Chapter 2

The drive home was largely silent with Martin encouraging Renee to take the doctor's advice. Yet his suggestion of a world cruise was simply met with stony silence. Since he was a highly successful industrialist and his inheritance had amounted to a small fortune, money had never been a concern for the couple. In fact, it was a major factor in Renee's willingness to marry a man twenty years her senior.

Martin was a reasonably handsome man and also kept fit with a regimen of diet and exercise. He continued to lead an active life, but his hair was naturally streaked with gray and his face was far more deeply etched than hers. Of course she reminded him that it could almost be considered a compliment to refer to a man's face as weathered and many men with such faces were often referred to as ruggedly handsome. Rugged or weathered were not descriptions an ex-beauty queen would want to hear applied to her, especially one who's only real accomplishment in life had been to posses a beautiful face and body and to attract and marry a millionaire.

She looked over at her husband as he turned off the freeway, wondering to herself what she could have seen in him. The answer was obvious, money. Oh, she thought, he was a decent sort and kind, but certainly not the dashing and romantic figure she had hoped for. He was, of course, madly in love with her and had indulged her every whim. That part of the marriage was one in which Renee was perfectly content, but he was unremarkable in bed and she had tired of his lovemaking early in the marriage. She still took him to her bed occasionally, especially when he had just showered her with an expensive present of some sort, but, for Renee, it was more a debt to be repaid than sexual desire. His predictability and lack of imagination in bed had led to her taking a lover less than a year into their marriage. Although experienced with men when they were married, Renee had found early on that she actually preferred women. Team that with women's superiority in being discrete and the fact that she could assuage her conscience somewhat knowing her lovers were female, and Renee had now become quite comfortable in having women provide the eroticism and physical release she wanted. Martin had discovered her affairs but when she then confronted him with a choice, her and the lovers or nothing, he backed down, especially when she promised discretion. The secret had been theirs ever since.

"What about Rio?" he asked. "You've always loved Rio, or the Riviera. Remember that Summer we spent there, how you loved the beaches?"

"Do you really think I'm anxious to go back to nude beaches now?"

His eyes dropped.

"I was just remembering what a great time you had. I thought we might try to recapture some of those good times. I'll... I'll even try to find Maria," he said lovingly although the memory for him was not pleasurable.

Maria was a beautiful Argentine coed they had met in Rio. She and Renee had spent most of the two week vacation in each others' company and beds.

"With a body like I have now?"

"Honey, you're still the most beautiful woman in the world to me, but there are lots of other things to do and see."

"Martin, you're a dear, but right now I want to focus my attention on beating this thing, not giving in to it. For one thing I want to find out more about that plant in Africa your anthropologist friend was telling us about."

"But, Honey, he told us that was only a legend."

"Not exactly. He also said that most legends have their roots in reality."

"Yeah, but a "Fountain of Youth" tree? Surely we don't want to waste precious time on something as hair brained as some African tribal myth."

"Martin, you have a life expectancy of another twenty-five to thirty years -- mine is three at the most. I can't believe you would deny me the chance to explore anything which might not only give me a chance to live a normally long life, but restore what this dreadful disease is taking from me."

Renee had pushed exactly the right button, his sense of guilt was suddenly strong.

"Of course, Honey. You know I just want what's best for you. I'll call him as soon as we get home."