn't mean to, of course, but I couldn't catch her quick enough. Everyone in the room let out a collective gasp that mingled with the sounds of Beth's screams as she hit the linoleum floor of the reception hall with a sickening crunch. She broke her leg that day, all because of me, and it took such a long time for her to heal. She was in better shape than ever thanks to her rigorous exercise regimen, but I couldn't bear the thought of her getting hurt again.

"I... can't, Beth," I said. She lowered her hands from her chin as her grin melted into a frown.

"John, it's been months. I just want to dance with you," she said, as the corners of her mouth drooped down even further. "Please." This time, the word was decidedly less cute — more heart-rending than heart-melting. The single word sliced right through me, and my gaze fell to the floor.

"I'm not ready," I said, desperately hoping she would just leave the whole thing alone. "Not... yet. I'm sorry." Beth let out a sigh, and then she was quiet for a bit. She looked like she wanted to press the issue further, but she finally, mercifully, decided to just drop it with a resigned nod.

"Okay. That's... that's fine, John," she said, softly. "I'll just... get back to my yoga, then." Her disappointment was palpable as she turned back toward the TV and resumed the video. The sound of the meditative background music filled the room as the instructor moved onto the next pose. The instructor spread her legs into a wedge-shape, then extended her left leg out as far as it would go before she bent to the side and touched the floor with her outstretched arm. It seemed like it would be painful; I definitely wasn't flexible enough for yoga, but clearly that wasn't the case for Beth, who seemed to have no problem mirroring the instructor's movements. She looked a bit more tense as she carried out the stretch, though. She certainly didn't seem as relaxed as she was earlier, and I felt a fresh wave of guilt creep over me at the observation.

As Beth stretched her body over her other leg and touched the floor with her right arm, her shoulders suddenly tensed up, then I saw her body spasm a bit as she let out a gasp. She suddenly crumpled to the ground with a pained groan — something had clearly gone wrong.

"Beth? What's the matter?" I asked frantically, shooting up from the couch and rushing over to her. "What happened?"

"Ow. Ow, ow, ow," was all she said, through gritted teeth; her face was screwed up into a grimace. "It's my back. I think I... pulled a muscle, or something."

"Can you get up?" I asked. Beth tried to stand up, but it clearly hurt her to make the attempt. She gave up partway and slumped back down to the floor with a sharp hiss. She looked up at me and gave me a tiny shake of her head as her eyes began to water. Tears threatened to spill over, and it broke my heart to see her in pain... again. I ran my hands through my hair in a mix of panic and frustration as my heart pounded in my chest. My brain was running in overdrive, and I couldn't gather up my racing thoughts. I took a deep breath and refocused, doing my best to keep calm and take charge of the situation.

"Okay. Um. What do you need me to do? Should I... call an ambulance, or something?" I knew damn well we couldn't afford it, but we would have to figure it out... somehow. I didn't even want to imagine the thought of another hospital visit; my heart sank at the prospect.

"Don't worry. It's not that bad, John," she said. Her tone was reassuring, and I took a deep breath as relief washed over me. "I think I just need to let it rest a bit. Ice it. Take some Tylenol, and maybe a nice long soak in the bath." She gingerly scooted herself over to the couch and rested her back against the bottom of it. She couldn't exactly get up to actually sit up on the couch, but at least she still had a bit of support.

"Um, okay then... ice," I stated firmly, thankful to finally get some traction for my racing thoughts. "I can do that. I'll be right back!" Beth turned her gaze toward the television, where the yoga video was still playing. More serene exercise music poured from the speakers as the instructor continued to move through the lesson without Beth, and she just sat there and stared at the television for a moment, the corners of her mouth drooping into a slight frown.

"Can you shut that off, first, please?" she asked, as she looked up at me. I nodded and grabbed the remote to shut off the TV. With a click of the power button, the room became mercifully silent. "Thanks." I smiled at her and set the remote next to her before heading toward the kitchen.

Thankfully, I had mostly calmed down by the time I reached the fridge, and a storm of emotions came over me as I stared at one of our wedding photos attached to the door. We both looked so happy, and Beth looked so beautiful in her dress... little did I know that that day would go so wrong so quickly... just like tonight had. I pushed those thoughts away as I reached up and opened the freezer door, scowling when I saw the empty ice cube tray sitting on the shelf. I frantically scanned the contents of the freezer for anything else I could use instead, and my eyes finally landed on a bag of frozen peas sitting behind the little shelf in the door. I figured it was close enough to an ice pack, so I shrugged and grabbed it before closing the door - regardless, it would have to do. I hurried back to Beth with the bag of peas in tow, and she rolled her eyes and smirked when she saw the 'ice pack' in my hand.

"A bag of peas? Really?" she asked, with a chuckle, which was accompanied by another slight spasm as she tensed up again. "Ow."

"Uh, yeah," I said, as heat blazed in my cheeks. Sorry. I had to, uh... improvise." Beth's smirk widened into a full-fledged grin; it felt good to see her smiling again. I smiled back at her as I held up the bag of peas. "Where do you need me to put this?"

"Just on my lower back," she replied, her cheeks reddening.

"Over your shirt, or under?" I asked.

"Over my shirt, please. It's not good for ice to touch bare skin."

"Oh, right. Gotcha," I said, feeling a bit out of my element. I was never the best at this kind of stuff, but I wanted to do what I could for her. I gently moved her forward and slid the bag of peas down between the couch and her back. "Good?" Beth flashed me a thumbs-up and settled in against the bottom of the couch. She smiled weakly, but I could tell she was uncomfortable, and I wished I could do more for her. My thoughts once again drifted back to her fall on our wedding day, but I pushed them aside and focused on the present moment. Beth was hurt again, and she needed my help now. "Okay, so... Tylenol. I'll go grab some for you."

I scurried off to the bathroom and rooted around in the medicine cabinet, but I couldn't find any pain meds. We had some anti-itch cream, some antibiotic ointment, and some antacid tablets that had expired a year ago, but that was about it. My eyes caught on the bag of Epsom salt by the bathtub. I opened it up to find a few lonely crystals sitting at the bottom of the bag; there definitely wasn't enough for a bath. I threw away the empty bag of Epsom salt and bottle of expired antacid tablets, then made my way back to Beth in the living room. "So... we're out of pain meds, and we didn't have enough Epsom salt for a bath, either." Beth let out a frustrated groan as she repositioned the bag of peas pressed against her back.

"Can you go get some more, please?" she asked, with a slight frown.

"Of course, but... will you be okay alone?" Beth nodded and flashed me a reassuring smile.

"I'll be fine, John," she said, punctuating the sentence with a little smirk. "I'm not going to die over a little pulled muscle."

"Y-you're right," I replied hastily, feeling my cheeks begin to burn. "I'm just... making sure. I'll be back as soon as I can. Just... sit tight, okay?"

"Well, it's not like I can go anywhere," Beth said with a small sigh; her smile faded as she pressed her lips into a thin line.

"Right," I said, as heat blazed in my cheeks. "Sorry. Um... call me if you need anything, okay?" Beth nodded, and I grabbed my keys and started to head out the door.

"John," I heard Beth call out from behind me. I turned to face her, and she smiled at me once again. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Beth," I said, smiling back at her. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

I made my way out of our apartment complex and into the night. The air was brisk and chilly, and the moon looked full, or at least close to it. I checked the time again; it was getting close to midnight at that point, which meant that the regular grocery stores were closed. The only other option for getting what I needed would be at one of the 24-hour pharmacies nearby. There were a couple of them, and they were right across the street from each other, so I hoped that I would be able to get what I needed and get back to Beth before too long.

Thankfully, I was lucky enough to not hit any red lights as I made my way to the pharmacy, and it wasn't long before I pulled into the parking lot, which was nearly deserted. The building's harsh fluorescent lighting stuck out like a shining beacon of hope in the darkness. I parked my car and power-walked toward the building, making a mad dash for the pain relievers as soon as I got inside. I grimaced at the exorbitant prices and reluctantly grabbed a laughably small bottle of extra strength Tylenol, then scanned the aisles for some more Epsom salt. I finally found the spot where it was supposed to be, but they seemed to be completely out. I let out a sigh and shook my head as I headed to the register with just the meds. After a quick and wordless transaction with the indifferent clerk, I was back in the car with Beth's pills safely secured in the plastic bag sitting limply in the passenger seat.

I made my way across the street to the rival pharmacy, suddenly thankful that Capitalism existed for the first time in my life. It was situated inside of a strip mall with a few other shops that had long since closed. I drove past a tiny building sitting at the back of the plaza, but the lights were off inside. For a brief moment, I wondered what kind of store would even be situated in such a small building, but my passing glance didn't reveal any type of signage that I could see. I simply drove on past it and parked in the second pharmacy's parking lot, feeling a distinct sense of Déjà vu as I got out of the car and slammed the door shut. I looked in the sky, but I couldn't see the moon anymore; a hazy wall of clouds had drifted over it, but I could still see a few scattered stars above me. Another chilling breeze blew past, and I picked up my pace as I headed toward the building, the blinding glow of its harsh lighting once again beckoning me inside like a moth to a flame.

I rushed through the automatic sliding doors and strolled past another bored-looking clerk scrolling absentmindedly through their phone. They barely gave me a passing glance as I shuffled past. I walked down aisle after aisle, frantically searching for the Epsom salt to no avail. Eventually, I made my way back to the clerk standing behind the counter by the entrance to the store.

"Hi there. I was just wondering where the Epsom salt is?" I asked.

"The salt is over in the grocery section," the clerk said, without even bothering to look my way.

"No, sorry; I'm looking for Epsom salt," I clarified. "Like, for soaking in the bathtub?" The clerk finally looked over at me and stared at me like I had just grown a second head right in front of him.

"Uhhhhh... I don't think we carry that here," he said, with a disinterested shrug. "Maybe try across the street?" I let out a frustrated sigh and nodded at him.

"Um, yeah, sure. Thanks, anyway. Have a good one," I said. The guy responded with a reply that was stuck somewhere between a yeah and a noncommittal grunt as he flicked his gaze back down to his phone. I shook my head as I headed out of the sliding doors and into the darkness.

I grimaced as the chilling night air buffeted me yet again, grumpy over both the cold and the fact that I hadn't been able to secure any more Epsom salt. The Tylenol was the most important thing, so the trip wasn't a total loss, but I was disappointed and admittedly a bit surprised that both pharmacies had been a bust. How the hell does a pharmacy not carry fucking Epsom salt, anyway?! Capitalism had disappointed me yet again. I let out a frustrated sigh and trudged back toward the car, resigning myself to heading back home without it.