The Power of Fantasy
Older guy takes a risk to make college girl's dream come true
[This story is in part a reimagining of an old idea in a different story, since taken down. All action takes place between characters who are over 18 years of age.]
Dreams can be fascinating. Sometimes they even come true. If you had a chance to help somebody else's dream come true, would you take it? I did, and it was one of the best decisions I ever made. This is that story.
The first couple years after my divorce were pretty rough. There's no denying I was depressed. I drank too much. My performance at work suffered. Probably the only reason I didn't get fired was because my boss cut me more slack than I deserved, hoping I'd pull myself together. My daughters were both moved out, one still in college and one recently graduated. They were worried about me. If we're being honest, I was kinda worried about myself too.
My daughters had encouraged me to start dating again, join one of those online sites, get out, meet people. "Just give it a try! What have you got to lose?" they'd tell me. I did join one, but my heart wasn't in it. The thought of dating again terrified me. I was 49 years old, too old for the young, single girls, and not ready to take on anyone closer to my age with baggage of their own, since I didn't really have mine sorted out yet.
As for sex, well my sex life was pretty much confined to internet porn, which was something I'd sorta lost touch with during the years I was married. I have to admit to being pretty impressed with the easy access and wide variety of what's available these days. I hadn't quite gotten so lonely as to be actually paying for it, but I was wondering if I might be headed down that road.
My mood always picked up a bit when one or both of my daughters came over to visit. Hannah, 23, recently graduated and just starting out with an Accounting firm, is the serious one. Her sister Amy, 21, is more the outspoken free spirit. One Sunday afternoon while we were all together just catching up over takeout sushi, Amy asked, "So Dad...how's the dating going?"
"OK I suppose. Nothing too significant to report," I answered, trying to keep it vague.
"How many dates have you been on in the last two months?" Hannah was going to hold my feet to it, and not let me wriggle off the hook so easily.
"Uh...one, I guess." I lied. The real number was 0.
"So that makes what...two this year?" My accountant. Putting a number on it.
"Basically." It was now July. I went on one date back in March. With her, I had sensed an underlying depression even worse than mine. Not what I needed at all.
Hannah tried to be encouraging. "Dad, ya gotta get out there! It's hard. It sucks. But you gotta push yourself. You're a great guy! We all know Mom was crazy to leave you. Shit, we all know Mom is crazy! But there's plenty of great women out there who would love to meet a guy like you. You just gotta put in a little effort. You know I'm right. You know it! So just do it!"
"And some of those old single ladies are pretty horny, too!" Amy chimed in.
"Jesus, Amy!" I was a little uncomfortable discussing anything sex-related with my daughters, and of course they knew it. But Amy delighted in pushing my buttons, in a teasing way, of course.
"Just sayin..." She couldn't quite let it go.
"So Dad..." Hannah popped in. The expression on her face changed, and you could tell she was about to get serious. "Amy and I have been talking, and we think maybe what you need is a little 'jump start' to your dating efforts."
"Jump start? What do you mean?"
"Like a nudge, to help get you out of your rut."
"You know, like dope dealers give out free samples to get you hooked, so you'll come back for more," Amy chimed in, pleased with herself.
"Amy! Good God!" Hannah corrected her, laughingly.
"What exactly do you have in mind?" I wasn't sure where this was going,
"We know somebody who wants to fuck you." Amy just laid it out there. Yeah, I guess you could say that had the shock value she wanted! Holy crap! The room was silent while what she said just sat there, filling it.
All I could think to say was, "What?"
I'd heard her, of course. And I understood what she'd said, but I was scrambling for time, trying to figure out how to respond. Was I shocked? Yes I was. But it was Amy. She loved to shock. Maybe the reality wasn't quite as stark as all that. There was probably a catch, like it's someone I'm not even slightly attracted to, who just said I had "bedroom eyes," or something.
Of course a part of me was also thrilled. Somebody wants to fuck me? Even the possibility it might be true was both flattering, and exciting, especially since I hadn't had sex with anyone or anything except my hand in almost three years! My girls weren't stupid. They knew it too. Clearly I was in no position to just ignore this and try to move on like she'd never said it.
"Who?" In the two seconds I'd been waiting for an answer this was the best I could come up with. Pitiful. Then I at least thought to follow up with, "Wait. How do you know?"
"Whoa! Whoa!" Hannah tried to rein it in. "Let's back up a bit. Maybe we should start at the beginning."
"That sounds good." Needless to say, I was very interested in learning more.
"So...it all started last Saturday afternoon. I was talking to this person I know, who I hadn't seen in awhile. We were just out on the deck of my apartment, catching up over a bottle of wine (or maybe two)..."
"Hannah, you lush!" Amy teased.
"Yeah well some of us don't loosen up quite so easily as others!" Hannah continued with her story, unphased by her sister's faux outrage. "So yes, the conversation was flowing, and the topic turned to dreams. I'd studied dreams in my Psychology class and I remembered reading about how they can be manifestations of subconscious desires."
"So out of the blue I just asked her if she'd had any good dreams lately, or any weird ones, and all of a sudden she started to turn the deepest shade of red. I knew I'd hit some kind of a nerve! She just stared at me, blushing, until finally I said, 'C'mon, you gotta spill it! One look at you and I know this has gotta be good!' She really didn't want to tell me at first, but I kept pushing. I'm good at getting people to open up. So eventually she starts in slow, kinda giggly and embarrassed, telling me she's had the same dream at least five times now, the exact same dream!"