Chapter 22

We strolled into Indulgences like a mom and her two daughters, Sunny with her arm around my waist and over Sandy's shoulder.

We were escorted to our own private group room.

We undressed and changed into spa robes. I didn't know how Sandy felt about her body, but she recognized it as part of the culture and did a credible job of looking casual.

"You know, when we come in here with a bridesmaid's party, we talk about our guy, and guys in general," I said.

Sandy giggled.

"We're not doing that today. I'm not getting married and we're not a typical group."

Sandy moaned.

"We're going to talk about our guys and how we met them."

"I don't have a guy," said Sandy.

"You can talk about who you want to meet," I said. "Sunny, tell us how you met Louis. Was it very romantic?"

Sunny laughed. "Oh, it was about as romantic as you can possibly imagine."

The tone of her voice was not quite ironic, but there was little doubt her story would not sound like anything I had ever read in a romance novel.

She paused for dramatic effect and said in a breathy voice, "We met at a Mensa meeting."

I howled, and when I finished, I said, "No way."

"Way," said Sunny.

Sandy was looking at her mother with her mouth wide open in surprise. She had obviously never heard this story.

The door opened and Angelica, like that was really her name, greeted us.

"I'm glad you're having such a good time, ladies. Could you possibly keep it down just a little bit? Some of our other guests asked if we would speak with you."

I snorted, but managed to suppress a full out laugh. Sandy began to giggle and Sunny started to titter.

Angelica cleared her throat. Perhaps she had allergies.

We were all laughing but managed to keep it soft.

Angelica raised her eyebrows, tilted her head and left the room.

That occasioned more giggling which we quickly got under control.

When we settled, I urged Sunny, "Go on. You have to give us more than that."

"Patience," she said. "Though the movement was long over, I was a hippie, straight from the commune."

"In Mensa?" I asked with incredulity.

"I was a guest," said Sunny. "A friend asked me to come along with her to what passed for a party. I reluctantly agreed.

"After all, if you can't supply an IQ test, you have to take one, and hippies aren't exactly fond of being part of the orthodoxy.

I'd never had an IQ test because Harri and Sam thought they were subversive."

That brought another round of laughter.

"Anyway," Sunny continued, but that was all she got to say.

Angelica came through the door and said, "We're ready for you, Miss Fine."

"No, I've got to hear the rest of the story," I argued.

Angelica stood immobile, a patronizing smile pasted on her face.

Suitably chastened, I groaned and followed her out the door.

Monique, she could have been a Monique, gave me two small towels to cover up and averted her eyes as I got on the table and arranged them.

She started me with a salt glow with Indulgences' proprietary blend of oils which included orange, lemon and lime as well as a secret ingredient. I wouldn't be surprised if it came from the flower of the Pretention plant.

I rolled over so she could do the other side. She had soft, gentle hands.

When she finished, she turned on the Vichy shower and adjusted the temperature before rinsing me off on the table. If she had used lavender I probably would have been asleep by then.

I tossed the wet towels, optional, so she could proceed with my shea butter wrap. This seemed like a more relaxing choice than something designed to help eliminate cellulite, which I don't think any of us had.

Monique wrapped me in a thermal blanket festooned with Indulgences' logo.

As I lay there she massaged my scalp. She wasn't as good as Jeff, but it was delicious nonetheless.

It ended with another Vichy shower and I dried off, put on my spa robe and slippers and Angelica magically appeared to escort me back to our room.

Sunny followed a few minutes later.

"I hope Sandy will be back soon," I said. "I've got to hear the rest of your story."

"I didn't think it was that interesting," said Sunny in a tone that let me know it was, even if it could not top Harri and Sam's first meeting.

Since I had chosen for our treatments to be in the same order it was no surprise when Angelica appeared with Sandy a few minutes later.

"Okay, let's hear the rest of the story," I said.

"Yeah, Mom, you've been holding out," said Sandy.

Sunny held up her hands.

"I wouldn't be much of a story teller if I gave you the whole thing at once. You've obviously enjoyed the introduction, but I think I should drag it out a little, savor it."

This elicited groans from both of us.

"Why don't you start to tell us how you met Jeff, Ashley?" she asked.

"Yes. I want to hear that," said Sandy.

I hadn't thought this far in advance. While it seemed like a good idea to find out Sunny's story, I didn't realize I would have to come up with a G-rated story for this company.

Well, Jeff's mom and little sister, I agreed to go out with him because I heard he was a great fuck.

"No, no. I think it's better to finish one story at a time."

"Why don't we vote?" asked Sunny. "I vote for Ashley's story."

"Me, too," said Sandy. I want to hear about Jeff."

I stalled for time.

"Well, you know I met Jeff when I was back in high school, but his name was Bill then."

"We know that," said Sandy. "We want to know what happened this time."

"No, high school is important to know if you want to understand what happened this time."

They seemed content to give me a chance to demonstrate that.

"As you know, Jeff helped me with school work. He tutored me. He even helped me anticipate what questions would be asked on the tests and what answers that teacher would prefer."

I spoke slowly. Perhaps Angelica would return and rescue me so I'd have more time to throw together an appropriate spin.

"He was really helpful. But one day he decided to ask me out. Really, guys, he was too young. Would you have let him take me out if I had said yes, Sunny?"

"I don't know," she said. "It didn't come up."

"Well," I continued, "I turned him down and I have to admit, I was pretty much a bitch the way I did it. I wasn't trying to hurt him. He wasn't even in the equation; it was all about me.

"So all these years later, I'm a college junior.

"I see a friend one day and she looks really happy. So I ask her what's going on, what's making her happy. And she tells me she's been seeing a guy. It's not really serious, but he treats her great, she has a wonderful time with him and he's about the best thing in her life.

"Obviously I get curious and she says I should meet him.

"Going along with your principle of telling the story in parts for dramatic impact, Sunny, shouldn't you get back to your story? I don't want to tell this all in one big gulp."

"Yeah, Mom," said Sandy. This is getting really exciting. Please."

"Alright," said Sunny.

"I'm walking around at the party and, frankly, the guys weren't that much to look at. I'm listening to conversations, trying to find something interesting so I can join in.

"Louis is one of the guys and he's in a conversation with two other guys about the realism, or lack of it, in the construction design of the bridge in the movie Bridge Over The River Kwai.

"They're actually talking about the engineering and whether it fit with accepted principles of engineering at the time and how much load it looked like it could take. Could the train they showed later cross the bridge without destroying it?

"And they were so enthusiastic it was like listening to three cheerleaders talking about the hottest guys on the football team.

"I chuckled because I was thinking of them as the three wise men. They were so smart to be talking about this. And I was also thinking of them as the three nerds because it was so goofy to be talking about this."

I started laughing thinking about Sunny calling them the three wise nerd men, or however she put it together. Sandy joined in.

"I looked around the party for a while, trying to see if I could find somebody interesting, but a little less goofy. And," Sunny paused, "it's time for a commercial break. We now hear from our sponsor. Take it away Ashley."

Sandy thought this was the biggest hoot. I could see how it could be from her point of view.

"Alright, where..."

The door opened and a bleach blonde sauntered in full of attitude; she was all that.

She was very attractive and had an outstanding body. Then she looked at me.

I was wearing a terry cloth robe, with almost no makeup, and her look changed. She was second best in the room, not the whole spa, or the Delaware Valley, or Pennsylvania, the room. She quickly recovered.

"Hi, I'm Chloe. I'm here for Ashley."

She took me to a room and left me on my own to enter.

"Hi, I'm Tawny."

And she was indeed.

I eased back in the chair and she started to massage my face with a solution designed to do a gentle peel.

"You have great skin," she said.

"Thank you."

"Actually, you have pretty great everything."

"Thank you." I was practicing my skills.

She let it sit for around five minutes then removed it with a soft cloth.

Tawny wrapped my face with a warm towel. My cares melted away. I know that because I couldn't remember what they were.

After wiping my face again, Tawny applied a proprietary Indulgences' moisturizing mask. This, too, was covered with a moist, warm towel.

If there were a way to do this to all of mankind simultaneously it would put an end to warfare.

When she removed the towel and cleaned my face I was so relaxed I would have preferred a gurney to take me back, rather than have to get up and walk on my own.

Despite having left first, I was the last one back. The skin on both their faces glowed.

It was approaching 1:00 and I was pretty hungry.

Fortunately, our experience included ameliorating our hunger.

Chloe gave us our choices for lunch and left to get them for us.

"This is wonderful," sighed Sunny, "but I don't think I could take too much of it. The downtime is nice but I need to be doing things even if it's only visiting with my family."

"Well, Mom, you've got the best of both worlds. You have the relaxation and you're with family."

"And it's lovely," said Sunny. "Now I think Ashley owes us some more of her story."

I'd had an hour to come up with my best spin. I could tell a compelling, though unflattering, story without any mention of ice cubes and nerve pathways.

"I may have neglected to mention that my friend told me Jeff was an incredible kisser."