Many thanks to the readers who gave their feedback and left comments.
English is still not my first language, so I apologize for any mistakes.
All of the characters are over 18 years old.
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- Dad, I need your help.
It is with these words that this story should begin. But in life, it's not that simple.
We should probably start at the beginning...
Well, maybe not the beginning.
The beginning of the quarantine.
Yeah, that's probably right.
My name is Stefan. To my friends, it's Stan. Two years ago I was a successful restaurateur with a beautiful wife and two sons. No. Nothing bad happened. Except COVID-19.
The oldest son, Nick, was in his first year of university and studying finance and economics. The youngest, Mick, was still in school, but was already taking IT courses and dreamed of becoming a graphic designer in the future.
I had already been running my own restaurant for over 20 years. Quite successful. And profitable.
Three halls with European, Japanese and national cuisine and a cocktail bar with a dance floor. All years the place was very popular. Pride was the wall in the foyer completely occupied by photos with autographs of couples who found each other in our restaurant. There were more than a thousand of them. Among them was a photo of me and my wife Annie. Twenty years ago, she came to my restaurant with her parents to celebrate graduation.
I always liked blondes. And I didn't believe in love at first sight. I'm young, 25 years old, a fairly well-off successful businessman and a bachelor. Always surrounded by beautiful women. Not a Casanova, but the count of my "trophies" exceeded three dozen.
And then there was SHE. A young burly brunette, with black curly hair and deep brown eyes. If you've ever seen a picture of a young Sophia Loren, you'll understand. I won't go into a long story about dating and courtship. We were married four months later. A year later our firstborn son Nick was born. And three years later, our second son, Mick.
Life was good.
Beautiful wife. Angel in church, queen on the street and devil in bed. Plus a successful career at a major pharmaceutical firm.
Strong, healthy and intelligent sons.
A big beautiful house, always welcoming friends.
They spent summers on the Mediterranean coast and winters at the ski resorts of the Alps.
It seemed to be like that forever.
But COVID-19 decided to change everything.
At the end of March, the authorities declared a quarantine and all life came to a standstill. The restaurant had to close temporarily. School and university classes went online. The family found themselves shut in the house.
At first it was perceived as a vacation and an opportunity to be with family. To read a book. Watch a movie. Play Monopoly or table tennis. Swimming in a pool or sitting in a hot tub. Hang out with the kids. All the things I didn't have time for before.
But by the fall, depression gradually built up. And one day it showed itself. Shortly before New Year's Eve, I fainted. Just like that, in the middle of the room, for no reason, I fainted. That was the first time. Then, two months later, the second time. A month later, a third. The fourth time I woke up in the hospital. A lot of tests were done, a lot of examinations. The doctors couldn't make a diagnosis. They came up with a disorder of the autonomic nervous system. They prescribed vitamins and sent me home.
By summer, the situation with the virus had improved a little. The quarantine was canceled. Only a few restrictions remained. I started a new Internet business, and I did quite well.
But new health problems were added to the old ones. I began to have problems with potency.
My wife and I used to have sex every day for all the years we were married. You know, except on red days. Yes, every day. Morning and night. Three times. Maybe more, but that's on weekends or vacations. Annie had multiple orgasms. Our sex life was very intense.
But now it's starting to get out of hand. Sex only in the morning. Once or twice. In the evening, no desire at all. Annie tried to diversify. Role-playing, toys, sexy lingerie. Even Viagra. Nothing worked. The doctors we went to, they just threw their hands around. One "specialist" in general said that the decrease in sexual function at my1 age is normal. At what age? Π 46? With a young wife who is not even 40? Only a miracle saved his face from a close encounter with my fist.
And then my wife took me to the mountains, to the sorcerer "malfar".
I have always been wary of traditional medicine. All these herbalists, shamans, fortune-tellers and herbalists. But there is homeopathy, acupuncture and other Chinese medicine. It can't get any worse. Really?
What I saw was not at all what I had imagined. Only the mountains were confirmed. Everything else was wrong. Instead of a narrow trail, a two-lane highway; instead of a wooden hut, a glass-and-concrete building; instead of tufts of grass and mouse tails, a modern laboratory. Instead of witch-helpers, there were helpful medical personnel.
And the sorcerer himself, not an old man in a sheepskin coat, but a man in his 30s and 35s, wearing stylish glasses with an expensive smartwatch on his wrist. A sign on the door of his office read "Dr. Zachary Kortz".
- Hi. Is this a mistake? We're here to see a sorcerer.
- How do you do? And you've come to the right place. Allow me to introduce myself. Fifth-generation malfar sorcerer, M.D. Zachary Kortz.
After reviewing the results of my examinations on the tablet, he turned to me:
- Stefan, before you make a diagnosis and prescribe a treatment, I ask you to answer a few questions. Please answer honestly and don't be offended. Some questions will be very personal.
- I understand. But this won't get any further than this office?
- Yes. Doctor-patient confidentiality. - the doctor confirmed.
- First question. Your sex life. How intense?
