The Professor
Recap: Molly has approached her former professor on whom she has a deep crush. They exchange stories to explore their fantasies and philosophies as he attempts to rein in her emotions.
Wednesday, Day 6 Beauty
"So what do you have to say about beauty tonight?" Professor asked.
"After what you said last night, I thought I would just sit here so you could look at me," I teased.
"I can think of a lot worse. But I would like to hear your thoughts on it."
"Aside from the obvious? Here goes. But perhaps this is the obvious."
Plastic Surgeon
The doctor called Tessa into his office. "Tessa, you know I have been trying to sell this practice. Yesterday I found a buyer. I wanted to tell you as soon as I could."
"What will that mean for me?" Tessa had been his receptionist and assistant for 10 years now. Once Dr. Morgan had announced he was taking early retirement, she had been fearing for her job.
"I will give you the best of recommendations, but I don't know what my successor will do. In fact, the practice was purchased by a provider, not an individual, so it will be a corporation decision. For what it's worth, they would be fools not to keep you on. My clients know you and trust you. However, I must advise you to look out for yourself and explore other options."
"When do you turn it over?"
"At the end of the month. That gives you a couple of weeks."
Dr. Morgan was the most successful plastic surgeon in Seattle and had made a fortune from the vanity of women and men. He was choosing to capitalize on his investments and live a pressure-free life in the mountains of California, where he had recently built a house.
As Dr. Morgan left the office that evening, he found Tessa staring at the computer screen. There were tears in her eyes. "Tessa, think of this as an opportunity for you. You are still young -- late thirties? -- and . . ."
"Thirty-two."
"I'm sorry, and you still have your career ahead of you. You have experience and a good performance record. You shouldn't have any trouble finding a better position."
"You're right. I just have to adjust." She forced a happier face for him until he went out the door. The problem was, she had little to her life right now. She felt ugly. She was born with jowls that made her face look 40 years old, thin lips and a large nose. She was overweight and flat-chested. She hadn't had a date since school and no close friends. The only thing in her life that she enjoyed and was proud of was her job. Now that was over.
As the deadline drew near, all Tessa had managed to line up were some interviews. She knew she was in denial and that was keeping her from serious job-hunting. She tried to keep up appearances, but Dr. Morgan could see her melancholy. He approached her one evening.
"Tessa, I would like to give you a parting gift in recognition for all you have done. We've spoken in the past about a face-lift for you. I would be happy to do it for you for free before I retire. You would only have to pay the hospital and anesthesiologist charges." The truth was, he had spoken about it, she hadn't. She knew he felt her appearance was not the best advertisement for his practice. She had never seriously considered it before now.
"Thank you. I'll think about it." She also knew very well what those charges amounted to because she had billed hundreds of clients for them. She considered her savings, depleted by her mother's losing battle with cancer and knew the operation was beyond her reach. It was a nice gesture and she thought that was all it was. She was most surprised when he brought the subject up the next morning.
"Have you thought about my offer?"
"Thank you. I appreciate it but it's still beyond my means."
"I was afraid that was the case. Here is another possibility. After I close here I am forbidden by our contract to practice any more in the state of Washington. I don't have a license anywhere else because I intend to retire. However, I think my new house is adequate for a small operation if you would let me work on you by myself. You could recuperate there as well. The only thing is, this is strictly illegal. If anyone found out, I could be put in jail and lose my assets."
"Is that really possible?"
"It is. We would have to trust one another. Think about it, but don't breathe a word."
"Thank you, I will." Tessa was slowly getting used to the idea of starting a new life wherever she might find a job. Starting with a more attractive face was an exciting possibility.
When Dr. Morgan brought up the idea for the third time, Tessa said she was interested. She knew the routine, having prepped her customers for a decade. She set up a series of cameras and posed in front of them while he recorded her profile from all directions. The images were fed into a computer, which constructed a 3-D image of her. Then she sat by the doctor as he manipulated the picture. He cropped out her body (thank goodness) and zoomed in on the face.
"I could tuck up the skin over your zygomatic like this" -- he entered a few figures on the program -- "and you could look like this." Her image changed before her eyes and she suddenly became quite attractive.
"It's amazing what a difference a little bit of skin and fat can make," she said.
"I could also touch up your nose, take out some cartilage . . ." He worked some more computer magic. Her nose shrank. "And maybe a bit of liposuction."
"No. Stop there. Just my cheeks."
"You know, Tessa, you have a beautiful bone structure, fine teeth and wonderful hair. I know from twenty-two years of experience what can be done with that. Your skin is still young and will heal quickly. It is still elastic so there is no question of using botox. Seriously, it would be a pleasure to work with it and see what we could do."
"This is a lot to take in. Let me think about it."
"Of course."
Tessa went home that night excited with the possibilities. However, she had a strange dream that frightened her. She came out of surgery eager to see her new face in the mirror. When Dr. Morgan held it up to her she had no face. There was only blank skin where her eyes and mouth should be. She awoke with her heart pounding and found it difficult to erase that image from her mind. Tessa decided to let Dr. Morgan work with her cheeks only.
By the end of the month, Tessa was buoyed with enough optimism that she decided to move to Southern California and find a job there. She cancelled her lease, sold most of her furniture, and packed what she had left into her car. With her severance pay, she felt she had just enough cash and savings to start over. Then she headed out to find Dr. Morgan's new home.
It took a while to track down his new address. He had built in the woods far enough into the mountains there was no phone reception. There would be no neighbors to disturb them, so she would be able to recover completely and be on her way with no one the wiser. She knew from experience that such surgeries took only a few days to heal completely, perhaps a week at most, and then another week or two to get past the discoloration.
Dr. Morgan encouraged her to have the operation the next day. He was assuming the risk, so she assented readily. He helped her unload the car to find what she would need during her stay and then reload what she would not be using. The house was large and modern with several extra bedrooms. He showed her to a guest/recovery room.
She settled down for the night but sleep did not come easily. She was nervous about the operation and whether she was making the right choice. She had a nightmare that she was lying on the operating table as the doctor was about to start the incisions. She was fully awake but couldn't move ore make a sound. The scalpel came lower and lower. At the last second, she awoke with her heart pounding. She calmed down reassuring herself that this was a routine procedure. Still, she did not get back to sleep that night.
