To say that things weren't going well would have been the understatement of the century. My small advertising business had been wiped out during the recession and I hadn't seen a paycheck in over a year. Vicky, my wife of two years wasn't doing any better. She had managed a retail clothing store and made a pretty decent income before the recession hit. The store closed and just like that, our incomes dried up. We were young and dumb and didn't have much saved. Our income went on fancy dinners and nice vacations.
The one thing we had going for us is that we were both young. I'm 23 and stand around five ten I used to weight a solid 165. Last time I weighed myself I was over 180 now, who knows? That was weeks ago. I thought I still looked good even if I was a bit chubby. I have a full head of thick dark brown hair. I'm not a particularly hairy guy, though I have some fuzz on my chest and I do have a nice full growth around my package. Vicky was a bit older that me at 25 and a little taller at 5 foot eleven. At around 155 lbs she was neither fat nor slim, she was solid. I'm a breast guy and her tits were amazing, 38" and an easy D cup with silver dollar sized areoles and large sensitive nipples. Her hair was blonde and she wore it long. Just the way I liked it.
Like I said, at least we were young.
I sat at the kitchen table, my head in my hands and contemplated our next steps.
We were beyond broke, we had sold anything we owned of any value. Our next step was homelessness. The rent was due in three days and we were already behind two months. The landlord although sympathetic, had had enough. We were out in three days unless a miracle happened. I had tried to stay positive over the last couple of months but I really couldn't see any way out of this. I had resorted to sitting around all day surfing the web for porn and jobs. With the added weight and muscle loss I looked and felt like a failure.
Vicky on the other hand, spent her free time either dropping off resumes or at the gym, as she had prepaid her membership before she was let go. She still looked great and I had to admire her resolve.
Our options had run out. Besides the rent, we were behind on all the utilities and still owed for credit cards that had been canceled months ago. Our next home was our 15 year old van that had a title loan against it. Temporary until we lost that too.
I was lost in self-pity as I heard the front door open. In bounced Vicky, a broad smile on her face. She practically skipped over to the table and embraced me in a bear hug as she bent down to give me a full kiss on the lips.
"Honey, I've got some great news-no, even better that great!" she beamed.
"What?" I squeaked still embraced by her hug.
"Sorry," she said as she loosened her grip. "I left a surprise for you at the front door. Why don't you check it out?" she said as she released me and strutted into the living room.
"OK," I said, "I could sure use some good news." I got up from the table and walked to the front door. I saw a bag from our local liquor store on the floor by the door. 'What was she thinking?' I thought as I reached for the bag. I opened it up and much to my surprise there were a couple of bottles of her favorite wine and a six pack of Amstel, my favorite beer. This was not a good time to be splurging, I thought as I walked back to where Vicky had settled on the sofa.
"Not that I don't appreciate this, but is now a good time to be spending on this? I mean we're down to our last couple of hundred bucks," I said.
Vicky sported a huge smile and said "Why don't you get us a drink and I'll explain everything to you?"
"OK" I said as I turned and went into the kitchen. My stomach was churning, this little spending spree had left us with about enough to fill up our new home. I opened the wine, poured a glass and popped open my beer. I turned to walk to the living room and couldn't help but notice how great Vicky looked. She was wearing a smart business suit she bought just before the store had closed. Her smart tailored jacket in dark grey was a nice contrast to her light blond hair. The skirt ended just below her knees and her black mid thigh boots with 3" heels completed the look. Vicky was a tall women and with her boots on she easily towered over my medium frame. I on the other hand was wearing my most casual of casual clothes. I had on a ratty torn T-shirt that barely covered my belly and a now too tight pair of gym shorts. The contrast between us did not go unnoticed by me.
I walked to where Vicky sat, still beaming and I put down her glass of wine. She patted the spot beside her and I took the hint and settled in next to her. . She reached to pick up her glass.
"A toast to our new jobs," she said as she clinked her glass against my beer bottle. I must have looked like an idiot just sitting there with my mouth open.
Vicky burst out laughing.
"Have a drink," she said and she took a generous sip of her wine. I snapped out of my stupor and took a long pull on my beer. "Let me explain. As you know, both of us have been job searching for a year. I've dropped of dozens of resumes and I know you have too. In this economy, finding a decent job is almost impossible.
"About a month ago I dropped off a resume at a company that sounded promising. I didn't get a call back so I though they weren't interested. Then yesterday out of the blue they called and asked if I could come in today. I didn't want to say anything to you because we've both been through this before. Anyway, I said I'd be happy to. I spent almost 5 hours there today interviewing and taking a bunch of tests to see if I was compatible with the company. Turns out they love me and offered us a position."
"That's fantastic! When do we start?" I asked.
Vicky looked at me for a moment and then reached for her purse. She fished out an envelope and handed it to me. "Open it," she said. I opened the envelope as Vicky took another sip of her wine. My eyes popped open as I viewed what appeared to be a legitimate check made out to my wife and me for $10,000!
"Are you kidding me? Is this for real? I mean, this solves everything! We can pay the rent, buy some decent food... I mean, this changes everything!" I gushed.
"It does, and that's just for starters. We get paid another $10,000 for the next month. That's the probation period: after that, once we're on full time, they said we could expect a considerable raise!" she explained.
"Wow, wow, wow! Way to go, Babe! I'm so proud of you!" I said as I jumped off the couch and grabbed Vicky's now-empty wine glass and practically ran into the kitchen to get us refills. For the first time in a long time I felt a great weight being lifted off me. I was ecstatic! I could barely hide my relief and glee. I rushed back into the living room handing Vicky her wine while I settled back down on the couch.
"It's a lifesaver, but don't forget we're a team here. You have to do your part too." my wife said.