Chapter 2

Just after two in the morning, Julie awoke, realizing she had to go to the bathroom. She got up, not bothering to put on her dressing gown, and padded toward the bathroom across the hall. She turned on the light and closed the door behind her. After flushing the toilet she washed her hands and looked at herself in the mirror.

Aunt Eleanor was right. She needed to get herself back to her normal size. The image looking back at her was not pretty. She opened the door and turned out the light and was about to cross to her bedroom when she heard something. She stopped and her senses all went to alert. Was there a burglar in the apartment? Was the TV left on?

As she stood frozen in the hall, she could hear sounds coming from the end of the hall. The master bedroom! She moved a few steps down the hall. The sounds were more audible now. She could hear voices, not words, only sounds. She moved a little further down the hall toward the door to the main bedroom and listened intently. She noticed a faint light coming from under the door. "They were doing it with the light on," she thought

A long, sustained moan came from behind the door, followed by what was certainly Aunt Eleanor's voice. Muffled as it was, she could only guess at the words, but they were uttered in gasps and interrupted by short grunts which could only be described as ones of pleasure.

She heard another voice, deeper and obviously male. Roger! She was sure it was him. She couldn't make out the words of either of them, but she was sure of what they were doing. She crept further down the hall until she was just outside the door. She could hear the sounds of exertion and excitement and passion. There was occasional giggles and laughter from the two. They were talking to each other as they made love.

Julie felt a strong surge pass through her. It was the same surge she had felt when they were watching the movie last night. She leaned as closely as she dared to the door to listen. Now, more clearly, she could hear the sounds of their lovemaking. She could hear the little grunts and moans of satisfaction as they moved about in the bed. She thought she could hear a wet, sticky sound once or twice.

Her Aunt seemed to be the talkative one and now she could hear the occasional word. "Oh ... yes Roger ... please!" she sounded as if she was begging him. Roger's voice was more muffled and she couldn't hear his actual words, but there was no mistaking his passion. "Ohhhh..." her Aunt once again exclaimed. "Now, my love..." Julie heard clearly. "Yesssss! ... Ahhhh! ... Yesssss!" as her voice raised and she could hear more distinctly.

Julie began to be aroused as she listened to the erotic voices from behind the closed door. What were they doing? I wish I could see. "Awwwhhhhgggg!..." came even more loudly from behind the door. And then, silence.

She tried to imagine what had just taken place. Whatever, her Aunt and Roger had made love and her Aunt had loudly expressed her approval. There was no mistaking the sounds of her orgasm, but Julie was stunned at the intensity. She could only wonder how it might have felt. And wonder she did.

The noises had subsided from behind the door. Julie crept quietly back to her bedroom and silently closed the door behind her. She slipped back into bed and lay there trying to imagine what it would be like to make love with a man. He hand slid slowly down to her panties and slipped inside them. This would have to do for now, she thought. She slipped her two fingers into the now moist slit and began to pleasure herself. In a short time, she brought herself to climax and withdrew her hand. She rolled on her side and within a minute or so, was fast asleep.

She didn't hear Roger and her Aunt quietly walk down the hallway to the living room. She did not see their passionate embrace at his leaving. She didn't hear her Aunt return to her bedroom, nor see the smile of satisfaction on her face. Julie was fast asleep dreaming of watching others make love, but she couldn't seem to get into the picture. It was always someone else, not her. It was a dream that was to reoccur often in the next months.

Julie awoke on Saturday morning, looked at the clock radio and saw that it was after nine. She pushed herself upright and off the bed, put on her dressing gown, padded across the hall to the bathroom and went about her usual routine. Normally, her Aunt would have already been up, but understandably, the door to her bedroom was still closed.

Julie remembered her discovery last night and smiled to herself. So Aunt Eleanor wasn't bragging. She really did have a full-time lover. She thought about just how she would let her Aunt know she had heard them last night. The memory of the sounds of their passion brought back that tingling feeling in her abdomen again. It was a strange feeling for this early in the day.

She was sitting at the kitchen table when her Aunt's slippers could be heard flopping down the hallway toward her. She looked up and smiled at the older woman as she carefully sat in the chair across from her. She was wearing her usual red and black silk robe and without makeup and with tousled hair, she looked every one of her fifty-six years.

"Late night?" Julie asked, smiling.

"Yes," was her Aunt's one-word answer.

"Would you like some orange juice or some coffee?" Julie continued.

"Yes to both," she replied sleepily. "Thank you dear."

Julie poured the juice and passed it to the drowsy woman, then took a mug from the cupboard and poured the steaming black coffee into it, placing it in front of Eleanor.

"Hmmmm," Eleanor sniffed appreciatively at the coffee. "Fresh brain cells. Just what I need," she said with a wrinkled smile to Julie.

Julie offered no comment and waited for Eleanor to have a couple of gulps of coffee before speaking.

"You two must have had a lot to talk about last night," Julie said conversationally.

"Yup!" was Eleanor's singular reply.

No progress here, Julie thought. Just be patient and see what happens.

"I slept very well," Julie volunteered. "I just had to get up to go to the bathroom about two o'clock, but otherwise I was out like a light. I guess I've gotten over the time change."

She wondered if she had been too impatient. Her Aunt didn't seem to react to the comment.

"So tell me Julie," Eleanor said at last, looking right at her, "What did you hear?"

"Hear?" she said surprised. "What do you mean?"

The jig was up. Her Aunt's knowing smile and raised eyebrow told Julie that she didn't believe her innocent act.

"I heard some ... sounds, I guess," she admitted haltingly.

"I'll bet you did," her Aunt shot back, her eyebrow threatening to take a permanent arch.

Julie flushed, her face feeling like it was burning. She couldn't think of anything to say.

Aunt Eleanor recognized her flustered state and put a soothing hand on hers and squeezed gently.

"Don't be embarrassed, Julie," she said kindly. "I'm not. Roger and I love each other very much, and we celebrate each time we are together. I'm no spring chicken and neither is he. We don't intend to waste any time playing silly games. I hope you won't think badly of me for that."

"No, no ... of course not," Julie said hurriedly. "I'm just not used to ... I mean ... I haven't..."

"You have never heard your parents making love?" Eleanor asked curiously.

"No, I don't think so. Do you think they still ... you know ... do it?" Julie asked, wide eyed.

Eleanor laughed aloud, a genuine deep laugh. She stopped and looked at Julie with her soft grey eyes and a knowing smile.

"I happen to know your mother and father are still very much in love. I know that they make love regularly, and I know this because your mother has told me so," she said matter-of-factly.

"Just because we're 'old folks' doesn't mean we don't have desires and needs. One of the strongest needs is the need to be loved and one of the most important ways to show that love is through sex. And I have to tell you Julie, all these years later, it's still the most wonderful feeling in the world: loving and being loved," she finished, still smiling.

"I guess I have all that to look forward to," the young girl said thoughtfully.

"Yes, and there's no rush, either. You're very young yet. You might have lost your virginity, but don't lose your self respect. Especially, don't lose your self respect," her Aunt said emphatically.

"When you decide to give yourself to someone, make sure he's the right one, and make sure it's for the right reasons. Take it from this old broad. I've made lots of mistakes in my time. One of them was my first husband. I was too young, too eager to please, and too anxious to be 'one of the girls.' I ended up with guy who was completely wrong for me, just like my parents, your grandparents, had warned me."

Eleanor was speaking with measured calm and made sure Julie understood her seriousness.

"You're smarter than me, Julie. Be very careful around men, and be very sure of yourself when you decide. When you find the right guy, you'll know. Maybe not right away, but you will know in your heart."

"Thanks, Aunt Eleanor," Julie said quietly. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but once I heard, I couldn't seem to walk away. It was like watching that movie the other night," she continued. "Once it started, I couldn't take my eyes off it."

"Well, you don't have the benefit of experience, dear." Eleanor said. "But I have to admit, when those sex scenes are done tastefully, they can be very ... arousing. When I was watching that scene I was thinking of Roger."

"Do you have dreams about ... I mean ... Roger?" she asked innocently.

"Yes, of course. I think everyone has dreams," she continued thoughtfully. "Some are good dreams and some not so pleasant. It happens to everyone, according to Freud."

"I have dreams, but they're not very nice ones. Sometimes I dream I'm being smothered and I can't breathe and I can't move," she said, sadly. "Sometimes it's like I'm a spectator; and I can only watch. I don't have those dreams as much as I used to, but I still wake up some nights sweating and shaking. They seem so real."

"I'm sure they do, dear," Eleanor said, sympathetically. "Maybe the good sign is that you aren't having them so often."

"I'd like to have dreams like you do; ... you know, about a loving man ... happy dreams," Julie said wistfully.

"I know you will, Julie. It just takes time."

"Now, young lady, we have a busy Saturday ahead of us." the older woman said brightly. "First, we are going to my fitness centre and you can have a look. I highly recommend it to you. You can get a good, supervised, daily exercise program that will get you back in trim in no time. However, it's your decision.

Then, we need to get you looking better, and I've made an appointment at my salon to get your hair done as well as nails and a facial. The whole works! It, however, is not optional," she said bluntly.

"Then, we are going shopping for some clothes to make sure you look good for your job interviews."

Eleanor's tone of voice left nothing for debate.

"Job interviews?" Julie asked.

"Yes," the older woman said. "You don't think I'm going to let you loll around the apartment all day long and do nothing constructive with your time, do you?" she said rhetorically.

"You've got two choices, a job, or back to school. I've got it on good authority that you were going to look for a job after graduation, so that makes the choice simpler," she finished.

"Understood?"

"Yes, okay," the young girl replied, contritely.

Her Aunt had already taken a role in Julie's new life. She was a no-nonsense woman, and while she loved Julie dearly, she was not going to sit by and watch her waste her youth, her health, or her future. If Julie wouldn't or couldn't get control, then she would.

"Good. We don't have a lot of time this afternoon. I've got a date with Roger for a play and a late supper," she said. "Don't worry, I'll be staying at his place tonight, so you won't have any 'noises' to disturb you," she continued with a wry smile. "I'll leave you something for dinner, okay?"

"Fine, Aunt Eleanor," Julie said smiling. "I am fully microwave trained," she grinned. "Maybe there'll be another one of 'those movies' on tonight."

"Oh, Oh!" Eleanor said in mock seriousness. "I may have created a monster."

Then she smiled and reached over the table to hold Julie's hands in hers. "You're going to be allright, kiddo, I know it," she said in quiet seriousness. "You're going to be just fine."

The rest of the morning was a rush to shower, get dressed, and out the door. First stop was the Avenue2 Fitness Club, just a two block walk from her Aunt's apartment building.

Julie was impressed with the size and modern features in the club. She had a mental picture of a dark, dingy room with a low ceiling and dirty walls. This was anything but. It was brightly lit with large windows looking out onto the busy street. The ceilings were at least fifteen feet and it was obviously air conditioned.

Eleanor introduced her to Janet Denofrio, the head of women's classes. Julie thought it would be impossible to have a body like Janet's, but she knew she wanted to look better than she did today and she happily agreed to enroll in the early morning group, starting as early as 6 a.m. Janet said she would be in with mostly business women who came in before heading off to work.

Then, it was onward to Antoinette's Salon. Eleanor introduced her niece to Helena, who would be in charge of the make-over.

"I'm off to get a few things for myself, Julie," Eleanor said. "I'll be back before you're finished. See you then." With that, she turned and strode out the door.

True to her word, she was back in two hours and took a seat in the waiting area, reading a magazine she had bought in her brief shopping soirée. She had a pair of boutique bags with her which Julie saw out of the corner of her eye.

Julie had been pampered and preened and gooped and squished and painted and lathered and rinsed and everything she could image. She was anxious to see the results and wondered when this ritual would end. A half hour later, she got her answer. Helena raised her chair to upright and turned her toward the full length mirror.

Julie gasped. It took her a few seconds to realize that the image in the mirror was her. Her hair was shorter and curled broadly. Her face and eyes were beautifully made up, and yet not with obvious makeup. Julie was lucky to have flawless skin. She had escaped the ravages of acne and her complexion, even though recently neglected, was still clean and clear.

She continued looking in the mirror, trying to imagine what she would look like when her body was back to where she wanted it to be. She hadn't said a word since Helena had turned her to the mirror.

"You like?" Helena asked hopefully.

"Oh, yes! It's wonderful! I didn't think I could look like this again. It's wonderful!" she repeated. "Thank you so much!"

Eleanor moved in behind Julie and smiled at the happiness on the young girl's face reflecting back in the mirror.

"This may have been expensive, but it was worth every dime," she thought proudly.

"You look beautiful again, Julie dear," she said, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

"Oh, Aunt Eleanor, how can I thank you? It's wonderful. I feel so good. I want to walk down the street and show everyone," she laughed.

Eleanor turned away, hoping Julie couldn't see the tears and then thought, "Oh the hell with it!"

She wrapped her arms around the chair and the young woman and hugged her tightly.

"I'm so happy for you, Julie," she whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Her Aunt paid the woman at the front desk and hand in hand, they walked out onto the busy downtown street. Julie held her head high and for the first time since her arrival ten days earlier, Eleanor could see happiness in her eyes.

"Yes, it was worth every dime!" she repeated to herself.

They stopped at a small deli for a light lunch. Julie's curiosity got the better of her.

"What did you buy?" she asked.

"Oh, a couple of personal items," she answered cryptically. She was not going to display her purchases to Julie, but then relented by opening the bags and letting her peek in.

Julie gasped and then giggled. Inside one bag was a very sheer, very brief nightgown in black with silver lace trim. In side the other was a very stylish grey and dark red dress which Eleanor took out of the bag and held up for Julie to see. It was very elegant, with a plunging neckline and a skirt length that looked barely long enough to reach her knees.

"Oh, it's lovely, Aunt Eleanor," Julie said sincerely. "Is that for tonight?" she asked.

"Yes, in fact, both of them are," she smiled slyly.

"Ohhhh ... there's going to be some noises in the bedroom tonight, ha ha!" she laughed merrily.

"Down, girl!" the older woman commanded. "Let's get going. We have lots to do yet."

They were on their way again before two o'clock. Eleanor took Julie to a well known women's wear shop and few blocks uptown. They walked in the fresh, late fall air. People passed them on the sidewalk while streetcars clanged and rolled their way past in both directions. Julie was feeling better than she had felt for months. The world of the possible had returned.