(An Original Story by rutger5 - Copyright 2012)
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"I'm telling you under the circumstances you're doing the right thing Julie," her friend said as they sat sipping their coffee.
"I know you're right Lauren, but it's so difficult. After all these years; heck my whole life really. I'm thirty seven years old and I've never made an adult decision on my own. Now I have to decide everything for myself and I'm so overwhelmed."
"I know Jules, I know, but truthfully you should have been more independent earlier. I'm not saying you should have abandoned her for God's sake; you just should have spread your wings a tiny bit. She didn't do you any favors by 'protecting' you from the world; she just isolated you to keep you with her all these years. Now she's gone and in some ways you're almost helpless."
"Mother meant well Lauren and she did it out of love no matter what you think. After what happened in her marriage she just was doing what she thought was best for me so I didn't get hurt like she did. That's why she moved us from the city to a nice small town so I could have a safe life here."
"Listen I'm glad you moved to Juneberry or I'd never have met you. I'm just saying you have to live life not seal yourself up in plastic to avoid anything bad happening to you. That's not living, it's just existing."
"Well, be that as it may, I have started to move forward some. I left a notice on the bulletin board at the supermarket as well as one at the library and the church. Plus I left my cellphone number as the contact number. Hopefully I'll get a reply from someone who isn't afraid of hard work."
"Wow I'm impressed and to think that a little over a year ago I had to almost force you to get a cell and join the twenty first century."
Julie let out a tiny laugh and she smiled before replying to her younger friend.
"Yes you were right there as well, but I told you that right after I got it smarty-pants."
Lauren was still thinking of a reply when the bell rang announcing that their break was over and the next class would soon be starting. The two high school teachers exited the faculty lounge and with a friendly goodbye they headed in separate directions for their respective classrooms.
Ten minutes later Julie was going over her review of the Romantic poets for the upcoming test on Friday. She'd always favored giving tests on that day to help her students remain focused on their studies the whole week. For the most part they seemed to be paying attention though no doubt some were bored to tears and if she wasn't mistaken Rachel Hughes was playing with her phone, no doubt the pretty cheerleader was texting someone. Well as long as she sat in the back quietly and didn't bother anyone else then Julie would just ignore her.
Of course she should warn her or even give her detention but Julie was too softhearted for that and truth be told that girl had a way of making her feel two inches tall. There would be times where she'd be conversing with her friends, all popular, pretty girls like herself, and she would make some biting, veiled comment that was obviously about Julie who would be within earshot.
Julie tried not to take it personally as Rachel was indiscriminate in her insults and everyone but her own circle of friends or 'hot guys' would be subject to her withering comments. After all Julie was used to it by this time for she'd received such treatment since she was a student in the same school from her own classmates who'd openly mocked her frumpy wardrobe and lack of social skills.
A few hours later Julie was in the parking lot saying good night to Lauren. "Are you sure you don't want to come along Jules? You know you're always welcome."
"No I don't want to be a third wheel Lauren. You and Jeff enjoy yourselves. Besides I have papers to grade and in case someone replies to my ad I really should start to prep things so work can begin."
"All work and no play makes Julie a dull girl. You know if you just give the word Jeff could arrange for one of his co-workers to come as well so we'd be a foursome."
"No I'd just bore him as school is all I know how to talk about. But have a good time and I'll see you tomorrow."
Lauren made a grimace at her friend's reply. She had been trying so hard to break her out of her shell as well as away from that mausoleum she called a home. Well Rome wasn't built in a day and in the past year progress had been made but Lauren had hoped now that Julie was alone she might hasten the process.
"Okay my dear be that way if you want. But if Jeff's friends are unacceptable what about one of the men from your church?"
"Now that's funny Lauren. Let me tell you that I'm like one of the young bloods there. There are no single men within ten years of my age. There's a couple of elderly widowers and a handful of men far too young for me. So that idea, though no doubt well intentioned, is going nowhere."
"Well maybe one of the young studs-," Lauren began but she stopped when she saw the shocked expression on her friend's face. "Okay fine Miss Goody Two Shoes and I'll see you tomorrow."
Julie climbed behind the wheel of her little Honda Civic and started the ignition. She waved to Lauren as she pulled from her parking space and drove off. Fifteen minutes later she was parked in her driveway and getting out. Before she got halfway to the door a gray ball of fur streaked towards her legs coming from the overgrown hedge that bordered her and her neighbor's yard. As Julie proceeded to the front door the feline rubbed against her ankles affectionately.
"Hello to you Emily. Did you have a nice day sleeping in the sun and stalking prey?"
Julie spoke from first-hand knowledge as the little fur ball had often deposited 'little gifts' of torn and bloody rodents and birds for her mistress and seemed to enjoy the discomfort they provoked. Julie unlocked the front door and followed Emily in, picking up the mail on the floor from beneath the slot. Julie deposited both the mail and her bag on a table and headed to the kitchen with Emily eagerly trailing.
The cat food rattled against the dish as Julie poured some in before placing it on the floor mat near the sink and then added some fresh water to the other bowl. Julie then headed upstairs so she could change from her schoolmarm clothes. She entered her bedroom which hadn't been updated since before she had returned from college. Her high necked white button down blouse was the first thing she removed then she unzipped and slipped out of her long, pale blue skirt leaving her in her plain and modest white undergarments.
When she reached for a sweatshirt her eye caught her reflection in the mirror. Julie stopped for a moment and studied her reflection. She saw a pretty woman wearing no makeup except for a trace of pink lipstick staring back at her. There were a few very faint lines by the corners of her big brown eyes but good genes and clean living made her appear years younger, thirty at the most.
On a whim she reached back and unhooked her bra and slid it from her shoulders exposing her small perfectly shaped breasts. They were pert and slightly upturned topped with pink nipples. Julie turned one way then the other as she dispassionately took in her appearance. She had always been tall and slim, a skinny Minnie her mother always said in a pitying manner, but Julie had remained the same dress size since college while many of the girls she'd attended school with had become larger the older they got. In fact some of her fellow students now had children whom she taught and it gave her a tiny bit of pleasure to see how the popular crowd hadn't aged quite so well though she felt guilty about her reaction. Not quite what a good Christian should feel but some of them had been so cruel to her.
She slid the sweatshirt over her long brown hair as she pulled it on. It felt nice against her bare nipples but she tried to put that out of her mind, no time for such thoughts now. Maybe if she had time after taking care of things first she could treat herself later. But first she had work to do. As she pulled sweats on she couldn't help but notice that her walking and stair climbing was paying off.
At school she would often walk the stairs between classes and there were times she would spend a free period doing that or walking around the track in good weather. Julie had realized that as she got older she had to do something or nature would take its toll so she had started an exercise regimen. As of yet she hadn't even confided in Lauren that she was doing it but Julie had noticed that from her calves all the way to her buns she was firming up. Not that there was anyone, meaning a special man, to notice and appreciate her hard work.
'Hold on Julie, stop feeling sorry for yourself. There are plenty of people worse off than you. You should be grateful for all your blessings' she mentally chided herself.
Next she twisted her long locks and slipped a scrunchy over her hair leaving it in a ponytail so it would be out of her face. A pair of sneakers completed her outfit and then she headed up to the attic. The attic had been cluttered since she could remember but if she was going to get the house in order she had to tackle it as well. A few hours later Julie was dirty and sweaty and her arms and back ached from her efforts but she'd made a dent she realized. She also knew that maybe she needed to add some upper body exercises to her regimen to balance things out because she was really feeling it from the work she'd done.
In the freezer she removed a Lean Cuisine frozen dinner which she popped into the microwave. She ate it while she graded papers and she continued grading long after she was finished dinner. Finally a crick in her neck made her stop for the night and she slipped the papers in her bag and stood. Wearily she climbed the stairs after first checking that the doors were locked and turning off the lights.
Once the water was to the right temperature Julie stepped into the steaming shower. For the first five minutes she just let the water hit her right between her shoulder blades helping to loosen and relax her tired and sore muscles. Finally when she gained some relief she actually started to wash herself running the washcloth over her body. However when the rough material brushed across her sensitive nipple she felt a jolt that traveled all the way between her legs.
From that moment on Julie hurried up and within five minutes was wrapping herself in a terrycloth robe. She padded back to her room and after slipping her flannel nightgown on she slipped under the covers. She made a pretense of reading the book that sat on her nightstand at first but she knew what she needed. Putting the book down she reached to the bottom drawer and pulled out her laptop and turned it on. In a few minutes she was on a certain website - her guilty little secret that Lauren had told her about.
It was a triple x adult site that had both videos, which she couldn't bring herself to watch after witnessing the misogyny she had seen the one time she had tried, as well as erotic stories which were more to her liking. There were many that weren't to her tastes due to non-existent writing skill or unpalatable themes but there were some hidden gems located there that really got her juices flowing. With pleasure she realized that one of her favorite female authors had just posted a new story and she eagerly began to read.
