This is my first attempt at a series. I plan on exploring different genres in each part. I chose the designation of fantasy but it could very well be classified as exhibitionism and romantic encounter. Thank you to Amber.Embers for editing support. If you're a writer or editor and would like to collaborate on future story parts, shoot me a message. Enjoy!
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Rebecca sat in her minivan crying. She was parked in the most distant lot of Aspen Drive Park. Her sons played youth soccer here years earlier. The rain tapped out a soothing consolation against her windshield. She looked down at her phone hoping. No texts came. She reset her phone.
Nothing
.
Three days prior her world had turned upside down. Out of the blue, she received a call from a woman who knew her name. She introduced herself as 'your husband's girlfriend.'
Jason and Rebecca had been married for 15 years. They had two kids. Jason had been seeing the woman for 5 years. She hadn't called out of the goodness of her heart. She called because Jason had cheated on her with yet another younger woman. Alerting Rebecca was her vengeance. Rebecca was devastated.
She confronted her husband. Through her hurt, Rebecca had intended on telling him that she was leaving. The only satisfaction she could see in a cloud of hate was that she could hurt him back. But instead, she found him indifferent. Indifferent to her suffering. Indifferent to the consequences.
How can I hurt someone who doesn't care?
His indifference overwhelmed her reason. She couldn't even yell at him. Rebecca stormed off. A few hours later, she texted that she needed time to think things over. She imagined his text back filled with begging and apologies. But what she received instead was a proclamation that he was leaving. He claimed that he felt alive for the first time in years and couldn't go back to pretending to live. This spun her around. Despite his betrayal, she loved him. Rebecca loved their life and their routine.
Back to the rain, Rebecca stared at her phone sobbing. A rap on her passenger window startled her. She looked up in surprise to see a man standing by her passenger door. She couldn't make much out through the streaks of rain. She lowered her window an inch.
"What do you need?" she sobbed. Looking around, there were no other cars in the lot.
"Just to talk, Rebecca," he said coolly. His voice was deep and ominous. It reminded her of a narrator from a documentary. He sounded old.
"How do you know my name?" Rebecca tried to steady her voice. She unlocked her phone in case she needed to call the police.
"I know your name is Rebecca Marie Evans. Your parents are Henry and Claire. Your first kiss was Tim Utz. Your first boyfriend was Garret Holden. Your first lover was Wyatt Barnes. I know a lot about you." The man hadn't bent down to speak. She could only see his chest and neck.
"How do you know those things?" she whimpered in fear and disbelief. Her head began to spin. She couldn't think of
anyone
who knew all of those things. Not even her best friend could have named them. She had nearly forgotten about Tim Utz.
"My name is Dion. And I'm here to offer you what no one else can." His voice sounded ancient and wise.
Something about his voice took her in.
He doesn't seem to have any weapons. He was calm
. She unlocked the door.
Rebecca's heart skipped a beat. The man that sat in the passenger seat of her minivan was the single most attractive person she had ever seen. His nose, strong chin, sparkling eyes--he was a collection of everything she found striking. She couldn't find a feature that could be improved. Even his clothes were perfect.
"I don't have much time so I'll be direct. You lost something a long time ago and I can give it back to you, for a time." The juxtaposition of his youthful look and ancient voice unsettled her. "When you wake tomorrow, you will have my boon. Come back here to find me and I will explain the rest."
She couldn't take her eyes off him. "Your boon? I don't understand--"
Dion opened his door and stepped out. He closed the door and walked towards the nearby woods.
The unnerving encounter was the cue that Rebecca needed to leave. She wiped her eyes and drove home. The image of the striking man and his strange words momentarily distracted her from her pain.
As Rebecca brushed her teeth that night, she recalled the strange encounter. She looked at herself in the mirror and was filled with self pity. There were dark bags under her eyes. Her face was still objectively beautiful. But she had long since regarded herself as such. She had obsessed about her wrinkles and gray hairs for years. She had stayed moderately fit but being the mother of two had made changes that she couldn't look past. She frowned at her reflection before turning off the lights. For a third night in a row, she sobbed herself to sleep.
When her work alarm went off the next morning, she felt surprisingly good. Unlike the previous two mornings, she wasn't hung over. On her way to the bathroom, she passed her vanity mirror. She screamed.
Looking back in the mirror was a much younger version of herself. Her skin and hair was youthful. Her breasts were full and firm. Her waist was small and her hips were shapely.
What the hell is happening? Am I dreaming?
She splashed water in her face.
Is this the boon?
She hurried to her dresser and retrieved her wedding picture. She was the spitting image of herself from 15 years before. Her shower confirmed all of the other changes.
An hour later, her minivan pulled into the park. She had called off work. Dion stood by her parking space from the day before. The morning was clear and looked serene.
She parked next to him and unlocked the door. He got in.
"What the hell is going on?" she demanded.
He looked at her and smiled.