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From: Lazlo Zalezac <lzalezac@yahoo.com>
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Subject: {ASSM} A Different Sort Of Lifestyle 04 (MF, rom)
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Date: Mon, 08 Jan 2007 09:10:01 -0500
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Lazlo Zalezac
http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Lazlo_Zalezac
http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Lazlo_Zalezac
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<1st attachment, "Life01-04.txt" begin>

A Different Sort Of Lifestyle
Chapter 4: Another World
By
Lazlo Zalezac
Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2006

Sharon was not impressed when they arrived at their destination. 
Not only was it the smallest house in the neighborhood, the two 
older compact cars in the driveway drove her opinion down even 
more. She looked down at her outfit and back at the house. She 
looked at Greg and asked, "Are you sure that we are at the right 
place?"

"Yes."

"I was expecting something a little more ... like a mansion," she 
said feeling totally underwhelmed. She wondered why someone 
living in this little house would require fancy dress for a friendly 
dinner.

"Don't worry about the appearance of the house," Greg said. He 
stepped up to the door and knocked using the brass knocker on the 
door. It just seemed more appropriate than the doorbell. 

Robert, dressed in blue jeans and a tee shirt, answered the door. 
Seeing Greg, he said, "Hello, Mr. Anders. It is nice to see you 
again."

"Thank you, Master Green," Greg said. He turned to his wife and 
said, "Sharon, I'd like to present Master Robert Green to you. He's 
the son of our hosts. Master Green, this is my wife, Sharon 
Anders."

Robert turned to Sharon and paused for half a heart beat to see if 
she extended her hand to him. When she didn't, he said, "It is a 
pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Anders."

"Nice to meet you," Sharon said impressed by his manners. She 
wondered if her kids would ever begin to act civilized and then 
recalled their obvious envy that she was coming here. For a brief 
moment she felt there was a ray of hope.

"I apologize for my attire, but I am going to the movies this 
evening with some of my friends. My parents are waiting for you 
in the back yard. If you'll come with me, I'll take you to them." 
Robert gave a little gesture inviting them into the house. As they 
went, he joked about activity appropriate attire and how wearing a 
tuxedo to the theatre required a different kind of theatre than the 
one he was attending. 

Watching the young man, Sharon could understand why her 
daughter thought he was a hunk. It wasn't so much the way he 
looked, since he looked like most teenagers. It was his calm 
confidence that the situation was under control. That much 
confidence seemed almost unnatural for someone his age. 

The couple followed him through the little house. They passed by 
the living room and through the dining room to the back door. 
Sharon was amazed at how neat and clean it was inside. She 
wondered how long the wife took to clean the house. As small and 
simply decorated as it was, she realized it wouldn't take that much 
effort. Her own house was a different matter. It would take her a 
week to get her house that neat and clean. By the time she finished 
cleaning one end of the house, the other end would be messy.

Outside, Robert announced that the guests had arrived and then 
informed his parents that he was leaving. Once Robert was gone, 
Greg introduced his wife to the Greens. Sharon was amazed at the 
formality of the conversation. She had only been there a few 
minutes and had said thank you more times than she usually did in 
an entire week.

Upon taking a seat, she looked around. It was rather unreal to be 
sitting in the back yard of a suburban home wearing formal 
clothes. The two story houses around this little place overlooked 
the backyard. She wondered how many people were looking at her 
and laughing at the outrageous attire. 

After coming to grips with her surroundings, she studied the other 
couple. Jim was dressed in a tuxedo. While he was not exactly 
handsome, he looked distinguished in the formal attire. Unlike 
most men she had met, he acted completely comfortable wearing a 
tuxedo.

Ann was wearing a very nice gown that was just as elegant as hers, 
but was a little less revealing. With Ann's slightly larger build, she 
required more support for her breasts. Still, she presented an 
impressive cleavage that seemed to draw Jim's attention with great 
regularity. Looking at the bun, she wondered how long her hair 
was. She glanced over at her husband and remembered his 
comment about when she had cut her hair.

Once the guests had been settled into their chairs, Jim asked, 
"Would you care for a little wine before dinner?"

"That would be lovely," Sharon answered. She looked around at 
the houses surrounding the backyard wondering who was watching 
this strange little drama unfold. Somehow, and she didn't 
understand how, she was being drawn into their world. 

Jim turned to Greg and asked, "Would wine be all right with you?"

"I'd love some, thank you," Greg said. He looked over at his wife 
and could see that she was impressed. He had been worried when 
they had arrived and she had seen the house for the first time. He 
knew that she tended to judge things based on appearance. In a 
way, he found that rather ironic considering how she had let her 
appearance go to hell.

It took Jim just a minute to pour two glasses of wine. He brought 
them over on a silver tray. Sharon almost dropped her glass when 
she recognized that the glasses were real crystal. Recovering, she 
asked, "Bohemian Crystal?"

"Yes, it is. I just love the way it catches the light," Ann answered 
while holding up her glass and looking at it.

"I'm impressed," Sharon said. She had a set of six glasses and 
couldn't remember ever using them. Some things were just too 
good to be used, except if the queen should ever drop by of course.

"Don't be," Ann said with a slight frown. She wasn't out to 
impress her guests; she just enjoyed the glasses.

Ann handed out small China plates to each person. Starting with 
Sharon, she held out a silver tray with appetizers. These weren't 
cheese whiz on crackers, but real appetizers like one would find in 
a very high-end restaurant. She said, "Please, have some 
appetizers."

"Thank you. Everything looks so good," Sharon said while 
examining the contents of the tray. She took a small square of toast 
topped with caviar, a mushroom stuffed with crab meat, and a 
small piece of bread topped with p té. She took a bite of the bread 
with p té and said, "This is excellent."

"Thank you," Ann said. She went on to offer the appetizers to 
everyone else. 

Sharon watched the give and take that went along with the simple 
act of serving the appetizers. The entire time that Ann had been 
interacting with her she had felt as if she was the only one in the 
room. It was really amazing. She realized that there was an art to 
being a good hostess; an art that she had never before observed. 

When she had finished her appetizers, Ann had been there offering 
her more. Such attention was very flattering. Jim was just as 
attentive to their needs. When she finished her wine, he was there 
with the bottle to refill it.

The greatest surprise of all was her husband. He was actively 
engaging them in conversation about topics she hadn't realized he 
knew anything about. Occasionally, he would reach over and touch 
her to bring her into the conversation. When the topic had turned to 
architecture, he had turned to her and asked her to tell them about 
the castle they had visited on a trip to England. 

She was surprised at the impact that his touch had upon her. It 
dawned on her that she hadn't had real physical contact with 
anyone for ages. Everyone in her house lived in their own physical 
space that wasn't invaded by others except on very rare 
circumstance. This continued casual touching was having an effect 
on her libido. She found that she was reaching out to him. At first, 
it was brief touches of his arm. After a while, she found she was 
holding hands with him.

After an hour on the patio, they went inside for dinner. The curtain 
that separated the kitchen from the attached dining area initially 
struck her as stupid. After a minute of being in the room, she 
realized she had forgotten that the kitchen was on the other side of 
the curtain. It wasn't long before she felt that the curtain gave the 
dining area a more intimate feel. The lit candles of the 
candelabrum gave a soft intimate glow to the area. 

Once again, Sharon was amazed at the extent to which Ann had 
gone to make it an occasion. The table was set with real China, 
crystal glasses, and real silverware. Ann would disappear for a few 
minutes at a time and return with the next course. Sharon couldn't 
believe the quality of the food and was confused by how quickly 
Ann was able to bring out each course.

Throughout dinner, the conversation flowed around the table. At 
times it was lively while at other times it was thoughtful. They 
discussed topics that Sharon had not heard discussed in years. Ann 
was a spectacular hostess. Jim was witty and entertaining. Her 
husband was animated and interesting. She did her best to keep up.

After the dessert course, Jim said, "Ladies, if you will excuse Greg 
and me, we shall go out to the patio for cognac and cigars."

Ann knew how much her husband enjoyed his after dinner cigar. 
Usually, she would trim the end off of it for him and hold the 
match while he lit it. Of course, she sat on his lap while doing it. 
Ann said, "Go ahead, dear. We'll stay here and drink some 
coffee."

Looking at her husband, Sharon wondered if he was going to 
smoke a cigar. He looked just as surprised by the suggestion as she 
had been. Smiling, she said, "Go ahead, dear."

Somewhat surprised by the use of endearment by Sharon, Greg 
followed Jim out to the patio and took a seat. Jim went to the drink 
cart and prepared two snifters of cognac. Handing one to Greg, Jim 
said, "I hope you enjoy this. It is my favorite."

"Thank you," Greg said. He took the snifter and swirled the golden 
liquor it contained. Putting the snifter to his nose, he inhaled the 
aroma. It was heavenly. He took a small taste. Expecting it to be 
overpowering, he was amazed at the smooth gentle taste. Nodding 
his head, he said, "This is excellent."

"I'm glad you like it," Jim said. He picked up a small humidor and 
set it on the table. He settled into his chair. Opening the humidor, 
he offered it to Greg. He said, "I don't know if you enjoy a good 
cigar after dinner. If so, please take one."

It had been years since Greg had a cigar and it hadn't been a very 
good experience. He decided to try one anyway. Taking a cigar, he 
looked at it and smelled it. It was a short cigar; about a third the 
size of the last cigar he had smoked. He said, "It's been a while 
since I've smoked a cigar. Actually, I haven't done it since 
college."

Jim laughed and said, "Oh, God. I remember the cigars I smoked 
in college. They were horrible. I think you'll find that one a very 
different experience. Just remember not to inhale the smoke."

"Thanks," Greg said looking at the end of the cigar. The last cigar 
he had came with a plastic tip. He wondered if he was supposed to 
bite the end off.

Leaning forward, Jim said, "Watch how I clip the end off the cigar. 
You want to do it so that the cut is even."

Greg cut the cigar in the same manner as Jim had done. Jim handed 
him a box of matches and said, "Here are some matches."

Greg lit the cigar and took a puff. He was astounded at how it 
smooth it was. There wasn't the harsh bitter taste that he 
remembered from his college days. He said, "This is great."

"I'm glad you like it. This cigar takes about half an hour to smoke. 
It's perfect for after dinner," Jim said enjoying his smoke. Settling 
back in his chair, he said, "This is the life. We talked a little before 
dinner, had a wonderful meal, and now this. I wouldn't give this up 
for anything."

"It has been a very pleasant evening. I can't remember when I've 
had this good of a time," Greg said. He sat back in his chair and 
took another sip of his cognac trying to remember if he'd ever had 
an evening like this one. 

"Ann and I live like this every day," Jim said looking over at Greg. 
Smiling at the astounded look on Greg's face, he said, "You've 
seen me bring her flowers. We have drinks and appetizers on the 
patio every night when I get home from work. For at least one hour 
we relax and talk about our day. We change into our formal attire 
and have dinner. Most nights, the dinner isn't anywhere near as 
nice as what we had tonight. However, we do eat this well every 
Friday night."

"What about cleaning, mowing lawns, and repairing things?"

"We spend six hours every Saturday working around the house. 
It's small so it is not too much work. The whole family chips in. 
Robert mows the lawn. Susan does the vacuuming and dusting. I 
do the laundry. Ann takes care of the shopping. If anything major 
needs repairing, we just hire someone to do it."

"Six hours? That doesn't sound too bad," Greg said. 

"So, if you were me, would you give this up for a bigger house and 
a more fashionable car?"

Taking a puff off the cigar, Greg answered, "No way."

Curious, Jim asked, "Why did you join the carpool?"

"Back when the government started offering tax incentives for 
firms to reduce traffic, the upper management of my company 
looked for a couple managers to serve as examples to the 
employees. I was bucking for a promotion at the time and 
volunteered to join a carpool. After a while, I found that I actually 
enjoyed it. Not having to deal with traffic every day was quite a 
break."

"Did you get the promotion?" Jim asked.

"Yes, but I doubt it had anything to do with joining the carpool."

Inside the house, the two women moved to the living room where 
they would be more comfortable talking. After serving coffee, Ann 
smiled at Sharon and asked, "Do you entertain on a regular basis?"

The question was so unexpected that Sharon didn't know how to 
answer. Finally, she said, "I have family over for holidays."

"We do that too, but this is the first time that we've ever 
entertained like this."

"Our kids were quite surprised that we were coming here for 
dinner. They were really impressed," Sharon said wondering why 
her daughter was impressed if the Greens didn't entertain 
regularly.

"Well, we do have guests of our children over quite often for 
dinner. I was not aware that they considered it anything special," 
Ann said with a puzzled expression.

 "I would almost say our kids were jealous."

"Really? That is interesting. I'll be sure to ask Robert and Susan 
about it."

Curious, Sharon asked, "So did you get the tuxedo and the dress 
just for this evening?"

"Not at all. We dress like this for dinner every night. The kids are 
allowed to wear their suits or dresses, but we prefer to dress up," 
Ann answered. Smiling, she said, "Jim is so handsome in the 
tuxedo. Every night after dinner, I can't wait to get him in the 
bedroom."

"He does seem quite attentive to you," Sharon said knowing that 
quite attentive was an understatement. He doted on her the entire 
evening. Ann had returned his attention with interest. 

"Your husband seemed to be quite attentive to you, as well," Ann 
said with a smile. She leaned over and put a hand on the other 
woman's hand. She said, "If I'm not mistaken, you really enjoyed 
the attention."

"Yes, I did," Sharon answered. She had forgotten what it had been 
like to be admired and desired by her husband. Her son's question 
haunted her, `When did she turn into a slob?' Wanting to change 
the subject, she asked, "So how did you manage that magnificent 
meal?"

In a slightly embarrassed voice, Ann said, "I must confess, I didn't 
make the dinner myself. I had it catered. I didn't want to spoil the 
evening by spending the entire time in the kitchen." 

"Really?" Sharon said looking at the other woman with awe. A 
dinner party like that would have driven her crazy. She'd have 
tried to cook every dish and play hostess at the same time. The idea 
of having the food prepared by someone else would never have 
occurred to her.

"To tell the truth, we have dinner catered every Friday night. 
Tonight, it was just a matter of ordering twice as much food," Ann 
admitted. She hoped that the other woman didn't think less of her 
for doing that.

"That's absolutely brilliant," Sharon said. One evening a week like 
that would definitely return a little spice to a marriage. She asked, 
"How did you ever get to where you live like this?"

"Oh, that's a long story," Ann answered. 

"Do tell."

"When Susan was three and Robert was one, we were a lot like 
most struggling young couples. Jim was working long hours and I 
was busy with the kids. It seemed that we never got a chance to be 
with each other. One day, we finally got my mother to baby sit the 
kids and we took one night off to see a movie. The movie wasn't 
all that good, but the main couple ended up on the roof of their 
building eating a gourmet meal and wearing fancy clothes. On the 
drive home, Jim and I talked about that scene. We decided that we 
wanted to do something similar," Ann said with a smile.

She gestured to her body and said, "I knew the passion was leaving 
our marriage. I know I'm a little pudgy now, but I was a lot bigger 
right after having two kids. Jim has never complained, but you 
know how men are. They go for the slender woman like you every 
time.

"Anyway, there I was with two little kids and a marriage that was 
slowly dying. I knew that I had to do something and I recalled that 
scene from the movie. Of course, we didn't have a rooftop or the 
fancy table settings, but I decided to recreate that scene the best I 
could.

"I made a really special meal. I slaved over it all afternoon. When 
Jim came home, I did my best to recreate that scene by having the 
meal in the backyard. It was a total failure," Ann said. She sighed. 
"I was exhausted, he was tired from work, and the kids were 
cranky."

"You must have been crushed," Sharon said.

"I was too tired to be crushed. The next day though was a different 
matter. Jim and I discussed the matter when we were both feeling a 
little more alert. He hadn't even realized that it was a special 
evening," Ann admitted. Shaking her head, she said, "That really 
depressed me."

"What did you do?"

"I just couldn't get out of my mind the romance of that rooftop 
dinner, so I tried it a second time."

"What happened?"

Ann leaned forward and said, "I went about it in a totally different 
way. That time, I didn't cook. I went to the store and got gourmet 
TV dinners. Instead of leading him to the table right after he came 
home from work, we sat around the back yard relaxing for a bit 
with appetizers and drinks. The appetizers weren't much, just Ritz 
Crackers with Cheese Whiz. It was jug wine that came in a box. 
The kids played in the yard. When they were tired out and ready to 
sleep, I put them to bed. Then, Jim and I ate the TV dinners. It was 
the best evening we had together since Susan had been born."

"Wow."

Ann smiled and said, "We did that once a week for about a year. 
Then he got a raise and a promotion. We started talking about 
moving up like everyone else our age. You know what I mean. We 
were going to get a little bigger house, a nicer car, and all that rot." 

"I know what you mean," Sharon said. Those were the days when 
she thought that anything was possible. They'd buy a nice big 
house and a little place in the country. It hadn't turned out quite the 
way she had planned it. They had never gotten the place in the 
country. They were in debt and it looked like they would never get 
out of it. Despite that, they were still pursuing the old dream.

"While we were considering what to do, I was using the extra 
money to make our evenings a lot nicer. Rather than TV dinners, I 
ordered take out. We started doing it twice a week, then three days, 
and finally every night. I cooked most nights, but never on Fridays. 
We put off moving and buying a car. Our evenings became even 
more formal. We went from dressing down to dressing up for 
dinner," Ann said. 

"That's amazing."

"Well, we never got around to moving. Before long, we were 
hooked on making our time together the best that we could with 
the resources that we had. I started buying the fancy plates and the 
crystal glasses. Then it was the candelabrum, the drink cart, and 
the patio furniture. Before long, we were living as if we were rich 
without ever stressing our finances."

"It is rather romantic when you think about it."

"We've been married almost nineteen years and he still chases me 
around the bedroom," Ann paused, "He chases me, pudgy little me. 
Can you imagine that?"

Sharon was quiet for a minute as she considered what Ann said. 
Tears welled up in her eyes and she blurted, "Greg hasn't chased 
me around the bedroom since the kids were born."

Looking over at her guest, Ann said, "You're a very attractive 
woman. I'm sure that he still finds you attractive."

"I'm a slob," Sharon said admitting the truth aloud for the first 
time. Her kids thought that of her, her husband thought that of her, 
and now she believed it to be true as well. It was a devastating 
thought. She put her head in her hands and started sobbing. 

Ann watched the woman break down in tears. It wasn't unusual for 
one of the teenage girls who visited to end up crying about one 
thing or another, but she hadn't expected this. She waited for the 
tears to subside a little. Finally, she said, "That can be fixed."

Looking up at her, Sharon asked, "How?"

"Stop being a slob."

The answer was so straightforward and simple that Sharon could 
only stare at Ann. Incredulous, she said, "Stop being a slob."

"It's that simple," Ann said. 

Pulling at her short hair, she asked, "What about this?"

"Buy a wig. Buy several wigs. One of the great things about wigs 
is that you can become a different woman of his dreams every 
night."

The phrase about being a different woman of his dreams every 
night caught Sharon's attention. It was a revelation to her just as 
significant as stop being a slob had been. She stared at Ann and 
said, "You are the most brilliant woman I've ever met."
<1st attachment end>


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